
The Drive is your daily Illini sports podcast from ESPN 93.5. Kurtis Allen and Evan Stone cover Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball, Illinois Fighting Illini football, the Chicago Bears, Cardinals, Cubs and the biggest sports stories in Champaign-Urbana with interviews, analysis, and a lot of laughs. New episodes every weekday. 🎙️
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| Publishes | Daily | Episodes | 177 | Founded | 7 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | BasketballFootballSports | |||

Hour 2 of The Drive dives into a packed day of Chicago and St. Louis sports.
The Cardinals and Cubs are both struggling at the worst possible time, leading to a discussion about whether either team can turn things around and make a late-season push.... more
The Drive kicks off Hour 1 with WCIA Sports Director Glenn Kinley joining the show to discuss the latest developments surrounding Illinois football, including the Illini’s major partnership with Caterpillar and what the relationship could mean for th... more
The Drive's second hour features an emotional conversation with Illini wrestling great Danny Pucino, who is raising money for pancreatic cancer research while honoring his late father. Pucino's father, Scott, was himself a Division I All-American wre... more
The Drive dives into a major new Big Ten eligibility rule as the conference unanimously approved a ban preventing football players who have signed professional contracts, appeared on an NFL roster, or declared for the NFL Draft without withdrawing fr... more
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Kurtis and his team do a great job of introducing new voices to the audience. I’ve enjoyed the relaunch of this show.
I’m so sick of the chiefs hate on this show
Living in Atlanta this show is a lifeline that keeps me connected to IL sports. Love the sports content but so enjoy when the guys get down a rabbit hole on other topics too. Good chemistry between Lon and Derek keeps it fresh. And have to say for an 18 year old Kyle more than holds his own on air. Keep it going guys!
I have listened to nearly every show ever done. I have streamed it for years and was my go to for my commute home in Indy. Very entertaining plus great talk about sports. Lon is the glue that keeps this show going for so many years…..Hopefully for many more years to come!
I have listened to nearly every show ever done. I have streamed it for years and was my go to for my commute home in Indy. Very entertaining plus great talk about sports. Lon is the clue that keeps this show going for so many years…..Hopefully for many more years to come!
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.
Apple Podcasts | #151 | |
Apple Podcasts | #146 | |
Apple Podcasts | #158 | |
Apple Podcasts | #193 |
Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.
Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.
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A Midwest sports-focused daily show delivering quick-hitting Illini football and basketball coverage alongside broader local sports chatter. Episodes typically blend in-depth analysis of Illinois teams (and often Bears, Cardinals, Cubs), guest interviews from Illini media, and banter-rich banter with listeners that keeps discussions casual yet insightful. Notable strengths include on-site reporting from Big Ten media days, sponsorship and business context around Illinois athletics, and a steady stream of guest perspectives that connect college sports to national narratives. This mix makes it useful for listeners who want actionable college and regional sports insight with a light, entertaining tone. The show's informal, community-oriented v... more
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These podcasts share a similar audience with The Drive on ESPN 93.5:
1. Illini Inquirer Podcast: An Illinois Fighting Illini athletics podcast
2. I on the Illini
3. Inside Illini Basketball
4. IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular
5. Illini Pella Saturday SportsTalk
The Drive on ESPN 93.5 launched 7 years ago and published 177 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
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Recent guests on The Drive on ESPN 93.5 include:
1. Quinntern the Intern
2. Eddie McGee
3. Matt Sinclair
4. Alex Patt
5. Austin Burklund
6. Tristan Thomas
7. Marcus Domask
8. Sonny Verma
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