Herm & Schrader: "Darlington Was A Beatdown. Briscoe Owned It"

Date: September 3, 2025
Hosts: Kenny Wallace ("Herm"), Ken Schrader
Producer/Contributor: Charlie Marlowe
Podcast by: SiriusXM, Dirty Mo Media

Main Theme / Episode Overview

This episode is a classic Herm & Schrader mix: two midwestern racing buddies hilariously recapping an epic Labor Day weekend of racing—especially the Darlington Southern 500, where Chase Briscoe dominated in historic fashion. The duo swaps stories from the track and their own racing escapades, reminisces about racing culture and legends, analyzes current Cup/NASCAR/Xfinity headlines, and throws in good-natured ribbing and jokes. The tone is irreverent, nostalgic, and pure racer.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Nostalgia & Racing Memories

Starts ~[03:00]

• Speed Sport News T-shirt: Schrader wears a National Speed Sport News shirt, prompting stories about waiting for the newspaper as kids to see racing results.
  • "I remember reading that since I could read. So I love it." (Schrader, [02:32])
• Easy Ed Story: Remembering famed race car painter 'Easy Ed', his eccentricities, and declining traditional sign-painting craft.
  • "Nobody smokes as much dope as Easy Ed. I'm telling you." (Wallace, [04:17])
  • "That's one of those arts... it's gonna be harder and harder to find a good sign painter." (Schrader, [04:41])

2. Schrader’s Labor Day Racing Weekend

Starts ~[05:57]

• DuQuoin Recap: Schrader details driving a Silver Crown car, car swaps with teammate, race incidents ("we started like 27th... up to 19th... we had to pull in"), and then winning the modified feature after a close battle with Treb Jacoby.
• Mentoring & Rivalries: Wallace admits to friendly rivalry and learning from Schrader, comparing mentor dynamics to his relationship with brother Rusty Wallace.

3. Racing Heritage at DuQuoin

Starts ~[11:27]

• Historic context: USAC Silver Crown, ARCA, and modifieds all raced at DuQuoin; CJ Leary wins Silver Crown main; Butterbean dominates ARCA.

• A.J. Foyt Milwaukee Story: Foyt starts on pole at Milwaukee with a dirt car against rear-engine cars; legendary history explained and live-googled in-show.

  • "You set the sport back 20 years right there." (Schrader, [15:33])

• Deep roots: Stories of racers' families, including the Jacoby family scattering grandpa's ashes on the DuQuoin back straight, showing how racing becomes family legacy.

4. Darlington Southern 500 Recap: Chase Briscoe’s Beatdown

Starts ~[21:32]

• Briscoe’s resume: 2016 ARCA champ, 11 Xfinity wins, four Cup wins, six Cup poles this year, for Stewart-Haas; ascendant talent.
  • "It's very refreshing because he came without a checkbook." (Schrader, [21:48])
• Dominance at Darlington: Leads 309 laps (most since Bobby Allison, 1971).
  • "Briscoe wins Darlington. Complete domination..." (Wallace, [22:46])
  • “That’s not a race, that... has been dominated like that.” (Schrader, [23:08])
• Dirt racing ties & Sprint car exit: Briscoe says he’s finished with sprint cars after friend’s paralysis - a topic that prompts Schrader to reflect on risk.
  • "If it's in Chase's head, don't do it." (Wallace, [25:26])
  • "That really aggravates me because that shows me what a dumbass I always was. He's that much smarter than us." (Schrader, [25:33])

5. Hendrick Motorsports’ Struggles at Darlington

Starts ~[30:34]

• All four HMS cars struggled: Issues with handling and pit stops. Chad Knaus (competition director) attributes problems to car setup.
  • "Chad Canous said all four cars had no speed because all four cars pushed..." (Wallace, [30:34])
  • “When things don’t go right... I would look for a lot better performance this week.” (Schrader, [32:40])
• Impact of Next Gen car and leveling the playing field: Previously, superior engineering gave teams an undeniable edge; with standardized parts, success comes down to the right combination.
  • "Now all these guys got all the same cars... it can just take something small." (Wallace, [34:31])
  • "It’s no different than... the better teams are going to get it done, make theirs faster." (Schrader, [35:44])

6. Southern 500 Results Rundown

Starts ~[35:55]

• Top 10 at Darlington:
  • Briscoe (1st), Reddick (2nd), Eric Jones (3rd), John Hunter Nemechek (4th), AJ Allmendinger (5th), Bubba Wallace (6th), Denny Hamlin (7th), Kyle Busch (8th), Carson Hocevar (9th), Chris Buescher (10th).
  • "Toyota six of the top seven." (Charlie, [36:12])
  • "That was a little different... I wonder what happened. Fuel, mileage, pit stops, whatever." (Schrader, [36:47])
• Noted that St. Louis (upcoming) has been a Ford-friendly track.

7. Racing’s Current Drama – NASCAR Lawsuit Courtroom Revelations

Starts ~[38:10]

• Courtroom drama: Leaked texts/emails among NASCAR execs and team owners become public; everyone "tuning in now."
  • "When the man that runs one of the race teams says the only way for this to end is Jim France dies—that rocked the racing world." (Wallace, [39:21])
  • Old-school stoicism versus modern YouTube "clicks."
  • "That's why we push the envelope... you could say Bigfoot is living with Dale Jr., and, my God, they'll load it up because that's society nowadays." (Wallace, [41:14])

8. NASCAR at Le Mans & Racing Documentaries

Starts ~[41:44]

• NASCAR to Le Mans: Schrader plugs the "NASCAR to Le Mans" documentary (Garage 56 project).
  • "The amount of effort that was put into that program was amazing." (Schrader, [42:26])
• Jim France’s racing interests: Stories of stock cars and flat track motorcycles at Le Mans.

9. Xfinity’s Connor Zillich Dominates (Broken Collarbone and All)

Starts ~[45:13]

• Zillich’s streak: Wins six of last seven Xfinity races, missing one due to injury.
  • "Connor Zillich comes flying down in the corner on the last restart... gets through [the escape route] quicker than he could the real race track!" (Wallace, [45:58])
  • "To really be cheating, you got to get caught. It's a lot easier, I believe, to get caught now than it used to be." (Schrader, [47:32])

10. Tony Stewart: Racing’s GOAT?

Starts ~[49:01]

• Tony Stewart’s triple-crown: NASCAR Cup champion, IndyCar champion, and now NHRA Top Fuel regular season champion—all major disciplines.
  • "Tony’s the guy. Always has been." (Schrader, [50:27])
  • "John Andretti... won a Cup race, an IndyCar race, and an NHRA Top Fuel race—not a championship." (Schrader, [50:21])

11. Weekend Racing Wrap / Variety & Growth

Starts ~[51:14]

• Short track and grassroots racing: Hillbilly 100, late models, Rico Abreu "on a heater" at Skagit in sprints.
• Local drifting scene: Unique story about kart track hosting drift cars and how new audiences boost the racetrack’s profile.
  • "Motorsports is motorsports. I mean, I like to go watch motorcycles... doesn't make any difference." (Schrader, [53:32])
  • "Those young kids loved it." (Wallace, [54:04])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On racing heritage:

  • "Run down the hill, grab the Speed Sport out of the mailbox, run back up and see where Kenny Schrader finished." (Wallace, [03:16])

• On Easy Ed’s painting career:

  • "Nobody smokes as much dope as Easy Ed, so I'm telling you, it is true." (Wallace, [04:17])

• On Briscoe's career trajectory:

  • "It's very refreshing because he came without a checkbook." (Schrader, [21:48])

• On risk and racing family:

  • "Chase quitting, having three young children... that really aggravates me because it shows me what a dumbass I always was." (Schrader, [25:33])

• On modern racing parity:

  • "Now all these guys got all the same cars and it can just take something small." (Wallace, [34:31])

• On Darlington’s historic domination:

  • "Leads 309 laps, the most since 1971. Bobby Allison, now that's per NASCAR." (Wallace, [22:46])

• On the NASCAR lawsuit drama:

  • "When the man that runs one of the race teams says, the only way for this to end is Jim France dies—that rocked the racing world." (Wallace, [39:21])

Important Timestamps & Segment Guide

• 03:00 — 05:50: Memories of Speed Sport News & Easy Ed stories
• 05:57 — 11:00: DuQuoin race weekend recap and rivalry/mentoring stories
• 11:27 — 16:30: DuQuoin history; A.J. Foyt’s legendary dirt car story
• 21:32 — 26:30: Briscoe’s Darlington domination, career stats, and sprint car retirement (with safety reflections)
• 30:34 — 35:01: Hendrick Motorsports’ struggles, Next Gen car's impact on parity
• 35:55 — 36:45: Southern 500 top-10 rundown and analysis
• 38:10 — 41:44: NASCAR lawsuit legal drama and behind-the-scenes "clicks"
• 41:44 — 43:45: NASCAR to Le Mans documentary, international racing efforts
• 45:13 — 49:13: Connor Zillich’s injury, comeback, and Xfinity domination
• 49:01 — 51:14: Tony Stewart’s multi-discipline championship feat
• 51:14 — 54:54: Grassroots/short track results, drifting event at local track
• 54:54 — end: Jokes segment, show wrap-up, merch plug

Humor & Tone

• Jokes, punchy banter, and irreverent ribbing are sprinkled throughout.
  • "You like to talk... I only have to talk when you say something wrong or stupid, and I wind up talking a lot more than I thought." (Schrader, [29:16])
  • The recurring joke segment at the end is pure Herm & Schrader, ending with classic groaners and audience interaction ([55:25]-[57:38]).

Final Thoughts

A highly entertaining, insight-packed episode that combines current NASCAR happenings with deep racing nostalgia and plenty of expert, unfiltered perspective. Through stories at DuQuoin, the epic Darlington race, and personal tales, Schrader and Wallace exemplify the bond, humor, and heart that keep racing culture alive. They also show deep respect for the past and a keen eye for the sport's present evolution—whether it's parity, safety, or social media’s influence. If you missed the race, or missed the last few decades, this episode brings you up to speed—at full throttle.