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and he's been on air ever since.
• "I had to be way too ambiguous with callers," Nordstrom said. "I knew Russ had all that knowledge. It just added so much to the show."
• Neither Evans nor Nordstrom carry Internet-connected devices into the studio, fielding unscreened questions armed solely with what's in their heads. Nordstrom jots down notes in a loose-leaf notebook in case a listener follows up later.
• Radio veteran Chris Carter joined the crew seven years ago, running the board and taking calls while interjecting "regular guy" questions into the technical talk: "I always think, 'Does the caller have to fix it, and how much will it cost?'" he said.
• "Under the Hood" recently added a station in the Philadelphia market, and the show is also heard by more than 10,000 fans downloading their podcasts. Nord

strom and Evans, both 43 and born a day apart, also distribute an "Ask the Motor Medics" column to newspapers.
• The hosts say they've worked hard to build personal relationships with their affiliates, which has helped them steadily add and retain stations.
• KBJM-AM in Lemmon is a longtime "Under the Hood" affiliate, but the station's Mike Schweitzer seven years ago was considering switching up his Saturday morning lineup and wasn't sure if anyone was listening.
• When he called the hosts to cancel, Evans asked what they could do to change his mind. Evans and Nordstrom made the 400-mile drive to the ranching community along the North Dakota border in Perkins County to host a table at the town's Farm and Home Show.
• "People couldn't get in and out of the building because there was such a line," said Schweitzer KBJM's president and general manager. "I just sat there and I looked at it and said, 'Well, maybe I guess they do have some listeners up here.'"
• The show has aired on the station ever since, and Schweitzer said he'd love to one day add the show's second hour of the show if he had space in his lineup. The hosts' technical knowhow draws in the car geeks, but the chemistry of the personalities extends their reach to regular folks young and old, he said.
• "They're able to do the show and be very knowledgeable very professional and do it with a hint of humor," Schweitzer said. "I think that's probably the key to the success of the show."
• Virginia "Ginny" Peterson, 73, said she's been listening regularly from her home in Boyd, Minn., for a couple of years.
• "They're just kind of jokey, and I just really enjoy looking to it," she said. "And I figure it's helpful for me on my car."

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