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Fantastic Stories With 2023 NASCAR Champ Ryan Blaney · Kenny Wallace Media

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Hello everyone and welcome back to the Kenny Wallace Show,
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brought to you by Jags, the leader in high performance
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aftermarket car parts. Remember to go to jags.com for
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everything and anything you need for your vehicle.
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You you see my smile on my face. I'm smiling because I'm so
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excited that this man right here, Ryan Blaney, won the 2023
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NASCAR Cup championship. And I'm going to tell you why
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I'm smiling in just a minute. But Ryan, welcome in my friend.
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Oh man, Kenny, I appreciate you having me.
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I I love watching all your stuff.
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It's always, always great to see you and it's good to talk to
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you, so it's good. Well, thank you.
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So the reason I'm smiling and I know you will remember this, You
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know I'm not breaking my arm, but I remember, I remember your
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very first we went from the Busch Series to Nationwide, then
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Xfinity. Maybe you would have been in the
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Nationwide, but your very first Nationwide race at Richmond,
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man, I was amazed with your ability.
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It was the first time I watched you race.
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Richmond's my track and you ran 3rd and it shocked the hell out
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of me. So when the race was over, I
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came to your car. Do you remember?
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Oh, yeah, I remember. That was a that was obviously a
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fun night. You know, we were running for
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Tommy Baldwin. You know, Dad was running Cup
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cars for him at the time. Yeah, I remember you coming up
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to me after the race. Yeah.
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Yeah, and you know, so I saw talent before anybody else did.
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And of course, we've had Dale Junior on here just a little bit
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ago and we had fun with him. Dale Junior choosing you to win
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the championship and we went back and forth on it.
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But so you did it right, my friend.
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Let's start like this. You're a hero.
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You win the championship, then you propose to your fiance.
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Tell me about that. That was really fun to watch.
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Player, definitely. A really good November, good
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December, you know, for us in our home.
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And yeah, I mean, I, you know, the proposal, you know, with
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Gianna and I, I planned on doing that for a while, You know, I
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mean, that was the championship or not, right?
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I already had that in my back pocket.
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And yeah I mean obviously just an amazing year for both
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personally and professionally and just couldn't I don't know
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how you top it I I really don't. So hopefully it doesn't go
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downhill from here hopefully it can it can maintain of like a
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good good peak. So it was, yeah it was a it was
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a great end of 23 and looking forward to to 24 this year.
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You know, you're only 30 years old.
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I feel like with somebody your age, you're so young that it it
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will benefit everybody if we just do a little talk about how
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you got to where you are. Because I'm totally shocked that
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and I know you're tired of it, but we all keep saying, did you
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start in dirt racing and you're like, no, don't got anything to
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do with it. Yeah, everyone thinks that.
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Everyone thinks, you know, just because my dad and grandpa, you
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know, that's how I started and I did very little dirt, you know,
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very, very little. And I've maybe I've run a dirt
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modified a couple times. I ran a dirt Sprint car a couple
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times, but I I haven't sat behind the wheel of a Sprint car
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in over 10 years. And it was really just location
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where I grew up, you know, by the time I was old enough to
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start racing, Dad was in the Cup side and we were in North
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Carolina. And especially then, you know,
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there wasn't a lot of dirt options around.
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You know, it was kind of mainly asphalt country in North
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Carolina. And Bobby Labonte built a great
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quarter Midget track in Salisbury, NCQMA and that was
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really close to where I grew up, was high point And you know that
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was a great Ave. for me to get started with Dad, you know, just
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because there was all these great people around.
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And then that led to the past series, the Pro All Star series
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was really big in the Super Late Model side.
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So, yeah, from quarter midgets to running Legend cars and
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Bandoleros to the past series, you know it was it was just a
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lot of opportunities in asphalt and and that's really who dad
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knew at the time, right. He was really into knew
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everybody on the asphalt side. And so that was really the
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reason if I grew up in Ohio, I probably would have did the dirt
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route and I don't know where I would have ended up.
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But yeah, location is, is why? Well, I didn't do much dirt.
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And everyone asked me, like, especially the dirt race at
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Bristol, they're like, oh, you'll be really good.
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You're a dirt guy. I'm like, yeah, I have no idea
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what I'm doing. So it's always fun to bring up.
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And I think people are finally realizing, like, OK, he didn't
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do much dirt. But yeah, that's a big question.
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I would always get asked, you know, a lot, especially early.
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Let's keep the dynamics right where it's at right now.
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So my daughter, Brittany, she's married now to Brody, Pompey.
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But Brittany loves your family. You know, I always say my
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daughter Brittany hangs out with the Blaney's in the boats.
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Your your family, they're a wonderful dynamic.
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Your sisters, your mom, your dad.
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It makes me happy. Every time I see your family.
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It it looks like you really love your sisters and your mom and
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dad looks like you all have a really good thing going on.
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Yeah, you know I was really lucky to you know have a a
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really great family around me and and be close to my family
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and and remain close to them. And like you said, you know I
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have two sisters that were that were amazing when I was you know
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kind of getting going in in racing and still are and still
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support me and and my parents, my mom and dad or obviously dad
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was a huge part of my racing career.
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But I always say like mom I think was the MVP of everything,
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right. I I feel like it gets
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overshadowed sometimes of how much mom sacrificed when they
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have children involved in sporting events and stuff like
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that, of how much running around they do and how much that they,
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you know, push to the side to put their kids first.
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And you know, and she was always amazing at that.
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So really fortunate to have an awesome, you know, family around
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me to where I had a great, you know, support group growing up
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and for them to still support me and and just as much as when I
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was 10 years old, you know, to this day, 20 years later it's
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still still amazing. So I can never thank them enough
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for that. What about Grandpa Lou?
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I like it that you name drop his name every once in a while.
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Is Lou where it all started? Your dad's dad?
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Yeah, yeah, you know, you know, that's really how the racing
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dynamic got started, mainly. You know what's from Lou?
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My grandfather, you know, got my dad into racing, got my uncle
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Dale into racing, you know, and and Lou raced from the 60s all
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the way to the early 2000s and you know, just and and he was
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only a dirt guy. You know, my grandfather never
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really transitioned into asphalt.
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He was a mainly a dirt sprinkler guy, dirt modified guy and just
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really, really successful up in, you know the Ohio, Pennsylvania,
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Indiana area. And you know, unfortunately, you
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know, he got sick when I was pretty young.
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You know, he had Alzheimer's. And you know, I I always think
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back now that you know I'm older.
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It's like man, I I if I could like change one thing was just I
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wish I was older. You know, I got to know him
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before he got sick and before he passed away.
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You know, just because you want to hear old stories and you want
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to hear the the history of your family.
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So whenever I can meet people who they say, oh, I grew up
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watching your grandfather race or I knew your grandfather and
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or hearing old stories from dad and Dale, it's just always great
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And you know, so it's it's really something that I
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appreciate the history of your your family and and where you
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come from and how it all started.
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But yeah, Lou was the the biggest piece and it's led to,
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you know, 3 generations of racers and and hopefully it
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continues, you know, continue that generational, you know,
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racing. And we'll stay right here just a
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little longer. Your your dad, brother, I
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believe. Dale.
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Dale, I know him, of course, haven't seen him in a while.
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But I mean he, he won a big race at Eldora, I believe.
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I believe he's won some really big stuff.
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He's still racing. What?
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What's Dale up to? Yeah, Dale, yeah, I mean, he
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was, you know, he was huge in the All Star series.
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You know, Dale won All Star championships and tons and tons
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of races and was an amazing basketball player too for.
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Those he should be. Yeah, if.
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You're if you're 6/4 and and you're not, you know, doing
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something like that, I don't know.
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But yeah, he went to West Virginia.
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He's in the West Virginia Hall of Fame for basketball and was
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actually drafted by the Lakers back in the 80s.
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I don't know how many people know that.
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But yeah, he's he's still racing a little bit now, you know.
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But his daughter Leah, she has a couple kids now.
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So he's got the grandfather role going on too.
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But I saw him at Christmas. He came over.
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So it's always good to see Dale and you know he kind of bounces
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back and forth from Ohio to North Carolina.
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So yeah, he's had huge success in his racing career and and
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still does it just like my dad races and you can't get it out
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of him. I mean you know that you can't
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you can't stop it and they do what they love and and it's
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great that they still love it as much as they do for as long as
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they've done it. And that's it's just a bug that
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you can't get out of you. I think you just reminded me why
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I asked you about the family dynamics.
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Because maybe 10 years ago all of a sudden we have Dave Blaney.
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Dale Blaney, you Ryan Blaney. We have the two boat sisters.
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Then we had Leah Blaney and I'm like, man, they're coming.
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They're coming out of the woodworks and you're right and
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and Leah has babies now. And so one more thing before we
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go on to your incredible career, always remind everybody.
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You know, I, I, I did my studying.
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But so does your dad still own Sharon Speedway in Sharon.
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OH. Yeah, yeah, he's a part owner.
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He's one of three guys that own it and he's on that that place
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for a long time. But yeah, he still owns it and
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and he runs there a good bit. He's got a handful of Sprint car
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races he does there a year and he's a big part of it.
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Didn't he win a world of outlaw race there two years ago?
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Yeah, two years ago. That was amazing.
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He. And it was, it was super cool.
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And I think he loved it too, because, you know, he was racing
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Sheldon Honshield for the win, right?
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And you know, my dad and Jack raced for a long time together
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in the Outlaw series, and it was cool that dad could run against
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Sheldon and race with him for the win.
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And yeah, for dad to win that Outlaw show at his home track,
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one he owns to do it how he did compete against against the best
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guys and he doesn't run all the time, you know.
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So that's just a huge feat. And we were at Coda for the race
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weekend and I remember I was sitting in the motorhome with it
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was me, Chase Elliott and Bill Elliott were sitting there
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watching and I mean the bus was rocking.
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We were jumping up and down. I mean it was just one of the
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coolest things ever. And that's something I never
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forget. I got his banner from that night
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in my barn. So I always look at it and and
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appreciate it. So that's something he'll never
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forget. And I'll never forget either.
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Well, there's no doubt that you have your, your dad's talent.
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Everybody in the industry says, you know, if if a wheel doesn't
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fall off here a couple of times, you know, your dad had so many
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Cup races won and you know, at the very end something would
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fall off. So I, you know people inside the
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industry, they know that your dad Dave, is a winner, a
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champion and well, let, let's just go right there.
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Let me Herman's got he's getting older nowadays, so let Let's do
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it like I do everybody. Let's remind everybody.
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Now remember you're young, but boy, you've already done it all.
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Ryan Blaney, 30 years old. Ten Cup wins.
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Gosh, that's an an unbelievable 7.
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Xfinity wins, 4 Truck wins. Now let's get to let's get to
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the good stuff. As the song says.
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Let's get to the good part. 2023 Coke 600 winner, That's a big
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one. You got to be strong and you're
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strong. 2022 All Star winner. 2018 Twin 150 winner. 2021 Coke,
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0400 winner at Daytona. So this, this is the part where
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I say, OK, you're only 30 when I read all that stuff.
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Off to you. Where's your brain go?
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What do you think? I wish I could have had more.
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Yeah. I mean, I've been, you know,
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super lucky obviously my whole life and especially in my
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professional career to to have been around great people, right.
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And and you know, and racing, right, you want to surround
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yourself with good people. And and I've been lucky for that
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you know from Tommy Baldwin to The Wood Brothers the Penske
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Brad Kozlowski. I've been really fortunate to
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drive or some amazing owners and and and people that you know
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have been in the race shops and and worked with through my
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career that's given me opportunities I just I can't ask
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for any more you know and and I've been really lucky and and
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it's cool to see it all come full circle you know in 23 and
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for us to you know pull off the championship and yeah just that
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you can't do it without good people around you So I I don't
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take any of the credit. It's all the people you surround
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yourself with, and those are the folks that made it possible.
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I have wrote down here and I need you to help straighten me
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out. It's fun though.
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So when you came into the Cubs series, I think you came in with
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The Wood Brothers. Yes, so I made, I made two
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starts in 2014 with Penske. It was actually, it was in the
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12 car, which was pretty interesting.
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I ran it. Kansas was my first race and I
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ran Talladega. But then in 15/16/17 I ran for
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The Wood Brothers. So I had three years with The
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Wood Brothers and then I went back to the 12 car.
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OK, so was The Wood Brothers basically supported by Penske
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Racing, or was The Wood Brothers all by itself?
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Yes. So when 2015 came around and we
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were going to do a partial schedule, I think we ran like 15
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races that year and Trevor Bayne was in it before me and they had
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a partnership with Roush. And when I when we when the plan
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was for me to jump in that thing, it kind of transitioned
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to being a Penske sister, Carl you know.
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So you know for years we they had a shop in Morrisville, The
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Wood Brothers did, but we ran you know a lot of stuff out of
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the Penske race shop in Morrisville.
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So really full support from the Penske group working with The
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Wood Brothers. So it was a great dynamic of
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kind of combining the two teams and that's still how it's
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operated to this day, you know, from Harrison Burtons running
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it, it's still a Penske, you know, team car, great
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affiliation and I think that makes us even stronger, right.
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If you can add a car like that to the stable of, you know,
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Penske and The Wood Brothers, that's just, that's just huge.
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So yeah, they were. They were along with me every
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step of the way. So here's the point I'm getting
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to It seems that you have the ability to do something maybe,
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you know, Jeff Gordon has done and I don't know any other
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drivers. You have the ability to
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basically drive for one organization, maybe your whole
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career had. Have you ever thought that here
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you are? And you know, of course, my
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brother Rusty drove for Roger. I did some stuff for, you know,
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Rusty started Penske South. So you know, you all are reaping
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the fruits of Rusty's labor. He started Penske S Have you
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ever thought that you might be able to drive for Penske Racing
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your whole NASCAR career? Has that ever?
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You know, I've Mr. Penske and I talk about it, you know, good
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bid and especially when, you know, I resigned with them last
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year, You know, I told him I was like, Can you believe it's been
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10 years since I walked in the building here, You know, and
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it's unbelievable how time flies like that.
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And so, yeah, I mean, I I personally couldn't imagine
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being anywhere else, especially now in my career.
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I just know everyone there very well.
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They've treated me great. You know, The Wood Brothers are
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fantastic. You know, Eddie, Len, Leonard,
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You know, it was amazing to know Glenn.
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You know, they're just a great family and and good people and
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they've always told me even if you're not driving for us
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anymore, you know, you're still part of our family and that's
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just amazing that they have that mindset.
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And so, yeah, I mean, I I would love to drive for Rodger my
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whole career, right? I mean, that's that's what I
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want to do. And fortunately they have kept
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me around long enough that I have the opportunity to do that.
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So hopefully it keeps going. Let's get into last year.
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Here we are already. I got to look at my calendar.
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We get so busy. I'm like, what year is it?
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Yeah, me too. Yeah, 2023, you win the
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championship and and I don't say that lightly, it's it's
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unbelievable, It's a big deal. But I noticed at the end of the
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year, especially when you got to to Martinsville, I'm going to go
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into racer mode right now. Seemed like your car gained a
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lot of really good Ford drive at Martinsville.
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And then I think you know and listen, I'm just saying what I
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see. Then when you went to Phoenix it
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it carried on. So the question at hand is this.
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You were you were right there, but you weren't up here.
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And then but Martinsville, I looked at your car the the ass
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in was sinking man. Killer Ford drive.
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Did your team find something at the end there?
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You know, I definitely think we we did.
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And you know I I look at the whole year of 23 and I thought
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we, you know, people thought that they ran bad all year.
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It's like well, not really like I mean we won the 600 in May,
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heck, I was the points leader after the 600 and then we just
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went through a slump in the summer.
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You know, we just, we just lost a little speed.
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Some teams found something we were playing a little bit of
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catch up and you don't know how this stuff goes.
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I've always, I've always kind of compared Motorsports to just a
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big circle. You know, like some teams will
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be up top and then you're going to, you're going to go to the
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bottom at some point so you're going to struggle for speed and
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then you find it and it's all about finding it at the right
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time. And so we worked really hard in
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the summer when we were struggling, you know, to to
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figure out, hey, we're locked in the playoffs.
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We won the 600, we're lacking speed here.
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Here's where we need to get better and let's just go to
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work. Let's challenge our ourselves to
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be better by the playoffs. And that's what we did.
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I mean, we had a deadline we needed to beat and once this
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playoffs started going, our first round was OK.
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But then once we got into the, you know, second round one
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Talladega and our team was, I always preferred Talladega as
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like the tipping point for our team, Like we were on the verge
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of OK, we're running better. I think we have good speed.
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We just need one good thing to happen to us and then it's like
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full speed ahead. We're going to be dangerous.
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We won Talladega and it was just on, you know, we had a great run
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at Vegas, had a shot to win. Homestead ran up towards the
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front because a mile and a half we struggled at and when we
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found speed at the mile and 1/2, it was a huge confidence boost
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for us. It's like, all right, we found
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the location and the spots where we need to get our cars faster
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and let's let's really use that and run with it.
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So I thought we, we did a great job of working through the hard
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times and not getting down on ourselves, just doing the work
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and figuring it out. And it benefited us.
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When the playoffs started and once we went Talladega, it was
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we were dangerous and I knew it. And the things we found, you
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know, through the summer and what we worked on for the fall
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really applied and we were able to keep you know all the
20:03
momentum in the world and and be great, you know when it counted
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and we're able to capitalize on it.
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As I listen to you intently, I think of Bill Elliott.
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Bill Elliott would talk to me and as you said, you're friends
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with Chase and you all were in the motorhome.
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But Bill said to me one time he taught me this.
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He said Herman. He said this racing is all about
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timing and circumstances and you know, great teams peak at the
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right, right time. But I I can't help to think.
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You're only 30. You are racing in the highest
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form of Motorsports in America and and I got lost in that.
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I I forgot about that. Do do you ever think that you
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are racing against the world's greatest race car drivers?
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The the best race car drivers, Ryan, they find their way to the
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Cup Series. You're racing against Kyle
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Larson. Christopher Bell.
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Do you ever. Do you ever think yourself,
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Damn, I'm in the I'm in the largest form of Motorsports
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there is in America, and I'm the champion.
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Yeah, you know, I feel like it's, it's easy to get lost in
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it every now and then, you know, because you do it all the time,
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right? Like you, you know, I've been in
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the Cup Series for seven years, something like that.
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And it's easy to get lost in it, right of of taking a step back
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and realizing, man, I'm I'm really lucky and fortunate to be
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competing at the top level. Especially living in Charlotte.
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Yeah, Yeah. And and like, I get to go out
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each weekend, compete against the best racers in America.
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And I feel like when times are hard and you're not running
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well, you have to take a step back and look at that and
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appreciate it because you can get down, You can get
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frustrated, you know when things aren't going well, but you have
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to take a step back and appreciate it.
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Like, OK, we can do this. We're here for a reason.
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Let's figure it out. You know, so I feel like I did
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that in the summer. I was like, you know, I was
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frustrated a little bit. We weren't running good.
22:04
But then you kind of take a look at the big picture.
22:07
It's like, all right, it's pretty special.
22:09
We're here. Let's make the most of this, you
22:12
know. But it is easy to lose track of
22:13
like that. Thought of how lucky you are to
22:16
be competing against the best groups of men and women in the
22:19
world and and especially in America And to go out and, you
22:23
know, just run with them week in and week out is is great.
22:25
And let alone compete with them for wins and championships, is
22:28
is is pretty special too. I was my own worst enemy.
22:33
As you know, I lived down in Charlotte for 27 years and it
22:36
wasn't until, like right around now.
22:38
Now I'm 60 and I look back and I said, man, I was so damn hard on
22:43
myself. That leads me to this.
22:46
Penske Racing is such an incredible organization, well
22:51
oiled machine. Is there anybody in Penske
22:54
Racing to talk to? I mean I understand that we're
22:59
all tough guys, you know, but you know there's sports therapy,
23:03
you, you all work out, you're in the SIM.
23:06
You know there's all this new technology.
23:07
Do do you drivers at Penske, all of you, even on the IndyCar
23:13
side, do they have a sports psychologist or, you know, I
23:18
mean I hear you're you're one of your best friends.
23:20
You know Bubba Wallace, he talks about that or do you are you
23:25
just that strong? You don't need anybody.
23:28
No, I I I think everyone kind of uses someone different, right.
23:33
There is a great guy that we use that I personally used
23:36
throughout the years and he those people really help you
23:40
out. You know, I I feel like I think
23:42
that's important, you know? Somebody to talk to.
23:44
Yeah, you know and and good or bad, you know, and me and you
23:49
know this guy I talked to. You know, I, I always point out
23:54
of the bad, right? Because it's how do you work on
23:56
it? Right.
23:56
How do you work on the bad? You can talk about the good
23:58
stuff all day long. Great.
23:59
You're doing good in this area. In this area.
24:00
But it's like, all right, here's where I struggle, and he's
24:04
here's where he sees that I struggle and he thinks I can do
24:06
better. And it's like, all right, well,
24:07
let's go to work on those. And sometimes that's not fun,
24:10
right? It's not fun pointing out things
24:12
you don't do well. But it's like if you don't
24:15
address those things, you're going to continue to do those
24:17
things poorly. So he's been amazing.
24:20
His name's Jeremy who you know has really helped me out.
24:24
You know he sits down with me and then Jonathan Hasser, my
24:26
crew chief. You know you know a good bit and
24:29
just just talk it out and and it's it's good.
24:32
It just gets you in a different mindset, you know.
24:34
And I think it's healthy. It's healthy especially if
24:37
you're in a a grueling sport to where you're on go all the time
24:43
and it can get the ups and downs and your emotions are
24:46
everywhere. Like it's.
24:47
And I also think it's easier as you get older to like accept
24:50
those things and not be as hard on yourself, get a little more
24:53
mature. But yeah, I think that stuff's
24:55
important to do, and I think everyone kind of has their own
24:58
guy or somebody like that to who helps them out along the way.
25:03
I think they've been around for years and I think they've been
25:05
hidden. I don't think anybody's ever
25:07
talked about them. I came up in an era where, you
25:12
know, Dale Senior was a badass and Rusty was and they were all
25:15
trying to show their strength. And Jimmy Spencer once said to
25:19
me, he said I could have never been as good as Rusty and Senior
25:23
because they were stronger mentally.
25:26
And you know, I did some TV with Spencer and I looked at him and
25:30
I thought, you know, he he's right.
25:32
And I never thought I would hear that come out of a tough guy
25:35
like Spencer. But he said Dale Senior and
25:39
Rusty were just mentally stronger.
25:41
You could never break them. They were like boulders.
25:43
And I want to thank you for just sharing that because I mean, I
25:47
hear all the drivers talk about it and I wish I would have had
25:52
somebody like that that I could have talked to.
25:55
Yeah. And I think everyone's
25:56
different, right? Like Dale and Rusty, those those
26:00
folks who can do that, they're a different breed of people.
26:02
Oh yeah. You know, I like and some brutal
26:05
like that. You know and and some people
26:07
have that mentality who can just man, they're they're just
26:09
mentally tougher than everybody else and and even nowadays, you
26:13
know all the Cup guys now I think there are a couple who are
26:15
just mentally tougher than everybody else.
26:18
But you just have that, you know that's just personalities and
26:21
everyone's mentals a little bit differently than someone else's.
26:23
But yeah, I mean you you, you watch Dale and Rusty like you
26:27
can't get in those guys heads, right.
26:28
I mean, they would get into your head and it's just an advantage
26:31
that they had and it's just with their demeanor of how they went
26:33
about, you know, their sport and it obviously benefited them very
26:37
well throughout their throughout their careers.
26:39
I'm laughing because my response to what you just said is I
26:42
remember myself in Dover. I'm looking in the mirror and I
26:45
could see that black #3 coming soon as he got them.
26:47
I just pulled over later and go, yeah, because he only gave you
26:51
like a straight away, you know, there was none of this what I
26:54
was going to pull over and one more laugh, you know, he just,
26:58
he he he taught us that. And I tell people, I said,
27:00
listen, Earnhardt was the man I said, but it got easier on him
27:04
because he taught us off. You don't pull over, he going to
27:07
wreck you. Right, right.
27:09
Exactly. So here you are, the 2023 NASCAR
27:16
champion. You are the most incredible,
27:19
dynamic, perfect demographic. You're a good looking man.
27:23
You're 30 years old and NASCAR has just got to be salivating.
27:28
They got to be going Oh my God, Oh my God, this is it Now it
27:32
it's out in public. They realize they're playing
27:35
catch up. They built this building across
27:39
from the Concord Regional Airport.
27:42
I've been on them. I talked to Ben Kennedy down in
27:46
in Key Largo. We were both down there about a
27:48
month ago, he said. Herman, I like your show and
27:51
that made me happy. But the next thing is, is OK,
27:55
when are you going to start putting these drivers faces out
27:59
there? So I feel like you're the
28:01
marquee guy now. NASCAR has announced we're going
28:05
to put these drivers faces out there because we can't get the
28:08
sponsors to do it very much, although I did see Menard use
28:12
you in a commercial. So where is NASCAR right now
28:18
developing you as the 2023 NASCAR champion?
28:22
Are they using you? Yeah, You know, I feel like
28:24
they've been doing a good job, you know, and especially
28:28
recently, I feel like they've made a bigger commitment to
28:31
doing that right. And and that's great.
28:33
I mean, that comes from Ben, that comes from Steve Phelps.
28:36
I think it comes from a lot of different people who who want to
28:39
push these drivers and it's, it's the right time to do it
28:42
right. I mean, what a perfect time.
28:44
I mean we they just signed a new TV contract.
28:46
You're bringing in you know a couple different partners on the
28:50
TV side and streaming side. So they've done a great job.
28:53
We have a lot of stuff planned soon this year for me that I'm
28:57
really excited about. Can't talk about it right now,
28:59
but I'm, I'm excited about it. So yeah, I think they've done a
29:02
good job and I've always been somebody who's always been open
29:05
to doing it. You know, I've I've wanted to do
29:07
this stuff because it's all it's pushing the sport, but it's also
29:11
helping you out, you know, it's getting your face out there.
29:12
It's a win, win for everybody. Like you know, I've never
29:15
understood the people who don't want to do anything and and
29:19
maybe OK, I can understand maybe it's just that your personality
29:21
and and whatever. But I've just always been
29:24
somebody who's been open to this stuff and wanting to do it.
29:26
And don't get me wrong, I'll say no to a lot of stuff but you
29:30
have to say yes to a good amount of things that they come up with
29:33
because that's how working together, you know, goes right.
29:37
OK. Yes, I'll do this.
29:39
You know, it's going to help the sport and it's also going to
29:41
help me and let's, you know, continue to grow together
29:44
because I want to be in this sport for a long time and if the
29:46
sport's healthy, I'm going to be happy too, right.
29:48
You don't want to be, you know, you don't want the sport to not
29:51
do well and then you're involved in it, right.
29:53
You want everything to operate well and it to grow and be big
29:56
and reach different audiences. So they have some great things
29:59
in the pipeline for me and I definitely want to do all the
30:02
stuff that they want because you know, yeah, you're representing
30:04
the sport this year as the champion of the previous year
30:07
and and I think it's it's part of your duty to to do that
30:10
stuff. Dale Earnhardt Junior bragged on
30:13
you about what you just said. He noticed that you were like
30:18
that early flying out to California doing some sitcoms.
30:23
Now, on the other hand, I don't want to say the name or names,
30:28
but I have watched the drivers lose their ride and they're in
30:32
the cab, bird seat, cup drivers kept saying no to golf
30:36
tournaments for their sponsors and they lost their ride.
30:41
I like what you're doing and like golf, OK, you look at golf,
30:45
you know, it's all about etiquette and GG is about
30:48
history and promoting the sport. And you know, it gave golf,
30:53
gave, you know, Tiger Woods so much.
30:56
But yet there he is with his son.
30:58
So I like it that you think that way because look at what NASCAR
31:04
has given us. Did you learn that from anybody
31:08
or did you just did anybody talk to you?
31:12
I think I was. I was fortunate at a young age
31:15
to be around Dad when he was part of the sport.
31:17
You know, I grew up around it. I watched all this stuff.
31:21
I watched, you know, I was lucky to see a lot of things as a
31:25
young kid because Dad was in it. Like I got to see how race shops
31:28
operated. I got to see how race weekends
31:30
kind of operated and flowed. I got to see all the outside
31:33
stuff from it, you know, sponsorship stuff, you know,
31:37
opportunities that you know, sponsors or NASCAR is willing to
31:40
give drivers or drivers that go out and push for this stuff,
31:44
right. So I think I just had an
31:46
appreciation for it as a young kid and it's really weird
31:49
because I've always been kind of a shelled personality and it
31:52
took me a while to kind of get out and and be comfortable doing
31:55
this stuff. But yeah, I think it was a lot
31:58
of just growing up around it and and understanding it.
32:00
And so I think that was just kind of mentally embedded in me
32:05
when I was a kid. So obviously I'm off centered,
32:10
but I'm all there and you're everybody that hangs around you
32:14
tells me you're witty, you're fun.
32:17
We see the pictures of you dressing up for Halloween.
32:21
I mean, so you're you're, you're there to have fun.
32:25
Yeah, yeah, you know, I try to. You have a good time and I've
32:27
always like people ask me, you know, I feel like it's important
32:31
to turn it on and off. You have to, you have to know
32:34
when to do that, right. You have to have fun with
32:36
everything. But it's also there's also
32:37
serious time right to where you're doing your job and right.
32:41
So it's it's able, it's being able to flip a switch, right.
32:44
And I think that's really important now, you know, because
32:47
all the even at track, like before we get in the race car to
32:50
go race, all right. Here is my sponsor and partner
32:55
shaking hands face and you have fun with those people and you
32:58
show them a good time. But as soon as you're on pit Rd.
33:00
ready to go, National Anthem goes.
33:02
I mean you flip a switch, right. It's compete mode now and I
33:05
think that's just part of it. You know that's that's how you
33:07
do it. And at least that's how I've
33:09
I've always just kind of looked at it, being able to turn it on
33:12
and off and know what what your role is, at what point, right.
33:15
So you can't be funny and all the time you know and and
33:19
whimsical all the time. You have to know when it's time
33:20
to get serious when you're doing your job.
33:22
But yeah, at other times you got to be relaxed and and have fun,
33:26
so. I I drove for Felix Sabatas and
33:30
he told me he was trying to find his karaoke records because him
33:34
and Rodger Penske, you know, 20 years ago, they'd they'd go on
33:39
their yacht and they'd get out in the middle of the ocean and
33:41
they'd have a good time and they'd send karaoke.
33:44
And I said, Rodger, So you're right.
33:48
You know it. It, it gets very intense and I
33:51
like that. So January 30th, now this is,
33:55
this is one or two days old what I'm going to ask you about
34:00
Netflix. Now let me say this, when you
34:04
were a kid, a baby, I did NASCAR 360 and it was incredible.
34:12
And when they stopped that, well, first of all, I was like,
34:16
you know, Kenny Wallace and you do this.
34:19
And then after I did NASCAR 360, I was getting Cheers like I was
34:23
Dale Junior with this January 30th release of Netflix.
34:29
Now you know, and Dale Junior says on Twitter yesterday that
34:33
he likes that there they really went inside.
34:37
Number one, are you are you part of this?
34:39
And what do you think of it? Yeah, a big part of it Good.
34:43
There was, I think there was a handful of drivers that they
34:45
really followed in their personal life, too.
34:49
It was like me and Chastain and Denny and a couple other guys, I
34:54
think. And they followed us around.
34:55
I mean, yeah, Gian and I, they came to our house a few times,
34:59
you know, on camera and just kind of what's your, what's your
35:02
week? Like, you know, what are you
35:03
doing? A lot of behind the scenes
35:04
stuff. And and I was pretty open to
35:06
him, you know, like, OK, yeah, come on in film, you know,
35:09
because I was trying to look at the big picture of like, all
35:12
right, how is this going to look when they put it out?
35:14
Because it's a big opportunity you know a Netflix crew coming
35:16
in there obviously everyone knows how big Netflix is, right?
35:20
And you know I thought it was a cool inside look at the sport at
35:26
track away from track to behind the scenes things and I think it
35:30
just it can reach a broad audience and I'm looking I I I
35:33
think it's going to be great obviously it's it's great being
35:36
the champion of that show that's going to be even better.
35:40
But yeah just some of the behind the scenes stuff there they did
35:42
that they're going to put out there.
35:45
I I can't wait for everyone to see it.
35:47
And I I definitely, I don't normally watch shows that I'm in
35:51
just because that's just, I don't want to watch myself.
35:53
But I'm probably going to have to tune in on this one because I
35:56
think it is going to be really unique and I'm excited for what
35:58
people think about it. I really feel like NASCAR is
36:03
getting it right right now. You know, there's an old saying
36:06
it. It's hard to win them all.
36:08
And you know, I've talked with Steve Phelps, I've shared my
36:12
feelings with him and and I feel like back in the day we we
36:17
relied on the brand, Winston, we relied on our sponsors to do all
36:23
this and now we find NASCAR themselves having to do some of
36:29
this legwork. I feel like when the fans watch
36:35
this Netflix, you know these specials that they're going to
36:40
be able to, you know love the sport more.
36:43
I I'm looking for fans to love NASCAR more after they watch
36:48
Netflix. What what do you think that how
36:51
the fans will react? I I hope they enjoy it.
36:54
I I think it's going to give a great insight of it.
36:56
You know, I and like you said at the start of that statement was
37:01
you know NASCAR is doing it right and I think they are right
37:04
now they're pushing really hard of of growth and NASCAR is that
37:10
what they've been doing a great job.
37:12
I've even seen it from the start of my Cup career, how they've
37:14
been progressing to the hikes that they're at now And it just
37:19
it it grinds my gears a little bit when people just say oh, the
37:22
sport's just going downhill, it's going downhill.
37:24
Like what? What are you talking about?
37:26
It's going uphill. It's it's just it's rapidly
37:30
going uphill and in A and in the negative world that we live in I
37:34
guess you're going to have that all the time.
37:36
But I think they're doing a great job and and I feel like
37:40
that's NASCAR's job right. You have to push your athletes
37:43
right. I think that's any league or you
37:47
know association you know NBANFLMLB that's your job to
37:51
push your athletes and promote them right like the teams and
37:53
sponsors right. They have their role too but as
37:56
a far as like getting all of your drivers out there as a
37:59
whole that is the organization's role right And and in this case
38:04
it's NASCAR and they've taken on the challenge and they've done a
38:06
good job and I'm excited to see the heights that it's going to
38:08
continue to grow to. So it's it's been, I've been
38:12
really fortunate to be a part of it at a great time to where it's
38:15
really on a great rise right now and you can you hope you can do
38:19
what you can to help that out. I'm thinking to myself how lucky
38:25
and excited I am to interview have this conversation with you.
38:29
Because somewhere in me I feel like I think this is the first
38:33
time I've interviewed a 30 year old NASCAR club champion.
38:38
And I'm thinking to myself, how old was Ryan when we didn't have
38:43
social media? And here's where I'm going with
38:47
this and I want you to respond. People are at the race tracks
38:51
right now, let's say Phoenix, with that awesome infield area
38:56
where the fans are drinking, they're hooting and hollering,
38:59
they're having the time of their life and then somebody gets on
39:02
social media and says I don't like NASCAR, this race is
39:07
boring. In the meanwhile, the people
39:09
that are at the racetrack are having the the time of their
39:12
life. So in my day we hardly had
39:17
social media and I feel like you're the first driver champion
39:21
to maybe, you know, get this success and see this.
39:25
What is your thought about what I just said?
39:29
Yeah, you know what? The social media world, I've
39:32
always said there's social media can be amazing, but social media
39:37
can be very, very bad as well for multiple reasons, right?
39:43
But I feel like the people who I see on on the Internet who were
39:47
like this is boring, yadda yadda.
39:50
They've come to get in your race car.
39:52
They've never. Been to a race before in their
39:53
life, I don't think I I don't think I mean, I really don't and
39:57
or they're just a negative person and they like complaining
39:59
about everything. So I you know, you have to go
40:03
and experience this stuff and nowadays it's not just a race
40:08
anymore. There is so much, so many things
40:10
to do throughout the weekend. If you come to the race from
40:13
Friday to Sunday, there's things going on.
40:15
There's racing on track, there's practice, there's concerts going
40:18
on. There's places you can take your
40:20
kids and go have fun. Like you just mentioned, the new
40:23
Phoenix infield is amazing and everyone's doing, you know,
40:26
Talladega just put in a couple years ago of the brand new
40:30
entertainment space in the garage area.
40:32
Richmond did the same thing, you know.
40:34
And so you're seeing this. Atlanta's working on it right
40:37
now, you know. So there's a there's a part you
40:39
have to you're making it an experience, not only a race.
40:42
And I feel like that's what makes people more excited to go
40:46
to these events and and that's what, that's what every sport I
40:48
feel like nowadays, every sport, every ballpark stadium in
40:52
America, they're building towns around the ballparks for things
40:58
for people to do before you go to the game or after.
41:00
The game. Yeah, you know it.
41:02
And that's that's good. That's fun.
41:04
It makes it even even better experience, I think.
41:07
Staying right in line with that Marcus Smith, he owns SMI
41:13
Speedway Motorsports Incorporated, which will remind
41:16
the fans that SMI, which is Marcus Smith, he owns Bristol,
41:20
Charlotte, you know, runs the Coder race, owns the Texas Motor
41:24
Speedway on and on. He calls me about a year ago and
41:30
said, Herman, I want you to file that NASCAR race day deal back
41:34
up. But we're not going to use any
41:35
TV. And so we've done it and it's,
41:39
it's been an incredible hit. You were there at something we
41:45
were trying at at Texas, we had you in the infield and we did
41:50
something new there. But Bristol's Bristol and all
41:55
these other tracks, it's, you know, we got 5000 people out
41:57
there. What do you think about Marcus
42:01
bringing the legendary show back without national TV?
42:05
But you see the the fans get their cars parked and they come
42:09
listen to you. You're You're the one that makes
42:11
it popular. Yeah, you know, I think Marcus
42:14
has done a great job of, you know, of doing things at the
42:19
race tracks that he owns. You know, whether it's, you
42:23
know, throwing dirt on Bristol, the Rovel, right.
42:26
I mean those are competition sides.
42:28
But like the, you know, like you said, the stage and fan
42:31
experiences, you know, it's where you have drivers up there
42:34
talking, you know, you you up there as well.
42:36
You know, I forget who else was up there with us in Texas, but
42:39
John? Roberts.
42:40
Yeah, yeah. And.
42:41
And I feel like it's, it's great, you know, it gives fans
42:44
access to talking to these people and it just shows them,
42:48
hey, and this was like it was on race day, right?
42:50
Like it was. I was impressed.
42:51
So it was like, you know? Hey, I'm about to get in the car
42:54
in a few hours and you're asking me about the race.
42:57
What do I think of it? What can fans expect?
42:59
You know, it's just a good little insight of of what to
43:02
look forward to, you know, for the next couple hours and and
43:06
understanding what the driver's mindset is before we jump in
43:10
these cars. Because everyone's a little
43:11
different, but it's just those little tiny pieces that people
43:15
who aren't immediately involved in the sport, like, not on a
43:18
race team or things like that, they get to know, you know, OK,
43:21
I wonder how they do this? How do they prepare themselves?
43:24
It's fun to to give that information out to people.
43:27
These fans are coming to the race tracks now.
43:31
They can listen to you before the race.
43:33
Chase, Elliott, all these drivers, so much to do.
43:37
Well, as we kind of come to the end here, it's like we're
43:40
starting all over again. We've been going for almost an
43:44
hour already and here we are 2024 and you are getting ready
43:49
to head out to the LA Coliseum, celebrate three years of racing
43:54
inside the LA Coliseum. I believe the the NASCAR Mexican
43:59
series is going to race with you all separately.
44:04
What are you looking forward to as the year gets ready to fire
44:09
off here within weeks? Yeah, it's it's here before you
44:13
know it. You know, I feel like just
44:14
yesterday we were wrapping up Phoenix and things like that and
44:19
boom, you know we head to LA here in a few weeks.
44:21
And yeah, I mean I'm excited to go back to Lai think people have
44:24
really enjoyed that. It's great that the the NASCAR
44:26
Mexico series is going to be out there with us competing.
44:30
I think that's that's going to be really, really great.
44:33
Yeah. I mean there's a lot of lot of
44:35
cool things I've I'm excited for this year.
44:39
You know I feel like this the schedule has been laid out in a
44:44
way to where it's it's been pretty unique.
44:48
Yeah. Bristol's a lot later.
44:50
The playoffs are they are some different races in there.
44:53
You know 2 super speedways in the playoffs.
44:56
I call Atlanta super Speedway because it is now that's a
44:58
little different that's going to be a little interesting.
45:01
But yeah, I think it's. I don't know I'm just looking
45:03
forward to defending our title. I mean that's that's like the
45:06
biggest thing. Trying to get three in a row for
45:07
Penske is going to be fantastic. Yeah.
45:11
So that's so, you know we had the rare opportunity to do that.
45:13
So I know we're going to be trying hard at our group.
45:16
But yeah, just just trying to get everything back going.
45:18
I'm excited to, you know, we don't test anymore and really
45:21
that much in the offseason. I did the Phoenix test about a
45:23
month ago, but I miss, I miss the sounds of the racetrack, I
45:29
miss the smells, you know, and you just miss strapping into
45:32
your race car. So all that stuff I enjoy like a
45:35
month of offseason and then I get antsy, man, I I get ready to
45:39
go and and I just want to go compete again.
45:42
So yeah, I'll be here before you know it, that's for sure.
45:45
I I didn't think I'd ever talk about this, but you bring up
45:47
something really good and making you see my smile, that rubber
45:52
smell that we smelt our whole lives, the brakes burning.
45:56
Yeah, that that's kind of cool, ain't it?
45:58
It was. It was.
45:59
It's been my favorite smell ever since I was a kid.
46:02
It's it's a it's a smell. You can't.
46:04
You can't replicate No. You know, I remember that TV ad
46:09
with the Cologne, the burnt rubber with good oh.
46:12
Yeah. Oh, yeah.
46:13
Yeah. Yeah.
46:14
I wish they would have actually made that Cologne and captured
46:16
that smell. I really wish I would wear it
46:18
all day. And that smell?
46:20
Yeah, I thought it could be great.
46:22
That might be a good million dollar idea.
46:24
We should come up, try to find that smell and and sell it as a
46:27
Cologne or even a perfume. I think would be would be nice.
46:30
But yeah, I just That's a smell that all racers love, you know,
46:33
and and they can't get enough of it.
46:34
And it's easy to miss, that's for sure.
46:37
Well, Ryan Blaney, you you're incredible.
46:40
Congratulations, 30 years old, won the 2023 NASCAR
46:46
championship. Got engaged, The sun is shining.
46:51
You need sunglasses, right? Because there's the cliche says
46:54
your your future is so bright, you got to wear shades and
46:58
listen everybody, we're in podcast form now and you can
47:03
listen to Ryan on your way to work.
47:06
And it's so long that you turn it right back on and listen to
47:10
it when you go home. You can find this Spotify
47:13
iTunes. And Charlie says we're really
47:17
showing up now on podcast. So Ryan, thank you so much.
47:21
Of course that's I was excited when he texted me asking me to
47:24
come on because I I love, I loved all your stuff on Twitter,
47:29
you know your videos after races and stuff.
47:31
I I, I watched Larson's interview with you on this, you
47:33
know, So I was, I was super happy you asked me.
47:35
So thank you. Hopefully we can do it again
47:37
sometime. Hey, hold on.
47:39
OK, the the show's over. But now you just you just did
47:42
something. I got to get your comment.
47:45
Please comment on Kyle Larson. Just cannot get enough of
47:50
racing. I love it.
47:52
Oh, man, he's going to do the double.
47:54
Yeah. So he's going to run the Indy
47:58
500, then he's going to run the Coke 600.
48:00
And here we are early in the winter and he's running veto.
48:04
And he's on a plane and he's over to the Chili Bowl.
48:06
This This guy's incredible. I mean, he's a, he's an animal,
48:12
you know? I mean, it's unbelievable.
48:14
It's unbelievable. I mean, I think everyone will
48:17
agree that I think he is arguably, if not the best racer
48:22
out there right now. I mean the most well-rounded
48:24
guy. I mean who else can go jump from
48:26
a Cup car, win races, go jump in a Midget, go win races, compete
48:30
at the Chili Bowl, go jump in a 410 Sprint car and win races.
48:33
The guy is unbelievable. His talent is endless.
48:35
It was tons of fun racing in for the championship because I have,
48:38
I have so much respect for Kyle. I mean how can he not for what
48:40
he does And he's a good guy too so I couldn't do that
48:44
personally. I mean, that's another gear that
48:46
he has and and you want to look at somebody who loves racing,
48:49
You got to look at Kyle Larson. So yeah, I'm excited.
48:52
I just saw he was, yeah, going to the Chili Bowl because I
48:54
thought he wasn't going to run it.
48:55
And then he couldn't take it. He couldn't take.
48:57
It couldn't take it, so I'm going to be watching, that's for
49:00
sure. And it's going to be a good one,
49:03
yeah. All right everybody, we'll leave
49:05
it right there. And remember, the Kenny
49:06
conversation just keeps on rolling.
49:09
Until next time, see y'all later.
49:12
See you.