Latest / In Wheel Time Podcast / Andrew Chapman Explains The Fast Track From School To Stock Cars
Transcript
- 0:03Don Armstrong: From our dual city studios in Texas, USA, it's the award-winning In-Wheel Time Car Talk Show.
- 0:10Don Armstrong: Just ahead, driver Andrew Chapman competing in the ARCA race car series, plus Jeff's Motor Minute, and I'll get to review the redesigned 2027 Kia Telluride.
- 0:22SPEAKER_04: All right.
- 0:22Don Armstrong: Howdy, along with Mike Out of This World Mars.
- 0:26Don Armstrong: We always need more Jeff Zeke.
- 0:28Don Armstrong: I'm Don Armstrong.
- 0:29Don Armstrong: Glad you could join us on this Saturday.
- 0:31Don Armstrong: Uh it's a beautiful day.
- 0:33Don Armstrong: Let's not leave out uh Chief Engineer David Ainsley.
- 0:36Don Armstrong: I have not talked to him this week, really.
- 0:38Jeff Dziekan: Well, he was in he was going to some instructional institution last week.
- 0:42Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
- 0:42Jeff Dziekan: And uh maybe he had to stay after class.
- 0:44Jeff Dziekan: I don't know.
- 0:45Jeff Dziekan: I don't know either.
- 0:46Jeff Dziekan: But apparently he's he got detention, that's probably what it was.
- 0:49Don Armstrong: Probably so.
- 0:50Don Armstrong: Sleeping in class.
- 0:52Jeff Dziekan: Teachers got him uh staying after class.
- 0:55Don Armstrong: All right, well, let's bring in our uh NASCAR driver, shall we?
- 0:58Don Armstrong: Andrew.
- 0:59Don Armstrong: Yeah.
- 0:59Don Armstrong: Andrew uh Chapman.
- 1:01Don Armstrong: Is he there, Mike?
- 1:03Mike Marrs: Yes, sir.
- 1:04Mike Marrs: Oh, there he is.
- 1:05Don Armstrong: There he is.
- 1:06Don Armstrong: Andrew! There he is.
- 1:08Don Armstrong: Boy, you made it just in time.
- 1:09Don Armstrong: Yeah, sorry, you were gonna get a big spanking if you didn't make it on time.
- 1:13Don Armstrong: You know that, don't you?
- 1:16SPEAKER_00: Well, glad I made it.
- 1:19Don Armstrong: Good answer.
- 1:20Don Armstrong: I like that.
- 1:21Don Armstrong: How old are you, Andrew?
- 1:23Don Armstrong: I'm 21.
- 1:24SPEAKER_00: Newly 21.
- 1:26Don Armstrong: Say nearly, did you say?
- 1:28SPEAKER_00: No, newly 21.
- 1:30Don Armstrong: Oh, newly 21.
- 1:31Don Armstrong: Tell them how old you are.
- 1:32Don Armstrong: Yeah, I'm 23.
- 1:34Don Armstrong: Uh, so I got you beat by a couple of years.
- 1:37Don Armstrong: So, Andrew, um, it's great to talk to you and thanks uh for joining us today.
- 1:41Don Armstrong: So uh are you out in Pasa Get Down Dina, California?
- 1:47SPEAKER_00: Uh yeah.
- 1:48Don Armstrong: You are?
- 1:49Don Armstrong: Okay.
- 1:50Don Armstrong: Well, I didn't know right now.
- 1:52Don Armstrong: Okay.
- 1:53Don Armstrong: Well, I just wanted to make sure that you were still out there and that we weren't talking to Pasadena, Texas, because we have that right down the street from us here.
- 2:00Don Armstrong: So just wanted to bring that up.
- 2:02Don Armstrong: So I understand that uh you started racing when you were 13 years old in go-karts.
- 2:07Don Armstrong: Am I correct?
- 2:10SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
- 2:11SPEAKER_00: I started when I was 30 and my dad.
- 2:13SPEAKER_00: We, you know, I went to a K1 speed when I was 13, and uh we got I got a little, we were like, oh yeah, we want to you know do this.
- 2:21SPEAKER_00: So we bought a little go-kart, put it in the back of the pickup shop, you ran that for a year and just kind of kept going.
- 2:27Don Armstrong: Yeah.
- 2:27Don Armstrong: Well, and and and when uh were these like shifter carts?
- 2:31Don Armstrong: Were they just regular standard go-karts?
- 2:33Don Armstrong: Or uh I can't imagine if your dad's into carting that he would have just a regular standard putt-putt golf cart.
- 2:42SPEAKER_00: It was it was a basically a lawnmower engine.
- 2:44SPEAKER_00: It was made by uh the Briggs and Stratton.
- 2:48SPEAKER_00: It was an LSB cart.
- 2:50SPEAKER_00: Sally Austin.
- 2:52Mike Marrs: So it was really a starter cart.
- 2:54Mike Marrs: When you started, you started.
- 2:56SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it was it was like bare bones.
- 2:57SPEAKER_00: I think it was like five years old.
- 3:00SPEAKER_00: That's what I first started on.
- 3:02Don Armstrong: That well, there's nothing wrong with that.
- 3:04Don Armstrong: Mike learned how to drive on one of those.
- 3:05Don Armstrong: Yeah, yeah, he's still got one in his backyard.
- 3:07Don Armstrong: He takes it down to the 7-Eleven every once in a while.
- 3:11Don Armstrong: So um I understand that you are an engineering student.
- 3:16Don Armstrong: Let's get down to the basics here.
- 3:17Don Armstrong: You graduated from high school, and uh, I assume that you were in college or have graduated from college?
- 3:22Don Armstrong: University of California.
- 3:23SPEAKER_00: I'm in college right now.
- 3:24SPEAKER_00: I'm uh junior right now, uh studying electrical engineering.
- 3:28Don Armstrong: Electrical engineering.
- 3:30Don Armstrong: So, what made you go into that direction?
- 3:34SPEAKER_00: Uh I I really think that's the way cars are going.
- 3:40SPEAKER_00: You know, I see where it is with you know all the electronics in cars and ECUs and programming, and I'm like, I that's kind of the way I thought the automotive industry was going.
- 3:53Don Armstrong: Well, from what I understand, I and uh that that good for you.
- 3:56Don Armstrong: Yeah, from what I understand that you know the electrical architecture in cars is uh they've been trying to get it changed since the onset of you know the hundred computers that are now on board.
- 4:07Don Armstrong: Uh and the first thing is these uh 12 volt systems, and they want to get to a 24-volt system, and it's also gonna cut down a lot of weight on the car because of the wiring that's currently in there, and uh so it's all gonna go fiber.
- 4:22Don Armstrong: Am I missing something there?
- 4:24SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I have read about that.
- 4:26SPEAKER_00: I think you're correct.
- 4:28SPEAKER_00: I I'm not sure though.
- 4:29SPEAKER_00: I would have to read more on it.
- 4:30Jeff Dziekan: Well, you just be the evolution of the automobile, and we've got youngsters like you, Andrew, that are gonna take that evolution to the next level.
- 4:38Jeff Dziekan: So, you know, kudos to you for finding that niche there and uh working it out with your race car career.
- 4:44Don Armstrong: Yeah, and uh, and that goes with, you know, you know, let's see, uh nature studies and uh and uh let's talk about you know global warming and all of the other classes that you gotta take to get the degree, right?
- 4:57Don Armstrong: Am I right?
- 4:58SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah.
- 4:59SPEAKER_00: I had to say I'm taking some interesting classes.
- 5:04SPEAKER_00: I took a I took a class on the Beatles, which was pretty fun.
- 5:08SPEAKER_00: But yeah, there's some interesting classes.
- 5:10Don Armstrong: Considering they're from England.
- 5:12Don Armstrong: Yeah, yeah.
- 5:13Don Armstrong: And they build cars over there, but they're really weird cars.
- 5:16Don Armstrong: But uh anyway, that's it.
- 5:18Jeff Dziekan: I was gonna say University of California, Santa Cruz.
- 5:20Jeff Dziekan: So uh a lot of girls out there, huh?
- 5:23Jeff Dziekan: For youngsters that are uh race car drivers.
- 5:27SPEAKER_00: Uh unfortunately I'm pretty focused on racing in uh school.
- 5:34Mike Marrs: But there's always room.
- 5:34Mike Marrs: That's not gonna say.
- 5:37Don Armstrong: No, he's not gonna say, he's not gonna tip his hand.
- 5:39Don Armstrong: So yeah, you're driving, uh, I understand, in the Arca series.
- 5:42Don Armstrong: Let's talk about that, shall we?
- 5:45SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
- 5:46Don Armstrong: So how did you how did you get the ride, first of all?
- 5:51SPEAKER_00: Uh I I met Tim Huddleston.
- 5:54SPEAKER_00: Uh, that's the team owner I raced for.
- 5:56SPEAKER_00: I met him when I was I think 17.
- 6:00SPEAKER_00: Um, and then I raced at his racetrack at Rwindell Speedway.
- 6:04SPEAKER_00: Rest in peace, it closed.
- 6:06SPEAKER_00: But I raced at his racetrack in the in the spec late model division with just like me and a couple people.
- 6:11SPEAKER_00: We were just working on the car and then I won a couple races.
- 6:14SPEAKER_00: And then I think it was last year I was at school, and he calls me and I was in I forgot what class it was.
- 6:22SPEAKER_00: I think it was my differential equation class that I was in.
- 6:26SPEAKER_00: My ARCA car.
- 6:27SPEAKER_00: And I was like, yeah, what did he like this weekend?
- 6:31SPEAKER_00: Do you have an ARC license?
- 6:32SPEAKER_00: I was like, yeah, I did not have an ARCA license.
- 6:35SPEAKER_00: I like both ARC.
- 6:37SPEAKER_00: I'm like, how do I get a license?
- 6:38SPEAKER_00: Like, you gotta go to the doctor, you know, you gotta do all this stuff, and I like got it somehow in that five-day period as a track that weekend.
- 6:47SPEAKER_00: So that's kind of how I ended up this.
- 6:49Don Armstrong: And and and so that first race was where?
- 6:52SPEAKER_00: Uh Bakersfield.
- 6:53SPEAKER_00: It was uh Kevin Harvick's current high school.
- 6:56Don Armstrong: Okay, and how long was the track?
- 6:59SPEAKER_00: That was half a mile.
- 7:00Don Armstrong: Half mile track.
- 7:01Don Armstrong: So and it's a banked oval?
- 7:03SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it was I think it's 14 degrees of banking.
- 7:07Don Armstrong: Okay.
- 7:08SPEAKER_00: Not sure, but it was pretty big.
- 7:10Don Armstrong: Yeah.
- 7:11Don Armstrong: And let's talk about the car that you're driving in.
- 7:14Don Armstrong: Um I I assume that in ARCA there are different levels of cars for different tracks and ability to drive them and that sort of thing.
- 7:22Don Armstrong: Am I correct or no?
- 7:24SPEAKER_00: Uh they're all pretty similar.
- 7:26SPEAKER_00: They're all around 700, 700 horsepower.
- 7:30SPEAKER_00: Um, they all weigh about 3300 pounds.
- 7:34SPEAKER_00: Um all you know, CO2 chassis.
- 7:37SPEAKER_00: So they're all pretty similar, but you know, there's some differences in who made the car, who made the chassis, who built your engine, but they're all kind of roughly in that area, 750 horsepower.
- 7:49Don Armstrong: So, how did you do in your first race?
- 7:50Don Armstrong: Where did you place?
- 7:52Don Armstrong: I think we finished sixth.
- 7:54SPEAKER_00: Or sixth, I think.
- 7:55SPEAKER_00: Yeah, fifth or sixth.
- 7:56SPEAKER_00: I'm not sure.
- 7:58Don Armstrong: So a top 10 finish, what about uh 20 cars, 30 cars?
- 8:02SPEAKER_00: 27, I believe.
- 8:04Don Armstrong: 27 cars.
- 8:05Don Armstrong: Well, way to go, dude.
- 8:06Don Armstrong: You're you're you're bad to the bone kind of guy.
- 8:09Don Armstrong: So uh and are you still in that series?
- 8:12Don Armstrong: You still racing?
- 8:13SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we I just raced uh a couple weeks ago at Shasta.
- 8:17SPEAKER_00: We finished fourth.
- 8:18SPEAKER_00: We're gonna Colorado next week.
- 8:20SPEAKER_00: Hopefully, I'll win it.
- 8:22Jeff Dziekan: So there you go.
- 8:23Don Armstrong: Well, yeah, it's time.
- 8:24Don Armstrong: Yeah, yeah, you gotta you gotta prove to your owner that uh his choice in you driving the car was a good one.
- 8:30Don Armstrong: And I think that you probably have got a good good leg up on that.
- 8:33Jeff Dziekan: He's on his way, yeah.
- 8:35Don Armstrong: Yeah.
- 8:35Don Armstrong: Uh well, so um what what are your goals?
- 8:38Don Armstrong: Are you gonna stay in ARCA another year while you uh get your college degree?
- 8:42Don Armstrong: Or uh what what are your plans?
- 8:44SPEAKER_00: I mean, I I'm always looking for opportunities.
- 8:47SPEAKER_00: So um good answer.
- 8:50SPEAKER_00: So if anyone wants to wants me to drive the race car, call me.
- 8:54SPEAKER_00: Uh but I'm always looking for opportunities, you know.
- 8:58SPEAKER_00: I'll drive anything.
- 8:59SPEAKER_00: Anything with four wheels, put me in it.
- 9:02SPEAKER_00: Um may not do the best, but believe me.
- 9:07Jeff Dziekan: You'll try hard.
- 9:09Jeff Dziekan: Oh no.
- 9:12Jeff Dziekan: We lost him.
- 9:14Mike Marrs: Yeah.
- 9:16Jeff Dziekan: Well, he's got a he's got his head on straight, that's for sure.
- 9:20Mike Marrs: Yeah, he does.
- 9:20Jeff Dziekan: He wants to he's got a plan what he wants to do.
- 9:23Jeff Dziekan: Twenty-one years old, come on now.
- 9:25Jeff Dziekan: What were you what was your plan at 21?
- 9:27Jeff Dziekan: To make it 22 years old.
- 9:30Don Armstrong: You don't want to know what my plan was.
- 9:33Don Armstrong: My plan was whatever was happening that night, that was the plan.
- 9:36Don Armstrong: Yeah.
- 9:37Don Armstrong: Um, let's see.
- 9:38Mike Marrs: Um we've lost his volume and everything.
- 9:41Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
- 9:41Jeff Dziekan: And to have an owner call you and say, hey, come come join my team, that'd be cool.
- 9:46Jeff Dziekan: That's cool too.
- 9:46Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
- 9:47Mike Marrs: But it is, and it that goes through his effort and stuff.
- 9:50Mike Marrs: And I was hoping that we'd get to talk to him a little bit longer.
- 9:53Mike Marrs: You you ask him long-range plans, but I was wondering, is he going to go into that automotive space for that with that electrical engineering degree, or is he just going to use that to pay for his racing efforts?
- 10:06Don Armstrong: Well, I don't know, obviously.
- 10:08Don Armstrong: Um, a degree is something in addition to uh a uh electrical degree, or uh the electrical dri degree that he's trying to go for uh is going to be for him anyway, right?
- 10:23Don Armstrong: Uh automotive related.
- 10:25Don Armstrong: And um but I mean he's 21.
- 10:29Jeff Dziekan: And what happens if you don't make it as a race car driver?
- 10:31Jeff Dziekan: What happens if you don't pick up a ride next year and you're off a year or two?
- 10:35Jeff Dziekan: You've got to fall back on an electrical degree.
- 10:37Don Armstrong: Well, there's also that and um also behind the scenes in racing as well.
- 10:42Don Armstrong: And uh listen, I worked with a lot of talented guys when I did the NHRA drag racing tour.
- 10:47Don Armstrong: And those guys that are in Formula One and IndyCar, they're making some really good money and they're very talented, and most of them have a a college degree in something.
- 10:55Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, and uh some engineering field.
- 10:58Don Armstrong: Yeah, exactly.
- 10:59Mike Marrs: So they gotta have that so they can kind of help the guys that are their their crew set up the car.
- 11:04Mike Marrs: They gotta be able to communicate this is what the car is doing on the track so that they can make adjustments.
- 11:09Don Armstrong: Yeah, and as his bio reads here, the long term goal goal is uh reaching the NASCAR Cup series, right?
- 11:15Don Armstrong: As with anybody, I think that at his level, and uh obviously he's got a connection with the ARCA series and uh he does now, yeah, absolutely.
- 11:24Don Armstrong: And the they they the the cup series owners pull from ARCA, um the truck series.
- 11:33Don Armstrong: They pull from over the carts, they grew up from the carts series.
- 11:36Don Armstrong: There is that as well.
- 11:37Don Armstrong: So um I think that there's a lot of potential there for that boy.
- 11:40Don Armstrong: But it's his name is Andrew Chapman.
- 11:42Don Armstrong: But it's not a good thing.
- 11:43Mike Marrs: That was one of the reasons that uh I thought his story was we've talked to some of those young guys, uh one in particular that was already going overseas, still a teenager going overseas, doing really well.
- 11:53Mike Marrs: Family owned a track.
- 11:55Mike Marrs: So I mean there was a lot of support there in that regard.
- 11:58Jeff Dziekan: Networking to begin with.
- 12:00Mike Marrs: Yeah, he's working out of the back of his dad's pickup truck between tracks when he's in the go-kart series.
- 12:05Mike Marrs: So I just thought it was really interesting to see somebody coming up that way.
- 12:09Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, but you brought up the point, Mike, that there's you know, he could get into something in the automotive, a niche for that electrical.
- 12:16Jeff Dziekan: But in any of the racing series we talk about, you've got NHRA, you got NASCAR, you got Indy, like you stated, there are specialties.
- 12:23Jeff Dziekan: You've got a a department or a team of people just for the shocks.
- 12:27Jeff Dziekan: And then you got a team of people and and an NHRA just for the heads or uh suspension and computers.
- 12:34Jeff Dziekan: So each one has its own little department, little niche that he could get into, or no more.
- 12:40Mike Marrs: Absolutely.
- 12:40Mike Marrs: Yeah.
- 12:41Mike Marrs: And then you go look at the the sanctioning bodies like NHRA.
- 12:45Mike Marrs: You know, they've got their tracks, IHRA, Formula One, whoever, NASCAR.
- 12:50Mike Marrs: I mean, they've got a lot of stuff going on there at their tracks.
- 12:53Mike Marrs: It takes a lot of somebody with an engineering degree to kind of set it up and keep it functioning.
- 12:58Mike Marrs: Right.
- 12:58Mike Marrs: Exactly.
- 12:59Don Armstrong: Yeah, well that's yeah, and there's all kinds of aspects.
- 13:02Don Armstrong: Within those uh entities, uh there's always the guy that uh has got to pass your car with an inspection, and he's the inspector.
- 13:10Mike Marrs: The safety guys and yeah.
- 13:12Don Armstrong: Well, not just safety, but the whole overall car.
- 13:14Don Armstrong: You know, has it got the right uh fuel injection system on it?
- 13:18Don Armstrong: Is he trying to cheat with something?
- 13:20Mike Marrs: Yeah, is there any extra fuel in the in the roll bar piping or anything?
- 13:25Mike Marrs: Dang, you found me out.
- 13:27Mike Marrs: That's it.
- 13:27Don Armstrong: Roll bar piping fuel supply.
- 13:29Mike Marrs: Well, there was who was it that did that, Mike?
- 13:31Mike Marrs: You should you he was a drag racer, and I'm trying to remember who it was.
- 13:34Jeff Dziekan: No, I thought it was a NASCAR guy where he had the fuel line from the tank to the carburetor was like an extra 19 feet roped through the car so that when they put gas in it, they filled up the tube and the tank so that it kind of like never ran out of gas because it was like 20 gallons in the tube.
- 13:53Mike Marrs: Exactly.
- 13:54Mike Marrs: I think it was a drag race that actually had it inside the roll cage.
- 13:57Mike Marrs: Oh, that's really safe.
- 13:59Don Armstrong: Yeah, that's real safe there.
- 14:00Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, quarter mile at a time.
- 14:02Jeff Dziekan: Interesting stuff.
- 14:03Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
- 14:03Jeff Dziekan: Well, best of luck to the young man.
- 14:05Don Armstrong: Yeah.
- 14:06Don Armstrong: I'm sorry that we lost him.
- 14:07Mike Marrs: Uh yeah, I got a text back from him that his Wi-Fi suddenly stopped altogether.
- 14:11Jeff Dziekan: Well, there you go.
- 14:12Jeff Dziekan: California.
- 14:13Mike Marrs: California, what can you say?
- 14:16unknown: Yeah, there's that.
- 14:17Don Armstrong: All right.
- 14:17Don Armstrong: Uh, just ahead.
- 14:19Don Armstrong: Jeff's Motor Minute, and I get to review the new redesigned Kia Telluride.
- 14:25Don Armstrong: When the in-wheel time car talk show continues right after this.
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- 16:02Don Armstrong: Thank you for joining us today.
- 16:03Don Armstrong: You're invited to join us every week for a live version of the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show Saturdays, a regular time, 10 to noon central on InWheeltime.com, YouTube, and Facebook.
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- 16:19Don Armstrong: And amazing.
- 16:20Don Armstrong: Yeah.
- 16:21Don Armstrong: So let's do um the let's do the car review first.
- 16:25Don Armstrong: Okay.
- 16:26Don Armstrong: Um I had an opportunity to drive the 2027 Kia Telluride.
- 16:34Don Armstrong: Um available trim levels, the LX, the S, the EX, the SX, SX Prestige, X Line, and X Pro.
- 16:47Don Armstrong: I got to drive the X Pro SX Prestige all-wheel drive.
- 16:54Don Armstrong: So these are basically trim packages, is what they are.
- 16:58Don Armstrong: And they name them different things, and they bundle up all these things within those trim packages, and usually it goes up the ladder to the top line trim called X Pro.
- 17:08Don Armstrong: So there you have it.
- 17:11Don Armstrong: This is considered a standard SUV.
- 17:16Don Armstrong: Seats up to seven passengers, a three-row.
- 17:20Don Armstrong: This is a complete redesign for 2027.
- 17:23Don Armstrong: Sharp looking, blunt nose with a distinct lighting pattern up front, symmetrical wheel well openings with slab sides, rear vertical lighting takes cues from the front lights.
- 17:44Don Armstrong: Kind of good looking, actually.
- 17:47Don Armstrong: I love the beautiful design execution.
- 17:49Don Armstrong: We could use improvement, nothing.
- 17:53Don Armstrong: Overall, it gets high marks for the design of this thing.
- 17:58Don Armstrong: Interior highlights.
- 17:59Don Armstrong: Our top-of-the-line X Pro uh interior trim and seat coverings are top-notch all the way.
- 18:06Don Armstrong: Now there's more leg room in the back seats, thanks to a longer wheelbase with this redesign.
- 18:12Don Armstrong: Dual phone chargers, that was interesting, right up front, up there on the center console, and big in-console cup holders are handy as well.
- 18:23Don Armstrong: Huge instrument and infotainment screen, one of the best that I've used.
- 18:28Don Armstrong: Cargo trunk room is kind of small with a third row up, as you would expect.
- 18:32Don Armstrong: What I liked about it, uh the design is modern, clever, and unique.
- 18:36Don Armstrong: I think that you'll really like it.
- 18:38Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
- 18:39Don Armstrong: We couldn't think of anything.
- 18:41Don Armstrong: If you're in the market for something like this, definitely put it on your list.
- 18:44Don Armstrong: If you're in the market for a suburban, this is something that would be a competitor to that.
- 18:50Don Armstrong: Now here's a hitch that may be uh uh strike against it.
- 18:55Don Armstrong: 2.5 liter turbo four, a four-banger, two hundred and seventy-four horsepower.
- 19:04Don Armstrong: Might be a little low on power for as big as it is and how much weight it hauls.
- 19:08Don Armstrong: Uh torque, 311 pound feet, eight-speed automatic transmission, 5,000 pound tow rating.
- 19:14Don Armstrong: Can't imagine it.
- 19:15Don Armstrong: But 17 miles per gallon in the city, 22 on the highway for a combined of 19.
- 19:20Don Armstrong: I got 22.5 miles per gallon over 467.8 miles.
- 19:26Don Armstrong: Well, can use improvement?
- 19:28Don Armstrong: The transmission downshift is slow uh to meet our needs.
- 19:32Don Armstrong: It needs more revs uh to be able to do that as well.
- 19:35Don Armstrong: So I think that they need to do a little bit more tweaking on the transmission.
- 19:40Don Armstrong: Ride and handling, smooth ride, and despite its size, easy to maneuver in the grocery store parking lot.
- 19:47Don Armstrong: Uh what could use improvement?
- 19:48Don Armstrong: Nothing.
- 19:49Don Armstrong: Uh we didn't uh take it off-road, but the X Pro does have off-road type tires on it and uh the tell you ride height for off-roading, if you're into that sort of thing.
- 20:02Don Armstrong: I don't know anybody.
- 20:04Don Armstrong: I don't know anybody that goes off-roading in their own.
- 20:08Don Armstrong: Uh so base trim price on this trim price now,$56,790.
- 20:13Don Armstrong: Price is tested,$59,580.
- 20:17Don Armstrong: That's pretty expensive.
- 20:18Don Armstrong: But the base model price is$39,190.
- 20:22Don Armstrong: So you can get into one of these things for under$40,000.
- 20:26Don Armstrong: Competitors?
- 20:27Don Armstrong: Hyundai Palisade,$39,435 is where it starts.
- 20:31Jeff Dziekan: I had a question about that.
- 20:32Jeff Dziekan: Go ahead.
- 20:33Don Armstrong: Honda Pilot,$42,500.
- 20:37Don Armstrong: A Honda's always been more expensive than most uh of its competitors.
- 20:40Don Armstrong: And the Mazda CX90 is also a competitor.
- 20:43Don Armstrong: It starts at$38,800.
- 20:46Jeff Dziekan: The the when you said Palisades, I was thinking of the Palisades when I saw the back picture of that vehicle, uh tell you ride Palisades.
- 20:53Jeff Dziekan: To me, they kind of blend together.
- 20:55Jeff Dziekan: And you also stated that it's up against competition of the suburban.
- 20:59Jeff Dziekan: Is it that large?
- 21:00Jeff Dziekan: It says large.
- 21:02Don Armstrong: It it yeah, it is.
- 21:03Don Armstrong: It's it this is a big vehicle, and it's called a standard SUV, which throws it in the same category as a suburban.
- 21:10Don Armstrong: That too is a standard SUV.
- 21:12Don Armstrong: I would think Tahoe, but Suburban is a big, big truck.
- 21:15Don Armstrong: It's big.
- 21:15Don Armstrong: It's uh three rows of seating.
- 21:17Don Armstrong: So that's what this is.
- 21:20Don Armstrong: Well, let's do your motor minute there, sir.
- 21:22Jeff Dziekan: Sure, I've got one.
- 21:22Jeff Dziekan: So have you ever wondered why they drink milk at the end of the Indy 500?
- 21:25Jeff Dziekan: Yes.
- 21:26Jeff Dziekan: Well, Mike was asking the same thing, and I'm here to tell you.
- 21:29Jeff Dziekan: Uh the iconic moment of the Indianapolis 500 winner drinking milk in Victory Lane is a long and colorful history that began in 1936.
- 21:37Jeff Dziekan: Gentleman by the name of Lewis Mayer, then uh a regular buttermilk drinker from his childhood out of Yonkers, New York, won his third Indianapolis 500, becoming the first driver to achieve this three peat.
- 21:48Jeff Dziekan: Exhausted after the 500 miles, he sat up on Victory Lane in the car, raised three fingers on one hand, and a and a bottle of milk in the other, and drank the milk.
- 21:58Jeff Dziekan: The scene was captured at a movie market.
- 22:00Jeff Dziekan: Milestone moment.
- 22:01Jeff Dziekan: And the footage was later seen by the dairy industry executive who requested that milk be made available to every future winner of the Indianapolis 500.
- 22:10Don Armstrong: Well, you know, Wisconsin may be the dairy capital of the world, but they'd also have cows in Indianapolis, too.
- 22:18Jeff Dziekan: In 1936, the moment was unplanned, but it stuck.
- 22:21Jeff Dziekan: Winners of the 1938 and 41, again in 46, with a World War II hiatus drank milk in Victory Lane.
- 22:28Jeff Dziekan: Meyer had repeatedly sipped milk after the 1933 win, but in the 30s they weren't really doing that as a tradition.
- 22:35Jeff Dziekan: But in the 50s, the milk ceremony had become a staple of the Indy 500.
- 22:39Jeff Dziekan: Today it's one of the most recognizable sports traditions, with the Indiana Indiana dairy farmers playing a central role.
- 22:46Jeff Dziekan: Since the 2000s, two Indiana farmers would request either a rookie or a veteran to present the ice-cold bottle of milk to the winning driver.
- 22:55Jeff Dziekan: The drivers polled before the race choose either whole milk, 2%, or skim.
- 23:01Jeff Dziekan: No mention of powdered or breasts.
- 23:03Jeff Dziekan: The tradition has become more of a more than a drink.
- 23:20Jeff Dziekan: Sacrilegious, milk remains a centerpiece of the celebration.
- 23:23Jeff Dziekan: In short, the Indy 500 milk tradition began with a simple personal choice by Lewis Mayer in 1936, was immortalized in a newsreel, and has since grown to a 90-year-old celebration at Indianapolis 500.
- 23:36Jeff Dziekan: Breast milk.
- 23:38Don Armstrong: I didn't let you uh slip by with that.
- 23:40Jeff Dziekan: No, okay.
- 23:40Jeff Dziekan: Just making sure you were listening.
- 23:42Jeff Dziekan: Well, I was.
- 23:42Jeff Dziekan: And I'm going to do some other indie stuff leading up for next week as well.
- 23:45Jeff Dziekan: So big event.
- 23:46Jeff Dziekan: I love Indy.
- 23:47Jeff Dziekan: Indy's fantastic.
- 23:48Jeff Dziekan: I'm taping the qualifying right now.
- 23:50Jeff Dziekan: They ran full practice this morning.
- 23:52Jeff Dziekan: I've been watching it kind of segmented throughout the week, and it's very important.
- 23:54Don Armstrong: You haven't had any wrecks?
- 23:56Jeff Dziekan: Uh a couple spins, but nothing major.
- 23:58Jeff Dziekan: Uh last year the pole winner was at 234, I think.
- 24:02Jeff Dziekan: And yesterday they were clocking about 232, shutting it down because of wind and things like that.
- 24:07Jeff Dziekan: So very, very cool.
- 24:08Don Armstrong: Yeah.
- 24:09Don Armstrong: Well, I noticed that uh somebody ran 240 in one of the straights.
- 24:13Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, and they backed down because they said the car was not where it should be.
- 24:18Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
- 24:19Don Armstrong: Yeah, at 240.
- 24:20Jeff Dziekan: Well, you're coming out of one turn and you're looking down, even if when you're going to the short shoot between one and two or three and four, you can see the flags, and that's what they look up at the flags to see where the wind's blowing.
- 24:29Don Armstrong: Do you ever been to the indie race?
- 24:30Jeff Dziekan: I've not to the race, but I've been to the track, you know, in between races.
- 24:34Jeff Dziekan: Same thing with uh Daytona, but we actually in Miami for the NASCAR race.
- 24:38Jeff Dziekan: But anyways, Indy's fantastic.
- 24:40Jeff Dziekan: I love it.
- 24:41Don Armstrong: I've been a couple of times, and I'll tell you what, that is that is an experience that I'll never forget.
- 24:45Don Armstrong: Great place.
- 24:46Mike Marrs: You've been to the actual race?
- 24:48Don Armstrong: Yes, sir.
- 24:49Don Armstrong: I have.
- 24:50Don Armstrong: Uh sat on the infield uh behind uh the pits, and uh that was interesting in itself.
- 24:58Don Armstrong: Or the paddock.
- 24:59Don Armstrong: The paddock.
- 25:01Don Armstrong: Anyway.
- 25:02Don Armstrong: Story of the week.
- 25:03Don Armstrong: I'm gonna do that now because I want to.
- 25:05Don Armstrong: Era of globalization and free trade expansion is over, and few expect it to return.
- 25:10Don Armstrong: More than a year after the president implemented tariffs at levels not seen in nearly a century, the future of automotive trade remains unclear, industry executives and analysts said.
- 25:19Don Armstrong: North American trade rules are in flux.
- 25:22Don Armstrong: I've kind of touched on this before.
- 25:24Don Armstrong: Major review is scheduled for July.
- 25:26Don Armstrong: Legal challenges to Trump's tariffs continue, and trade deals the U.S.
- 25:30Don Armstrong: struck with some allies appear fragile, to say the least.
- 25:34Don Armstrong: As automakers and suppliers grapple with tens of billions of dollars in annual tariff bills and increased commodities prices, they feel stuck, unable to make long-term decisions about where to invest and what to build and how to source their parts.
- 25:49Don Armstrong: Trump aimed to motivate automakers and suppliers to move production to the U.S.
- 25:53Don Armstrong: by placing 25% tariffs on vehicles and some auto parts.
- 25:56Don Armstrong: Trump has repeatedly pointed to billions of dollars in investment announcements by automakers over the past year as evidence the tariffs are bringing production back to the United States.
- 26:07Don Armstrong: The reality is more complicated.
- 26:08Don Armstrong: Automakers have announced plans to move production of just five models to the U.S.
- 26:12Don Armstrong: from other countries, according to an analysis by Auto Forecast Solutions.
- 26:16Don Armstrong: Stellantis plans to transfer production of the Jeep Compass and Cherokee from Mexico to Illinois in the coming years, while GM plans to move Chevy Trailblazer and Equinox production out of Mexico to plants in Tennessee and Kansas.
- 26:29Don Armstrong: GM also plans to move production of the successor to the Buick Invision crossover from China to Kansas.
- 26:36Don Armstrong: Car manufacturers plan production five to seven years in advance, making it extremely difficult or even impossible for them to move quickly, according to Jennifer Safavian.
- 26:48Don Armstrong: Safavian, CEO of Auto Drive America.
- 26:52Don Armstrong: Can you check me?
- 26:53Don Armstrong: There you go.
- 26:54Don Armstrong: Which represents foreign automakers in the U.S.
- 26:56Don Armstrong: and automotive supply chains are extremely complex, further complicating efforts to move production, she said.
- 27:03Don Armstrong: Automakers with North America and auto production are looking to boost output of vehicles and parts that comply with the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement to reduce their tariff bills.
- 27:13Don Armstrong: USMCA compliant vehicles and parts have received significant carve-outs from auto tariffs, in part because of automaker lobbying.
- 27:22Don Armstrong: Canadian and Mexican vehicles that comply with USMCA rules for reduced tariffs are subject to 25% duties only on the value of a vehicle's non-American content rather than 25% on the full vehicle value.
- 27:35Don Armstrong: U.S.
- 27:36Don Armstrong: MCA faces a mandated review.
- 27:38Don Armstrong: The agreement agrees uh requires the country's representatives to meet July 1st, six-year anniversary of the trade pact taking effect, to decide whether to extend it for another 16 years, and if so, whether it should be amended.
- 27:51Don Armstrong: So that's coming up.
- 27:53Don Armstrong: And of course, once uh they meet and decide, we will have the latest for you here on the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show.
- 28:01Don Armstrong: I was gonna say the radio car talk show, but it's we're not on the radio.
- 28:04Don Armstrong: Stay tuned.
- 28:05Don Armstrong: Yeah.
- 28:05Don Armstrong: Um, which is good and bad.
- 28:07Don Armstrong: Radio's gone down the toilet, but another subject for another day.
- 28:12Don Armstrong: Hey, if you'd like to get in touch with us, send us an email.
- 28:14Don Armstrong: The address here is info at inwheeltime.com.
- 28:17Don Armstrong: We are back right after this quick break.
- 28:19Don Armstrong: Stay with us.
- 28:20Don Armstrong: Your car is a direct reflection of you, so don't be satisfied with color fade or a dingy dull appearance.
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- 28:59Don Armstrong: He's your guy to have your ride looking its best and protected too.
- 29:03Don Armstrong: See this state-of-the-art shop yourself, free tours anytime.
- 29:06Don Armstrong: Gulf Coast Auto Shield is easy to get to, located just south of the Southwest Freeway on the Sam Houston Parkway.
- 29:12Don Armstrong: Gulf Coast Auto Shield, full service luxury car care today and online at gcautoshield.com.
- 29:19Don Armstrong: Gift giving should be meaningful, and we have an idea.
- 29:22Don Armstrong: A hand-painted custom illustration of your car from one of the nation's leading artists.
- 29:27Don Armstrong: Now you can get one or a car show poster customized for you, a friend, or a loved one.
- 29:31Don Armstrong: Bill's sites will be happy to guide you through the process.
- 29:34Don Armstrong: No matter what the day, birthday, anniversary, or any day, an autographics custom illustration adds an extra touch of class to any home.
- 29:42Don Armstrong: Call Bill today, 832-922-0963.
- 29:45Don Armstrong: That's 832-922-0963.
- 29:52Don Armstrong: That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show.
- 29:55Don Armstrong: I'm Don Armstrong, inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and our InWheelTime dot com website.
- 30:05Don Armstrong: Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeart Podcast, Podcast Addict, TuneIn, Pandora, and Amazon Music.
- 30:14Don Armstrong: Keep listening, and we'll see you soon.