AFP Podcasts

NASCAR set to begin March Madness-style tournament in 2025

NASCAR has announced plans for an in-season tournament modeled on the NCAA's March Madness to begin in 2025.

Will it work to build even more interest among NASCAR fans?

Rod Mullins joins the show to break down the bracket madness, and discuss Brad Keselowski's win in Darlington on Sunday.

How does the UVA Basketball roster look now?

The UVA Basketball roster looks to be set for the coming 2024-2025 season with four additions from the transfer portal.

How are things looking, then, for next season?

Pretty good, is the answer from AFP editor Chris Graham, who is not prone to just being nice for the sake of being nice.

Story referenced in this podcast:

• UVA gets its guys from the transfer portal: How does the roster look for 2024-2025?

UVA Basketball grabs four from the transfer portal

Virginia coach Tony Bennett has been busy, adding four players from the transfer portal, including former Duke player and 2023 five-star TJ Power.

AFP editor Chris Graham breaks down the pickups.

Stories referenced in this podcast:

• Virginia lands Duke five-star TJ Power: How does Power fit with the ‘Hoos?
• Bennett lands another big man, San Diego State’s Elijah Saunders, off the portal
• Would you believe, more UVA Basketball transfer portal news? Welcome, Carter Lang
• Bennett lands first 2024 transfer portal recruit: Florida State combo guard Jalen Warley

Will we get a full NASCAR Cup Series season?

We just had the closest finish to a NASCAR Cup Series race in history - literally an inch separating Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher in Kansas on Sunday.

But there's tension behind the scenes in NASCAR-land, with the private owners of the racing series and the owners of the race teams who want to share more in the TV money at odds over how they can move forward.

Rod Mullins and Chris Graham break down the business issues, and the exciting finish to Sunday's race.

Denny Hamlin makes good on his called shot

Denny Hamlin called his shot last week on his podcast, telling listeners that he was going to take the checkered flag at Dover.

Then, Hamlin, the Virginia native, went out and did it.

AFP’s resident NASCAR Cup Series writer, Rod Mullins, joins the show to break down Hamlin’s win, Kyle Larson’s second-place finish, the big wreck 72 laps from the finish that took out, among others, Bubba Wallace, and the rest of what on last weekend in Delaware.

A pair of wild finishes at Talladega

Tyler Reddick emerged at the head of the pack in a wild finish in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega.

Reddick, who drives for 23XI Racing, celebrated the win with team co-owner Michael Jordan – yes, that Michael Jordan.

Reddick crossed the finish as literally all heck broke loose behind him.

AFP’s resident NASCAR writer, Rod Mullins, takes us through how it all went down on Sunday, and recaps Saturday’s exciting Xfinity Series race, which was won by 19-year-old rookie Jesse Love.

Ken Mitchell is the kind of Democrat who can win in our part of Virginia

Ken Mitchell, the Democrat challenging Trump Republican Ben Cline for the Sixth District seat in Congress, isn’t going to get a writeup in Blue Virginia.

Ben Tribbett isn’t going to tweet about his campaign.

Richmond and Northern Virginia Democrats are going to ignore him, like the ignore everybody else with a D beside their name west of the Route 29 corridor.

Which is a shame.

Because Ken Mitchell is the kind of Democrat who actually has a Tom Perriello ‘08 longshot chance of winning in November.

Chase Elliott wins in Texas, UK hires Mark Pope, MLB talk

Chase Elliott hadn’t won in a while – his NASCAR Cup Series winless streak went back 18 months – before his win on Sunday in Texas.

AFP’s NASCAR beat writer Rod Mullins joins us to break down Elliott’s win, Brad Keselowski’s frustrating runner-up finish, the series of bumps and other dust-ups that sent the race to OT, and the photo-finish Xfinity Series race.

Then the talk turns to the University of Kentucky basketball coaching search, which ended with the hiring of former UK star Mark Pope; and the fortunes of the Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles in the early weeks of the 2024 MLB season.

Big day at Martinsville for Hendrick

William Byron is NASCAR’s first three-race winner in the 2024 Cup Series season with his win on Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.

AFP NASCAR reporter Rod Mullins reports on the big race weekend at the historic Virginia track, which saw Hendrick Motorsports take the three podium spots on Sunday, and Aric Almirola taking the Xfinity Series race on Saturday night.

Stories referenced in this podcast

• William Byron takes Martinsville for win #3 in 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season
• Emotional Aric Almirola wins Dude Wipes 250 Xfinity race at Martinsville

Does Cody Rhodes leave Wrestlemania as the undisputed champ?

Podcast: Does Cody Rhodes leave Wrestlemania as the undisputed champ?

Cody Rhodes has been trying to “finish the story” for two years. Does “The American Nightmare” finally achieve the dream and become the undisputed WWE champ at Wrestlemania 40 this weekend?

Chris Graham and Josh Deal preview WM 40 weekend, and also break down the CM Punk interview with Ariel Helwani, and the impact of what Punk had to say about the AEW business model might have on Tony Khan’s near-future.

Stories referenced in this podcast:

• CM Punk shoots on Tony Khan, AEW: ‘It’s not a sustainable business’
• Mailbag: How does WWE book Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, The Rock at Wrestlemania?