When the second day of driving and pre-trip competition got underway on Friday of NTDC 2025 Week, the annual celebration of safety welcomed Minnesota native and NTDC Legend Ray Simon as one of the spectators. Ray is the only professional driver who has won three National Grand Championships, and Ray accomplished his trifecta during the only three times he qualified for NTDC. Now retired and living in nearby St. Cloud, Ray made the trip to the Minneapolis Convention Center, where he was greeted by some old friends as well as current competitors who still marvel at his unmatched record at NTDC.

For this episode of the podcast, Transport Topics Senior Reporter Eugene Mulero spent some time with Ray and Eugene also had his notebook out talking to a number of this year’s state champions to get their perspective on how they did on the driving course and the pre-trip. PodWheels Executive Producer Greg Thompson was also at the Convention Center on Friday conducting interviews and chatting with a host of people onsite. As you’ll hear, Eugene and Greg work to cover all of Friday’s happenings at NTDC 2025, and they also share their thoughts on Championship Saturday.

Friend Of The Podcast: JoyRide Logistics is serving as our Friend of the Podcast Sponsor for this episode. JoyRide Logistics is focused on being a world-class, customer-focused business. JoyRide is driven by its people and their dedication to provide valuable solutions to meet the challenges of today’s supply chain. To learn more about JoyRide Logistics, visit JoyRideLogistics.com.

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