Steven Taranto
@STaranto92 • 16,526 subscribers
@NASCAR multimedia storyteller (fmr. CBS Sports) Somewhat professional Internet poster. Hardcore @Giants fan. NY ➡️ NC ➡️ TN. Elon University '15 ✝️
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Bubba Wallace says he now has a better understanding of the yellow line rule in the aftermath of his penalty from Atlanta. "To me I always thought it was gaining position, but it's gaining *track position*, which I totally did." Bubba admitted he thought NASCAR would care about the SMT data indicating he tried to give the position back, but by that point "the damage was already done" and it didn't matter. That and some more thoughts on the yellow line rule and his penalty. "All in all, a rule's a rule, crossed over the line. Oh well."
Steven Taranto94,479 views • 1 day ago
Chase Elliott on why he advocated for more Saturday night races on RWTB: "Honestly, those comments came directly from people that I know personally that either went to the race and weren't super thrilled about their Monday morning and probably won't do it again, or people that chose not to go because they had to go to work on Monday morning. "It stemmed directly from fans of our sport, people that aren't just watching on TV. People that are spending their money to come support us at-track, in-person, in the stands. And that was why I said that, just because I have heard it directly." Chase acknowledged that he understands TV's role in things, he feels there's room for a middle ground and thinks Saturday night races can help NASCAR take advantage of certain factors pertaining to television - Particularly in the summertime when baseball is the only thing going on and the FIFA World Cup is ending.
Steven Taranto142,005 views • 2 days ago
Missed this in real time but it looked like Austin Hill retaliated against Shane van Gisbergen under yellow. Hill hit SVG in the left front area as he was driving off pit road to the garage "Big picture, Austin. Big picture, please." ... "The, uh, fellow hit my left front."
Steven Taranto417,297 views • 14 days ago
Carson Hocevar met both LeBron James and Prince Harry on a trip up to New York City. He wasn't going to take a photo with LeBron at first but ended up taking a seat with him thanks to someone he knew. They talked for quite a bit and it turns out LeBron's trainer's kid actually races. As for Prince Harry, their conversation was quite short but Carson told him "you're gonna make my Mom's day if I get a photo with you" since his Mom is big into the royal family. He laughed and obliged.
Steven Taranto58,359 views • 2 days ago
Breakdown of the Kevin Magnussen vs. Noah Gragson beef. It began when Magnussen put the bumper to Noah and knocked him out of the way in Turn 2 on about Lap 25 which set him off. "All these F1 dickheads just think they get fenders and a fuckin' bumper, they just drive in the inside and just barrel into everyone. I've fuckin' had it." Gragson shipped Magnussen in the chicane about a lap after their initial contact, then drove up and against Magnussen during the caution for the Turn 1 pileup, gave him the finger for several moments, then gave him the finger again when they stopped for the red flag. Once the red flag was lifted and Magnussen passed Noah (after being told he'd line up between the 43 and 4), Noah took a shot at Magnussen's right rear fender and then his door. On the restart, Noah shipped Magnussen into Turn 3 and continued taking shots at him. Things finally calmed down for awhile until the Tyler Reddick spin, in which Noah ended up passing Magnussen. The next lap after Alex Bowman passed Noah, it looked like Magnussen just cleaned him out in Turn 4. "Welp, the 4 just got shipped. I don't know if it was by us or somebody else, but he's in the wall." "To be honest to you, it looked like it was us."
Steven Taranto617,874 views • 27 days ago
Chandler Smith had much to say about the impact Kyle Busch had on him, as well as the many Kyle Busch Motorsports alumni in the Truck Series (and beyond), after paying tribute to his former boss with his signature bow. "He meant a lot to me in a sense of he took the time out of his day when I had questions. Not to rush me, he would sit me down and explain what I was asking and giving me the answer, and being thorough about it. "... He cared really deeply about his drivers. And the ones he believed in, you could definitely tell, because those were the ones that he wanted to really take time with." Chandler says Kyle was an amazing boss and great mentor - pointing out the KBM alumni have reached the Cup Series - and "one of the sweetest individuals that you would ever meet" off the racetrack. "We'll miss him deeply. The garage still isn't the same and it never will be."
Steven Taranto28,995 views • 1 day ago
As you might expect, Bubba Wallace didn't agree with his last lap penalty for going below the out of bounds line. "It says advancing your position, which I did not do. I stayed third. I was all over the brakes to make sure I did not advance. ... I stayed third the entry to 3 all the way until 50 yards away." It's understandable why he was looking to appeal the penalty since the difference between second and 29th is a massive points swing with Bubba trying to hang onto a Chase spot. Pending the result of any sort of appeal, Bubba is currently 13th in the standings 55 points above the cut line.
Steven Taranto112,578 views • 7 days ago
Asked Chase Elliott if he has considered recusing himself from the Most Popular Driver Award voting to allow Kyle Busch that honor, as his father Bill did when Dale Earnhardt died in 2001. "I would be in extreme favor of Kyle winning the vote. I think that he's a guy that certainly poured a lot of his life into this sport. Although he might've been getting boos a lot of weeks, he also had a lot of fans, and a lot of really passionate fans. "I really haven't processed all of that, I guess, to get to that point. But I would certainly be in favor of him winning and whatever it took. Yeah, I think it would be really deserving for him to have that honor."
Steven Taranto1,087,920 views • 1 month ago
Denny Hamlin when asked about Tyler Reddick letting up after running Corey Heim off line as they were racing for the win, which allowed Heim to complete the winning pass. "I think it speaks a lot to Tyler's character, right? I mean, he apparently felt like Corey raced him very clean, got around him clean. And when he tried to pass him back clean, he didn't, so he wanted to hit the reset button and try it again. "I'm very proud of that, because it's very easy when you're racing for the win to just say 'I'll say I'm sorry later.' But it speaks a lot to the character of Tyler Reddick."
Steven Taranto436,468 views • 28 days ago
Zane Smith still not mincing words on how he feels about Carson Hocevar. "I just don't like him as a human." On his meeting with Hocevar and NASCAR officials today: "I think we both understand where we're at with everything. But certainly the meeting doesn't change how much he dislikes me and how much I dislike him." On if it's over between him and Hocevar or not: "Sure, yeah. ... I'll judge off of him." Asked Zane if he's received the wrath of Hocevar's fans yet for what he said about them: "I mean, some of the comments and memes have been funny for sure. But yeah, I mean, they're all proving me right." Ryan Preece lightened things up by interjecting as he walked past: "Damn it, Zane! Don't hold back!"
Steven Taranto114,171 views • 8 days ago
Kyle Larson shared that the Busch family expressed their appreciation for the "Tiny Kyle" namerail in last week's Coke 600, and also that it got a good laugh out of Brexton. His wife Katelyn has been keeping in contact with Samantha Busch who shared that with them. Kyle said that he put plans in place last Saturday to put Tiny Kyle - what Kyle called him and also what Brexton calls him - on his namerail as others started putting Kyle's name or Rowdy on theirs. "I thought with Kyle calling me something different, I thought it would be a cool tribute to put 'Tiny Kyle' on there."
Steven Taranto705,516 views • 1 month ago
Onboards & team comms from the Christopher Bell/Chase Elliott crash. Sounded like Bell's spotter, Tab Boyd, was shaken up a bit. "Are you OK man? ... Are you alright?" "That was a unbelievable hit, y'all." "Alright, he's getting out, guys. He's getting out." "That was an unbelievable impact." Crew chief Adam Stevens, meanwhile, was very frustrated with getting taken out in another crash not of his driver's doing. "I don't know what else to do, Tab. This is ridiculous. Fuckin' go plow fields or something. This is stupid." Chase Elliott's spotter Trey Poole similarly key'd the mic right away to make sure Chase was OK. Chase radioed back an affirmative.
Steven Taranto458,933 views • 1 month ago
Shane van Gisbergen talking about his meeting with Austin Hill: "One person seemed more remorseful and eager to move on than the other." SVG says there was a "weird" dynamic in the meeting with Hill and how it ended. Seemed to indicate that Hill thinks it isn't over and that he made some kind of threat. "I think what's been cool about this sport, you can kind of sort it out yourselves and then I guess it gets to that point. To me it's at that point, but to him it's not. He's the kind of personality, I guess, who feels like he's got to get the last laugh or the last one to strike. And he threatened that, I guess. "But yeah, it is what it is. I'll try and race clean and do my own thing, but I guess he's on his own agenda. "... I know where I'm at with it, I want to move on. But he's not at the point." SVG says he feels like he's been able to race everyone in NASCAR with respect, and that if he's made a mistake and gotten into someone that they've been receptive to talking. "I never feel like I've been able to talk to Austin like that. I don't know, and then he just backs up and resorts to threatening violence. It's a weird thing." As far as how he races Hill moving forward: "At my point, we're obviously at zero, right? So I have to race with respect and try and start building it up, try and cut him breaks. If it doesn't come my way, I don't know how to fix him. But I'm gonna just try to carry on and race clean." SVG also mentioned that he's trying to stay in the Top 16 in points and make the Chase and that Hill might try and threaten that.
Steven Taranto81,570 views • 8 days ago
William Byron and crew chief Rudy Fugle barking at each other about the handling of the 24 car just before the rain delay. This was around Lap 90 "Plowing my ass off. This is terrible!" "I fucking heard you, OK!? I heard you! I got it! You're five numbers loose, I put a round in the left rear, we're too tight right now! It's the tight offset! We can park it, or we can keep trying until I get to work on it again! Just drive the fucking thing!" "You got it!" Keep in mind that William and Rudy have been together for a long time
Steven Taranto64,952 views • 7 days ago
Just for the people who are balking at what Tyler Reddick did for Corey Heim, here's Dale Earnhardt letting up to allow Joe Nemechek to straighten out after he got into him so they could race clean for the win the final two laps of a Busch race at New Hampshire in 1992 "I gained a lot of respect for Dale Earnhardt right there. When those two cars got together, Earnhardt probably could've mashed the gas and driven off. He gave Nemechek a chance to get himself squared away, they were side-by-side down the straightaway, and then settled it in the last two laps. That's the mark of a champion right there."
Steven Taranto249,521 views • 27 days ago