CONCORD, N.C. -- While Cup Series teams fired the engines and prepped their cars for 600 miles of racing, Bert Kreischer roamed the infield campground. He was at Charlotte Motor Speedway for a different purpose.
He was on site to hand out free brisket sandwiches and his special coleslaw to hungry campers while continuing his move into the world of NASCAR.
"You've gotta try my slaw," Kreischer hollered to the gathered crowd in front of his campground setup. "The secret ingredient is Sriracha!"
Kreischer, the host of the "Something's Burning" show and podcast, was the face of the at-track activation, but he had several people on hand to feed the racing and comedy fans.
Wife/podcast host/producer LeeAnn Kreischer handed out trays filled with macaroni and cheese and brisket. Fellow comedian Dave Williamson and BBQ master Jody Flanagan worked the smokers, delivering a steady stream of ribs, brisket, and chicken.
Photo credit: AltDriver
Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford, also took part in the festivities. He ditched his shirt to match Kreischer's style, and he roamed the campground with the comedian.
They spent time with fans and posed for dozens of photos before Gragson climbed into his car for 600 miles of racing. On paper, it was a fitting crossover between the worlds of racing and comedy, but it also served as a special moment for one of NASCAR's most popular drivers.
"Just watching his comedy specials and stuff, just how funny he is, it's a dream come true to be able to meet him," Gragson told AltDriver. "He's not just here at NASCAR. He enjoys the sport of NASCAR. He's a fan of NASCAR.
"He loves coming and cracking open a beer and hanging out with the people at NASCAR."
As it turns out, the respect between Gragson and Kreischer was mutual.
"What's so cool is when you hang out with a guy like Noah, he does not realize the responsibility he has yet," Kreischer said. "He's so normal. He's just a regular guy. We drove through the fans, and he was stopping, talking to kids.
"But he wasn't doing it in a brand-friendly way. He was just being himself. Us comics, we draw to that s---."
Perfect timing to catch @NoahGragson and @bertkreischer just living life. pic.twitter.com/MLAIPq6RER
— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) May 25, 2025
Kreischer has gone from lacking in-depth knowledge of stock car racing to becoming a fan of the sport, but why would he choose to spend his Memorial Day weekend hanging out at a NASCAR track, making free food for racing and comedy fans?
As Gragson said, Kreischer has obviously moved further and further into the world of racing. He co-hosted a live podcast with fellow comedian Tom Segura at the Daytona 500. He filmed an episode of "Something's Burning" with Kyle and Samantha Busch.
The Machine is fully becoming a fan of big-time stock car racing, but his decision to head to Charlotte Motor Speedway goes much deeper.
It's the people.
"There's so much passion in this sport," Kreischer told AltDriver between posing for photos with fans. "And when you come out to this infield, you see this is someone's Memorial Day.
"This is family. People work hard to spend their money and to be able to hang in the infield."
Showing up at Charlotte Motor Speedway was only the latest moment in a long journey for Kreischer, who left his Discovery Channel shows many years ago to bet on himself and his comedy career.
He dove even further into podcasting with his "Bertcast" and "2 Bears, 1 Cave," which he hosts with Segura. He worked on his comedy craft and released multiple specials. He even created and starred in a movie, "The Machine," which fictionalized the aftermath of a wild trip he took to Russia while in college.
Part of this journey involved the creation of "Something's Burning." The show started quietly with Kreischer making meals for his comedian friends, but he saw an opportunity for growth.
He pitched the concept to networks. They turned it down.
Despite the setback, "Something Burning" grew massively, to the point that it has featured some big names. This includes Guy Fieri, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Sugar Ray's Mark McGrath, and music artist Hardy, among many others.
As Kreischer sees it, his cooking show shouldn't have survived. It certainly shouldn't have made its way across the country to one of NASCAR's biggest races.
Yet, here he was on Memorial Day weekend, living it up with Gragson and the racing fans.
"I never thought anything was going to happen to me in my lifetime," Kreischer said after taking a moment to collect himself.
"Man, this is a little bit of a Cinderella story. A cooking show that shouldn't (work), and did."