Hard Parking with Jhae Pfenning

Jhae Pfenning
  • 4.9 (73)
  • Automotive
  • Updated Weekly

"Hard Parking with Jhae Pfenning" Rational discussions about everyday life, society, culture, and cars. Perfect blend societal topics sprinkled in with enough car culture to make it interesting. Hosted by Jhae Pfenning, the show is known for its unique approach to automotive journalism, focusing not just on cars but on the personalities behind them.

  1. 1d ago

    NSXPO 2026 Orlando & Sebring Recap with Dre Mullins | Montana Trip EP347

    Jhae and returning guest Andre “Dre” Mullins recap NSXPO 2026 (Orlando area, October 1–5, with Sebring HPDE) after Jhae’s unforgettable pre-event Montana / Big Sky trip that included time with Shinji Kawai and Aki. They break down the friendships forged through NSX ownership, the car show, drives, gala, track vibes, and why these gatherings feel different. Pure laid-back car-culture conversation on the non-automotive automotive podcast. Referenced links & sources:Larry Chen / Hagerty feature on Shinji Kawai’s NSX collection (Route KS, including the 2022 factory one-off NSX-R): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXGp7BNeBmgHagerty article: https://www.hagerty.com/media/videos/understandable-obsession-one-on-one-with-route-ks-nsx-owner-shinji-kawai/NSX Club of America official NSXPO 2026 event page: https://nsxca.org/event-6685623ClassicCars.com photo gallery of NSXPO 2026 Orlando: https://journal.classiccars.com/2026/10/12/photo-gallery-orlando-hosts-nsxpo-2026/Chin Track Days NSXPO Sebring HPDE: https://chintrackdays.comNSXPO Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nsxpo/ Timestamps01:43 – Dre in studio + Montana pre-trip overview07:00 – Shinji & Aki, Japan NSX collection & the invite15:00 – Glacier / Big Sky stories & real-life notes30:00 – Full NSXPO 2026 Orlando recap begins45:00 – Car show, drives, gala & community58:00 – Sebring track day / HPDE takeaways1:30:00 – Movie talk (Sisu energy) & studio stories1:56:00 – Closing thoughts (Ohio next year) 1:57:00 – Outro, bottle, sponsors & One Drink Wednesday ContactEmail: info@hardparking.comWebsite: www.hardparking.comPatreon: http://www.patreon.com/hardparkingpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hardparkingpod/YouTube: youtube.com/@HardParkingTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hard.parking.jhae Main Show Sponsors:Right Honda: https://righthonda.com/Right Toyota: https://www.righttoyota.com/Arcus Foundry: https://arcusfoundry.comAutocannon Official Gear: https://shop.autocannon.com/The Warehouse AZ: https://thewarehouseaz.com/

    NSXPO 2026 Orlando & Sebring Recap with Dre Mullins | Montana Trip EP347

  2. Oct 9

    The Real LGBTQ+ Conversation with RTWJ: Hard Parking Classics EP 346

    Jhae brings back Hard Parking Episode 187 with John and Marcus of The RTWJ Podcast — one of the five episodes he says shows the full range of the show. The original conversation started after he heard their July 5, 2023 episode “Pride Month 2023. Pride Gets Personal” and wanted in. John came out in high school. Marcus waited until his 20s. They talk coming out, whether you can be “gay enough” inside your own community, kids and sex ed, and why cars still sneak in at the end. After the classic, Jhae updates the tape: RTWJ’s last episode was August 11, 2025 (“America is (Not) Healing”), the friendship cooled when politics got personal, and why he still thinks this one is worth hearing. RTWJ: @thertwjpodcast · thertwjpodcast.buzzsprout.comOriginal Ep 187: Watch on YouTube Chapters 00:00 Why this classic is back00:02:41 John and Marcus of RTWJ00:05:14 Coming-out stories00:35:59 “Gay enough” and community infighting00:54:24 Kids, schools, and sex ed01:16:46 Cars still show up01:19:48 Where RTWJ is now ContactEmail: info@hardparking.comWebsite: www.hardparking.comPatreon: http://www.patreon.com/hardparkingpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hardparkingpod/YouTube: youtube.com/@HardParkingTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hard.parking.jhaeMain Show Sponsors:Right Honda: https://righthonda.com/Right Toyota: https://www.righttoyota.com/Arcus Foundry: https://arcusfoundry.comAutocannon Official Gear: https://shop.autocannon.com/The Warehouse AZ: https://thewarehouseaz.com/

  3. Oct 2

    Jim Mandel: Small Leaks Sink Ships, Skate Life & a 1999 Civic | EP 345

    Jim Mandel sits down with Jhae as a car-scene friend who also happens to be the bassist in Small Leaks Sink Ships. The Phoenix-born, Portland-based experimental art-pop band has been at it since the mid-2000s, and Jim still daily-drives a black 1999 Honda Civic DX. They talk the band’s run from Mesa’s Beyond Analog days through Golden Calf and 2023’s Low Tide, the skateboarding life that never really left, why cheap EK Civics still own the culture, and how a local friend group called Cartuned Network came together. Band: smallleaks.com · Spotify: Small Leaks Sink Ships · Instagram: @smallleaksCartuned Network: @cartuned_ntwrk 00:00 Intro + why Jim is in the chair00:05:40 Who Jim is — construction, karate, Hondas00:08:30 Small Leaks Sink Ships00:21:02 Skateboarding never left00:54:53 The Civics — ’92 K24 hatch and the black one01:11:18 Cartuned Network + wrap ContactEmail: info@hardparking.comWebsite: www.hardparking.comPatreon: http://www.patreon.com/hardparkingpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hardparkingpod/YouTube: youtube.com/@HardParkingTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hard.parking.jhaeMain Show Sponsors:Right Honda: https://righthonda.com/Right Toyota: https://www.righttoyota.com/Arcus Foundry: https://arcusfoundry.comAutocannon Official Gear: https://shop.autocannon.com/The Warehouse AZ: https://thewarehouseaz.com/

    Jim Mandel: Small Leaks Sink Ships, Skate Life & a 1999 Civic | EP 345

  4. Sep 25

    Matt Engdall Photo - From AZ Teacher to Car Photographer | 344

    Phoenix photographer Matt Engdall sits down in the Gilbert studio and traces the whole path: graphic design at CSU Monterey Bay, a short run at Central Coast TV, the dead-end jobs back home, then a surprise CTE teaching gig at Sandra Day O’Connor High School from 2019 to 2024. COVID put the camera back in his hands. High Line turned car photos into a January 2021 business. Leaving the classroom in 2024 made it full-time. Matt breaks down light painting classes with the Phoenix Photography Group, why he scouts a location for hours before a shoot, and how design hierarchy — what your eye hits first — is the same skill whether he is building a logo or lighting a fender. Jhae also gets the classroom stories: stage fright, COVID kids, and why “just go teach” is not the easy AI backup plan. Correction from the Jesse Iwuji episode: Matt Casto, not Matt Castro. Guest: Matt Engdall — @mattengdall_photo | mattengdall.photoReferenced: Tormenting Tarmac Ep 203 with Jorge Aquino · @tormentingtarmacJhae on CarCast: NSX market + Zanardi Edition sale Timestamps0:00 Intro, Revvit correction & Matt Casto correction1:28 Coming up + Spark Forge2:38 Welcome Matt / Tormenting Tarmac3:24 Phoenix kid, Monterey years, Go Otters4:45 Graphic design, KSBW, and the dead-end stretch6:00 CTE teaching at Sandra Day O’Connor7:11 COVID, High Line, business in 20218:36 Phoenix Photography Group & light painting class11:08 Learning the craft and the photographer network19:10 Scouting the spot that actually fits the car22:35 Asking about the car before you ask for the booking48:00 What teaching actually looked like54:43 Classroom stories, COVID kids & movie knockoffs59:26 “Just go teach” in the AI era1:01:25 Everything you look at is graphic design1:06:45 Hard Parking logo, hierarchy & detail shots1:13:18 Why book Matt Engdall1:15:19 Outro, Tormenting Tarmac & CarCast links ContactEmail: info@hardparking.comWebsite: www.hardparking.comPatreon: http://www.patreon.com/hardparkingpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hardparkingpod/YouTube: youtube.com/@HardParkingTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hard.parking.jhaeMain Show Sponsors:Right Honda: https://righthonda.com/Right Toyota: https://www.righttoyota.com/Arcus Foundry: https://arcusfoundry.comAutocannon Official Gear: https://shop.autocannon.com/The Warehouse AZ: https://thewarehouseaz.com/

    Matt Engdall Photo - From AZ Teacher to Car Photographer | 344

  5. Sep 18

    Jonathon Rivers Returns: Acura Nexera Vision + YouTube Grind | EP 343

    Jonathon Rivers of Drive Culture returns for his third Hard Parking conversation. Jhae and Jon start with Rivers’ walkthrough of the Acura NEXERA Vision concept — dual-hinge doors, phantom lighting, and the design language pointed at the next-gen RDX Hybrid. Then they talk about the gap buyers keep missing: a prototype is a statement, a production car has to clear crash, cost, and packaging. The reference point is Toyota’s 2014 FT-1 concept versus the A90 GR Supra that actually reached the street. After that, the social media grind. Jon says he does not care about the numbers. Jhae does not let that sit. Drive Culture is Jon’s own channel, not an Acura or American Honda production. New videos drop Fridays at 7am PT: youtube.com/@Drive_CultureInstagram: @drive.culture.reviewsNEXERA video: Acura NEXERA Vision | BEST Design Concept Ever?Official NEXERA release: Acura NewsFT-1 concept: Toyota PressroomFT-1 to GR Supra: MotorTrend Previous Hard Parking episodes with Jonathon Rivers:EP 247 — NSXPO 2024: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIU_Fc6Q4iUEP 296 — NSXPO 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCIDP4LHBnA In this episode: Third time on Hard Parking with Jonathon Rivers of Drive CultureHis Acura NEXERA Vision concept video and why the design hitButterfly doors, phantom lighting, and cues aimed at the next-gen RDX HybridWhat buyers expect from a concept versus what a production car can actually shipToyota FT-1 concept to A90 GR Supra as the reality checkThe 2026 YouTube and social media grindJon saying the numbers don’t matter — and Jhae pushing backContactEmail: info@hardparking.comWebsite: www.hardparking.comPatreon: http://www.patreon.com/hardparkingpodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hardparkingpod/YouTube: youtube.com/@HardParkingTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hard.parking.jhaeMain Show Sponsors:Right Honda: https://righthonda.com/Right Toyota: https://www.righttoyota.com/Arcus Foundry: https://arcusfoundry.comAutocannon Official Gear: https://shop.autocannon.com/The Warehouse AZ: https://thewarehouseaz.com/

    Jonathon Rivers Returns: Acura Nexera Vision + YouTube Grind | EP 343

  6. Sep 11

    Remembering 9/11, Tesla Crash Headlines & Clancy Trial Opinion

    EP342 Would we still stop the country for 9/11 if it happened today? Solo Episode 342 drops on the 25th anniversary, with Jhae Pfenning on memory fade, walking the Ground Zero memorial with Ivette in June 2018, and standing in a Grand Rapids bar when the second plane hit live on TV. ABC News posted that a Tesla crashed into Midtown scaffolding and killed a passenger, then deleted the X post after Community Notes. The driver was operating the car manually, fled, and was arrested for DWI and vehicular manslaughter — not FSD. Jhae also covers Labor Day street takeovers, including LAPD’s Operation Street Sweeper in Harbor Gateway. The back half is the Lindsay Clancy hung jury without a hot take. The trial was never “did she do it.” It was her state of mind. Using the 2015 Arizona I-10 median-barrier case he sat on, Jhae lands on the only rule that matters in a jury room: it is not what you know. It is what you can prove. Sources:Business Insider — films altered after 9/119/11 Memorial & MuseumABC News — Midtown Tesla crashNY Daily News — DWI charges, BAC .229Musk: Autopilot was not in useLA Times — Operation Street SweeperNYT — Clancy mistrial, what nextNBC Boston — jurors speakAZ Central — I-10 / Humphrey-Quinn Timestamps0:00 Cold open0:21 Show open0:31 9/11, 25 years later2:10 Ground Zero with Ivette, June 20184:09 Where I was when the second plane hit6:13 Remember September 11th7:25 ABC deletes the Tesla crash post8:35 LA + Chicago street takeovers12:23 The Clancy trial was about state of mind13:20 What an Arizona jury taught me21:18 Not what you know — what you can prove25:04 Thanks and close Contact: info@hardparking.comWebsite: www.hardparking.comPatreon: patreon.com/hardparkingpodcastInstagram: @hardparkingpodYouTube: youtube.com/@HardParkingTikTok: @hard.parking.jhae Right Honda: righthonda.comRight Toyota: righttoyota.comArcus Foundry: arcusfoundry.comAutocannon: shop.autocannon.comThe Warehouse AZ: thewarehouseaz.com

    Remembering 9/11, Tesla Crash Headlines & Clancy Trial Opinion

  7. Sep 4

    Navy to NASCAR: Jesse Iwuji on Late Starts, Drive & Team Building | Ep 341

    Navy Commander Jesse Iwuji went from Naval Academy safety to NASCAR driver and team owner — and he did not start wheel-to-wheel racing until age 28. Jesse talks 16 years in uniform, the 2014 vision that made a late start possible, building Jesse Iwuji Motorsports with Emmitt Smith, and why drifting and sports cars are next. Jesse Iwuji is a U.S. Navy commander and reserve officer, Naval Academy Class of 2010, former Midshipmen free safety, and co-owner of Jesse Iwuji Motorsports with Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith and Matt Casto. He began stock-car racing in 2015 at Irwindale while still on active duty and now runs a hybrid program with DGM Racing. In June 2026 he was promoted to commander the same weekend he raced NASCAR’s historic event at Naval Base Coronado. Guest links:Instagram: @jesse_iwujiX: @Jesse_IwujiYouTube: @jesse_iwujiWebsite: jesseiwuji.comStore: shop.jesseiwuji.comTeam X: @JIMS__official Sources:Jesse Iwuji — WikipediaNavy: Commander promotion + NASCAR San Diego at Naval Base CoronadoNEXCOM / No. 91 Chevrolet — Coronado race Timestamps:0:00 Intro — college football weekend + Jesse Iwuji2:20 What 16 years in the Navy still means4:10 Navy officer to NASCAR5:39 Late start: first wheel-to-wheel race at 287:25 The 2014 vision, Corvette track days, and the sim9:14 Army-Navy, Beat Army, and Academy life24:27 Year one as a NASCAR team owner25:31 What a season actually costs26:49 Two years out: NASCAR + sports cars + Formula Drift29:15 How this interview finally happened31:50 Close More Hard Parking NASCAR:Jasser Valerio (NASCAR official): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW2pL3i0DWEDylan “Mamba” Smith: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXz-btevcxM Contact Email: info@hardparking.com Website: www.hardparking.com Patreon: patreon.com/hardparkingpodcast Instagram: instagram.com/hardparkingpod YouTube: youtube.com/@HardParking TikTok: tiktok.com/@hard.parking.jhae Main Show Sponsors: Right Honda: righthonda.com Right Toyota: righttoyota.com Arcus Foundry: arcusfoundry.com Autocannon Official Gear: shop.autocannon.com The Warehouse AZ: thewarehouseaz.com

    Navy to NASCAR: Jesse Iwuji on Late Starts, Drive & Team Building | Ep 341

  8. Aug 29

    Talk2Q Is Back: 2026 CFB Top 25 Rankings, NFL Ban & Vince Young

    Talk2Q is back on Hard Parking. Quincy Shelton joins Jhae Pfenning to preview the 2026 college football season, walk the preseason Top 25, and talk the blurry new line between the NFL and campus football. Before Q hops on, Jhae covers bourbon drops, Blanton’s Gold, skipping a packed Friday line, and a GoDaddy support call that turned into “wait… are you AI?” After the interview, Jhae follows the news that dropped hours later: the Browns waived TE Dae’Quan Wright, who had an agreement to join Lane Kiffin at LSU if he cleared waivers. The SEC and Big Ten then moved to block players who signed NFL deals, appeared on a roster, or declared for the draft from returning to those conferences. Jhae also breaks down 2026 practice-squad pay and Netflix’s UNTOLD: The Testimony of Vince Young. Guest: Quincy Shelton — Talk 2Q Radio Show Instagram: instagram.com/Talk2Q · X: twitter.com/Talk2Q · Site: talk2q.com Sources: Dae’Quan Wright waived / LSU report SEC & Big Ten ban on returning pros UNTOLD: The Testimony of Vince Young Timestamps 0:00 Intro — football season is close 0:45 Bourbon drops, Blanton’s Gold & the hunt 6:32 GoDaddy, domains & talking to AI “Judy” 10:20 Quincy Shelton (Talk2Q) joins 14:38 Michigan & the preseason Top 25 21:39 Early playoff picture 24:19 Walking the preseason Top 25 36:15 NFL-to-college eligibility, TROs & NIL 45:24 Q signs off 46:30 Dae’Quan Wright, LSU & the SEC/Big Ten ban 48:58 What NFL practice-squad players make in 2026 49:45 UNTOLD: The Testimony of Vince Young 52:07 Close + who’s coming on next Contact Email: info@hardparking.com Website: www.hardparking.com Patreon: patreon.com/hardparkingpodcast Instagram: instagram.com/hardparkingpod YouTube: youtube.com/@HardParking TikTok: tiktok.com/@hard.parking.jhae Main Show Sponsors: Right Honda: righthonda.com Right Toyota: righttoyota.com Arcus Foundry: arcusfoundry.com Autocannon Official Gear: shop.autocannon.com The Warehouse AZ: thewarehouseaz.com

    Talk2Q Is Back: 2026 CFB Top 25 Rankings, NFL Ban & Vince Young
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"Hard Parking with Jhae Pfenning" Rational discussions about everyday life, society, culture, and cars. Perfect blend societal topics sprinkled in with enough car culture to make it interesting. Hosted by Jhae Pfenning, the show is known for its unique approach to automotive journalism, focusing not just on cars but on the personalities behind them.

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