DIRTRACKR Daily Podcast - Episode Transcript

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Mike Nuchols on putting late models in a wind tunnel, tires and engines, building for the budget racer | Daily 12-21-2025

At the top of dirt late model racing, there are only a handful of major chassis players. But when you venture away from the big tours, there are others building, pushing things forward, and helping people go race. On this special episode of the Daily, Warrior Race Cars owner Mike Nuchols takes us inside racing at the local and regional level, talks the cost of late model racing, putting dirt late models in a wind tunnel, and a lot more. Let's go!

Hello friends, I'm Justin Fiedler. This is DIRTRACKR Daily presented by Kubota Genuine Parts.

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You can't talk about major dirt late model racing these days without mentioning the likes of Rocket and Longhorn. The chassis choice and those technical details are a major underlying storyline for every win on the biggest stages. But there are a number of other builders who you can source new chassis from, and one of those is Warrior Race Cars. They've been around since the 1980s, and some top late model drivers have won crown jewels in Warriors. Those scores include both the Dream and the World, Topless 100, and Dirt Track World Championship. These days, it's not Sanford Goddard at the helm anymore, it's Mike Nuchols. Some know Nuchols from his time building cars, and others see him as one of the faces behind raceknowhow.com. He's seen the sport at all levels, and he knows what it takes to build fast cars and win. In this interview we talk about what Warrior Race Cars looks like, his journey to owning it, and then we dive into a lot about late model racing, including regional and crate stuff, all the way to what it takes to win with Lucas or the Outlaws. Costs, tires, wind tunnels, car designs, testing, and crew and driver relationships are just a few of the topics we cover. Even if you don't know Mike or Warrior, there is valuable information in here for any dirt racing fan. Thanks for stopping by during this holiday week, and please enjoy the conversation.