Our Top 10 Posts of 2023
A year of rebirth and breaking new ground.
I never officially restarted the Race Day newsletter.
I just, kind of… started doing it again.
This was a year of incredible turmoil. I went through personal challenges that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. These were challenges I haven’t shared publicly, and that only a few people know about. They left me feeling lost. And hungry.
Lots of days were hard. Many days I made harder on myself — probably unnecessarily. I felt an urge to make something beautiful, and profound, and impactful out of all this turmoil. And I pushed myself to the edge and beyond in order to do it.
That beautiful, profound, impactful thing ended up being Cult of GT-R, my second published book of automotive nonfiction. It consumed me. From the time I dedicated myself to it, to the time people could hold it in their hands, was only eight months.
I don’t recommend that.
But during the gaps in the process, I rediscovered my love for Race Day. This was my place to put random thoughts, flesh out fun ideas and pursue stories I didn’t have to pitch to unconvinced editors. I could just go. I’m thankful to Substack for that.
And looking back on the year, I’m surprised at how proud I am. Of the newsletter and of myself. It’s insane that I wrote and published a book in eight months. It’s even more insane that I wrote and posted 38 newsletters during the same span. Like, what?
The book was my triumph. But the newsletter was my proof, to myself, that this is what I’m meant to be doing. Sometimes it’s a little directionless, or overly broad. But it’s the closest I’ve ever come to an unapologetic expression of myself and my interests. That makes creating Race Day its own reward.
Now, that being said, I want you guys to enjoy reading it. So when you click and open the newsletter, it means a lot to me. For that reason I didn’t pick my personal 10 favorite posts of 2023, or the 10 most important. Just the ones you guys clicked.
So here’s a look back at the year through the posts you clicked on the most. I’m truly grateful to count you all as readers and hope to refine and enhance the experience for you next year. I think 2024 is going to be a good one. Turmoil and all.
Number 10.
My de facto book announcement plus a fun interview with a teenage photographer.
Race Day is Going to Japan
HAPPY RACE DAY, especially to journalist Elizabeth Blackstock, who is cooking a regional dish for the host country of each Formula One round over the course of the entire season. You can follow along on her Substack called Grand Prix Gastronomy. I absolutely love this idea. It mashes her love of motorsports with her love of cooking, and aims to increase cultural awareness around the world. What’s the national dish of Belgium? Singapore? Azerbijan? No clue! Can’t wait to find out.
Number 9.
Tried to give you a peek inside my process while also preparing myself mentally.
SNEAK PEEK: Here's Who I'm Visiting in Japan
Happy Race Day! especially to photographer and friend of the newsletter Syd Cummings (interviewed here back in 2020) for launching a new collection of her One Hell Of A Town! line of automotive merch. Go grab yourself something cool!
Number 8.
My solo Japan trip was an emotional whirlwind and this mindset kept me centered.
I Cannot Lose: 12 Hours of Chaos in Japan
I deserve to be here. I deserve to be in Japan right now. I deserve to be sitting in the driver’s seat of this 565-horsepower sports car. I deserve to inch it forward, out of the garage and onto the streets of Yokohama, Japan – a country where I’ve never driven before. Where none of the signs are in English. Where they drive on the opposite side of the road. Where the steering wheel is on the opposite side of the car. Look both ways. Accelerate. Slowly.
Number 7.
My attempt to give automotive journalist Victoria Scott her well-deserved flowers.
"I'm Drawn To It" — The Road Trip for our Times
Happy Race Day! especially to The Frick Pittsburgh, a museum which recently opened its new exhibit, “Pittsburgh and the Great Migration: Black Mobility and the Automobile.” Our friend Bradley Brownell recently visited and it looks wonderful. If you’re in the area, stop by and send us a review!
Number 6.
Going to FuelFest was a pivotal moment for me this year. Cars are supposed to be fun, man.
Re-Learning to Love 'Fast & Furious'
Happy Race Day! especially to this movie trailer I just discovered that is basically Japanese, woman, Baby Driver. It’s the most fun car chase I’ve seen in years. The reverse gag is so great! Hope you enjoy:
Number 5.
A collection of hardcore mountain stories plus an interview about manual transmissions.
The year Pikes Peak went Hard as Hell
Happy Race Day! especially to automotive designer Dalal Elsheikh. Elsheikh is a host on the NBC show Hot Wheels Ultimate Challenge that premiered recently. The show offers contestants a chance to build creations that end up as real Hot Wheels on store shelves. It has a fun spirit:
Number 4.
I was feeling frustrated and petty when I wrote this one. If you couldn’t tell.
Fine: Here's a helicopter shooting fireworks at a Lamborghini
I’m not going to lie to you. This is a video about a young Lambo owner with too much money. I mean, come on, he hired pretty girls (and a helicopter pilot!) to shoot fireworks at his car doing donuts in the desert. Known for reckless stunts and rich-kid antics
Number 3.
The single biggest barometer for the state of car culture still resides in Las Vegas.
My Biggest Takeaway from SEMA 2023: Craftsmanship
HAPPY RACE DAY, especially to the artist and photographer Syd Cummings, who recently debuted a custom 1978 Saab Turbo rally car code-named “Project 99.” Does it get any cooler than this?
Number 2.
The mysterious EV brand only let three journalists drive their car. I was one. It wasn’t great.
Ryan Drives: Faraday Future FF 91
FARADAY FUTURE IS FINALLY delivering its $300,000 electric vehicle to customers. For almost any other car company, that would be the whole story. But with Faraday Future, there’s always more. The startup was supposed to deliver its car, the FF 91, years ago. Then Faraday appeared on the brink of bankruptcy,
Number 1.
Race Day produced the only original reporting on the JDM case of the decade.
Special Report: Florida Couple Gets Probation in Massive JDM Fraud Case
A husband-and-wife team pleaded guilty on Thursday to one felony count each in a Miami-Dade County courtroom, after being accused of forging hundreds of documents to title and register illegally imported Japanese sports cars to then sell to unwitting customers as legal vehicles.
Hell of a year.
Thank you.
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