Michael’s Motor Alley Podcast Episodes
Episode #30: Equipping the Next Generation of Technicians featuring UTI Professor Justin Doerris and Alumnus David Choe
On today’s episode, Michael sits down with Justin Doerris, an educational manager at Universal Technical Institute, and his former student, David Choe of @choe_fdm. Together, they discuss the automotive programs at UTI, the transition from being a student to becoming an influencer, and more. Plus, learn about how Pennzoil products power the next mile at UTI in and out of the classroom.
Episode #29: Get Behind the Wheel with Radford Racing School!
Get ready to kick your racing skills into high gear! On today’s episode, Radford Racing School’s expert instructor, Dominic Starkweather, brings Michael behind the scenes of the world-class racing school. Tune in for a deep dive into the benefits of attending a professional racing school, his journey as a professional racer, and how his passion for racing motivated him to teach others. Brace yourself for a high-octane episode that you won’t want to miss!
Episode #28: Long May We Drive…Offroad! With Jeep Enthusiast Nikki Moorehead
Today’s guest, Nikki Moorehead, is an experienced Jeep off-roader with a passion for adventure. She sits down with Michael to dive into how her off-roading hobby led her to be featured in the Long May We Drive commercial. You won’t want to miss conversations about diversity and relationships in the off-roading community, and Nikki’s modifications and maintenance for her Jeep Wrangler.
Episode #27: What Long May We Drive Means to Torsten Gross, Founder of the Just Hands Foundation
Today’s guest is Torsten Gross, one of the stars of Pennzoil’s new campaign, Long May We Drive. After getting his first taste of track driving in 2021 with hand-controls, he quickly developed a need for speed! As a C6 quadriplegic, he has made it his mission to get more people who need hand-controls behind wheel of performance vehicles. In 2022, he founded the Just Hands Foundation to do just that. Listen to his interview to hear more about his story, his foundation, and the Long May We Drive campaign.
Episode #26: From Passion to Profession: Aamir Dassat’s Road to Automotive Content Creation
Michael sits down with Aamir Dassat, an automotive content creator, who’s passionate about educating and entertaining his audience of over one million social media followers. In this episode, Aamir discusses how he combines his background in mechanical engineering with his passion for pursuing automotive content creation. You won’t want to miss hearing Aamir’s take on trends in the industry, how he first became interested in cars, and all about his current car collection lineup, including a hint at a surprise new addition!
Season 2 - 2022
Episode #25: Live from the SEMA Show with Drift Racer, Alex Taylor
Alex Taylor has many titles; co-host of Hot Rod Garage on MotorTrend TV, top drag racer, YouTube influencer, and latest guest on Michael’s Motor Alley! She joins Michael once again from Pennzoil’s “Dare to Perform” booth at the SEMA Show to talk about her start with Hot Rod Garage and how she balances her busy schedule. Plus, you won’t want to miss the story behind one crazy build for Roadkill Nights. Listen today!
Episode #24: Back to the Basics: Car Maintenance for Busy Parents
Are you a busy parent looking to take better care of your vehicle? You won’t want to miss this conversation! Michael answers questions from Tyra, a busy Texas mom, about motor oil change intervals, reading a dipstick, and other important vehicle maintenance topics!
Episode #23: The latest on Motor Oil Specs, with American Petroleum Institute (API)'s Jeff Harmening
Thinking about overriding your OEM motor oil recommendations? Think again! Michael sits down with Jeff Harmening at the American Petroleum Institute (API) to discuss the latest on motor oil specifications. They cover everything from the difference between API and ILSAC specifications, to what happens when an engine is filled with the wrong viscosity, and more!
Episode #21: Flip the Top Down! Michael's Best Convertibles for a Fall Cruise
From playing with Hot Wheels as a kid to having 3.5 million YouTube followers, Adam LZ has always lived and breathed cars. Today, Michael sits down with the formula drifter to discuss their first cars, the Formula Drift season, and the drivers that inspired him to get into the sport.
Episode #20: Drifting and shifting with Adam LZ!
From playing with Hot Wheels as a kid to having 3.5 million YouTube followers, Adam LZ has always lived and breathed cars. Today, Michael sits down with the formula drifter to discuss their first cars, the Formula Drift season, and the drivers that inspired him to get into the sport.
Episode #19: Heading North: The Canadian Automotive Industry
On today’s episode, Michael heads up North to talk all things Canada with automotive journalist, Peter Bulmer! As a resident of and industry expert in Canada, Peter Bulmer gives his input on the country’s transition to EVs, the truck driver shortage, and adoption of synthetic motor oils.
Episode #16 – Michael Goes Back to School!
Michael is heading back to school in today’s episode with Pennzoil sponsored collegiate athletes Maggie MacNeil, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Charlotte North as they chat about their personal road to success and goals for the future. In March, Pennzoil announced its first ever name, image and likeness (NIL) deal, inking sponsorships with the best of the best. Maggie is an Olympic Gold Medalist who recently announced she would be continuing her collegiate career at Louisiana State University; Trayce is heading into his senior year as a forward for the Indiana University Men’s Basketball Team and is a draft prospect; and Charlotte is a two-time Tewaaraton award winner and national champion for the Boston College Women’s Lacrosse Team who is now bringing her success the U.S. Women’s National Team. These three not only prosper in their respective sports but also know their way around a vehicle!
Check out all three athletes on social media to follow their next steps:
Maggie MacNeil: Instagram, Twitter
Trayce Jackson-Davis: Instagram, Twitter
Charlotte North: Instagram, Twitter
Episode #15 – Celebrating a Big Honkin’ Anniversary at Shell Rotella SuperRigs
Live from Branson, Missouri - Michael is swapping a racecar for a big rig at the 40th Annual Shell Rotella SuperRigs! Tune in to hear all the action, including conversations with Shelby from Happiness by the Mile, Natalie Ortiz from Diesel World Magazine and more.
Episode #14 – Daniel Mac, What do YOU do for a Living Sir?
Today, Michael sits down with Daniel Mac, the world's largest automotive content creator on Tiktok, with a combined 18 million followers across all of his platforms. He is most known for asking supercar owners and celebrities the iconic phrase "What do you do for a living?" Featuring individuals like: Paris Hilton, Jason Derulo, Jay Leno, Helen Mirren, Tom Brady, and more in his short form videos! Michael and Daniel get to discussing Daniel’s start, his inspirations and his upcoming Europe and Dubai car tour.
Check out Daniel Mac on Instagram and TikTok to follow his adventures!
Episode #13 – Jonny Grunwald Returns
Jonny Grunwald, Motorsports Creator and Automotive Special Projects Build Manager, returns to the podcast for another insightful conversation with Michael. Today they discuss Jonny's upcoming automotive plans, how the closing of race tracks is affecting the automotive community, and more.
Don’t forget to follow Jonny on social media @Jonny.Grunwald to check out what he’s up to!
Episode #12: #FlashbackFriday with Derek Bieri from Vice Grip Garage
Today’s episode takes us back to #FlashbackFriday with Michael talking with Derek Bieri, from YouTube’s famous 1 million+ subscriber Vice Grip Garage channel, at the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show (PRI) in December 2021. Derek talks about how he started Vice Grip Garage from his passion to save classic automobiles and muscle cars, how important it is to use high-zinc Rotella T line motor oil in his classic cars, and Michael and Derek’s experience working in the automotive industry.
Don’t forget to check out Derek and Vice Grip Garage on YouTube!
Episode #11 - The Art of the Automotive, with Kelly Telfer
Kelly Telfer is an award-winning automotive artist and has specialized in motorsports art for decades. After creating the art for his own racing team, Telfer Bros. Racing, Kelly started and ran an apparel business in the 80’s and 90’s. He also created apparel for many of the top racetracks, race teams and manufacturers, including the Indianapolis 500, F1, NASCAR, Chevrolet, Ford, Dale Earnhardt, Mario Andretti, and many more. His art is on permanent exhibit at The Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed, in Lincoln, NE, and his art is available at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, CA, and the LeMay America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, WA. Kelly’s works have also been featured in art galleries, magazines and in corporate and private art collections around the world.
Check out his original art, fine art prints and more: www.kellytelfer.com
To contact Kelly, please email: kelly@telferdesign.com
Episode #10: TechForce Foundation and Solving the Technician Shortage, with Jennifer Maher
Today, Michael sits down with Jennifer Maher, who serves as CEO/Executive Director of TechForce Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charity. TechForce's mission is to champion all students to and through their education and into careers as professional vehicle technicians. Also, in 2019, Jennifer was named by the Auto Care Association's Women in Auto Care division "Woman of the Year." In this episode, Michael and Jennifer discuss TechForce’s mission, the ongoing technician shortage, and how joining TechForce’s free technician social network community can give technicians the resources they need to be in the industry.
Check out www.techforce.org to learn more and to join TechForce’s free technician social network community, go to www.jointechforce.org!
Episode #9 - Creating Hollywood’s Automotive Scene, with Fireball Tim Lawrence
Fireball Tim Lawrence is a Hollywood Automotive Concept Artist, responsible for over 400 vehicle designs of some of the most famous Hollywood Movie Cars including Batman, Avengers, Priest, and more! His 1989 Batmobile is currently at the Petersen Museum in Hollywood. Also, Fireball currently has one of the coolest automotive coloring book series with featured automotive talents & vehicle sketches from across the globe! In today’s episode, Michael and Fireball discuss how Fireball got his name, his automotive designs and work in several different movies, and how the passion of automotive vehicles bring people together.
Episode #8 - Frank Leutz, Car Care Expert and Radio Host of Wrench Nation
Today’s episode welcomes Frank Leutz, an award-winning national car care expert, automotive industry consultant, analyst and enthusiast. Frank is the founder of Desert Car Care, full automotive service shops in Arizona, and is the host of the radio lifestyle car talk show, Wrench Nation, on 88.7 FM The Pulse, local to Phoenix, Arizona. Michael and Frank discuss a variety of topics including the importance of automotive education and skilled labor in society.
Episode #7: Reporting LIVE from the Fast Lane: The 5th Annual Pennzoil 400 in Las Vegas
Hold on to your seats, folks! We have the very FIRST Michael’s Motor Alley podcast, LIVE from the Pennzoil 400 in Las Vegas, as Michael hosts a round-robin of five exciting special guests!
Follow today’s guests on social media to keep up with their adventures and which awesome vehicles they’re driving:
Hennessey Performance: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube
Chelsea DeNofa, RTR Vehicles: Instagram
Expedition Overland: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube
Mitchell Stapleton: YouTube, Instagram, TikTok
Brian Jannusch: Instagram
Episode #6: Start your Engines, with Roush Yates Engines
Get those engines going today! Michael chats with Madison Conrad, a Universal Technical Institute graduate, who is a Powertrain Reliability Specialist at Roush Yates Engines. Roush Yates is the exclusive Ford engine builder for NASCAR, including Team Penske race cars. They discuss several topics including how Madison’s passion drove her to build engines, Joey Logano’s win at the Clash at the Coliseum, and more!
Episode #4: The Importance of Automotive Technicians, with Universal Technical Institute
Universal Technical Institute is the nation’s leading provider of technical training for automotive, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle and marine technicians, and more, with 14 campuses around the United States. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) is the hot topic today, as Michael chats with Jorge Moreno, an Automotive Instructor at Universal Technical Institute’s Dallas, Texas campus. Michael and Jorge touch on nationwide automotive trends, what it’s like to teach the future automotive technicians and more!
Learn more about Universal Technical Institute at www.UTI.edu.
Episode #3 - Patrick Hayes, Driven by Diversity
Patrick Hayes is the CEO of Driven by Diversity, a non-profit organization with a mission to educate individuals and organizations on the value of diversity and inclusion in motorsports, while also providing educational resources and services that directly address growing diversity in the motorsports industry. Patrick's love for motorsports goes back THREE generations and he has always been a motorsports and car enthusiast. He spent his adolescent years growing up in a house only four miles from the historic Los Angeles County Raceway. As an adult living in Okinawa, Japan, while serving in the U.S. Marines, he immersed himself in the Japanese car culture and became one of the few Black men to work for a major Japanese aftermarket performance manufacturer. Patrick's journey through the industry has spanned over 20 years, with his newest chapter focusing on helping push for diversity and equality within motorsports.
Episode #2 - A Blast from the Past - Car Movies
Who doesn’t love a great car movie? How about an exhilarating chase scene or the final lap in a racing flick? The list of classic movies goes on and on. In this episode, Michael dives into some of his favorite car movies and chase scenes from the last several decades. What are your favorite car movies of all time? Let us know by tagging @Pennzoil on social media!
Episode #1 - Michael's Top Trends of 2022
Michael rings in the new year with his Top Trends in the Automotive Industry, highlighting some big and exciting changes coming in 2022 and on: vehicle smart connectivity with more vehicles communicating with each other for safer roads, growth in autonomous cars and trucks, increased vehicle artificial intelligence which will monitor and calculate vehicle surroundings and more!
Season 1 - 2021
Episode #15 - LIVE at the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show (PRI) with Alex Taylor
For the last episode of 2021, Michael fittingly reaches the finish line while recording live from the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) trade show in Indianapolis (December 9-11). Special guest, Alex Taylor, also stops by to chat with Michael! Alex is an automotive builder, racer, automotive influencer, and content creator with an unquenchable desire to go fast. At 23, Alex started her own high-performance automotive company: Alex Taylor Racing. She has 155k+ Instagram followers (@AlexTaylorRacing) as well as 88k YouTube subscribers. Alex has also recently been featured in MotorTrend and other automotive news media.
Episode #14 – John Hennessey, CEO of Hennessey Performance
John Hennessey is the founder & CEO of Hennessey Special Vehicles, Hennessey Performance, Tuner School, and Lonestar Motorsports Park. Born with a passion for speed and fast cars, John found early racing success behind the wheel of a modified Mitsubishi 3000GT at events such as the Pikes Peak Hill Climb and the Silver State Classic. Not to mention, Hennessey set a world speed record in his class at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Today, the Hennessey facilities in Texas include a large manufacturing plant and a dedicated test track – where vehicles may be tested at speeds of up to 150 mph. Overall, more than 12,000 specialty vehicles, including mid-engine supercars, six-wheeled supertrucks, and modern muscle cars have been enhanced by Hennessey’s performance modifications. Grab your racing helmets and buckle up folks, as Michael and John talk all things speed and performance!
Episode #13 – Drifting around the SEMA Show with Vaughn Gittin Jr.
Any car enthusiast cannot hear ‘drifting’ without thinking of world champion drifter, off-road racing champion, and Professional Fun-Haver, Vaughn Gittin Jr. Vaughn joins Michael on this rubber-burning episode to talk about his origins with drifting, following his true passion, and how Pennzoil motor oils have enhanced Vaughn and the RTR Motorsports team’s performance. As a bonus, Michael recaps his experience from attending the 2021 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
Episode #12 - Coming to America - Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske IndyCar Driver
Today’s episode features our very first IndyCar driver on Michael’s Motor Alley! Scott McLaughlin is the IndyCar driver of the #3 Dallara-Chevrolet for Team Penske. Michael sits down with the 2021 IndyCar Rookie of the Year winner to discuss Scott’s introduction into racing, his experience since moving to the United States and what’s on tap for him next.
Episode #11 – Craig Jackson, Barrett-Jackson Automotive Auctions
Craig Jackson is the CEO of Barrett-Jackson, The World’s Great Collector Car Auctions, and briefly sits down with Michael during September’s Houston auction to discuss the future of the automotive industry, automotive technology and car collecting.
Episode #9 - In the NASCAR Driver’s Seat with Joey Logano
Today's episode features our very first NASCAR driver on Michael’s Motor Alley! Michael chats with Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Pennzoil Ford Mustang for Team Penske, about the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 race in Las Vegas, what it’s like being a NASCAR driver and answers questions submitted by fans on social media. Listen to this exclusive interview now!
Episode #8 – A Blast from the Past – Classic Car Care
Did you know certain cars from this millennium are considered classics? For older vehicles, 20 years in age and older, they hold ‘classic’ status. In this week’s episode, Michael gets into several topics, including; why high zinc motor oil is needed in classic car engines, tips on ensuring the correct transmission fluids are used in classic cars and a special announcement about the next episode’s guest.
Episode #7 – In The Staging Lane: Special Guest Leah Pruett
Michael’s guest adventures continue as he connects with Don Schumacher Racing Top Fuel driver Leah Pruett! Pruett shares how she prepares for her events, like the upcoming Dodge//SRT NHRA U.S. Nationals, taking place September 3rd - 5th. Tune into this special edition National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) episode!
Episode #6: Riding Shotgun: Special Guest Eric Harley
Eric Harley, our very FIRST guest, joins us on the show to recap the 2021 Rotella SuperRigs Trucking event and his experience as a Judge, talk trucking and some crazy trucker tales! Eric Harley’s radio career spans 37 years and he currently co-hosts Red Eye Radio, heard on over 200 radio stations nationwide on the Westwood One Radio Network. Eric has been hosting the all-night show, very popular with truckers, for 25 years.
Episode #4: The Good, The Bad, and The Diesel
If you own a diesel truck or vehicle that is fed diesel motor oil, then today’s episode is for you! Michael addresses some common diesel motor oil questions that are typically asked, including: the good and the bad of using diesel motor oils in a gasoline engine and how higher levels of zinc in these oils affect older/newer engines.
Episode #3 - Soup to Nuts – How can Motor Oil be compared to Soup?
In the third episode, Michael discusses a variety of topics including an exciting listener giveaway opportunity, while answering questions like: ‘To add or not to add aftermarket oil additives with Pennzoil?’ and ‘Is there a shelf life on motor oil?’. He also provides additional resources for your oil analysis needs.