Mike Spinelli

What do Jalopnik, The Drive, and Motorsport Network all have in common? They’ve all had Mike Spinelli driving content, channeling a passion for cars that started with gray market BMWs and drag races in high school. But how did Mike go from high school obsession to 21 years writing and producing some of the most exciting automotive and motorsport-inspired projects for such big name media companies? Read our latest FanAmp Fast Lane to find out which roads he took and his best advice for those following in his tracks!

Why was Group X-Body banned? Wrong answers only.

(Not shown: some miniature Ray Winstone in a newsboy cap poking me in the ribs to try and get up front.) @scuderiaferrari @24heuresdumans

Today’s office.

About a year ago, I asked the guys who would become the new ownership team of the Motorsport Network, "Why would you ever buy a media company"? It seemed like a pertinent thing to ask, since I was over it. I was having fun working with my 1000-year homies at @tangent_vector and writing for @roadandtrack . "Distribution" was someone else's problem. And yet... I'm a magazine nerd at heart. Sooo, with the support to create something of quality for a passionate audience, something that doesn't involve exploiting their trust for cheap clicks, I couldn't stay away. With this initial redesign of @motorsportcom and @autosport we're (hmm, racing metaphor...) pulling up to the starting line. Figuring out what a global media company means in 2024 is a five-layer jigsaw puzzle. I'm working harder than ever, but getting a shot at building the thing I've always wanted to see in motorsports. Yep. Better not screw this up.

Damn! The mighty @photodre was a finalist for an American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) award in the category of Best Service and Lifestyle Story for our “High Plains Dragster” piece for @roadandtrack (Vol 19). Shot on film, with Badlands vibes all over the place, the photos for this are why I’ve always loved tagging along with visionary photogs on assignments. Congrats Dre! You brought so much storytelling and atmosphere to this piece, truly elevating it to a level I thought wouldn’t be possible in the modern magazine world. [Link in bio.]

Happy 20th anniversary to that time DaimlerChrysler offered a Viper V10-powered Dodge Tomahawk concept “replica” in the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book for $555,000. Did anyone buy one? Dunno. Have to ask @jaylenosgarage .

Hey! The new @roadandtrack mag is out and I'm really, really psyched to have these two pieces in it. The first is a look back at the Caesar's Palace Grand Prix of the early 1980s, which had me digging through newspaper archives and chasing down first-hand accounts of what was either one of the jankiest or one of the best Grands Prix ever (maybe both). For the second feature, the mighty @photodre and I traveled to Casper, Wyoming to check out the local no-prep drag racing scene, where we met @joey_anton and others in the Wyoming no-prep crew, some of whom are vets of @stoutlaws , plus tons more great people including @_spencerbernard__058_ who helped me immeasurably in wrapping my head around the Casper scene, the low-key cowboy renaissance genius @coltonsmithey , plus @hot.rod.sam , @tf_boostedchevy2 (sorry I missed you), and the rest of the local heroes of the scene, which if you didn't know is popping off 24/7. Dre came back with rolls of epic stuff on film in B&W and color, reminding me how much I miss hitting the road with a great photographer to chase a story, and getting to see it through their eyes, and then also getting to hold it on paper. If you're not a subscriber, go pick up this issue or just subscribe already. The mag's always filled with gold.

People have been asking me what the fuck am I doing these days. I figured a short filmstrip is in order. Here goes: 1.) Here I am in the yard sending a DM to @therealzackklapman . I am wearing glasses. The sun is strong. 2.) Whoa! There’s a great sale on Nick’s weird-ass ice cream! 3.) I need new nibs for my Monteverde Engage pen. I’m going to try “light” this time. 4.) Showing a friend the relative size of my anorak. 5.) I took a train out to see @jfmusial and work on a documentary film we’re doing with @tangent_vector . More to come on that. 6.) I take walks. Here’s a place I walked to. 7.) I started a book. 8&9.) I went to a no-prep street race in Wyoming and the article is coming out in the next issue of @roadandtrack . It’s nice to be able to write things for print, with photo spreads and whatnot, which is my favorite thing to do.

Midjourney doing its best Bill Mitchell impression, designing alternate-reality Caddys in parallel 1970s NYC universe.

Ey, lookit Lawn Guyland out deah.