Real Monterey Car Week

In this Mercedes People carrier Episode 447, Chrissy’s dislocated pinky is Citroen better, Chris drives on some rocks, Mental is drowning in ACVW parts and Tim gets real itchy. Actually we bring on Neal Losey on to talk about Concourse d’Lemons, and why you should go check it out!Forget million-dollar hypercars. The best part of Monterey Car Week might be the cars nobody else would let onto the lawn.Five-time National Effing Champion Neal Losey joins Everyone Racers to take us inside the 2026 Concours d’Lemons, the gloriously disreputable counterpoint to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance—and possibly the purest celebration of weird car culture anywhere.While Pebble Beach is polishing priceless classics, Concours d’Lemons fills the Seaside City Hall lawn with forgotten marques, questionable engineering, tiny cars, enormous drivers, former demolition-derby survivors and automotive decisions that seemed like a good idea at the time.In other words: our people.Neal tells us what it’s actually like inside Concours d’Lemons during Monterey Car Week, including the packed crowds, bizarre awards, Lemons racers, rally cars, kids painting race cars, Buttercup the horse-car becoming a slide, and the Red Fang Chevy wagon arriving the most Lemons way possible: being pushed across the grass because it stopped running.That wagon has an even better ending. After winning an Index of Effluency, becoming a Red Fang tribute car and appearing at Concours, it was sold to a group of excited 22-year-old dairy farmers from Visalia preparing to become brand-new Lemons racers.That right there is why we love this community.But this is Everyone Racers, so before we reach Monterey, things get appropriately weird.We recap the Hell on Wheels Lemons Rally, including a Mitsubishi camper, a 1959 Edsel, an International Harvester, a V8-swapped RX-7, a purple Smart car and two rescue puppies. Chris and Chrissy take an old Range Rover through Colorado, where Chrissy dislocates a pinky mountain biking, Chris performs a field-expedient repair, and they continue hiking because apparently pain is merely advisory.Tim talks Pebble Beach, PGA HOPE, moving to Maine, his ’59 El Camino and the rapidly expanding definition of “garage project.” Mental works on the land-speed VW and Porsche 912. Neal shares the incredible story of his mother’s 1966 Mustang, bought new with six-tenths of a mile and later V8-swapped by her personally.We also hit automotive news, cheap race cars, Honda selling pieces of racing history, a spectacularly expensive Ferrari, terrible car names and the latest opportunity to make financially irresponsible racing decisions.Above all, this episode is about what Neal calls the world around Lemons: weird cars, rallies, racing, ridiculous ideas and people genuinely excited about the things they love.If you’re into 24 Hours of Lemons, amateur endurance racing, low-budget motorsports, DIY race cars, classic cars, Monterey Car Week, weird automotive history or garage-built insanity, you’ve found your people.Because expensive cars are nice.But pure dumb joy is better.Check out Neal’s Radio Shows, Morning Cup & Night Train on Demand here;https://www.kcbx.org/programs-ondemandUber Rich Guy pays too much for a stupid Ferrari (Matt Hardigee @ the Autopian)https://www.theautopian.com/someone-just-spent-40000000-on-the-first-ferrari-luce-ev-because-the-world-makes-no-sense/ Honda Will Sell And Restore Its Iconic Race Cars Through New Heritage Racing Program (Andy Kalmowitz @ Jalopnik)https://www.jalopnik.com/2235518/honda-restore-iconic-race-cars/Naming a New Vehicle Is Way Harder Than You Think (Dan Roth @ The Drive) https://www.thedrive.com/news/naming-a-new-vehicle-is-way-harder-than-you-think-and-experts-still-arent-sure-ford-got-it-rightPGA Reach Foundationhttps://www.pgareach.org/Any VW Rabbit in Stillwater MN for $3k on Racing Junk https://www.racingjunk.com/volkswagen/184812654

Triumph! General Wakemen Problems Couldn't Stop The Charge!

The regular Everyone Racers crew missed the 24 Hours of Lemons race at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park—but Uncle Dave was there, and Jeff makes his triumphant return to explain exactly how much trouble two experienced amateur racers can find in one weekend.

In this EVAP episode 446; Mental eats Lamb Chops at an AC/DC concert, Tim drunk finishes 2nd in a golf tourney, but #1 in fun, Chrissy consoles Jeff for a blend line violation and Chris helps Hack Factory win B.

Really we welcome back Uncle Dave and Jeff to discuss the Thompson Race last weekend! BTW, if Jeff had listened last week about the blend line, they would have won.

Yep, episode 446 is the complete Thompson Lemons race recap: test day, tech inspection, race strategy, fast pit stops, questionable traffic, award-winning themes, broken race cars and the relentless phenomenon known as “General Wakeman Problems.”

Dave arrives with his 1986 Toyota Cressida freshly repaired after New Jersey: transmission, clutch, driveshaft, center support bearing, universal joint and a questionable hub. The Cressida develops a vicious one-wheel peel during Friday testing, so Dave adjusts the cross weight until the car finally hooks up, then spends the rest of the day fighting a generator that works perfectly until the sun comes out.

Naturally, Thompson still delivers a torrential downpour.

With only Dave and Jeff driving Saturday’s nine-hour race, the Cressida climbs from roughly 31st to sixth overall. Their reward is a broken cool-shirt system, an accidental fire-extinguisher discharge during a pit stop, Dave taking extinguisher powder directly to the face and a dehydrated Jeff discovering that his drink tube now tastes like fire-suppression chemicals.

Sunday somehow gets better.

An exceptional pit stop puts Jeff back on track during a full-course yellow, where he immediately accepts a friendly wave into traffic and earns a blend-line violation black flag. He recovers, drives the Cressida into the top five and puts the team within reach of a podium.

Then, with approximately 40 minutes remaining, a another car locks its brakes and hits the Cressida’s right-front wheel. Jeff limps the damaged car back with a binding brake, ending their charge toward third place.

But General Wakeman Problems do not respect the checkered flag.

While packing, Jeff crushes his phone in the hatch of his Veloster N, discovers its battery is dead after the hatch stayed open all weekend and drives home unable to restart the car at fuel or meal stops.

We also cover the Thompson award winners and themes, cage-tech lessons, tow-strap rules, aggressive traffic, race results and why a well-built 180-horsepower Toyota can embarrass much faster machinery through consistency and strong pit work.

Elsewhere in Episode 446:

• P0446 EVAP-code misery • Mental’s work on the Project 213 land-speed Ghia • AC/DC with luxury-box lamb chops • Lotus wiring removal and DIY camping batteries • Garage insulation and kitchen remodeling • Competitive yoga at Red Rocks • New Jersey police disguised as shrubbery • Subaru’s attempt to make its cars more fun

Cops in NJ Wearing Gilly Suits (Stephen Edelstein @ The Drive) https://www.thedrive.com/news/cops-imitating-plants-catch-74-drivers-on-their-phones-in-six-hours

Subaru launches SVPO for fun! (Fred Smith @ Road & Track) https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a73257286/subaru-is-dedicating-a-team-to-making-its-cars-more-fun/

04 BMW 325 Autocross Track Weapon on Racing Junk

https://www.racingjunk.com/other/184815764/2004-bmw-325ci-autocross-car.html

Get Panda Planner! Seriously, it's $30 bucks man.

https://www.panda-planner.com/

3 Pedal Mafia Lemons World - https://youtu.be/wGfAxGX3vHk?si=YInVSrCTFgkXdCVF

Those cool light number panels from Amazon

https://a.co/d/9wDuvek

🔍 KEYWORDS (Feedin that algorithm yo)

#24HoursOfLemons #ThompsonSpeedway #EnduranceRacing #GrassrootsMotorsports #EveryoneRacers

Heartbroken, We're Missing Thompson!

In this Wildcat 445 Episode, Mental points at the wrong part, Tim can’t identify smoke, Chrissy gushes about ice cream and tells you when to shower while Chris enjoys a tepid tub.

Really, we’re a little heartbroken. Because for the first time in Everyone Racers history, none of us will be at the 24 Hours of Lemons race at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, and naturally, the weather forecast looks fantastic.

You’re welcome.

Before the green flag drops in Thompson, Connecticut, we deliver the full race-weekend survival guide: arrival times, test day, BS and tech, the Saturday potluck, strict quiet hours, Sunday’s late start, crowded paddock logistics, trailer drop, fueling, pit vehicles, showers, and why you should leave before the golf course starts launching balls toward the paddock.

Then comes the famous Everyone Racers Virtual Track Walk.

We break down Thompson’s strange combination of road course, oval and changing pavement, including pit out, visual references, passing zones, flag stations, elevation, camber, bumps, surface transitions, traffic management and the corners most likely to punish overconfidence.

Whether you’re a Thompson rookie or have already collected trophies and broken parts there, this is the Thompson Speedway track guide to watch before the race.

More importantly, we provide critical navigation to Bogey’s Ice Cream and Snack Shop: leave the track through the parking lot, continue through the country club parking lot and go around to the back. Bring a bike, scooter or patient teammate, expect a line and respect the enormous portions.

Also, ask the rest of your team whether they want ice cream before returning alone and eating yours in front of them. That is how broken race cars become broken friendships, just ask Chrissy.

Elsewhere in Episode 445:

• Mental prepares a land-speed car with wheel smoothies, Lexan and a drag parachute he may eventually have to deploy himself.

• Tim hauls 2,100 pounds of drywall, prices $4,000 worth of insulation and welcomes his 1941 Lincoln Continental project.

• Chris rewires the Lotus, climbs Colorado fourteeners without enough water and returns to sailboat racing.

• We discuss Flock license-plate-reader failures, Waymo crash data and a Zoox robotaxi that drove into an active fire scene.

• “Show Us Your Junk” brings a BMW 6 Series race-car project, a sorted Saab 9-3 Lemons racer benefiting Ranger Road and charity seats in Paul Dolan’s 1941 Ford for Lemons of Love.

• Listener feedback proves this community can inspire rookie race teams—and turns four podcasters into spaghetti eaters using AI… err…”AL”

If you race 24 Hours of Lemons, ChampCar, Lucky Dog, SCCA, NASA or any other form of budget endurance racing, subscribe to Everyone Racers.

We’re closing in on 450 subscribers and chasing 1,000 by the end of the year. Help us get there—and send us your Thompson victories, failures, track-walk corrections, ice-cream photos and broken dreams in the comments.

Flock Cameras Still Suck (Joel felder @ The Drive)

https://www.thedrive.com/news/inside-the-flock-dragnet-how-systemic-errors-led-to-police-ambushing-me-for-no-reason?utm_source=beehiiv&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-drive-newsletter&_bhlid=5847afc866a665f623bf7156cfb450bd51bb6527

Waymo Still Sucks, but Apparently You Suck Worse (Stephen Edelstein @ The Drive)

https://www.thedrive.com/news/waymos-self-driving-cars-crash-less-often-than-human-drivers-study

Zoox Suck So Bad They’re recalled (Sean O’Kane @ Tech Crunch)

https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/17/zoox-issues-software-recall-after-a-robotaxi-got-confused-by-heavy-smoke/

BMW 6-Series Race Car - $4,800, Venice CA, with 16 pictures on Racing Junk

https://www.racingjunk.com/24-hours-of-lemons-cars-and-equipment-for-sale/184810123/6-series-race-car.html?category_id=4520&np_offset=1#10

🔍 KEYWORDS (Feedin that algorithm yo)

#24HoursOfLemons #ThompsonSpeedway #AmateurRacing #EnduranceRacing #EveryoneRacers