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<v Speaker 1>This is off track.</v>

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<v Speaker 2>Oh, where's the other guy?</v>

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Where's the other guy at? We don't know.

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<v Speaker 1>He's, he's, no, I do know where, I think he's on a flight.</v>

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Is he flying to Phoenix today or tomorrow? I don't know.

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You know what's funny? You both share locations

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with me, so just gimme a second,

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<v Speaker 2>I'll</v>
<v Speaker 1>Tell you.</v>

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Oh, there you go. Yeah, we, uh,

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we do these Tuesday shows Graham,

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where we usually have guests on,

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and it's, it's, it's, it's like lucky dip sometimes.

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We're both here. Sometimes it's me. Yeah.

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Sometimes it's him. No doubt.

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It's, uh, coordinating calendars with multiple people.

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Uh, it's not easy. I don't know how,

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<v Speaker 2>I don't know how you would, man,</v>

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there's no way in hell you would with me. I know that.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, it's 'cause you're the busiest guy in motorsports.</v>

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<v Speaker 2>Well, I don't know about that,</v>

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but I'm just saying, like, I, it, it, it moves

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and shakes every single fricking day. ,

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but, and that's what it is. So,

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, I kind of So you're</v>

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in California right now, right?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah.</v>
<v Speaker 1>So are you, like, how off, are you just,</v>

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are you guys off season in California

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or are you still back Indy a bit? She,

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<v Speaker 2>She is.</v>

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She is. You know, I, I I try to be, I mean,

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I try to be an indie dude.

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I, I love indie. Yeah.

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Like, I, I do, you know, I'm a Midwest kid, right.

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So for me, I'd rather be there.

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This place out here is just, dude, I .

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It's so expensive out here, brother.

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Anyway, now I'm going down a tangent.

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I don't need to go down. So it's, it's .

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<v Speaker 1>No, but it's so like, how, how do you,</v>

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'cause obviously you've got, you've got GRP, right?

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Yeah. Which is, I mean, look for, for people listening

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that maybe don't know, Tim, you're muted,

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which is how we prefer you.

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But if you wanted to actually get a point in

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here, have we introduced

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<v Speaker 2>Who we're talking to yet?</v>

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, we're, we're talking. We're talking.</v>

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Well, obviously we're talking to Graham Rail.

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Everybody knows that we're gonna do it for later. It's fine.

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But so, I mean, well, not

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<v Speaker 2>Everybody, 'cause I was still not an SA license today,</v>

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and I gotta submit a resume to be accepted, so,

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<v Speaker 1>Oh, dude.</v>

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It's, isn't that brutal? Brutal.

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<v Speaker 2>I was like, what?</v>
<v Speaker 1>Explain to people that don't know</v>

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what GRPI mean, actually, I think it's a cool story of

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what it started as

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and now what it is, what it has become and grown into.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh, man. So, yeah, when I started it, I really had,</v>

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you know, sort of low expectations of what this would be.

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I thought it'd be fun to have a business

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that modified cars, that sold some cars, that

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serviced some cars, that sold wheels, that whatever,

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these sorts of things.

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I had lofty goals of where I wanted to become,

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but I never thought it would become

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80 plus employees across the brands.

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I'm not gonna say the revenue numbers that we do,

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but nine figures well into the nine figures every year.

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Like, dude, I never thought any of that.

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I thought, yeah, yeah. You know, if we could sell a car

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to here, we could get Alex Rossi's, you know, Audi a eight

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that he or S 80 he gave us.

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We could do some downpipes

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so we could do a tune or whatever.

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Yeah, that'd be that. That was great.

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But, you know, now I look

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and it's like, I mean, it's just massive.

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It's massive. And there's goods and bads to that.

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You know, we, we sell cars where the nation's,

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I'm gonna say it, where the nation's largest

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specialty retailer, we'll do probably 600 plus

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units, specialty units this year.

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That's, I get you can go.

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<v Speaker 1>And same like, I, you know, like I, I, I see</v>

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what you post on Instagram.

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Like every week you've got 20 new, like high-end supercar

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or you know, like luxury sports

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cars coming through that place. Like, it's incredible. I

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<v Speaker 2>Mean, last month we, last month we sold 70 units,</v>

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which was our all time record.

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<v Speaker 1>That's, that's a big number for like a,</v>

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a Honda dealership on the corner.

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It's, you know, it, and you dealing in, in like, I mean,

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what's the cheapest car you've sold?

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It's still another day, figure

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<v Speaker 2>Day.</v>

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The other day I called a, uh, a friend of mine

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who's got a Ferrari dealership,

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and I was like, Hey, let's talk financials for a minute.

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What, what do you do annually? Revenue.

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And he gave me his number and I mean, dude, I'm like, three

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and a half times bigger.

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Yeah. And I was like, damn, that is awesome. Like, I

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<v Speaker 1>Doing all right.</v>

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<v Speaker 2>Like, I never thought any of that.</v>

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Um, but I, but I love it.

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Like, honestly, James, you

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know, you've known me my whole life.

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Like, I, I've always loved cars and motorcycles.

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Like I, it's just, it's in me. I mean, I've loved it.

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Now the problem is with racing, it does, it's very hard

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to balance all of it.

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Um, I'm, that's one of

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<v Speaker 1>The things we wanna talk about, right?</v>

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Like, I know how hard it is

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to be a full-time IndyCar driver,

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and I am seeing by being friends with you

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and being in your orbit

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and knowing a little bit about business Yeah.

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How hard it is to grow a company to nine figures, revenue

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and, and 80 employees.

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<v Speaker 2>But I genuinely, and I'm not proud to say this at all,</v>

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but I have an addiction to work.

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Mm-hmm . Other people have addictions to various things.

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I have an addiction to work.

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I don't ever like to sit static.

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I don't ever, I can't sit at Christmas Day

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and not think about trying to sell a car.

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I can't do it. . I, I just, I'm not wired that way.

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And I, I've always been that way.

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Like I said, I'm not proud of that.

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I wi I wish for my kids, for my wife more than my kids.

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'cause my my kids, if anything,

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they get more of my attention.

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But I wish I didn't, I didn't have that characteristic.

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But, you know, to me, I, I love a challenge

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and I love figuring it out.

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You know, it's just like the IndyCar team.

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Like, okay, we've been struggling with X, Y, or Z thing.

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Like, how do we get better? Who can we go find?

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You know, what's the right piece to the puzzle here?

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Um, you know, I, I feel like those are areas that

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I just enjoy that aspect of it.

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I also really enjoy people.

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Um, I enjoy relationships.

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I value relationships more than anything else.

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And in my business, that's a positive

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because everybody wants the relationship.

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They want to go to a dealership that they can trust,

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that they know they're gonna get a good car.

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They know they're not gonna be taken advantage of.

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I mean, dude, I deal with some

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of the richest people in the world.

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That's just, that's, that's a reality.

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These guys get smoked by people left, right,

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and center. Yeah, for

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<v Speaker 1>Sure.</v>

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<v Speaker 2>It doesn't, they don't want that.</v>

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Like, they know that people know that.

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But you need to, you need

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to have the integrity within you to not be that guy.

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And I, and that's the way I think we are.

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And I, I enjoy that relationship to be able to, you know,

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talk to those people and do deals with royal families

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and do deals with what, like,

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it's a wild thing to think about.

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'cause dude, five years ago, I would've never said that.

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You know? Yeah. Yeah. But it's also really cool for me

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because it's been good for racing.

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And I don't think fans realize that enough.

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I get a lot of hate for, oh, you're not focused on racing.

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A lot of our sponsors I met through GRP Interesting.

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There's several that started as clients of GRP.

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And they'd send an email

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and I'd read their signature at the bottom. Like, right,

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<v Speaker 1>What company is that?</v>

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Head on Google. Well switch over to LinkedIn. .

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah. So that's been a really good thing for us.</v>

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Um, and uh, man, I just love it though.

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I, I, I love the power sports side.

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I love, you know, Ducati,

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I've always been a freak about people know that.

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Um, so, you know, for me it's, it's fun and it's the future.

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I mean, I'm not gonna race much longer.

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Um, it's just a, it's just a reality.

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Uh, so for me, you know, this is the future.

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Like, uh, this is, this is what I'm,

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I'm working on developing. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>So, de Graham, do you, do you,</v>

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do you have a number of years?

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Do you know how many Not that you have to share it.

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Like, when you go to bed at night, do you know

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how many you think you got left in you?

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, I think I'll, I'll do a couple more.</v>

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Do I go beyond that? Is, is honestly really depending on my,

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my life, um, with my kids.

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And also to be real clear, it's depending on my body. Yeah.

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I mean, dude, I'm on the foam roller every freaking night.

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Yeah. I'm on, you know, even if I don't work out, I'm on

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because my body just aches.

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My back is destroyed.

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I look at my dad and all the

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surgeries he's had over the last eight years,

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and I'm like, dude, like, I'm gonna need 'em anyway.

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I mean, it's gonna happen, but it's like, man, I, I don't,

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I don't think I really wanna become Yeah.

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You know, crippled by,

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you don't wanna make it any worse, you know?

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Yeah, yeah. So for me,

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<v Speaker 3>I don't want to sway your decision one way or the other,</v>

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but my back's completely &lt;inaudible&gt; and I don't work out.

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So,
<v Speaker 2>,</v>

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<v Speaker 3>That can just happen. .</v>

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, it can. It can. You're right. You're right. Most of</v>

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<v Speaker 3>My injuries are sleep related.</v>
<v Speaker 2>.</v>

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Oh, that's good. Yeah. Nice. Good effort.

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What the hell are you doing in your sleep, man?

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<v Speaker 3>Apparently a lot. 'cause I'll just wake up</v>

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and be like, oh, okay, I'm in pain.

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<v Speaker 2>You got some thrilling dreams or something, huh? .</v>

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Um, but no, I, we'll see brother.

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I mean, but that in my head, you know,

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uh, a couple more years.

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And, uh, and I think I'll be at peace to, to move on.

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I mean, you know, it is, it is what it is.

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I, um, I've been doing this a long time. I don't know.

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I, I don't know any other way, frankly. Yeah.

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But I'm not gonna go away.

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Like, dude, I love racing

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and I love indie car racing particularly.

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<v Speaker 1>So</v>
<v Speaker 2>That's, and for me, I,</v>

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I'll be totally engaged. There's no doubt.

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<v Speaker 1>And that's, that's the kind</v>

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of obvious next question is when you stop the driving side,

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is there sort of a natural progression,

237
00:09:20.285 --> 00:09:22.605
a natural succession plan that you kind

238
00:09:22.605 --> 00:09:25.405
of move into a bigger management role within the team?

239
00:09:25.565 --> 00:09:27.405
I know you're already very involved in a lot of that stuff,

240
00:09:27.505 --> 00:09:29.125
but are you gonna come to races

241
00:09:29.125 --> 00:09:31.885
with an RLL Polo on and Yeah.

242
00:09:32.065 --> 00:09:34.845
And yeah, I'll be on the timing stand and, and be part of

243
00:09:34.845 --> 00:09:35.845
<v Speaker 2>It.</v>

244
00:09:35.845 --> 00:09:36.765
I'll be there. I'll be there.

245
00:09:36.765 --> 00:09:39.845
There's no doubt I'll be there. Um, I'll be there.

246
00:09:39.885 --> 00:09:42.325
I mean, I, I, I love it. I love it.

247
00:09:42.465 --> 00:09:46.025
Um, I love the competitiveness that it gives me.

248
00:09:47.405 --> 00:09:48.665
You know, I've changed in a sense,

249
00:09:48.665 --> 00:09:50.545
and I love seeing young guys do well, you know,

250
00:09:50.565 --> 00:09:51.505
you just wanna beat the,

251
00:09:51.525 --> 00:09:52.665
you know, what, out of all of them .

252
00:09:52.905 --> 00:09:54.905
But now for me, it's like, I still do,

253
00:09:55.525 --> 00:09:56.945
but I love seeing Louis do well.

254
00:09:57.865 --> 00:10:00.945
Um, you know, I love to try to kind of give him

255
00:10:00.945 --> 00:10:03.145
what input I can to help him in his career.

256
00:10:04.085 --> 00:10:05.945
And, uh, I enjoyed that with Christian.

257
00:10:06.765 --> 00:10:11.705
And I hope that I can have an influence on people's careers.

258
00:10:12.165 --> 00:10:13.705
You know, I remember coming up when you

259
00:10:13.705 --> 00:10:16.425
and I were coming up, and a lot of people would go to my dad

260
00:10:16.425 --> 00:10:17.865
to ask advice A lot.

261
00:10:17.865 --> 00:10:19.785
Yeah. And I always admired that about him,

262
00:10:19.785 --> 00:10:21.185
that people respected him enough

263
00:10:21.185 --> 00:10:22.385
to like, be like, Hey, what Mr.

264
00:10:22.625 --> 00:10:24.385
Al, you know, what do you think about this? Or this or this?

265
00:10:25.045 --> 00:10:26.865
And, uh, and I, I loved that.

266
00:10:26.895 --> 00:10:28.385
Even if they weren't an indie car, I mean,

267
00:10:28.385 --> 00:10:30.105
there were guys in NASCAR that would come ask too.

268
00:10:30.805 --> 00:10:32.785
And so, you know, I enjoy that.

269
00:10:32.965 --> 00:10:36.865
Um, I love to have that, that ability to help young people.

270
00:10:37.965 --> 00:10:39.265
And, uh, for me, I'd love

271
00:10:39.265 --> 00:10:41.385
to be engaged in the team in every regard that we can.

272
00:10:41.845 --> 00:10:45.025
Um, and I, I, I am right now a little bit,

273
00:10:45.225 --> 00:10:47.305
I think people think I'm more involved than I am.

274
00:10:47.885 --> 00:10:50.025
Um, I'm involved when I feel like something's

275
00:10:50.025 --> 00:10:51.185
really obviously wrong.

276
00:10:51.485 --> 00:10:55.315
Mm-hmm . Um, there, you know, there's been people

277
00:10:55.315 --> 00:10:56.915
that we've, that I've worked with in the past.

278
00:10:56.945 --> 00:10:58.675
Some you've worked with, we won't name names,

279
00:10:58.735 --> 00:11:00.875
but it'd be pretty obvious that, you know,

280
00:11:00.875 --> 00:11:02.315
we're a train wreck from day one.

281
00:11:02.315 --> 00:11:03.395
And I knew it, and I could see it.

282
00:11:03.735 --> 00:11:05.555
I'd asked you your opinion and yours was the same.

283
00:11:06.135 --> 00:11:09.595
And so, you know, I was very vocal about certain things.

284
00:11:09.695 --> 00:11:11.755
You know, I was very vocal about certain things.

285
00:11:11.855 --> 00:11:14.235
But to me in general though, like with Jay Fry,

286
00:11:14.235 --> 00:11:15.275
dude, that guy's a man.

287
00:11:15.345 --> 00:11:17.155
Like, he really is. I'm not just saying like,

288
00:11:17.425 --> 00:11:19.635
he's got a good finger on the pulse of what needs to happen.

289
00:11:20.335 --> 00:11:21.915
Jay Fry doesn't need to hear from me every day.

290
00:11:22.315 --> 00:11:25.315
I mean, yeah. You know, he just doesn't just let, let him do

291
00:11:25.315 --> 00:11:27.115
what he needs to do and we'll go from there.

292
00:11:27.825 --> 00:11:29.315
<v Speaker 1>Well, let's, let's talk a little bit about that,</v>

293
00:11:29.315 --> 00:11:32.395
because obviously Jay came on start of this season, right?

294
00:11:32.395 --> 00:11:35.635
Yeah. And, uh, you know, was a, was a, was a quick

295
00:11:35.775 --> 00:11:36.955
and good get for you guys

296
00:11:37.125 --> 00:11:39.395
after, you know, he stepped down to the IndyCar side

297
00:11:39.575 --> 00:11:42.635
and you've now had some other major hires at ROL

298
00:11:42.635 --> 00:11:44.875
that just announced this week with Brian Barnhart.

299
00:11:44.875 --> 00:11:49.235
Kyle Sagan. Yeah. It really seems like the team has kind

300
00:11:49.235 --> 00:11:51.195
of shifted, uh, into a new gear, you know,

301
00:11:51.215 --> 00:11:52.795
to use a, a cheesy car punt.

302
00:11:52.795 --> 00:11:55.725
Yeah. And is is looking at 26 as a really big opportunity.

303
00:11:55.755 --> 00:11:58.285
Kind of tell us about, you know, some of those new people

304
00:11:58.425 --> 00:12:00.365
and, and what the, you know,

305
00:12:00.365 --> 00:12:01.605
what the goals are for next year.

306
00:12:02.235 --> 00:12:06.565
<v Speaker 2>Well, you know, we felt that Barnhart, um, you know, dad</v>

307
00:12:06.565 --> 00:12:08.365
and I have always had a close relationship with Brian.

308
00:12:09.565 --> 00:12:10.965
I have a lot of respect for,

309
00:12:10.965 --> 00:12:12.445
I've had a lot of respect for Brian.

310
00:12:12.565 --> 00:12:13.925
I mean, even when he was race control

311
00:12:13.985 --> 00:12:16.005
and race director, people used to give Brian.

312
00:12:16.425 --> 00:12:18.085
But honestly, I liked what he did.

313
00:12:18.725 --> 00:12:21.765
I wish, I wish we had that consistency, honestly.

314
00:12:22.185 --> 00:12:24.645
And that's a job that you're just gonna get a lot of hate.

315
00:12:24.665 --> 00:12:26.845
But, you know, I liked, I liked that.

316
00:12:27.025 --> 00:12:29.005
Um, I, I liked when he was there.

317
00:12:29.485 --> 00:12:34.265
I, I feel that he brings a level of professionalism

318
00:12:34.565 --> 00:12:39.085
to us, of organization, to us of strategy.

319
00:12:39.905 --> 00:12:43.045
You know, you, he's a, he's get damn good strategist.

320
00:12:43.745 --> 00:12:46.005
And we've got a lot of young guys that are going to be,

321
00:12:46.825 --> 00:12:49.485
but they don't have the experience yet.

322
00:12:49.905 --> 00:12:52.125
And I think Brian Barnhart can really help

323
00:12:52.155 --> 00:12:53.365
take us to the next level.

324
00:12:54.435 --> 00:12:57.895
Um, Kyle Sagan, I think is gonna be a great addition.

325
00:12:57.955 --> 00:13:00.455
Kyle's been with us before, when we won a lot

326
00:13:00.455 --> 00:13:03.895
of those races in 20 15, 16, I think even into 17.

327
00:13:03.945 --> 00:13:07.105
Sagan was with us. He's gonna help us with our pit stops.

328
00:13:07.105 --> 00:13:08.905
Our pit stops have made a drastic change.

329
00:13:08.985 --> 00:13:10.345
I mean, they've been a lot better. Our guys

330
00:13:10.365 --> 00:13:11.425
did a great job last year.

331
00:13:11.465 --> 00:13:12.825
I think they're gonna continue to get better,

332
00:13:13.685 --> 00:13:15.585
but it's an area that we take very seriously.

333
00:13:15.645 --> 00:13:17.625
And it's an area that Errol McLaren was quite good.

334
00:13:17.645 --> 00:13:18.825
So I feel like it's good for us.

335
00:13:19.405 --> 00:13:22.465
You know, they took our guy Ryan Har last year, um, right.

336
00:13:23.255 --> 00:13:25.905
HARs was my boy, you know, I was with Harb since 2008,

337
00:13:25.905 --> 00:13:28.585
so it really pissed me off when, when he,

338
00:13:28.615 --> 00:13:29.665
when, when he left.

339
00:13:29.885 --> 00:13:33.505
Um, yeah. But, you know, at the end of the day, uh,

340
00:13:35.075 --> 00:13:37.655
and never say never to, to, uh, you know, him coming back.

341
00:13:37.735 --> 00:13:39.655
I mean, I love the guy and I'd love to have him with us

342
00:13:39.655 --> 00:13:41.855
and strengthen in performance at our, at our team.

343
00:13:42.355 --> 00:13:44.175
But, you know, Sagan's good.

344
00:13:44.175 --> 00:13:45.775
And we've got some more guys coming on board

345
00:13:45.855 --> 00:13:46.855
that I think are gonna be great.

346
00:13:47.375 --> 00:13:49.815
I hired an engineer that's really just gonna be dedicated.

347
00:13:49.815 --> 00:13:52.415
Their job is gonna be dedicated to our short oval package,

348
00:13:52.545 --> 00:13:53.895
which is our Achilles heel.

349
00:13:54.075 --> 00:13:57.015
But next year, there's a lot of short ovals. I mean, a lot.

350
00:13:57.235 --> 00:13:59.335
So we gotta get better Phoenix and Gateway

351
00:13:59.555 --> 00:14:02.695
and, you know, obviously Nashville and, uh, uh, Milwaukee.

352
00:14:03.755 --> 00:14:05.975
So, you know, we've gotta get better in that regard.

353
00:14:06.035 --> 00:14:08.215
So we've, we've done that. So I'm, I'm pumped, man.

354
00:14:08.215 --> 00:14:12.345
And I think, you know, we, uh, we got a lot of work ahead

355
00:14:12.345 --> 00:14:14.185
of us, but the team is definitely headed,

356
00:14:14.645 --> 00:14:15.825
you know, down the right path.

357
00:14:15.825 --> 00:14:18.225
Obviously. We gotta figure out car number three, you know,

358
00:14:18.225 --> 00:14:19.385
who it's gonna be, what's gonna happen,

359
00:14:19.395 --> 00:14:22.865
how's it coming together, um, and, uh, and,

360
00:14:22.865 --> 00:14:24.265
and try to get that done as well.

361
00:14:25.325 --> 00:14:27.665
<v Speaker 1>Graham, it's, it's like we have a script about</v>

362
00:14:27.665 --> 00:14:28.745
where I want to go with these things.

363
00:14:29.025 --> 00:14:31.145
'cause you just beautifully lead me there. Car number three.

364
00:14:31.325 --> 00:14:33.065
You guys obviously made some headlines

365
00:14:33.065 --> 00:14:34.585
with Mick Schumacher doing that test.

366
00:14:35.145 --> 00:14:37.785
I mean, first off, just tell me how, from your seat, I mean,

367
00:14:37.785 --> 00:14:39.025
I assume you may not have been there,

368
00:14:39.045 --> 00:14:40.185
but you've got, you know, yeah.

369
00:14:40.185 --> 00:14:42.385
You've got getting all the, all the feedback on it.

370
00:14:42.715 --> 00:14:43.745
How'd the test go

371
00:14:44.405 --> 00:14:46.785
and, you know, what kind of likelihood are we looking at

372
00:14:46.855 --> 00:14:48.785
with Mick maybe being in the series full-time?

373
00:14:49.705 --> 00:14:53.525
<v Speaker 2>Uh, I mean, I, I think this is what I'll say, you know,</v>

374
00:14:53.575 --> 00:14:57.045
tests went well, uh, professionalism

375
00:14:57.905 --> 00:15:00.325
to a very, very high standard mm-hmm .

376
00:15:00.405 --> 00:15:01.965
As expected, frankly. Yeah.

377
00:15:02.065 --> 00:15:04.805
Uh, what, what I got out of it from all the staff

378
00:15:04.805 --> 00:15:06.445
that was there from all the team members was

379
00:15:06.635 --> 00:15:09.445
what a humble down to earth human being.

380
00:15:09.725 --> 00:15:12.125
Mick was. And that his mother was apparently

381
00:15:12.125 --> 00:15:13.725
amazing to everybody.

382
00:15:13.925 --> 00:15:15.045
I don't know if you talked to Kathy,

383
00:15:15.265 --> 00:15:16.685
but Kathy was, I did actually.

384
00:15:16.685 --> 00:15:18.685
Yeah. Over the, over the moon about,

385
00:15:19.025 --> 00:15:22.205
and dude, when we came up on a worldwide scale,

386
00:15:22.205 --> 00:15:23.325
there was Michael Schumacher,

387
00:15:23.325 --> 00:15:24.845
Michael Jordan, and maybe Tiger Woods.

388
00:15:24.955 --> 00:15:27.045
That was it. Yeah. Right. Like now,

389
00:15:27.045 --> 00:15:29.245
because of social media, there's a lot more names

390
00:15:29.265 --> 00:15:32.415
and things, but at that time, that was it.

391
00:15:32.525 --> 00:15:35.175
Yeah. And yet, here's the lady that lived

392
00:15:35.175 --> 00:15:36.575
to the highest of highs.

393
00:15:37.075 --> 00:15:38.495
And unfortunately, some,

394
00:15:38.565 --> 00:15:41.415
some pretty low times that comes in.

395
00:15:42.015 --> 00:15:43.695
Couldn't have been nicer to our people,

396
00:15:43.735 --> 00:15:44.935
couldn't have been more humble,

397
00:15:45.015 --> 00:15:48.055
couldn't have been more caring, engaged.

398
00:15:48.375 --> 00:15:50.815
I mean, I was shocked that his mom came to an IndyCar test.

399
00:15:50.955 --> 00:15:53.655
I'm like, what? Like, I mean, I get him,

400
00:15:53.655 --> 00:15:54.615
it's the first time you've driven a

401
00:15:54.615 --> 00:15:55.575
Formula One car or something.

402
00:15:55.575 --> 00:15:56.735
But like, yeah. I mean,

403
00:15:57.005 --> 00:15:58.975
it's not the Indy 500 yet sort of thing.

404
00:15:58.975 --> 00:16:00.495
Right. She was there.

405
00:16:00.955 --> 00:16:04.535
Um, you know, there, I, I would love to see Mick.

406
00:16:04.635 --> 00:16:05.655
I'd love to see it happen.

407
00:16:06.315 --> 00:16:08.035
Um, you know, and,

408
00:16:08.035 --> 00:16:09.515
and I, I think like that's, that's,

409
00:16:09.515 --> 00:16:10.755
that's ultimately the goal.

410
00:16:10.755 --> 00:16:12.195
But there's a lot of moving, you know,

411
00:16:12.195 --> 00:16:14.235
pieces that go into this. But, uh, for

412
00:16:14.235 --> 00:16:16.075
<v Speaker 1>Sure his interest level high.</v>

413
00:16:16.075 --> 00:16:17.955
Do you think, like, did he seem like he was,

414
00:16:18.055 --> 00:16:19.395
he was down for it, because you Oh, yeah.

415
00:16:19.395 --> 00:16:21.595
You did hear a lot of drivers from Europe, so they kind

416
00:16:21.595 --> 00:16:22.835
of touch around the oval thing.

417
00:16:22.835 --> 00:16:25.155
Right. But no, he's, he seemed all in.

418
00:16:25.335 --> 00:16:27.315
<v Speaker 2>No, he's not. I don't think that's a problem.</v>

419
00:16:28.275 --> 00:16:29.995
I mean, I get what his uncle Ralph wants

420
00:16:29.995 --> 00:16:31.835
to make everybody think, but I don't gather

421
00:16:31.855 --> 00:16:33.955
that's a super tight relationship anyway.

422
00:16:34.215 --> 00:16:38.915
Um, right. But to me, you know, I, I think he's all in,

423
00:16:38.915 --> 00:16:42.475
what I got out of it, um, was the Max Fortin sort of thing.

424
00:16:42.475 --> 00:16:45.235
Like, what I got out of it is the kid's a racer mm-hmm .

425
00:16:45.335 --> 00:16:46.395
And he wants to go race.

426
00:16:47.095 --> 00:16:50.515
And I got, there's a lot of politics in, in Formula One.

427
00:16:50.575 --> 00:16:52.155
And if you're dealing with the politics

428
00:16:52.155 --> 00:16:53.995
and you're tired of it, and your last name's Schumacher,

429
00:16:53.995 --> 00:16:55.635
imagine what it is for everybody else, right?

430
00:16:55.705 --> 00:16:58.995
Yeah. Yeah. And so, to me, uh, I just got out of Mick.

431
00:16:58.995 --> 00:17:00.835
The, he, you know, and again, I've not talked,

432
00:17:00.835 --> 00:17:02.075
I've talked to him on the phone a couple times.

433
00:17:02.235 --> 00:17:03.875
I, I can't say that we're best buddies or anything,

434
00:17:03.875 --> 00:17:06.115
but what I'm saying is I just got, I took out

435
00:17:06.115 --> 00:17:08.115
of it the mixed Schumacher's, a racer mm-hmm .

436
00:17:08.195 --> 00:17:11.475
And he wants to go to a series that he can drive a damn car,

437
00:17:11.705 --> 00:17:14.315
that he can have some fun, that he can make a new name

438
00:17:14.315 --> 00:17:16.595
for himself, and he can have an opportunity to win and,

439
00:17:16.975 --> 00:17:18.475
and IndyCar racing, as we know,

440
00:17:18.855 --> 00:17:20.355
that's a possibility for anybody.

441
00:17:20.665 --> 00:17:24.515
Yeah. So, to me, um, I, I think it'd be a great fit for him

442
00:17:24.575 --> 00:17:27.475
and, and, uh, you know, fingers crossed, you know, we can,

443
00:17:27.475 --> 00:17:28.715
uh, we can make something happen.

444
00:17:28.825 --> 00:17:29.875
<v Speaker 1>Yeah. It'd be great to see.</v>

445
00:17:29.995 --> 00:17:31.115
I mean, I'm, I'm just, I was glad

446
00:17:31.115 --> 00:17:33.115
to hear the enthusiasm from their camp.

447
00:17:33.135 --> 00:17:34.515
And it wasn't just like, you know,

448
00:17:34.515 --> 00:17:35.955
like we had Nico Kinberg come over

449
00:17:35.955 --> 00:17:38.035
and do a test when he was doing his sabbatical.

450
00:17:38.295 --> 00:17:40.595
He did one day in the car. I was like, nah, not doing that.

451
00:17:40.655 --> 00:17:43.075
You know, like some people, it's just not their thing.

452
00:17:43.135 --> 00:17:45.395
But it's, it's cool to see that he kind of has

453
00:17:45.395 --> 00:17:46.555
that enthusiasm for it.

454
00:17:47.055 --> 00:17:48.315
Um, you know, you kind of mentioned

455
00:17:48.335 --> 00:17:50.765
how you enjoy dealing with the younger drivers.

456
00:17:50.945 --> 00:17:53.605
Now. I get it. And I'm in that same old man phase

457
00:17:53.605 --> 00:17:55.405
of motor points that you are, sorry, pal.

458
00:17:55.485 --> 00:17:56.365
I know you're younger than me,

459
00:17:56.505 --> 00:17:57.685
but, uh, you're getting there.

460
00:17:58.295 --> 00:18:00.005
<v Speaker 2>we're aging, ,</v>
<v Speaker 1>We're getting there.</v>

461
00:18:00.705 --> 00:18:02.605
Um, so I mean, talk, you mentioned Louis.

462
00:18:02.605 --> 00:18:03.605
Talk to me about his year.

463
00:18:03.805 --> 00:18:05.325
I mean, what did you guys think internally?

464
00:18:05.445 --> 00:18:06.765
I mean, I think he turned a lot of heads.

465
00:18:06.905 --> 00:18:08.805
He impressed a lot of people on the outside,

466
00:18:08.865 --> 00:18:10.325
but what's it like working with him and,

467
00:18:10.325 --> 00:18:11.445
and what do you guys see on the inside?

468
00:18:12.205 --> 00:18:13.845
<v Speaker 2>I mean, I, I love the kid.</v>

469
00:18:14.065 --> 00:18:15.845
You know, I, I think that he's,

470
00:18:16.455 --> 00:18:17.765
first off, I'm gonna say this.

471
00:18:17.765 --> 00:18:19.885
When he first came into the team, I was kinda like,

472
00:18:19.955 --> 00:18:22.165
this kid thinks it doesn't stink, man. He

473
00:18:22.165 --> 00:18:23.805
<v Speaker 1>Had an, he had an air to him. Yeah.</v>

474
00:18:23.965 --> 00:18:25.805
<v Speaker 2>I, I was just like, Jesus Christ,</v>

475
00:18:25.805 --> 00:18:27.005
another one of these guys, .

476
00:18:28.265 --> 00:18:30.005
And dude, he changed so fast.

477
00:18:30.315 --> 00:18:34.605
Like, he's extremely mature, great family. Hilarious.

478
00:18:35.265 --> 00:18:37.485
Uh, I mean, he and I get along really,

479
00:18:37.485 --> 00:18:39.405
really well on a personal side of things.

480
00:18:39.625 --> 00:18:43.365
Uh, I just feel like Louis has a really bright future.

481
00:18:44.185 --> 00:18:46.405
He doesn't sugarcoat things. Mm-hmm .

482
00:18:46.485 --> 00:18:47.805
You know, I've had so many teammates in the past,

483
00:18:47.875 --> 00:18:50.245
we'd be in practice and they're like, oh, uh,

484
00:18:51.035 --> 00:18:52.125
when it comes time to qualify,

485
00:18:52.355 --> 00:18:54.045
I've got another four tenths in the bag.

486
00:18:54.065 --> 00:18:55.845
And I'm like, no, the f you don't.

487
00:18:56.075 --> 00:18:58.205
<v Speaker 1>Yeah. . That's not how it works. Stop.</v>

488
00:18:58.475 --> 00:19:00.725
<v Speaker 2>Okay, stop. Well, Louie's not that way.</v>

489
00:19:01.155 --> 00:19:02.565
Like, if he really says, yeah man,

490
00:19:02.565 --> 00:19:04.525
I think I've got like a 10th, maybe two.

491
00:19:05.145 --> 00:19:07.125
But he'll come in sometimes and go, I got no more.

492
00:19:07.125 --> 00:19:08.885
Like, that was it. That was it. Yeah.

493
00:19:09.265 --> 00:19:10.685
And I respect that out of him.

494
00:19:10.925 --> 00:19:12.485
'cause as a senior guy, as, you know,

495
00:19:12.485 --> 00:19:13.725
like the reality is the reality.

496
00:19:13.725 --> 00:19:14.725
Like, can you do it or not?

497
00:19:14.795 --> 00:19:17.365
Like if you can do it, I get, if you're held up with traffic

498
00:19:17.425 --> 00:19:18.965
or you go through a yellow sector, whatever.

499
00:19:19.185 --> 00:19:20.485
But the reality is you're gonna know,

500
00:19:21.025 --> 00:19:23.165
and you're probably gonna show pretty damn close to

501
00:19:23.165 --> 00:19:24.245
what you're capable of.

502
00:19:24.255 --> 00:19:28.125
Right. And what I, what I liked about Louie was he was just,

503
00:19:28.385 --> 00:19:29.805
he was honest about all that, man.

504
00:19:29.805 --> 00:19:31.205
He was straight to the point. He was easy.

505
00:19:31.945 --> 00:19:35.485
And, um, I I, I, I respect the hell out of him for that.

506
00:19:36.025 --> 00:19:38.965
And you know, to me, I got a lot of time in the day

507
00:19:39.025 --> 00:19:40.085
for, for Louie.

508
00:19:40.505 --> 00:19:43.485
Uh, and I think he's gonna be, I think he's gonna be a star.

509
00:19:44.225 --> 00:19:46.295
Um, he's brave.

510
00:19:46.565 --> 00:19:49.175
He's good on the ovals, but he is not stupid.

511
00:19:49.525 --> 00:19:51.335
Well, sometimes he is a little stupid,

512
00:19:51.515 --> 00:19:52.775
but that's, that's his problem.

513
00:19:53.315 --> 00:19:54.135
<v Speaker 1>That's just a rookie</v>

514
00:19:54.135 --> 00:19:55.215
thing. Right. He'll, he'll get older that,

515
00:19:55.215 --> 00:19:55.935
<v Speaker 2>That's a young kid. Once</v>

516
00:19:55.955 --> 00:19:57.975
<v Speaker 1>He, once he hits some, but then he'll learn.</v>

517
00:19:59.035 --> 00:20:01.375
<v Speaker 2>But no, man, I loved working with them. And it's great.</v>

518
00:20:01.495 --> 00:20:02.495
'cause you know, with drop light

519
00:20:02.875 --> 00:20:04.855
and everything that they've done with Deda

520
00:20:04.855 --> 00:20:06.055
and all the sponsors, like,

521
00:20:06.055 --> 00:20:07.295
they're there for a long time now.

522
00:20:07.355 --> 00:20:10.095
So for us, that's really good stability.

523
00:20:10.755 --> 00:20:12.095
And I think you'll see, you know,

524
00:20:12.095 --> 00:20:13.175
that Louis will be a big part of that.

525
00:20:17.005 --> 00:20:18.775
<v Speaker 1>Dude, you've been, you've been part of this sport</v>

526
00:20:18.775 --> 00:20:23.735
for a long time, and you have seen it through a lot

527
00:20:23.735 --> 00:20:26.015
of different phases, a lot of different changes.

528
00:20:26.915 --> 00:20:29.175
Um, you know, obviously you were on the champ car

529
00:20:29.245 --> 00:20:30.455
side of things originally.

530
00:20:30.675 --> 00:20:32.495
You were part of the merge when that happened.

531
00:20:32.515 --> 00:20:36.095
You've now been through a new car, several iterations of

532
00:20:36.095 --> 00:20:37.655
that car, et cetera, et cetera.

533
00:20:37.655 --> 00:20:40.015
Manufacturers coming in, going, all that stuff.

534
00:20:40.685 --> 00:20:41.815
<v Speaker 2>Yeah. Where</v>

535
00:20:41.815 --> 00:20:44.335
<v Speaker 1>Do you see IndyCar sitting right now?</v>

536
00:20:44.385 --> 00:20:45.695
Where, how are we doing?

537
00:20:46.075 --> 00:20:48.985
And, you know, what do you think the the next three

538
00:20:48.985 --> 00:20:50.025
to five can look like?

539
00:20:50.235 --> 00:20:52.185
Based on everything that, you know,

540
00:20:52.695 --> 00:20:56.665
<v Speaker 2>IndyCar is in a good, stable spot.</v>

541
00:20:57.175 --> 00:21:01.105
IndyCar needs a kick in the ass when it comes to marketing.

542
00:21:01.285 --> 00:21:03.105
And I think that's gonna happen now.

543
00:21:04.455 --> 00:21:06.415
I think with Fox, that's gonna happen.

544
00:21:07.015 --> 00:21:08.575
I don't see Shanks

545
00:21:08.575 --> 00:21:12.015
and I don't see Fox investing in this

546
00:21:12.015 --> 00:21:14.055
and everything else to watch it deteriorate.

547
00:21:15.255 --> 00:21:19.575
I think Fox is, you know, critical to

548
00:21:20.405 --> 00:21:22.105
our movement forward.

549
00:21:22.405 --> 00:21:24.665
Seeing Paolo, I mean, obviously I'm a college football guy,

550
00:21:24.825 --> 00:21:26.945
so seeing Polo at Big Noon kickoff the other day,

551
00:21:27.345 --> 00:21:28.545
drinking milk, and they're doing a milk

552
00:21:28.705 --> 00:21:29.945
chugging competition at iu.

553
00:21:29.975 --> 00:21:32.505
Like, dude, that stuff NBC never did for us.

554
00:21:32.505 --> 00:21:33.985
That stuff ESPN never did for us.

555
00:21:34.395 --> 00:21:36.065
These are things that do move the needle.

556
00:21:36.325 --> 00:21:38.385
We need new events. As much as I loved Iowa,

557
00:21:39.015 --> 00:21:41.225
once Hy-Vee was gone, we knew it was gone.

558
00:21:41.745 --> 00:21:44.145
I saw rumor about Cleveland. Mm-hmm .

559
00:21:44.325 --> 00:21:47.065
I'm excited about that. I thought Cleveland was a great

560
00:21:47.065 --> 00:21:49.865
street course, but it was also a place you could see the

561
00:21:49.865 --> 00:21:51.265
whole track from sitting in one stand.

562
00:21:51.265 --> 00:21:53.345
You and I raced there. Yeah. You can see everything.

563
00:21:53.605 --> 00:21:55.785
It was a great place to go and watch a race. Okay.

564
00:21:56.085 --> 00:21:59.145
You know, mid Ohio is, is is great. I don't like mid Ohio.

565
00:21:59.145 --> 00:22:02.665
On 4th of July, I'll, I'll, I'll be on my grave on that one.

566
00:22:02.665 --> 00:22:04.945
Mm-hmm . I don't like it. Mm-hmm . I'm a proud American.

567
00:22:04.965 --> 00:22:05.985
No offense, I love racing,

568
00:22:06.205 --> 00:22:07.945
but I want to drink beer on the 4th of July.

569
00:22:07.945 --> 00:22:10.345
I'll flat out say it, you know, I, I don't

570
00:22:10.445 --> 00:22:12.025
<v Speaker 1>Oh, so you personally don't like</v>

571
00:22:12.025 --> 00:22:13.305
racing on the 4th of July?

572
00:22:13.745 --> 00:22:15.945
<v Speaker 2>I, I don't, but I also, the crowd has been smaller.</v>

573
00:22:16.025 --> 00:22:17.105
I don't care what anybody says.

574
00:22:17.685 --> 00:22:19.945
The crowd is bigger when it wasn't on the fourth. People

575
00:22:19.945 --> 00:22:20.945
<v Speaker 1>Wanna be on a lake.</v>

576
00:22:20.945 --> 00:22:21.865
People have plans. Right.

577
00:22:21.865 --> 00:22:23.705
Like, unless you've been doing it. That's my point. A

578
00:22:23.705 --> 00:22:24.705
<v Speaker 2>Long time.</v>

579
00:22:24.705 --> 00:22:26.265
It's not just me. It's that everybody

580
00:22:26.265 --> 00:22:27.305
wants to be with their family.

581
00:22:27.575 --> 00:22:29.545
Everybody wants to be on the lake. Everybody.

582
00:22:29.665 --> 00:22:31.305
I mean, you, you do. We all do. Yep.

583
00:22:31.305 --> 00:22:32.505
You know, I mean, that's just the reality.

584
00:22:32.605 --> 00:22:33.665
So I don't like it.

585
00:22:33.685 --> 00:22:34.425
You know, I think that

586
00:22:34.425 --> 00:22:35.585
there's things that could be different.

587
00:22:36.085 --> 00:22:38.225
But you hear this Washington DC Street race,

588
00:22:38.225 --> 00:22:39.985
that'd be great if they can make it happen.

589
00:22:40.005 --> 00:22:42.545
You hear about, you know, Denver, that'd be great.

590
00:22:42.625 --> 00:22:43.945
I love racing in Denver. You

591
00:22:43.945 --> 00:22:46.305
and I race in Denver, , you know, you hear,

592
00:22:46.325 --> 00:22:48.385
you hear about Cleveland, Ohio, it'd be awesome.

593
00:22:48.395 --> 00:22:50.665
Right? I mean, there's a lot of great potential.

594
00:22:50.995 --> 00:22:53.225
Gotta make it happen now. Gotta make it happen.

595
00:22:53.825 --> 00:22:55.385
'cause the thing that Formula One has

596
00:22:55.645 --> 00:22:56.825
is bucket loads of money.

597
00:22:57.085 --> 00:22:58.985
And God bless 'em. They got it.

598
00:22:59.045 --> 00:23:01.105
But because of that, they can be aggressive.

599
00:23:01.175 --> 00:23:03.905
They can spend money on a street race in Vegas that'll never

600
00:23:03.905 --> 00:23:04.905
see a dollar return.

601
00:23:04.965 --> 00:23:07.105
But they don't care. Yeah. Yeah. They don't care.

602
00:23:07.525 --> 00:23:10.865
We can't do that. But somehow we've got to find a way to be

603
00:23:11.625 --> 00:23:12.905
a little bit more of the pedal on the right.

604
00:23:13.215 --> 00:23:15.745
Like, let's go forward, let's be aggressive.

605
00:23:16.115 --> 00:23:17.945
Let's see what we can do to move the needle here.

606
00:23:18.285 --> 00:23:20.705
We have a lot of cornerstone events, the Road Americas

607
00:23:20.705 --> 00:23:21.705
of the World, and things like that,

608
00:23:21.705 --> 00:23:23.225
that I think are just solid and great.

609
00:23:24.045 --> 00:23:26.145
But I would like to see in Nicar over the next five years,

610
00:23:26.805 --> 00:23:30.265
really get aggressive with, you know, where we're gonna go,

611
00:23:30.535 --> 00:23:32.225
what we're gonna do, how we're gonna do it.

612
00:23:32.335 --> 00:23:33.945
Nashville, Nashville needs

613
00:23:33.945 --> 00:23:36.665
to go back downtown when the stadium's done the street.

614
00:23:37.145 --> 00:23:39.105
Actually, the oval is one of the better races of the year.

615
00:23:39.765 --> 00:23:41.585
<v Speaker 1>So this is, this is, yes.</v>

616
00:23:41.645 --> 00:23:44.345
So this is a, an important conversation to have, right?

617
00:23:44.345 --> 00:23:47.765
Because from a television standpoint, right,

618
00:23:47.865 --> 00:23:51.085
for everyone sitting at home watching the race, it's hard

619
00:23:51.085 --> 00:23:54.445
to argue that the Nashville Oval wasn't a better race than

620
00:23:54.445 --> 00:23:57.685
any of the ones we had downtown from an event standpoint.

621
00:23:57.915 --> 00:24:00.525
Sure. It's hard to beat any race that's in a downtown.

622
00:24:00.825 --> 00:24:02.605
What's, what's more important, Graham?

623
00:24:02.605 --> 00:24:04.845
What is it more important having an event

624
00:24:04.845 --> 00:24:06.165
that a lot of people show up to?

625
00:24:06.165 --> 00:24:09.525
Because it's, you know, it's a big, it's, it's a thing

626
00:24:09.525 --> 00:24:11.845
that's happening downtown in a city, whatever,

627
00:24:12.345 --> 00:24:14.125
or for the million, hopefully soon

628
00:24:14.125 --> 00:24:16.205
to be 2 million people every week watching at home.

629
00:24:16.225 --> 00:24:17.605
Do you wanna put on a banger of a,

630
00:24:17.605 --> 00:24:18.965
of a wheel to wheel action racing?

631
00:24:19.845 --> 00:24:22.625
<v Speaker 2>I think if I'm at home</v>

632
00:24:22.645 --> 00:24:25.185
and I see nobody in the grandstand,

633
00:24:25.485 --> 00:24:26.485
<v Speaker 1>It doesn't matter.</v>

634
00:24:26.765 --> 00:24:31.065
<v Speaker 2>It doesn't draw me. I'm like, ah, must be a series. It</v>

635
00:24:31.065 --> 00:24:32.465
<v Speaker 1>Doesn't make you wanna</v>
<v Speaker 2>Go. Not a low great deal.</v>

636
00:24:32.795 --> 00:24:34.825
<v Speaker 1>Right. It doesn't make you want to be invested.</v>

637
00:24:35.055 --> 00:24:36.465
<v Speaker 2>Yeah. Doesn't do anything for me.</v>

638
00:24:37.365 --> 00:24:41.935
And the reality is, much as fans hate to hear it,

639
00:24:43.335 --> 00:24:45.705
everybody cries about we need more ovals,

640
00:24:46.085 --> 00:24:47.225
but they don't show up .

641
00:24:48.165 --> 00:24:49.865
So dude, it's like, so we

642
00:24:50.745 --> 00:24:51.745
<v Speaker 1>Milwaukee's the exception</v>

643
00:24:51.745 --> 00:24:54.065
because when Milwaukee came back on the schedule.

644
00:24:54.135 --> 00:24:55.745
Yeah. When it came back on the schedule, Alex

645
00:24:55.745 --> 00:24:57.905
and I were on this show and we went on a rant.

646
00:24:57.965 --> 00:24:59.625
We were like, guys, we've been through this.

647
00:24:59.625 --> 00:25:01.625
Everybody complained about no Milwaukee,

648
00:25:01.735 --> 00:25:04.865
Michael Andretti brought the race back and nobody showed up.

649
00:25:05.285 --> 00:25:08.265
So I don't wanna hear anybody talk to me about coming

650
00:25:08.265 --> 00:25:10.385
to Milwaukee or wanting Milwaukee back on the calendar,

651
00:25:10.385 --> 00:25:11.385
letting you in a put of your money

652
00:25:11.385 --> 00:25:12.705
where your mouth is and buy a ticket.

653
00:25:12.925 --> 00:25:14.505
And last year we went back, it was like,

654
00:25:14.685 --> 00:25:15.745
oh, damn, everybody showed up.

655
00:25:15.745 --> 00:25:16.865
That was actually pretty impressive. .

656
00:25:17.615 --> 00:25:19.905
<v Speaker 2>Okay, so now take Milwaukee,</v>

657
00:25:20.285 --> 00:25:23.185
add in a concert on Saturday night, add in something.

658
00:25:23.365 --> 00:25:26.265
Now Milwaukee, what I thought was, so yeah,

659
00:25:26.265 --> 00:25:27.865
the Sunday crowd in Milwaukee was good,

660
00:25:27.865 --> 00:25:29.625
but bro, the Saturday crowd was good.

661
00:25:29.935 --> 00:25:31.905
<v Speaker 1>Yeah. It was great</v>
<v Speaker 2>For qualifying.</v>

662
00:25:31.905 --> 00:25:34.105
There was actually quite a lot of people there. Yeah.

663
00:25:34.325 --> 00:25:36.465
Or Friday, whatever. I'm all Yeah, whatever.

664
00:25:36.645 --> 00:25:38.785
That's my point. Uh, it was actually like,

665
00:25:39.455 --> 00:25:40.585
damn, this is pretty cool.

666
00:25:40.775 --> 00:25:41.825
Okay. Mm-hmm . I thought

667
00:25:41.825 --> 00:25:44.545
that was a really good positive sign.

668
00:25:45.205 --> 00:25:48.055
But dude, it's not just us that fights it, you know?

669
00:25:48.115 --> 00:25:49.455
For sure. I mean, let's be real.

670
00:25:49.455 --> 00:25:50.735
There's a lot of NASCAR races.

671
00:25:50.735 --> 00:25:52.215
There ain't &lt;inaudible&gt; for people in the stands.

672
00:25:52.565 --> 00:25:54.535
<v Speaker 1>Yeah. Well, 'cause there's too many of 'em.</v>

673
00:25:54.565 --> 00:25:56.535
There's just, there's flat out too many. For

674
00:25:56.535 --> 00:25:57.535
<v Speaker 2>Sure.</v>

675
00:25:57.535 --> 00:26:01.255
For sure. But I'm still saying like, it's a problem for me,

676
00:26:02.455 --> 00:26:05.455
I think you need to have really marquee events.

677
00:26:05.975 --> 00:26:07.655
I think Formula One's the example of that.

678
00:26:08.355 --> 00:26:11.975
You could watch 95 8% of a Formula One races

679
00:26:11.975 --> 00:26:13.935
and you could fall asleep between lap two

680
00:26:14.515 --> 00:26:15.975
and the second to last lap.

681
00:26:16.435 --> 00:26:18.895
And you, you've missed nothing. That's not me being hard.

682
00:26:19.075 --> 00:26:22.095
That's true. That's true. Yeah. Okay.

683
00:26:22.395 --> 00:26:24.935
So, but my point is, people are like, oh,

684
00:26:24.975 --> 00:26:26.055
I form the ones on today.

685
00:26:26.325 --> 00:26:28.135
It's gonna look really cool on the grid.

686
00:26:28.205 --> 00:26:30.055
Like, look at all the people, like, look at all,

687
00:26:30.435 --> 00:26:31.895
and they draw, they draw

688
00:26:31.895 --> 00:26:35.215
because of that, they draw not only people, they draw money,

689
00:26:35.325 --> 00:26:36.455
they draw sponsors.

690
00:26:37.285 --> 00:26:39.145
And ultimately for the health of the sport,

691
00:26:39.235 --> 00:26:40.705
we've gotta have events that do that.

692
00:26:40.915 --> 00:26:42.785
Right. People come to the Indy 500

693
00:26:42.845 --> 00:26:45.725
and they're just in awe of what it is blown away.

694
00:26:45.825 --> 00:26:47.925
So we're not gonna have another Indy 500,

695
00:26:48.865 --> 00:26:51.165
but can we have more long beaches?

696
00:26:51.465 --> 00:26:55.725
Mm-hmm . Oh, and by the way, flybys are mandatory. Okay.

697
00:26:55.945 --> 00:26:57.725
And it's not gonna be a damn Cessna.

698
00:26:57.795 --> 00:26:59.645
Like we got a Texas a few years ago.

699
00:26:59.865 --> 00:27:04.485
We need to have good flybys during the national Anthem.

700
00:27:04.485 --> 00:27:07.405
We need to have energy and enthusiasm and everything else.

701
00:27:08.125 --> 00:27:10.645
I, I'm, I'm ex okay, I'm going on a rant now,

702
00:27:10.645 --> 00:27:13.765
but I'm exhausted of the, that's been happening lately.

703
00:27:14.035 --> 00:27:17.445
Okay. . Like, we need cool energy before the race.

704
00:27:18.055 --> 00:27:21.125
Gotta have it. I wanna see an A 10 warthog come over

705
00:27:21.145 --> 00:27:23.485
and fire fake bullets or whatever the hell it could be.

706
00:27:23.645 --> 00:27:24.765
I want. And you know,

707
00:27:25.025 --> 00:27:27.605
and we don't, we don't have, we don't have that anymore.

708
00:27:27.955 --> 00:27:32.445
It's like, dude, when I, like, I remember the C 17 at, at,

709
00:27:32.465 --> 00:27:34.045
at, at Long Beach couple years ago.

710
00:27:34.045 --> 00:27:36.845
Thing was like, just over the tree tops. Big ass plane.

711
00:27:37.465 --> 00:27:39.325
It doesn't have to be an F 35,

712
00:27:39.865 --> 00:27:42.245
but like, let's get some cool energy back in this thing.

713
00:27:42.445 --> 00:27:45.565
'cause dude, you know, when I was a kid, that was one

714
00:27:45.565 --> 00:27:46.805
of the most exciting part of the races.

715
00:27:46.805 --> 00:27:47.845
And by the way, everybody sitting

716
00:27:47.845 --> 00:27:49.045
in the stands is looking around.

717
00:27:49.045 --> 00:27:51.485
They're like, oh, there, there, there's not one today.

718
00:27:51.595 --> 00:27:53.245
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, dude, yeah.

719
00:27:53.245 --> 00:27:55.085
There's, there's an expect expectation. Right? Gotta be.

720
00:27:55.115 --> 00:27:57.525
This gets back to my, like, we gotta have events, man.

721
00:27:57.625 --> 00:27:58.685
And that's part of an event.

722
00:27:59.185 --> 00:28:02.165
And so, you know, to me as a series, we need

723
00:28:02.165 --> 00:28:03.925
to focus hard on those things.

724
00:28:04.305 --> 00:28:08.725
And if we can do that right, the series has great legs

725
00:28:09.265 --> 00:28:10.525
and great potential

726
00:28:10.525 --> 00:28:13.765
because the dollar is right now, my next thing

727
00:28:15.135 --> 00:28:16.565
gotta get more manufacturers.

728
00:28:17.235 --> 00:28:20.685
Yeah. Because that's holding us back more than anything.

729
00:28:21.255 --> 00:28:24.165
Honda. They've been great. They're not going anywhere.

730
00:28:24.165 --> 00:28:25.445
This is my opinion. Maybe I'm wrong.

731
00:28:25.745 --> 00:28:26.485
You know, they've always

732
00:28:26.485 --> 00:28:27.725
played the chicken and the egg thing.

733
00:28:27.725 --> 00:28:29.845
You know, they, they played, they played the game, you know,

734
00:28:30.115 --> 00:28:31.925
over the 30 years of Honda's been in it.

735
00:28:31.925 --> 00:28:34.565
But to me, Honda's loyal, they're gonna keep doing it.

736
00:28:35.315 --> 00:28:38.705
Chevy, they've been great. I love Mark Royce.

737
00:28:39.465 --> 00:28:41.985
I love Jim Campbell. Mm-hmm . I love Mark Royce.

738
00:28:41.985 --> 00:28:43.225
I'm gonna get back to Mark Royce for a second.

739
00:28:43.775 --> 00:28:45.785
When I look at an automotive, CEO,

740
00:28:47.505 --> 00:28:48.915
mark Royce is the greatest in the world.

741
00:28:49.075 --> 00:28:51.755
'cause he's a gearhead. I love that. He's a racer. Yeah.

742
00:28:51.755 --> 00:28:54.075
Right. Yeah. I love that. I love I love that about him.

743
00:28:54.935 --> 00:28:59.715
And to me, you know, we, we, we need, you know, when we go

744
00:28:59.715 --> 00:29:02.915
to the Indy 500, there's a lot of teams that could run cars,

745
00:29:03.015 --> 00:29:04.915
but they can't, we can't get engines.

746
00:29:06.055 --> 00:29:07.795
We need another manufacturer to, to,

747
00:29:07.935 --> 00:29:09.155
to break up this monotony.

748
00:29:09.155 --> 00:29:12.435
We gotta get it to the point that we can have 35, 37.

749
00:29:12.505 --> 00:29:14.755
<v Speaker 1>This 30. Yeah, exactly. It's 34 or 35 number.</v>

750
00:29:14.815 --> 00:29:16.395
And it's like, even if 40 cars wanted

751
00:29:16.395 --> 00:29:18.115
to show up at some point, running outta motors.

752
00:29:18.315 --> 00:29:19.395
'cause there's only two people making

753
00:29:19.555 --> 00:29:20.555
<v Speaker 2>'em.</v>

754
00:29:20.555 --> 00:29:21.315
Yeah. You can't do it. Can't do it.

755
00:29:21.315 --> 00:29:24.115
I mean, it just is what it is. So, fingers crossed, man.

756
00:29:24.115 --> 00:29:26.035
And we see some positive days in the near future.

757
00:29:26.175 --> 00:29:28.475
And I, I think that we will, I think that we will, we just,

758
00:29:28.655 --> 00:29:30.115
we need a little bit of kick in the butt.

759
00:29:30.115 --> 00:29:31.675
And I think Fox is gonna give that to us.

760
00:29:31.735 --> 00:29:34.155
So I'm, you know, I'm excited for what, what's to come.

761
00:29:35.105 --> 00:29:36.795
<v Speaker 1>It's funny you kind of bring up the events thing,</v>

762
00:29:36.795 --> 00:29:38.115
which I completely agree with.

763
00:29:38.215 --> 00:29:40.155
And we've already, if you're listening to this,

764
00:29:40.155 --> 00:29:41.805
we've already recorded our Thursday show.

765
00:29:41.825 --> 00:29:44.325
And, and Rossi actually touches on this point about

766
00:29:44.345 --> 00:29:46.285
how when you watch Formula One on tv,

767
00:29:46.455 --> 00:29:47.925
every event looks good.

768
00:29:48.155 --> 00:29:50.885
Yeah. Even just things like the curbs are painted well,

769
00:29:50.885 --> 00:29:52.645
and the banners are presented in a way

770
00:29:52.645 --> 00:29:54.125
that the whole thing just looks sharp.

771
00:29:54.185 --> 00:29:55.765
It looks like something you wanna be a part of.

772
00:29:56.545 --> 00:29:58.005
The, the other big thing

773
00:29:58.005 --> 00:30:00.365
that I think we always talk about is

774
00:30:00.945 --> 00:30:02.445
how drivers have to be stars.

775
00:30:02.865 --> 00:30:07.005
So in your opinion, the, I think I completely am on board

776
00:30:07.005 --> 00:30:09.325
and completely agree with making the races, events,

777
00:30:09.545 --> 00:30:12.085
and you gotta make it something that people want to go to.

778
00:30:12.945 --> 00:30:16.925
How much of that equation for you is people wanting to go

779
00:30:16.955 --> 00:30:19.165
because they're cheering for Driver X?

780
00:30:19.165 --> 00:30:22.205
Because we as a series have done a better job at making

781
00:30:22.295 --> 00:30:24.365
stars out of some of these drivers. Yeah,

782
00:30:24.955 --> 00:30:29.085
<v Speaker 2>Well, um, I think, you know, the reality is making stars</v>

783
00:30:29.105 --> 00:30:32.035
of the drivers is a hard thing.

784
00:30:32.155 --> 00:30:34.715
I think. Um, I mean even, let's look at NASCAR now.

785
00:30:34.715 --> 00:30:36.315
It's not as deep as it once was. Right.

786
00:30:36.575 --> 00:30:38.675
As far as that, you know, there's very few,

787
00:30:40.255 --> 00:30:41.435
<v Speaker 1>No one's Dale Earnhardt anymore.</v>

788
00:30:41.435 --> 00:30:42.915
Right. No one's even Jeff Gordon.

789
00:30:42.915 --> 00:30:44.555
You walk around Johnson like it's a,

790
00:30:45.465 --> 00:30:46.465
<v Speaker 2>Yeah.</v>

791
00:30:46.465 --> 00:30:47.835
Like if I go walk around in most, most places

792
00:30:47.975 --> 00:30:49.835
and I mention a name, they're gonna be like, who's that?

793
00:30:50.015 --> 00:30:52.115
You know? Yeah. Um, and that's not, again, I'm not throwing,

794
00:30:52.395 --> 00:30:54.395
throwing rocks and, you know, in a glass house here.

795
00:30:54.395 --> 00:30:55.795
Right. I, I fully understand.

796
00:30:55.795 --> 00:30:58.435
It's the same in IndyCar Formula one's a little different

797
00:30:58.555 --> 00:31:01.595
'cause they just struck gold with the timing and COVID man.

798
00:31:01.665 --> 00:31:03.915
Like they, it couldn't have been better. Like Yeah.

799
00:31:04.295 --> 00:31:05.315
And they, they

800
00:31:05.315 --> 00:31:07.395
<v Speaker 1>Acknowledge that,</v>
<v Speaker 2>That that changed their world.</v>

801
00:31:07.575 --> 00:31:08.675
It just did. But, uh,

802
00:31:09.295 --> 00:31:12.195
but you know, formula One's also a very globalized sport.

803
00:31:12.655 --> 00:31:15.875
And IndyCar's not really, NASCAR's not really, to be frank.

804
00:31:16.015 --> 00:31:18.155
So, you know, they've been able to maximize that

805
00:31:18.155 --> 00:31:20.235
and build a fan base around the world, which is great.

806
00:31:20.895 --> 00:31:23.595
Um, you know, we, we definitely have to work on,

807
00:31:23.775 --> 00:31:24.915
on building our stars.

808
00:31:25.355 --> 00:31:28.675
I think if IndyCar has one fault, uh, over the history,

809
00:31:28.675 --> 00:31:29.835
since I started in this,

810
00:31:29.835 --> 00:31:31.395
they only ever highlight one or two guys.

811
00:31:32.145 --> 00:31:33.395
They've always been that way.

812
00:31:34.015 --> 00:31:38.195
You know, they've never really tried to broad, you know,

813
00:31:38.195 --> 00:31:39.715
brush strokes on the whole grid.

814
00:31:39.715 --> 00:31:42.515
Like, here we're gonna make a name outta, you know, out, out

815
00:31:42.515 --> 00:31:44.835
of a variety of, of, uh, different people.

816
00:31:45.335 --> 00:31:47.115
You know, this year it was all hands on.

817
00:31:47.115 --> 00:31:49.515
The new garden basket didn't work out great.

818
00:31:50.015 --> 00:31:52.475
Um, you know, obviously Alex Palolo,

819
00:31:52.575 --> 00:31:53.755
you know, Paolo's a star.

820
00:31:53.865 --> 00:31:56.435
Paolo's a stud. He's gotta be a household name.

821
00:31:56.975 --> 00:31:59.315
But dude, you know, you got a lot of great young guys.

822
00:31:59.435 --> 00:32:00.635
I mean, Kirkwood is a player.

823
00:32:00.715 --> 00:32:02.395
I mean, that guy can drive, man. He is good.

824
00:32:02.465 --> 00:32:04.155
Obviously it sucks to lose Colton,

825
00:32:04.155 --> 00:32:07.075
but you know, you got a lot of good young names into me.

826
00:32:07.575 --> 00:32:10.635
You know, obviously I were car marketing, like Yeah.

827
00:32:10.725 --> 00:32:14.555
Patto is an anomaly. He is the biggest.

828
00:32:15.305 --> 00:32:18.335
He's gonna be the biggest. It's like Adrian

829
00:32:18.335 --> 00:32:19.455
Fernandez in his day. .

830
00:32:19.895 --> 00:32:22.695
Yeah. The difference is Mexican people are

831
00:32:23.205 --> 00:32:25.615
extremely passionate about their people.

832
00:32:26.165 --> 00:32:28.895
Yeah. Americans aren't that way, they're just not. Right.

833
00:32:29.115 --> 00:32:33.015
You know, Americans, I'm a huge hinge fan, period.

834
00:32:33.565 --> 00:32:36.535
Like Canadians are loyal to you. Mm-hmm .

835
00:32:36.715 --> 00:32:38.135
It was you, me, head to head.

836
00:32:38.285 --> 00:32:41.165
They're never gonna cheer for me, that's for sure. Right.

837
00:32:41.385 --> 00:32:43.205
But in America, that's never really been, I mean,

838
00:32:43.205 --> 00:32:44.565
Tony Kaar was the biggest star.

839
00:32:44.565 --> 00:32:45.925
He's Brazilian. Yeah. Yeah.

840
00:32:46.165 --> 00:32:49.245
Lio Brazilian, you know, it didn't have to be an American.

841
00:32:49.315 --> 00:32:51.605
Whereas in most other countries, remember when we go

842
00:32:51.605 --> 00:32:53.645
to Brazil, they were all about the Brazilians.

843
00:32:54.185 --> 00:32:55.965
<v Speaker 1>But is that, is that good or bad though, Graham?</v>

844
00:32:55.965 --> 00:32:57.325
Because you've got, you've got,

845
00:32:57.645 --> 00:32:59.205
<v Speaker 2>I think it's good builds energy.</v>

846
00:32:59.675 --> 00:33:02.285
<v Speaker 1>Like you've got seven, those seven into 10, you know,</v>

847
00:33:02.645 --> 00:33:05.045
Americans in the series and Americans have

848
00:33:05.045 --> 00:33:06.765
so many options in terms of American drivers.

849
00:33:06.905 --> 00:33:08.845
And then that's that even extend that into nascar.

850
00:33:08.895 --> 00:33:11.365
Every one of those minus Daniel Suarez is American.

851
00:33:11.425 --> 00:33:14.365
So it's like, it's not as much of a novelty for them.

852
00:33:14.375 --> 00:33:17.005
Where if you look at the global racing stage,

853
00:33:17.465 --> 00:33:19.045
Mexico doesn't have a ton of drivers.

854
00:33:19.225 --> 00:33:21.725
So they as a country latch onto the guys that success.

855
00:33:21.725 --> 00:33:23.725
Same, same with Canada. Same with a lot of these places.

856
00:33:23.725 --> 00:33:26.965
Correct. So, but you're okay that American fans will get

857
00:33:26.965 --> 00:33:30.085
behind an Alex Palolo or a Tony Canan or, uh, whoever.

858
00:33:30.565 --> 00:33:32.565
<v Speaker 2>I, I personally, I wish</v>

859
00:33:33.125 --> 00:33:35.445
American fans were a little more passionate about their

860
00:33:35.445 --> 00:33:36.645
people, about their drivers.

861
00:33:37.055 --> 00:33:39.965
Right. But the reality is that I've never seen it that way.

862
00:33:40.285 --> 00:33:42.205
I mean, even going back to when my dad raced,

863
00:33:42.285 --> 00:33:43.565
I don't think I ever saw it that way.

864
00:33:43.605 --> 00:33:47.205
I thought American fans were, you know, much more, you know,

865
00:33:47.235 --> 00:33:49.325
open to to whoever that, that, that, that

866
00:33:49.325 --> 00:33:51.565
that personality was, that kind of energized them.

867
00:33:51.905 --> 00:33:53.965
You know? I mean maybe, maybe, maybe I'm wrong,

868
00:33:54.225 --> 00:33:55.605
but, uh, to me

869
00:33:55.605 --> 00:33:57.605
that's the way I've always viewed it as least, at least.

870
00:33:57.745 --> 00:33:59.005
And I don't think it's necessarily

871
00:33:59.125 --> 00:34:00.245
a bad thing, to be honest with you.

872
00:34:00.325 --> 00:34:03.325
I mean, I, I think, you know, it's, it's good to have it,

873
00:34:03.325 --> 00:34:05.405
but it it's also great to go to racetracks.

874
00:34:05.625 --> 00:34:09.125
It doesn't matter where we are. And Patto is a stud.

875
00:34:09.415 --> 00:34:11.405
Patto iss a star. Yeah. I mean, he just is.

876
00:34:11.905 --> 00:34:14.285
And we've gotta keep that rolling, you know? For sure.

877
00:34:14.545 --> 00:34:16.685
You know, fingers crossed we, we, we can do that.

878
00:34:16.905 --> 00:34:19.365
Um, but yeah. Did,

879
00:34:19.425 --> 00:34:21.445
<v Speaker 1>Did, did Fox ever come to you about, uh,</v>

880
00:34:21.445 --> 00:34:22.565
being involved in some

881
00:34:22.565 --> 00:34:24.085
of these campaigns and stuff as well as the

882
00:34:24.195 --> 00:34:25.195
<v Speaker 2>Yeah.</v>

883
00:34:25.195 --> 00:34:26.365
The only clear this up for a second. Okay.

884
00:34:26.365 --> 00:34:28.725
There's all this hate lately going toward like a month ago,

885
00:34:29.185 --> 00:34:32.085
saw this about, oh, Graham was invited

886
00:34:32.105 --> 00:34:33.805
to do a campaign and he turned it down.

887
00:34:34.425 --> 00:34:36.885
No, no, no. I was invited to be like a &lt;inaudible&gt;,

888
00:34:37.765 --> 00:34:40.205
a bush trimmer in Joseph New Garden's thing. .

889
00:34:40.825 --> 00:34:45.405
And I said, no,  bro.

890
00:34:45.635 --> 00:34:48.045
When they sent me the, when they sent me the script,

891
00:34:48.185 --> 00:34:49.885
I'm like, F that.

892
00:34:50.195 --> 00:34:52.965
Yeah. , you're not getting me to do that. I'm out.

893
00:34:53.155 --> 00:34:55.525
Like, I'm not doing that. Like, totally

894
00:34:55.595 --> 00:34:56.925
<v Speaker 1>Fair. They don't want you</v>

895
00:34:56.925 --> 00:34:57.965
<v Speaker 2>Care. I don't care who, it's</v>

896
00:34:58.485 --> 00:34:59.565
<v Speaker 1>Joseph's bushes,</v>

897
00:35:00.195 --> 00:35:02.285
<v Speaker 2>like, dude, it was something, you know, I was like,</v>

898
00:35:02.285 --> 00:35:03.485
what the hell am I, why, why,

899
00:35:03.625 --> 00:35:05.405
why are you even asking me to do that?

900
00:35:05.435 --> 00:35:08.965
Like, I, I, I, I was like, no, I'm not doing that.

901
00:35:09.105 --> 00:35:10.605
I'm not doing that. So I, I didn't,

902
00:35:10.605 --> 00:35:12.405
and people are, oh, it came out

903
00:35:12.405 --> 00:35:14.045
that Graham was invited and he didn't do it.

904
00:35:14.065 --> 00:35:15.765
I'm like, yeah, you're right. I didn't do it. .

905
00:35:16.155 --> 00:35:18.925
It's that easy. If you wanna let them know, James,

906
00:35:19.075 --> 00:35:20.645
I'll do that next year. Yeah. ,

907
00:35:21.105 --> 00:35:23.085
<v Speaker 1>We should actually get you as a, uh,</v>

908
00:35:23.265 --> 00:35:25.045
as an extra and, and something there.

909
00:35:25.755 --> 00:35:28.365
<v Speaker 2>Yeah. Yeah.</v>
<v Speaker 1>Oh man. That's funny man. Okay.</v>

910
00:35:28.585 --> 00:35:30.245
Uh, well we've already taken too much of your time.

911
00:35:30.265 --> 00:35:31.845
We appreciate you, uh, chatting with us.

912
00:35:31.945 --> 00:35:33.245
But I just have this question

913
00:35:33.245 --> 00:35:36.005
because again, you've, you've got to race for a long time.

914
00:35:36.005 --> 00:35:37.770
You've got to race on a lot. Lot of cool stuff.

915
00:35:38.105 --> 00:35:40.685
You know, we did things like A one G together. Yeah, yeah.

916
00:35:40.685 --> 00:35:42.125
You've raced sports car stuff.

917
00:35:43.155 --> 00:35:47.085
What was your favorite year in motor sports that you've had?

918
00:35:48.365 --> 00:35:50.905
Um, is it like just easy that you default to 2015?

919
00:35:51.705 --> 00:35:53.145
'cause you have the home win, you have a great

920
00:35:53.145 --> 00:35:54.185
championship run?

921
00:35:54.525 --> 00:35:56.665
Or is it, is there like a weird kind

922
00:35:56.665 --> 00:35:58.385
of screwball answer that people wouldn't expect?

923
00:35:58.745 --> 00:36:01.465
<v Speaker 2>I would say that, you know, for me, actually, you know,</v>

924
00:36:01.565 --> 00:36:04.545
as weird as it is this year I really enjoyed, uh,

925
00:36:04.545 --> 00:36:05.585
we had hard, we had a hard year.

926
00:36:05.855 --> 00:36:09.825
Yeah. But dude, I loved my team. I loved my guys.

927
00:36:10.445 --> 00:36:13.025
Um, I loved my engineering core.

928
00:36:13.305 --> 00:36:17.665
I love I, dude, I, I had a, I had a great, great time.

929
00:36:17.885 --> 00:36:19.505
Now we needed to be better,

930
00:36:19.645 --> 00:36:21.825
but I thought we really were pretty good in some places.

931
00:36:22.825 --> 00:36:25.625
I, I think for me, the, the, the, the years

932
00:36:25.655 --> 00:36:26.825
that I look back on

933
00:36:26.845 --> 00:36:29.425
and I'm like, man, I just wish it

934
00:36:29.425 --> 00:36:30.625
was, you know, like that again.

935
00:36:32.365 --> 00:36:34.925
Honestly, a lot of 'em are probably the go-kart ears. Yeah.

936
00:36:35.025 --> 00:36:38.365
You know, there was less pressure,

937
00:36:39.295 --> 00:36:40.765
there was less social media.

938
00:36:41.855 --> 00:36:46.725
There was great people like you, Robbie, um, Robbie Kerri,

939
00:36:47.425 --> 00:36:48.925
um, Mikey Geen.

940
00:36:49.145 --> 00:36:50.725
Mm-hmm . You know, there was a lot

941
00:36:50.725 --> 00:36:52.365
of great guys to compete against.

942
00:36:52.785 --> 00:36:55.165
Um, I got to, to travel in the truck.

943
00:36:55.245 --> 00:36:56.965
I drove the truck, you know, with,

944
00:36:57.045 --> 00:36:59.285
I couldn't drive at the time, but with a couple of guys,

945
00:36:59.425 --> 00:37:02.245
you know, out to Pat Acres get my first big sup, uh,

946
00:37:02.245 --> 00:37:04.525
you know, big, uh, national event win and,

947
00:37:04.985 --> 00:37:06.205
and you know, do a lot of cool stuff.

948
00:37:06.285 --> 00:37:09.925
I mean, the go-kart years, the go-kart years, were, were,

949
00:37:09.995 --> 00:37:11.125
were, were great times.

950
00:37:11.465 --> 00:37:13.605
And I think as you go through your career,

951
00:37:14.755 --> 00:37:16.015
you lose sight of that stuff.

952
00:37:16.355 --> 00:37:20.695
You know, you get so carried away in all this stuff that

953
00:37:21.785 --> 00:37:25.205
now where I'm at, I'm back in sort of a part of my career

954
00:37:25.205 --> 00:37:26.605
where every time I get to sit in the car,

955
00:37:26.605 --> 00:37:28.005
like I truly appreciate it.

956
00:37:28.225 --> 00:37:30.365
It feels Yeah. Like a blessing.

957
00:37:30.365 --> 00:37:32.445
And I'm like so pumped to go racing

958
00:37:32.505 --> 00:37:34.925
and so pumped to get in the car and do all this stuff.

959
00:37:35.185 --> 00:37:37.445
You know, there was a phase in the middle part of my career

960
00:37:37.515 --> 00:37:39.005
that man, it, it felt like a job.

961
00:37:39.315 --> 00:37:41.205
Like it felt like work. Yeah. It was hard.

962
00:37:41.465 --> 00:37:44.085
It was hard every time. The car car was a handful.

963
00:37:44.345 --> 00:37:45.565
The, the team was difficult.

964
00:37:45.665 --> 00:37:48.645
The, this, the, thats, and you're like, man,

965
00:37:48.725 --> 00:37:51.325
I remember 2014, I literally called my now wife

966
00:37:51.385 --> 00:37:53.205
and told her, I said, &lt;inaudible&gt;, I'm not, so, I'm not

967
00:37:53.205 --> 00:37:54.925
so sure this is for me, like Yeah,

968
00:37:55.035 --> 00:37:56.725
like this is brutal. Like brutal.

969
00:37:56.725 --> 00:37:57.845
<v Speaker 1>Because people forget, right?</v>

970
00:37:57.875 --> 00:38:01.485
Like, when, when stuff's not going well on track, it's,

971
00:38:01.755 --> 00:38:03.525
it's still, all the other stuff still exists.

972
00:38:03.745 --> 00:38:05.445
You still have to go do all the media stuff,

973
00:38:05.445 --> 00:38:07.805
all the sponsor stuff, all this stuff that even when,

974
00:38:07.805 --> 00:38:09.165
when things are, you're killing it

975
00:38:09.165 --> 00:38:10.285
on track, you don't like doing.

976
00:38:10.355 --> 00:38:13.325
Yeah. Or like, is is is the other side the necessary evil,

977
00:38:13.325 --> 00:38:16.445
evil of being a driver when everything on track's also going

978
00:38:16.445 --> 00:38:17.885
poorly and the culture

979
00:38:17.905 --> 00:38:19.285
and the team's not good or something like that.

980
00:38:19.285 --> 00:38:21.285
Like it just, all that stuff compounds.

981
00:38:21.285 --> 00:38:22.725
It really does weigh on you. Yeah.

982
00:38:23.345 --> 00:38:26.235
<v Speaker 2>And it, it's, there were,</v>

983
00:38:26.235 --> 00:38:27.675
there were some tough years there, man.

984
00:38:27.675 --> 00:38:30.595
And I know nobody's gonna play a violin for me

985
00:38:30.595 --> 00:38:33.355
of all people, but there were times I was like, dude,

986
00:38:33.585 --> 00:38:35.405
like I don't know about like Yeah.

987
00:38:35.405 --> 00:38:36.405
Yeah. I don't know about this.

988
00:38:36.625 --> 00:38:41.415
And so, you know, for me, um, like I said, as tough

989
00:38:41.435 --> 00:38:44.535
as 2025 was in many respects,

990
00:38:45.505 --> 00:38:46.945
I loved my guys, man.

991
00:38:46.945 --> 00:38:49.025
Yeah. And I am really energized,

992
00:38:49.645 --> 00:38:52.545
really energized about going forward.

993
00:38:53.145 --> 00:38:55.725
I am. I I think we got a lot of reason

994
00:38:55.745 --> 00:38:57.005
as a team to be pumped up.

995
00:38:57.385 --> 00:39:01.125
Um, and, you know, we'll see man, we're gonna try

996
00:39:01.125 --> 00:39:02.805
to finish this next couple years off strong.

997
00:39:02.805 --> 00:39:04.205
That's all I can say. I mean, I,

998
00:39:04.565 --> 00:39:05.645
I certainly don't wanna leave here

999
00:39:05.645 --> 00:39:06.965
with only six wins on my resume.

1000
00:39:07.185 --> 00:39:08.325
Not that six is pathetic,

1001
00:39:08.345 --> 00:39:10.005
but for sure, for as long as I've been doing it.

1002
00:39:10.105 --> 00:39:13.695
If you want, bro, that's, I've got, that's the thing. Yeah.

1003
00:39:13.875 --> 00:39:15.095
You know how people are though.

1004
00:39:15.095 --> 00:39:18.335
They're like, oh, well you should have won 30 by now.

1005
00:39:18.515 --> 00:39:21.175
I'm like, you realize there's a lot of people, the majority

1006
00:39:21.175 --> 00:39:22.455
of people never win one.

1007
00:39:22.755 --> 00:39:25.695
Do you realize that? Like, come on dude, we're not all Alex.

1008
00:39:26.185 --> 00:39:27.535
Hello. Okay. Right. Like,

1009
00:39:27.535 --> 00:39:30.015
<v Speaker 1>It gets more mean one year than we've had in our careers.</v>

1010
00:39:30.015 --> 00:39:31.495
That bastard. Really?

1011
00:39:31.815 --> 00:39:34.895
<v Speaker 2>I literally looked at him and I'm like, is this just easy?</v>

1012
00:39:35.045 --> 00:39:37.615
Yeah. Like, is it easy? Like, is that what you think?

1013
00:39:37.795 --> 00:39:39.495
You just think it's easy. How hard.

1014
00:39:39.645 --> 00:39:42.415
I've never seen anything like that, dude. Like what

1015
00:39:43.585 --> 00:39:44.585
<v Speaker 1>Dudes?</v>

1016
00:39:44.585 --> 00:39:45.975
It's funny, I look back, I'll listen on this real quick.

1017
00:39:46.095 --> 00:39:47.695
'cause I look back at, at all the years

1018
00:39:47.695 --> 00:39:49.415
and it's, it's tough to pick one for sure,

1019
00:39:49.595 --> 00:39:51.935
but definitely one of my top three is 2004.

1020
00:39:52.365 --> 00:39:54.415
When you and I were racing Formula BMW,

1021
00:39:54.755 --> 00:39:56.655
we were both gonna, I was the smallest two teams.

1022
00:39:56.995 --> 00:40:00.135
We were both one car teams with a, with a 24 foot trailer

1023
00:40:00.195 --> 00:40:02.335
and a dually one engineer, one mechanic.

1024
00:40:02.355 --> 00:40:03.855
And we just kind of naturally became

1025
00:40:04.255 --> 00:40:05.375
teammates because we were, yeah.

1026
00:40:05.375 --> 00:40:06.775
They stuck us at the end of the paddock together.

1027
00:40:06.935 --> 00:40:08.695
'cause we didn't have a proper truck. Yeah.

1028
00:40:08.695 --> 00:40:10.615
We were just like little trailer guys.

1029
00:40:10.955 --> 00:40:13.735
And your engineer, my engineer became like best buds. Yeah.

1030
00:40:13.735 --> 00:40:15.815
Your mechanic Miami carrier became best buds.

1031
00:40:15.955 --> 00:40:17.975
Me And you were like, best buds.  racing was fun.

1032
00:40:18.075 --> 00:40:20.415
We were like, you know, 16, 17 years old.

1033
00:40:20.415 --> 00:40:22.455
Like it was awesome, man. I

1034
00:40:22.455 --> 00:40:25.135
<v Speaker 2>Was gonna say oh four was oh four and oh five.</v>

1035
00:40:25.645 --> 00:40:28.495
Yeah. Both great years, you know, years. Both great years.

1036
00:40:28.715 --> 00:40:32.535
So man, it's, uh, you, you look back now,

1037
00:40:32.535 --> 00:40:33.695
you appreciate 'em, don't you?

1038
00:40:33.955 --> 00:40:35.135
<v Speaker 1>You sure do. You</v>

1039
00:40:35.135 --> 00:40:36.135
<v Speaker 2>Sure do.</v>

1040
00:40:36.135 --> 00:40:36.735
And, and I mean, brother, you know this,

1041
00:40:36.735 --> 00:40:38.695
but your family means a world to, to us.

1042
00:40:38.715 --> 00:40:43.495
And you're, you're, you know, rest in heaven, Mr.

1043
00:40:43.495 --> 00:40:44.775
Hinchcliffe. Uh Yep.

1044
00:40:45.155 --> 00:40:46.815
Had a lot of love for your dad

1045
00:40:46.815 --> 00:40:49.535
and your mother's just, she is the greatest human.

1046
00:40:49.635 --> 00:40:51.295
And I still, you know how I relate.

1047
00:40:51.345 --> 00:40:52.975
Every time I see her, we light up.

1048
00:40:53.095 --> 00:40:56.215
I mean, just great, just awesome people.

1049
00:40:56.395 --> 00:40:59.015
And, and you know, my, my parents always were so close

1050
00:40:59.035 --> 00:41:01.375
to your parents and my mom and, you know, the whole thing.

1051
00:41:01.475 --> 00:41:03.415
So, you know, there's a lot of, a lot of love

1052
00:41:03.435 --> 00:41:04.455
for the Himms Cliffs

1053
00:41:04.455 --> 00:41:05.735
and you know, man, a lot, lot

1054
00:41:05.735 --> 00:41:07.215
of years now, brother. A lot of

1055
00:41:07.215 --> 00:41:08.215
<v Speaker 1>Years.</v>

1056
00:41:08.215 --> 00:41:09.575
Likewise brother. Likewise man. Crazy. Yeah.

1057
00:41:09.575 --> 00:41:10.775
Well, hey, I appreciate you

1058
00:41:10.955 --> 00:41:13.455
and appreciate you coming on and hey, we're not done.

1059
00:41:13.465 --> 00:41:15.255
We're both still here. So let's, uh, yes.

1060
00:41:15.255 --> 00:41:17.455
Let's make a, a couple more years of memories before

1061
00:41:17.775 --> 00:41:19.175
before we walk away from this mess.

1062
00:41:19.965 --> 00:41:21.975
Will do, man. Thanks for coming out up.

1063
00:41:23.445 --> 00:41:25.295
This has been off track with Hinch and Rossi.

1064
00:41:25.515 --> 00:41:28.655
Off Track is part of the SiriusXM Sports Podcast network.

1065
00:41:29.075 --> 00:41:30.255
If you enjoyed this episode

1066
00:41:30.255 --> 00:41:32.455
and want to hear more, please give a five star

1067
00:41:32.455 --> 00:41:33.525
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1068
00:41:34.125 --> 00:41:36.325
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1069
00:41:36.505 --> 00:41:39.285
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1070
00:41:39.465 --> 00:41:42.165
And if you wanna follow us on Twitter, we're at Hinch Town

1071
00:41:42.165 --> 00:41:43.525
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1072
00:41:43.745 --> 00:41:45.205
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1073
00:41:45.205 --> 00:41:46.765
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1074
00:41:47.035 --> 00:41:49.485
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1075
00:41:50.155 --> 00:41:52.165
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1076
00:41:52.225 --> 00:41:53.405
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1077
00:41:53.905 --> 00:41:56.925
Off Track is produced by Tim Durham, and by that we mean f.