Podcast
Past Gas
Hosted by Donut Media · EN
Donut's Nolan Sykes and Joe Weber walk you through incredible stories behind your favorite cars and manufacturers. Episodes include underground Japanese racing clubs, bitter racing rivalries, and how some of your favorite classic cars came to be. Listen and find out why Past Gas is the #1 automotive podcast on Apple.
43episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Gas-Station Kid Who Outsmarted Dodge and Became the Mopar King
Nov 300:36:28Tap to summarizeThanks to Allstate for sponsoring today’s episode! Click here [https://bit.ly/47IpOdG] to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance.This week, when Dodge said a 383 big-block wouldn’t fit in a Dart, a Chicago car guy proved them wrong — and forced Detroit to copy him. From selling 50 Dodges in a snowstorm to building the first dealer-tuned muscle cars, Mr. Norm turned a local dealership into the birthplace of Mopar performance culture — and changed how Americans bought speed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →The Crash That Changed Drag Racing Forever
Oct 2700:54:15Tap to summarizeThanks to Hankook for sponsoring today's video! Click here [https://bit.ly/4ewUjVf] to learn more about Dynapro tires!Thanks to Allstate for sponsoring today’s episode! Click here [https://bit.ly/4mcrYFS] to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance.This week, before it was America’s fastest sport, drag racing was pure anarchy — street duels, homebuilt death traps, and war vets chasing speed wherever they could find it. Wally Parks stepped in to bring order to the chaos, founding the NHRA to make racing safer and more legit. From outlaw origins to organized empire, this is the story of how the NHRA was born, and the crash that changed drag racing forever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →The GM Madman Who Built the Stingray in Secret
Oct 2000:52:17Tap to summarizeThanks to Allstate for sponsoring today’s episode! Click here [https://bit.ly/3GSyliQ] to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance.This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/PASTGAS and get on your way to being your best self.Meet Bill Mitchell, the hard-drinking, womanizing, design genius who shaped General Motors’ golden age. From the Corvette Stingray to the Buick Riviera and Cadillac Eldorado, Mitchell’s fingerprints are on nearly every iconic GM car of the ’50s through ’70s. He defied bans, built secret studios, and literally climbed trees drunk at company parties. It’s the wild story of the man who made American cars beautiful — and himself impossible to ignore. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →John Fitch: The Greatest Driver You’ve Never Heard Of
Sep 100:54:40Tap to summarizeGet After It! Enter for a Chance to Win a Custom Car Co-Built by Donut and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. All brought to you by NOS Energy. For more details visit: https://bit.ly/45AqGyd Thanks to Allstate for sponsoring today’s episode! Click here [https://bit.ly/3Sypy82] to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance.This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/PASTGAS and get on your way to being your best self. This week on Past Gas, we uncover the life of John Fitch — a World War II fighter pilot who became one of the most important race car drivers in history… and you’ve probably never heard of him. He raced with legends, helped turn the Corvette into a true performance icon, and stood in the pits during the deadliest crash ever at Le Mans. That moment changed him forever — and his safety inventions have saved millions of lives on the road and track ever since. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →Lamborghini Wasn’t Supposed to Exist
Aug 2500:59:36Tap to summarizeThanks to Allstate for sponsoring today’s episode! Click here [https://bit.ly/42UctMw] to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance. Thanks to Hankook for sponsoring today's video! Click here [https://bit.ly/4nAkmPy] to learn more about Dynapro tires! This week on Past Gas: the feud that built Lamborghini. How did a tractor builder spark the greatest rivalry in supercar history? When Ferruccio Lamborghini told Enzo Ferrari his clutches were junk, Enzo fired back with an insult that changed the automotive world forever. From tractors to the Miura to the Countach, Lamborghini became Ferrari’s loudest, flashiest rival — and survived bankruptcy, scandals, and near-collapse along the way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →Nürburgring: The Most Famous Toll Road On Earth
Aug 1801:01:16Tap to summarizeThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/PASTGAS and get on your way to being your best self.Thanks to Allstate for sponsoring today’s episode! Click here [https://bit.ly/3FdnJu9] to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance.This week, we’re diving into the history of the Nürburgring — the most dangerous racetrack in the world that also happens to be a public toll road. How did a 1920s public works project become “The Green Hell,” hosting propaganda races, Niki Lauda’s fiery crash, and record-breaking laps from the bravest drivers on Earth? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →The Great Train Robbery’s Shocking Formula 1 Connection
Aug 4, 202500:49:16Tap to summarizeThanks to Allstate for sponsoring today’s episode! Click here [https://bit.ly/3EP33c1] to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance. This week, for our 300th episode, we dive into the wild story of Roy James — the racing driver who helped pull off Britain’s most famous heist, the Great Train Robbery. From a Brabham on the track to a Jaguar Mk2 on the run, we explore how a train heist nearly turned into a Formula 1 career. Plus, we uncover the little-known F1 trophy still tied to his legacy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →Porsche's Most Important Car Wasn't The 911
Jul 28, 202501:01:24Tap to summarizeThanks to Hankook for sponsoring today's video! Click here [https://bit.ly/4lbngZq] to learn more about Dynapro tires! This week, we conclude our three-part Porsche series by diving into the Porsche that saved the company — and it wasn’t the 911. From the financial disaster of the early ’90s to the surprise SUV that turned everything around, we trace how Porsche went from nearly bankrupt to a global powerhouse. Plus, the story behind the “Widowmaker” 930 Turbo, the legendary 959, and how the Cayenne made it all possible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →How The Beetle Saved Porsche
Jul 21, 202500:53:20Tap to summarizeThanks to Allstate for sponsoring today’s episode! Click here [https://bit.ly/3YIEYKB] to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/PASTGAS and get on your way to being your best self. Join us this week for part two of our series as we find out how Porsche rose from the ashes of WWII — with help from the Volkswagen Beetle. It’s a wild ride through stolen designs, a postwar identity crisis, and the scrappy birth of the Porsche 356. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →The Very First Porsche Was an EV
Jul 14, 202500:55:30Tap to summarizeJoin us as we kick off a three-part series on Porsche by going all the way back to the beginning — when Ferdinand Porsche was just a kid obsessed with electricity. From inventing the first EV to winning his first race at 22mph, this is the wild and often overlooked start to one of the most iconic car brands ever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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