Adam Carolla’s wheels aren’t spinning. In fact, his engine has literally stalled.

“I’m down in the garage trying to get a Lamborghini 400GT to start. And I narrowed it down to the fuel pump or the fuses right before I came up here to call you,” the comedian, podcast host and amateur mechanic says in an exclusive phone interview with The Sacramento Press. He’ll perform his stand-up routine at The Crest Theatre on Friday.

In some ways, Carolla’s career has switched to high gear. A decade ago, he co-hosted goofy fare like “The Man Show” with Jimmy Kimmel and “Loveline” with Dr. Drew. Now he’s taken more creative control on projects like Fox Sports’ “The Car Show” and his own wildly popular podcast, which won the Guinness World Record for most downloads. But the flack Carolla’s been hit with because of his edgy jokes and social commentary, especially on the unrestricted podcast, just might send him into a tailspin.

“It drives me nuts… when you put your opinion out there, people grab it, turn you into whatever,” he says of all the ire “The Adam Carolla Show” has drawn. “Back in the day, in order to be a racist, you had to be in the clan or you had to light a cross or lynch somebody. You had to do something to be a racist. Now, just make a Pollack joke and you’re a racist. You can have gay friends and black friends and never have laid a hand on a woman in your life, and still (be called) a homophobe and a racist and a misogynist, and never (have) done a f—kin’ thing.”

But many say Carolla has done plenty. In August of this year, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation lambasted the comedian after hearing his then latest podcast. On it he said the LGBT (lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender) moniker should instead be called “YUCK,” before rhetorically asking, “When did we start giving a s---t about these people?”

Critics have always condemned Carolla for frequently targeting illegal Mexican immigrants in his monologues and rants. In 2003 they blatantly called him a racist after he joked about Hawaiians being “dumb” and “in-bred” on “Loveline.”

But the deepest furor of all came during a 2010 episode of “The Adam Carolla Show,” when the comedian made a boxing joke that hit too close to home for anyone hailing from the Philippines: “All you have over there is (heavyweight champion) Manny Pacquiao and sex tours.” Hate mail and accusations of racism promptly followed.

“Nah, I don’t give a f---k about any of that stuff,” Carolla says of being called a bigot. “I don’t care what they call me. Am I a Martian? Am I Jewish? What if you just called me something I had nothing to do with? I don’t give a f---k. But (broadcasters like) Ryan Seacrest do… he’s got nine shows. He doesn’t say anything. He’s got sponsors, so he’s gotta give a s--t. I do (my podcasts) for guys that hang around at race tracks.”

Carolla did care enough about the Filipino community’s heated reaction to apologize online, Tweeting, “I try to be provocative [and] funny but I crossed the line and I'm sorry.” That held as much shock value as any of his jokes, considering how rarely he rescinds a comment.

“I gave a f---k then, yeah, because… I got death threats. I got a family. Daddy’s gotta provide,” he says of the pressure that mounted in those weeks, before elaborating on where his most controversial slurs stem from. “On the podcast it’s easy to cross the line, because… I don’t plan out what I’m saying in advance. I just start talking. It can go any thousand different directions. And listen, the line’s been moved. And the line’s different for everybody.”

Carolla dismisses some demographics as simply being more sensitive than others. Meanwhile, those groups feel some comedians are more outrageous than others.

“Some groups don’t give a crap and don’t get offended. Some have a guy, like Asians have Guy Aoki who’s in charge of being offended for them even if they’re not offended,” Carolla says of the Media Action Network for Asian Americans co-founder, who has had heated exchanges with comedian (and former Jimmy Kimmel flame) Sarah Silverman about one of her “chink jokes.”

“I don’t even know what (Guy Aoki’s) nationality is, but he (seems to) represent all Asians, which is semi-racist in and of itself. But I don’t know if there’s any Koreans who know who he is or give a s--t about what I say.”

There are, however, plenty of Americans listening to Carolla — enough to complain and force an apology out of him, enough to help his podcast reach the Guinness milestone, and enough to put his book on the New York Times bestseller list. 2010’s “In Fifty Years, We’ll All Be Chicks” is essentially a series of Carolla monologues strung together across 250 pages.

“My second book will be nothing but (personal) funny stories. My first book had a couple of stories, but mostly lots of ‘let me tell you about this, and here’s what we ought to do,’ moments,” Carolla says, adding that the sequel won’t be out until Father’s Day 2012. “I guess it was Carlin-esque, but I’ve never really read anyone else’s (comedy) book, which does not pay dividends when writing the first book.”

Carolla says he had no idea how to even begin that first manuscript. His editor clarified: The book had to be between 75,000 and 90,000 words. Carolla then wondered how many pages that would equate to, and whether one of those pages or a single line should be devoted to each joke.

“I spent most of my time just trying to wrap my mind around the format of the thing. I’m definitely mechanically oriented. I always think that way.”

He means that both figuratively and literally, especially as of late. Last month Carolla bought a new warehouse for his hot-rod tinkering. He hopes to house all his cars there, including the Lamborghini 400 GT now sitting in his garage — once he gets its engine started.

“I want to have (the warehouse) like a full race shop, and I’m excited to see the air compressors and the hoists and the tool cabinets all set up,” he says, before elaborating on the practicality of his mentality: one that leaves little room for the abstract, the politically correct, or any other mindset but his own.

“I like the beginning, middle and end of the process,” says Carolla, adding that life’s a matter of getting the job done, seeing it through to the bitter end and through anyone’s bitter griping.

“It’s not just a sense of accomplishment — it’s a sense of not being impotent. It’s knowing, ‘OK, here’s what I want to do,’ and the next thing you know, you did it.”

The ‘Adam Carolla Hates the Holidays’ tour will hit the Crest Theatre on Friday, Dec. 9 at 8 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.). For more information, the Crest Theatre's calendar here or call 1-800-225-2277. Check out Carolla Podcast here.