There’s no arguing that Wheel of Fortune is one of the best game shows of all time, as its 43rd season airs on the 2026 TV schedule, but it also seems to be a really fun place to work. Ryan Seacrest is always getting up to something, whether that’s pulling pranks on Vanna White during their meeting or showing off his breakdancing moves. The crew’s latest silly stunt has them doing their impressions of what a pit stop sounds like, and guys, it is something to behold.
Wheel of Fortune has partnered with NASCAR for this week’s games, with contestants able to win themed prizes and the chance to return to play alongside NASCAR Cup Series favorites Team Penske’s Joey Logano, Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell on the February 13 episode. Ryan Seacrest, Vanna White and a couple of other familiar faces embraced the theme by showing off some impressive sound effect skills on Instagram:
I absolutely can’t stop laughing at Maggie Sajak’s pit stop impression, which sounded to me more like an angry puppy than a car (not that I could do any better). Vanna White might as well have been trying to yodel, and I loved every second. In fact, all of their sound effects were impressive and hilarious in equal measure.
Ryan Seacrest threw me a bit talking about the Muppets and “the guy who made all the sounds.” At first I wondered if he was talking about Beaker, but after consulting my favorite Muppets expert, I think the host was talking about Sesame Street’s Simon Soundman, who had several sketches with Waiter Grover but also some where he made car noises:
Now that we got that settled …
Pat Sajak’s daughter acknowledged her animalistic-sounding pit stop impression in the comments of the Instagram post, inspiring this exchange between her and the official Wheel of Fortune account:
- Maggie Sajak: My dolphin noises are way better #comingsoon
- Wheel of Fortune: [Maggie], they’re not ready 👀
Don’t tease us like that, Maggie!
It certainly has been a fun season, as Ryan Seacrest settles into his second year as host after taking over for Pat Sajak. For one thing, he reached the milestone he’d been looking forward to since accepting the post — awarding his first million-dollar prize.
It’s also been fun to see him embrace the physical aspect of the job, which was not something I was aware of when Pat Sajak was the host. Ryan Seacrest must just have the face of someone who contestants like to manhandle, and he’s never afraid to sacrifice his body for the sake of a good bit, which we can hopefully all appreciate. I certainly do.
If you missed any of the NASCAR-themed fun this week, not to worry! Episodes of Wheel of Fortune are now available to stream the next day with either a Hulu subscription or a Peacock subscription, and be sure to check your local listings to see when the show airs in your area.
