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

·54 min·4 clips

Mike Knuckles explains Brandon Overton's split from a factory team, attributing it to Overton being a hands-on driver who performs best working alone late at night.

Justin Fiedler interviews Mike Knuckles, owner of Warrior Race Cars, who provides an insider's look at building dirt late model chassis for the 'regular guy' and budget racer. They discuss the stark cost differences between racing tiers, the challenges of innovation within rule constraints, wind tunnel testing insights, and the business dynamics of being a smaller chassis builder in a market dominated by a few major players.

As heard by us

A grounded look at how late-model racing gets built and funded at the local and regional level.

This episode takes a close look at dirt late model racing at the local and regional level, with attention on the cost of the class and the builders who help keep cars on track.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want the real budget math behind dirt late model racing.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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