Surprise sports, music guests drive auto exec's podcast to #1
Jim Farley spotlights NFL great Rob Gronkowski, Grammy-winner T-Pain
While Ford CEO Jim Farley spends weekdays in back-to-back calls with people all over the globe, navigating dynamic uncertainty related to the auto industry, its supply chain and tariffs — he spends Saturdays recording a popular podcast that he says reminds him why he loves cars and the people who drive them.
The latest Apple podcast data suggests it’s working not just for him but for listeners, too. His DRIVE podcast is top-ranked in the automotive segment — leading This Car Pod! and The Carpool and The Smoking Tire.
Farley launched his latest hit season with football great Rob “Gronk” Gronkowki, widely considered the best tight end in NFL history after nine seasons with the New England Patriots and two years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“What would it be like if we met you on the weekend at college?” Farley asked Gronkowski. He responded with laughter and said, “I was the biggest meathead.”
They spent 38 minutes talking about high school memories, family cars, Polish heritage, family dynamics, retirement, broadcasting, leadership and life with four brothers who all became pro athletes, too. (Gronkowski’s dad drove an F-150 pickup.)
Highlights of the show that have generated big buzz in car, football and finance circles included Gronkowski:
Linking NFL players to cars they drive: A Toyota Camry or Honda Accord suggest an undrafted free agent or a rookie trying his best to make the team. An F-150 Raptor truck signals an offensive lineman with rural roots. A Ferrari or Lamborghini indicates a fast player, such as wide receiver or defensive back.
Discussing the importance of financial responsibility, revealing how he lived off money from endorsement, autograph, and appearance deals exclusively while saving his $70 million in NFL earnings. He did ads for Dunkin’ Donuts, Visa, T-Mobile, Lyft, Cheerios, Monster Energy Drink, Tide and a popular commercial with USAA, according to Sports Illustrated.
But that’s not all
Farley’s second guest, British racing driver Vicki Butler-Henderson, who explained she started as host of BBC car magazine “Top Gear” with a call that said, “‘We’re looking for a girl who can drive and we’ve heard about you’ … I’ve been racing cars since the age of 17 … I’ve been born into a family who totally loved cars.”
She told of being the daughter and granddaughter of racers.
Farley said, “She’s a barrier breaker and a badass in the driver’s seat. She’s a former presenter of Top Gear. I mean, she’s an icon.”
Word is, Farley has made 11 episodes this season and has begun taping Season 4.
"Cars aren't just my profession, they're a hobby and a passion for me too," Farley said in a statement on Sunday. "I often joke with my guests that if I had a world record, it'd be for the percentage of my life I've spent thinking about cars. By hosting DRIVE, I get to spend time with people who enjoy car culture as much as I do, hearing their stories and how they bring that passion to everything they do. I ask them about common experiences like road trips and first cars so we get to see a different side of them.”
Upcoming guests include: T-Pain, a Grammy-winning singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer, and Lexie “Limitless” Alford, an American adventure traveler YouTuber who set a world record as the first person to circumnavigate the globe in an electric vehicle, completing a 19,000-mile journey in the new all-electric Ford Explorer.
T-Pain, who has 3.58 million subscribers on YouTube, says in his bio that he emerged in 2004 to not only change the course of pop, hip-hop, and R&B, but reshape the fabric of the culture itself. He notes that his “All I Do Is Win” soundtracked President Barack Obama’s entry into the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2013.
Obama said at the time, “Rush Limbaugh warned you about this. Second term, baby. We’re changing things around here a little bit. Actually, my advisers were a little worried about the new rap entrance music. They are a little more traditional.”
Hear T-Pain interview here.
How it all started
Initially, Spotify approached Farley with the idea to do a pilot project. Farley wasn’t paid and his guests weren’t either. It was top secret and debuted in 2022. The show served up half-hour morsels of car talk.
In Season 1, guests included football great Tom Brady and late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel and actor Dax Shepard. In Season 2, Farley interviews ranged from Grammy-winning singer Kelly Clarkson to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN chief medical correspondent and son of the first female engineer at Ford Motor Co.
“So many life stories start at Ford. My grandfather started in 1918 as an hour worker and there’s so many more,” Farley said, introducing Gupta, a neurosurgeon and the son of two Ford engineers.
“My mom was born on the other side of the world in the subcontinent of India. She was 5 years old when the partition happened, when the subcontinent was divided. And it was the largest human mass migration in the history of the world. Millions of people died, you know. It was, it was awful,” Gupta said during the podcast.
“And she was swept up in that as a 5 year old, ended up being on these cargo ships, going to what is now India, living as a refugee for about 12 years,” Gupta said. “In the midst of that, two things happened: One is that India was trying to become an engineering capital of the world. So the prime minister was going around to schools and encouraging students to go into engineering … and she read a book about Henry Ford, also, while in that camp … A refugee in a newly-formed country reads a book about Henry Ford and decides she will one day work at Ford.”
The range of guests is vast and no topic is off limits.
Whether it’s discussion about singing new (unreleased) songs on the car radio or what it’s like to have your mom start a new life in America, Farley finds a way to connect through cars.
Kelly Clarkson and Chris Farley
He talked with Clarkson about driving an F-250 truck around Los Angeles and how Farley once missed a funeral because he and his cousin (actor Chris Farley) got into an “epic Cinnabon fight” at the airport.
Jim Farley is known for an insane work schedule and intense pace but friends and colleagues say the podcast gives him energy. He clearly enjoys going off script with interesting people and learning how car culture changes lives, based on the laughter that peppers every episode.
“It's great to see that people are enjoying DRIVE, and I can't wait to share the rest of the season with them,” Farley said.
Episodes are available for free on Spotify, Apple and YouTube.
Note: Specific listener data is unavailable to the public for proprietary reasons.
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Of course. As I sit down with my large glass of my 100% fruit and protein smoothie to read the latest, and unfortunately garbage “news” about the government, I open my P W H S S story featuring CEO Farley and his podcast.
Ms Howard: Thanks for another great , feel really good story about, well you know, you wrote it for me … us.
I am from a Chrysler Corp and Champion Spark Plug factory family where cars were something that you needed to get “there” faster than walking. We were taught to respect the car, never abuse it, and care for it. I have always loved cars and what else they can do for you, if you let them. I have my special ride sitting under a protective blanket attached to a trickler in my garage. It’s (my second) Porsche 2017 718 Boxster S. My son Nick, the professional musician has an equally protected 1984 Fiero in his west side Detroit garage. We both take pride in our pleasure rides because they are special… to us.
I will be a regular podder with Mr Farley because of the passion he has for the car, and FOMOCO. It’s obvious that you are well into the ride as well with that Mach E you commandeer with full confidence.
Thanks again.
Have a Happy St. Patrick Day.
Stay safe
PEACE
Gregg Wilczynski
Retired