On the Horizon RC Podcast · Horizon Hobby

S3 Episode 5: Travis Peterson and Michael McDowell Talk Indy Race win and Playoff Hopes

·44 min·2 clips

Michael says Indianapolis never felt “in the bag,” even with the lead and a fast car.

Chris Dickerson and Steve Petrato open with a Labor Day check-in. Steve has been at the Muncie field for Air Power over the IAC, flying Hangar 9 aircraft, talking with customers, and squeezing in boat time on the water. Chris says he spent time on the water too. The two keep things easy at first, with summer still hanging on even as the season starts to turn. Airmeet in Donoverth, Germany comes up as a highlight on the calendar. Chris says the event gives everybody a pep in their step. The mood shifts once the playoffs enter the picture. The conversation turns to a bad weekend and to what the recent win changed. That win locked the team into the playoffs and guaranteed they cannot finish worse than 16th. Without it, the same rough stretch would feel a lot uglier, with the season sitting more like a fight for 21st in points instead of 16th. The show then zooms out to the nature of racing itself. Chris says the sport is brutally win-heavy in a way stick-and-ball sports are not. Every weekend leaves one winner and 37 losers. Over a full season, only a small group of drivers ever wins at all. That scarcity is why wins matter so much. They lift morale, confidence, and playoff posture all at once. Chris and Steve also talk about losing well, because a racing season demands it. The closing thanks Travis and Michael, calls out how good Front Row has been, and praises the family-first feel around the team. The episode ends by framing the result as proof that the season can still turn, with more playoff racing ahead.

As heard by us

A late-summer RC conversation that treats one win as a meaningful reset heading into playoff pressure.

A late-summer RC conversation moves easily through Labor Day flying, boat time, and summer downtime before settling on the pressure around a needed Indy result.

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Why you'd press play

You want the Indy win, the playoff math, and the RC weekend in one pass.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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