Episodes

Hurricane Harvey was unlike most storms that roll onto the Texas Gulf Coast. Hurricanes are known for their wind, but in this case, it was a storm surge that reached new levels of the inland. It was reported that 38 people lost their lives, hundreds of homes were flooded, and possibly as many as 500,000 vehicles were ruined. Many car collections were damaged beyond repair. A lot of people put the vehicle up on blocks, if they had the time and resources, while others looked for higher ground. J...

Setting up a large scale car show, and we are talking large scale as in over 700,000 square feet of the NRG Center in Houston, can be a big undertaking. Along with all of the new vehicle displays, the ride-n-drive setups, there are vendors that need to setup, along with some food and beverages. Add to this, a classic car section, which most have a few, but in Houston, a few just won't do. The man in charge of finding some worthy classic vehicles, some cool hot rods, and even a few resto-mods, i...

The ride'n drive displays have become some of the favorite things at the larger auto shows - some you can actually drive, others, it is a ride. Either way, it is an opportunity to get a hands-on look at a lot of vehicles. For Camp Jeep, it is about showing off the off-road capabilities of the Jeep vehicles. Almost every model is represented in Houston and riders can try them all over a course with plenty of hills and angles to make anyone believe they are heading down a trail. Joining us in th...

We opened our special Friday afternoon show from the 2021 Summer Houston Auto Show with our friend, RoShelle Salinas, V.P., Houston Auto Dealers Association. It has been a crazy year, and with the normal schedule, the HAS would be in the latter part of January, kicking off the larger car show year. Of course with COVID, that was not possible, but sometimes, making the impossible possible works out great. In this segment, RoShelle shares some of the things that can be found at this year's show. ...

Toyota Motor Sports is involved with almost every motorsport we have heard of - and then some! We are at the NHRA Spring Nationals in Baytown, Texas, while just 3.5 hours away, is Austin, Texas. NASCAR is at Circuit of the Americans for the weekend, so what is the head of Toyota Motorsports to do? He goes to Austin for part of that event and then drives down to Houston for the next event. Paul Doleshal is not just a 'suit', he has an extensive background in racing, blending hands-on knowledge w...

The pro ranks of the NHRA are very competitive, but at the same time, respectfully 'friends'. The Funny Car ranks are cars in looks only, with 10k horsepower motors that can take a driver from 0-300+ mph in less than 4-seconds! We talk with two of these Funny Car Pilots. Alexis DeJoria took some time off, but is back in the world of Funny Cars. JR Todd continues to be a winner in the Funny Car class building on his 2018 NHRA Funny Car Championship. ----- Be sure to subscribe on your favorite ...

On this episode of In Wheel Time Car Talk, we are proud to have two of the younger members of the NHRA Top Fuel ranks - Josh Hart and Justin Ashley. Josh Hart made his Top Fuel debut at the Gainesville event and WON! No better way to kick off a career than to come out on top first time out to a major national event. Working out of 'Burnyzz Speed Shop' that he opened in 2010, Josh has been steadily working his way up the ranks. For more go to JoshHartRacing.com 2020 may have been an off-year fo...

In Wheel Time Car Talk continues with more from then 2021 NHRA Spring Nationals with our first guest during this episode - Mr. 'Slugger' Labbe. Slugger has been in some sort of racing effort for the last 35 years, including 20 years as NASCAR Crew Chief. Just a short 4 years ago, Slugger joined the Toyota Racing Development support team and has really gotten into drag racing. It is a fascinating back story on how technical some of these teams have become. Then our second guest during this episo...

One of our favorite Top Fuel drivers, Mr. Antron Brown, joins the In Wheel Time crew at the 2021 NHRA Spring Nationals in Baytown, Texas! Antron always has a smile to share, and plenty of stories about being a professional drag racer - what it is like to launch a 10,000+horsepower vehicle, what it is like to run the track, and still find time to be a family man. Once again, Mr. Antron Brown with breaking news at the 2021 NHRA Spring Nationals! ----- ----- ----- Be sure to subscribe on your fav...

We start our weeklong coverage of the 2021 NHRA Spring Nationals from Houston Raceway Park with a visit from the President of the track, Seth Angel. As the person responsible for a national event coming into Baytown, Texas, Seth has a lot of things to do, and we see him running around the track on his scooter - in his raincoat this weekend! Seth joins us to talk a bit about the event, what is going on, how the weather is affecting activities, and some of the changes they are enacting to adjust ...

For almost 80 years, the versatile Chevrolet Suburban has set the standard for full-size SUVs, even before anyone knew what a Sport Utility Vehicle was. Over the years, there have been several models that seem to have 'stuck'. The Chevrolet C-10 series of truck have been popular with hot rodders for several years, and that popularity has rolled over to other C10 Chevrolets, in particular the 3-door Suburban. One of the finest examples we have seen is owned by Donny and Roxann Martin. With the s...

There are classic muscle cars and then there are 'classic' muscle cars - like the 1967 Chevy Nova. With slick body lines from the long hood back to the sloping rear roof line leading down to the short deck, the profile is all performance. This model is subject to a lot of stylings from slick cruizer to full on drag racer. For Jerry Straznicky, it is the 671 blower sitting on top of a small block that does the trick. Never mind having to look around it when driving, never mind then nice belt whi...

Traditionally, right or wrong, hot rodding has been a man's world...oh there are plenty of girls that get involved by supporting their other half, but not so many take a straight-up active role. When they do, they stand out. When we watched Linda Wehring roll through the crowd at Tailpipes & Tacos - May Edition, it was easy to see she was not just driving a hopped up Camaro, but it was 'her' Camaro. In our feature segment, we have the Car Clinic, where Master Tech Konrad DeLong shares some way...

On this episode of In Wheel Time Car Talk, we get to talk with Rick Parras, the very proud owner of a 1954 Pontiac Chieftain 'survivor'. Very often, there are survivors that show up as Barn Finds, and we try to share those, but in this case, Rick is driving a survivor. Not a restored vehicle, but a survivor with wear showing on the seats, a few spots here and there in the bright red and white paint. This vehicle is still running the 6-volt system! Rick is very proud to share the story of his pr...

One of the great things about getting out of Studio A to do remote shows, we get to meet some great people and see some incredible machines! We even learn something new along the way. Joining us in this episode of In Wheel Time Car Talk, Ron Fernau joins the crew at Tailpipes & Tacos - May Edition with his marvelous looking 1987 Armaretta. When Ron rolled into the event, we identified it as a Cord update, we called it a kit car, we called it a lot of things because it was so unique. It wasn't u...

When it comes to Corvettes, almost every one, automotive enthusiast or not, has a pretty good idea of their favorite model. Maybe not the details, but the look. while the C1 seems to be gaining popularity, the C2 continues to be one of the most popular. For the performance set, the fastback models hold a lot of appeal, while cruizers often look to the convertible models for the open air feel. Bob Watson is a long auto automotive enthusiast, and after years of working on a variety of hot rods wh...

With the continued growth of the electric vehicle market, fueled by the noted performance that is available, for hot rodders, there is the problem of getting the right 'look'. After all, who want to see a chopped top '32 Ford with what looks like a big washing maching motor in the open engine compartment? In that case, leep the cowl closed, please! 'Ol school rodding needs that V8 engine look, whether it is a flathead or not, it still has the hot rod look. It is just part of the 'cool' factor. ...

Seems there is never enough room in the garage for all the projects, the parts for the projects, and still have room to work on the projects without moving the lawnmower or the bicycles. Well Garages of Texas may have the solution. We talk with Shawn Richard and Jack Griffin who join IWT from one of the Carrolton locations on this episode to let us know more about Garages of Texas - a place that can be as simple as the garage, a small shop, or a full blown man cave. https://garagesoftexas.com/...

One of the things the automotive world lost to the COVID pandemic were auto shows - the big car shows where we can go in and sit in the seats, get all touchy feely with the vehicles up close. The new car drives at the auto shows have helped a lot of consumers to make a buying decision. RoShelle Salinas with the Houston Auto Dealers Association joins us with details about this special showing - a great family event to kick off the summer. Then we get ready for a return back to the January dates ...

The Ford Transit van has become very popular for several reasons, particularly the felxibility of the design - 8 different configurations! From there, time to talk about upfitters for a particular trade or job. Raj Sarkar, joins the In Wheel Time crew to talk about the new Transit EV - an all electric Transit van with a range of 126 miles! Check out more in our interview with Raj ... In our feature segment, we have 'This Week In Automotive History' with a special nod to the recent passing of B...

Great asphalt racing is alive and well in Houston, Texas, thanks to the efforts of Gina Schild Knowles! Coming from a family with a long history of asphalt racing in the Houston area, Gina has revied the sport in the area and has now added a 2nd track over in Mobile to the series. This should provide a lot more racing excitement at both tracks! Joining us today with an update on track preperations and the upcoming season! ----- ----- ----- Be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast provider...

Seems almost every day there is a news blurb about electric vehicles - new batteries, new range, new OEM making more and more. The problem is that this is not always real world. Richard 'Buzz' Smith has become a friend of the show who lives in the real EV world, so he updates us with how to make road trips that are more than 100miles. How to find charging stations, how does an EV really handle the open road. What about gear for camping or light boating? Buzz has been out there doing it. Then t...

On this episode of In Wheel Time Car Talk, we have the honor of being joined at the 25th Annual Keels & Wheels Concours 'd Elegance, we are joined by our guest, Frank Capanelli. Frank is serving as a VIP Judge that is helping a group of judges at the event during the 25th year celebration of the Keels & Wheels event, specializing in the Italian brands and the prototype vehicles. We also have some of this weeks Automotive Headline News. ---- ----- ----- Be sure to subscribe on your favorite p...

One of the few events in the country that actually combines keels and wheels - a concours level car show that includes boats. Not just a boat show at the local civic center, but boats sitting in the water. Boats that include classic wooden yachts that many owners will be glad to give you a tour or let a walkabout on board. Just be polite and ask for permission to board. To tell us more about the Keels in Keels & Wheels, it is Paul Merryman, co-founder of the Keels & Wheels event some 25 years a...