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IndyCar Silly Season: Surprises and Predictions for the Final Races · Fast Cars Fast Girls

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Welcome to Fast Cars, Fast Girls. I'm your host, Abby Meyer,
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with my co-host, Mike Dow. How are you, Mike? Doing great. Doing great.
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So glad we finally, you know, it's been, I guess, maybe because the summer's
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gone by so fast that, you know, we haven't recorded in a while,
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but it's good to be back doing it again.
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It is. It is. Yeah, it's been a very busy summer. Yeah, I'd say you and I were just talking.
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There's been a lot of change for both of us. So a lot going on.
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Yeah. Yeah, yeah, for sure.
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Yeah, but there's going to be a lot going on with Digicar as well.
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So let's just dive right in. Silly season has started early.
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David Maloukis has had three different feats this season. Yeah.
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Yeah. So he's with Meyers Fing right now, which I absolutely love.
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But it's already been announced he's going to Asian Port Racing this year.
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That sounds really interesting, actually. Actually, I think it goes to show
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a couple things that, you know, he's ready to seriously contend at the Indy 500.
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But beyond that, I'm just not sure. And I know that Farushi's had a decent season
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with them and everything like that.
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But I don't know if he's, I know Meyer Schenck and I mean, Nathan Brown reported on this today.
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I mean, they did not extend him an offer. I don't know if they were going to
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before the Foyt stuff showed up.
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But it's really interesting that is he going there a la Kyle Kirkwood from a
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couple of years ago just to stay in the series and keep running races and see
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how everything, you know, plays out over the next couple of years.
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So and plus, I mean, all of a sudden, you know, the shop's going to go from two cars to three.
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And where does that leave, you know, everybody else?
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So just to me, a really interesting move on his part. But then again,
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I think it's really important to stay in the series because look at what happens to drivers who...
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You know, without a ride, even for a season or so, and how they just kind of
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get spit out the back, so to speak, because, you know, there's more,
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there's more drivers than seats, but, you know, you look at a guy like Alvin Lassiter.
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You take a look around the GA seating at pretty much any race on,
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you know, at the first practice, and you will find sections of litter for Pini Kelly drivers.
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Yeah, yeah. You look at guys, you know, they are open.
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You know, they're with the helmet hoping that somebody needs somebody to fill
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in. Yeah. I mean, you look at a guy like Oliver Askew and, you know, people like that.
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Ah, he got a radio. I love Oliver Askew. Yeah. Yeah, I do, too.
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And I think he's a great driver.
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But, yeah, he just sort of got in. And even if you want to go like a real veteran,
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I mean, you know, Hinch loves TV and he's very, very good at it.
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And I don't know if he has a desire to be in a car, but he's still in his mid
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30s. And it's just surprising that it's been three or four years since he's
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gotten an opportunity. And maybe he feels like that time is past.
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But it was interesting how quickly that timeline got sped up when he didn't have a full time seat.
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Yes. You know, so, yeah, I think it's smart to stay in the series and to keep driving.
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And maybe that's and I'm sure
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he's he's bringing you know his own funding and everything
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like that so in that sense it is a smart
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move but it's just kind of you know it seems like the top couple three teams
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are pretty solidly locked in for a while so I don't know you know I've I've
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heard and I don't understand people saying this that you know with the Penske
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alliance with Foyt that oh oh,
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he's just, they're farming him out so he can take Will Power's seat.
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And it's like, look, I love the guy. I think he does have talent,
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but it's a long way between... He's like strength.
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Yeah, it's a long way between being David Malukas and filling in Will Power's seat.
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And plus, I don't think Will's gonna be done anytime soon.
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So I'm not sure where they really get that. And plus, I think if...
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Yeah, I think Penske is going to go. First of all, I don't know when the last
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time Penske brought in a driver who had never won a race before,
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you know, or never won a championship before or brought in some sort of resume.
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Amaze so i think if the day ever does come
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that that will steps away i could
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see them just staying with two cars if there's not
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massively good you know just if there's somebody just a massively good driver
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that is going to get another opportunity but i just don't see them going with
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a really untested driver to to fill in that seat so anyway no i can't see that either i mean Yeah,
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I don't see that happening at Ganassi or, you know, when they think driver,
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let's use the calculator.
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Yeah, and even if you... Not a lot left to chance.
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Right, and even if you look at the seats that were filled this year and have
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seen some turnover, I mean, I don't, you know, I think Leah Sundquist has really surprised this year.
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I think, you know, he's pretty, pretty much solidified his seat with,
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with Ganassi and, and, you know, just the way things are working out with Andretti focusing on just,
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you know, three good drivers and not bringing in pay drivers and all that kind of stuff.
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And I think in that big three, big four, it's just going to be really difficult
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to, you know, crack that for the next few years.
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You're really almost going to have to wait till either somebody A,
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can't bring money to the table or B.
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You know, isn't getting the job done or, well, it's at another one that somebody
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retires or somebody goes to another series, you know?
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So, so I, you know, what is fortunate about him is he's got,
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he's got youth on his side, so he can, he can sit for two or three years and
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who knows, maybe he'll, maybe he'll outperform his contract and, and do really well.
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And finally being in, And it says something when a driver gets an opportunity
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and gets, you know, seat that they know they're going to have for a while.
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I think that makes a big difference. And so. Yeah.
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So, yeah. You know. I think that makes a big difference as well.
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I think the security and knowing you're going to be in it for a while and that
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we'd be of same team, same stuff. Right.
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Right. That they play into each other as well.
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Yeah. but yeah i'm with
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you but we don't have a lot of open spots for
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a new talent right now yeah i mean you know of
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course there's a new team coming in allegedly next year and so we'll see you
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know who fits who takes those seats but i think the other silly season piece
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i'm thinking about is is alexander rossi and what's really going to happen to
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him i think he's i think he's He's getting a raw deal.
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I'll be honest about it. I think he's done a lot better than his results have shown.
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I mean, obviously, go back to last Saturday night, the bad luck that happened there.
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You know, and, and, and, but just, you know, even earlier in the season,
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I mean, it was the fault of his team or, or it was a mechanical or it was something like that.
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But I don't, I don't see him having done anything to lose that seat other than. Right.
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Yeah. So I, I, I'm really surprised that, that, you know, he's moving,
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you know, they're, well, not he's choosing to move on.
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They're making him move on so quickly, but, um, so it'll be interesting to see.
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I was surprised by that as well, especially because I felt like Rossi and McLaren
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were a good fit together. on that. I think so too.
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I think so too. But for some reason, I don't know.
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I really, I really am kind of baffled other than, look, I mean,
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every, every team, no matter what team it is, I don't care what anybody says,
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every team has a pecking order and, you know, Hato is far and away their number one.
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And, you know, I don't know. And I'm not saying this. is a bad thing about,
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about Alex, but you know, I think he wants the opportunity to be a number one.
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And, and I think if he gets that opportunity, he's going to do really, really well with it.
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I just think he, he just, I don't know. He needs to win a race.
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I think as soon as he wins a race, he'll start, you know, it's hard to believe
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when you look at the start, he got off to in his career and all of a sudden
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now it's coming up on what?
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Four years since he's won three, four years or while he won one race a couple of years ago,
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with Andre but other than that he's won like one race in three four years and
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just yeah I think I think if he if he could you know string together a win maybe two wins,
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here you know coming up I think that would be.
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You know, that would be a boost for his confidence. It's kind of crazy to sit
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there and talk about guys who've had that kind of success and who are in their
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30s that they need a confidence boost.
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But, you know, pro athletes are people.
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Everybody needs it some here and there. Absolutely.
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Well, and honestly, Roxy has encountered a ridiculous amount of unwlocked,
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just bad luck, it feels like.
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I don't know what I mean with that. And then it seems to have been all the time as well.
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Just you know bizarre mechanical issues pit
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stop issues i mean
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yeah the 2019 any 500 the same pageant oh
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one would have been rossi's 500 had he
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not had that super long pit stop yeah that was
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the year that he like lost his shit with like bayonet steering wheel
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because he was stopped so long it's like that literally
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cost him that race right and
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and you even were yeah keep going it's like
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you point to something like that in almost every
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case that is totally not rough
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you know not within rossi's control right yeah and just second and just looking
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at this year you know he had a tire come off not his fault at barber then at
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road america he had a wastegate problem and i that you know race cars break
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i mean that's part of the thing but when was the last time.
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Wastegate problems were like you know an
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80s 90s turbocharger era thing i
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knew a lot of guys who would have problems with their weight but who
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the hell has a wastegate problem in this area except
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alex ferrassi you know so it
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just yeah that that's kind of crazy to me
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that's kind of crazy to me yeah no that's gonna happen to anybody exactly exactly
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oh yeah no it's really hilarious unless you're uh yeah yeah which i which i
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am i mean you know i i'm far and away,
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you know an alex below fan and everybody knows that pretty well but but uh rossi's
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up there is one of my favorites too just because i don't know i i i i kind of
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get him it's a little it's a little like the way it's a little like the way
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i become a willpower fan over the years is just yes i get I get him.
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You know, I get him. And the more I get to know him, the more I like him.
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Yeah. I enjoy his sense of humor.
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I find him very dry, very witty.
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Yeah, he drives me up. And, you know, listening to the podcast,
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and I think that's where you kind of really...
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See a lot of rossi's personality is on
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the podcast and and just i mean he says some
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funny stuff and i mean it's not funny funny like
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laugh out loud stuff but it's just stuff that's just
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so funny because you know he has this
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this and it's really funny and you.
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See this from a lot of driver pro
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athletes for that matter as they get older but like i remember
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you know people talked about how you know
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all three years like jimmy johnson and
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how oh man he's so buttoned up he's so corporate and
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people are like you don't know the guy you
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know this dude parties this dude is hilarious
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this kids were and people have said the same you know
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we all thought scott dixon oh the ice man well he'll always
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be the ice man on track but we thought he was off track too
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and then now he's sort of letting it
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out and being himself and I think you know and
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yeah it's like this part you know and naked on New
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Year's Eve you know for them
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I mean you know yeah that's
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the thing I think they I think they're like all of us they reach
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a point in their life where they don't give a shit so then
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they just start being themselves and Rossi's kind
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of starting to get that way and you know I like it I get i i get you know i
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get drawn to that type of humor so so you know and he's just one of those guys
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and i think he's just kind of naturally a little bit shot you know but you put in it.
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Yeah yeah so you put him in a room with a couple of
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buddies and and they just start talking and stuff and yeah
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that's that's what you end up getting so you know
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but yeah i've been listening into quite a few
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of those episodes lately and really enjoy not
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just what he says but just a lot of his insights and
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you know i think when he talked about like the crash in iowa and you know he
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talked he talked for quite a while about look this is you know and i learned
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so much just in like three or four minutes about you know indycars aren't like
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regular cars they don't sputter they don't do this, they do that,
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it just stops, you know, and you don't know when it's coming,
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you don't, you don't know anything, but when you run out of gas,
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you run out of gas, and the engine dies,
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you know, you can't leave the car around, or you can't do anything,
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this is what happens, and, and hearing that perspective, and,
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you know, I've been following this sport for 45 years,
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and it's amazing, the stuff that, that, that I keep learning from these guys
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and girls as time goes on.
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Yeah, the intricacies, it never, never made me just how many little things there
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are that I wasn't aware of.
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And, and even when I did an interview with Tony Kanaan last year and,
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and I knew the answer to this question, but I said to him, you know,
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why would drivers at this level need a coach?
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And he said, because you're, you're always learned, you know,
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and, and I know that about, I once talked to a guy who got as high as triple A.
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In baseball. He was an outfielder. And he said, one time he goes,
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I grew up playing baseball and my dad was my coach. I played in high school. I played in college.
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He said, he goes, I thought I knew everything there was to know about the game
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of baseball, but then I turned professional and I realized I didn't know shit about baseball.
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And I think that just encapsulates probably what racing is too.
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It's just when you think, you know, everything about racing, it
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turns out you don't have shit about racing but but
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yeah so
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let's uh look ahead i guess you
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want to look ahead to the rest of the schedule four races
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three weeks sad the
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sad the season ends as early as it does but you
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know it's just almost as dumb as going up against the olympics which they couldn't
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know because of nbc but almost as dumb as going up in the olympics is going
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up against the behemoth that's the NFL and the season ending when it does is
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just because it has to be that way.
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I don't think anybody wants it to be that way, but it really has to be that way.
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And so unfortunately, we're what, three weeks away from the end of the season, four races.
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We are. Yeah. So what do you see happening between now and then?
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Well, we've got, I mean, a lot of excitement. So there's Portland,
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which always is a great race.
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I absolutely love the Portland race. If you've not been, I highly recommend
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going out there. It was a great time.
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But, yeah, so Portland went up. I had no idea he was going to win.
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But it always was a great show. And then we've got two new horses back-to-back. Well, not back.
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There's a weekend between. But, yeah, so Labor Day weekend, we've got double-hierarch
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Milwaukee, going back to Milwaukee, you know.
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And then we're going to the Nashville Super Speedway for Series Finale.
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And i love that we're ending
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the series on a note i mean i could not love that more
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yeah me too me too i mean when you look at you
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go back to like say when the season
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ended at fontana and some of
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the just massive drama you know that occurred
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there i mean you know i remember willpower crashing and losing the title because
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he crashed you know and you just don't i don't know that the The chance of a
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big dramatic swing just doesn't really seem like it happens more often on a road or a street course.
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So, you know, to go to an oval, get these guys up to speed and girls because
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Catherine Legge will be there.
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But yeah, get the drivers up to speed and and, you know, let them sort it out
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and let there be a little bit of drama and lap cars and all that kind of stuff. I'm all for it.
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Yeah, I love it.
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I absolutely love it I think that it's going to produce a very exciting finale,
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Which I love, because sometimes we've ended up on a road course where the winner
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doesn't matter, and the racing kind of reflects that.
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Sometimes we have our road course where the winner doesn't matter,
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and they all drive like a pot. Yeah.
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But I think it'll be a little more consistent on a normal.
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Here's a question I want to ask you, though.
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Will, is there, do you think that we may go to Nashville and already have our
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champion? I think it's always that possible.
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Well, I mean, it happened last year with, with, uh, with Palo and,
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and I mean, he's, he has more than a one race lead.
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So yeah, it's possible, which would be kind of a, kind of a bummer.
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But I mean, I obviously of course want him to see the, see him win the championship,
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but you know, if it comes down to the, to the last race of the year,
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I'm not going to be too upset about it either.
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So. Yeah, same. But I think, though, the key to Palou's championship,
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I mean, he's okay on all this.
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He's never one-on-one, which is a little bit surprising given how accomplished he is. It is.
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So I really think a key race for him is this weekend.
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He has to I feel like
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in order to make himself more comfortable yeah
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he has to widen his lead
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this weekend oh he absolutely does because I mean because it's unlikely that
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he's going to win any of the next three races after them right right and so
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and you know and one thing that
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Scott Dixon said once years ago in an interview that he He always said,
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you know, at least now it's four races left,
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but he always said, if I'm less than 100 points out, I feel like I still have a chance.
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And so when you've got, you know, you've got these guys with 100 points,
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you've got three oval races left and how quickly things can swing.
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You know, I think and Palou has had success at Portland.
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So I think what he really needs to do is take all 53 points and and hope that a few people,
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you know the people chasing him finish a little behind him and maybe he can
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push that lead up to you know 75 points or something like that and that would
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probably give him a much better comfort level heading into the the last three races.
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Absolutely yeah it's probably not the way that he would convert it in the series,
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yeah yeah exactly let me look at helen at this part out but,
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yeah so you have you have six drivers who are roughly you know i think the award
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is what 98 points back so you have six drivers who are still in it you know
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theoretically within that 100 points The one thing, though,
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that sticks out to me is that I know Joseph Newgarden is,
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if my math is correct, he's 126 points back.
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But with three ovals to go, I mean, what do you think?
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I mean, yeah. I mean, I could see him winning all three of them.
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Yeah. And I mean, really. I don't want to see that, but I could see it.
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Right. That's what I'm saying. I mean, you know, and even if you,
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you know, that's the thing.
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And you look at both him and McLaughlin and the way they've recovered,
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you know, this year has just been nothing short of, you know, phenomenal.
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And, and, and especially, you know, I look at, I hate to say,
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and I look at McLaughlin and Newgarden through different lenses,
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you know, and it's just interesting that, you know, it's really awesome to see
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McLaughlin haven't bounced back the way he has, but Newgarden just,
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yeah, it just isn't doing it for me.
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I don't know if it's maybe just the controversy that's surrounding him.
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And we can talk about that, what happened last weekend.
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But yeah, it just sort of seems like, I don't know, unless you're a hardcore
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fan of his, are you really excited for him?
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No, I'm so tired of seeing him win.
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I mean, yeah. I'm tired of it. Yeah. Yeah, exactly.
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And especially, yeah, because it's like sort of weird shit has happened around his wins this year.
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And so, you know, I mean, I shouldn't say that about Indy because,
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you know, he went out, you know, took that one by the throat.
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But it just seems like, yeah, you know, you look at. The weird circuses.
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Yeah yeah but but you look at the weird circumstances
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about saint pete you know last week last
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weekend i mean you know you
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and i talked offline about willpower and his emotions but i'm still wondering
22:58
how that team debrief went i can't imagine i mean you know and especially Especially
23:07
you look at a guy like Will who, you know, shoot, what is he?
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How far behind is he? He's just about 65 points behind.
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So, I mean, he'd be a heck of a lot closer if he'd won the race on Saturday, you know.
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And you look at a guy like him, time's ticking on his career.
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So, what, yeah, I get upset, you know, when I had a chance to win a race and
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somebody did something.
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Let's just make him the villain. Somebody did something nefarious,
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and, you know, he had an issue as a result.
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I mean... He had to know that that was going to fuck over Will. Yeah.
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He is one of the hardest chargers on a restart. If not the hardest,
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now that Tony Fanon isn't racing anymore. Right.
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You know the chargers for anybody that's hard as hard, and you go for the fact
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that that includes your teammate, Will Bauer.
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Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And it just seems dirty.
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Yeah. Yeah. And everybody can sit there and go, oh, the data and the,
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you know, all that throttle traces and speed and all this other stuff.
24:16
You know, I mean, and I understand that the driver, the leader is responsible
24:22
for, you know, bringing the field to green.
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But I think, you know, there's an element of good faith that has to go along
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with that. I mean, you already have an advantage. You go when you want to go.
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Everybody has to respond to you. So you have that advantage.
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So, you know, just sitting there and sitting on everybody, you know,
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goes back to the crap that would happen back in the cart days,
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you know, and they'd be break checking people and maybe trying to get people
24:50
that I just don't think that's.
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I hate to say fair because it's the highest level of competition,
24:57
but yeah, I mean, you're responsible.
25:01
And put it this way, if a crash happens that close to the front of the field
25:07
on a restart, you didn't do it correctly as the leader of the Rex.
25:13
Let's just say it that way. That's what I believe.
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I mean, Rex happened in the back because everybody wants to, that's your best part,
25:22
your best opportunity to make some hay and the back of
25:25
the field is on a restart so people are going to make mistakes but but
25:28
when guys are crashing at the front of the field yeah
25:31
absolutely you didn't do your job and you didn't show good
25:34
faith in you know bringing the field back
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to the green in a you know in a correct
25:40
manner i guess yeah i didn't
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know i already lay green it's like i knew you obviously you
25:47
met the south yeah yeah and and
25:50
it's yeah i didn't know i was gonna get this fired up when
25:54
i was when we were going to talk about this but but but
25:58
then again it it really it affected the race it greatly affected the championship
26:04
and oh yeah and it left a lot of of drivers in really pissed off foods you know
26:14
and it also then and and the worst thing.
26:18
You can also do as a sport or a series
26:22
is especially when the competitors
26:25
start doing it is questioning how the sport
26:28
or series is being efficient and i
26:32
think we've i think you know in some of our other recordings we've had we've
26:37
had discussions about this but you know i mean if put it this way brian hurt
26:44
is the type of guy that chooses his words really well And when he's one of the guys who's,
26:50
you know, saying the most about this,
26:53
I kind of take, I kind of understand his, his frustration and I kind of take
26:58
the merits of it, you know, cause it's not a bright heart.
27:01
It doesn't want, you know, I mean, he, he picks his, he picks his spots very carefully.
27:07
And when he's one of the ones leading the
27:10
you know leaving the conversation and saying you know
27:13
this just isn't looking good then you
27:16
really you really start putting the the questions up you know in your mind yourself
27:23
because and and not even just with penske teams but you know teams all through
27:29
the field i mean you know hurt again i don't know how you can get a blocking
27:33
penalty on one of the last couple laps of the race.
27:36
I mean, I understand it. I know it's within the spirit of the rule, but, you know.
27:43
Newgarden makes a move that wrecks a bunch of guys behind him,
27:47
and he doesn't get a penalty, but then Hurtig gets one defending.
27:53
His line on the last lap of the race. Yeah, that's baffling to me.
27:59
Yeah, well, and also the fact that But Newgarden is fun, and you have the yellow,
28:03
and then you get a bouncy.
28:05
That's true, too. Yeah. Yeah, it just... Like, way earlier in the break.
28:12
I mean, yeah, I've never been shy about calling out the officiating.
28:20
It's just, things are not enforced equally across the board, and it's frustrating.
28:25
Right. And it even comes down to, you know, when they throw yellows,
28:30
especially on road courses and things like that.
28:32
And I look at it this way and I've always,
28:35
you know, believe this, especially when you look at some of the tragic things
28:38
that have happened on track is I don't care how far the field is away as soon
28:45
as non participants put it that way.
28:50
Touch the racing surface the yellow should come
28:53
out it doesn't it doesn't matter if you
28:56
know because it does it indie i mean as soon as the yellow comes out or i mean
29:01
as soon as an incident happens and the trucks come out it's yeah nobody dicks
29:07
around you know and and but this whole thing about we're gonna hold the field
29:12
we're gonna hold the yellow until everybody pits or whatever whatever,
29:14
that's not competition.
29:17
That's, you know, that's manipulating things for the benefit of a show, you know?
29:22
And it shouldn't count at the cost of the safety of our racers.
29:28
Or anybody, yeah. The safety of the drivers, the safety of...
29:32
Shouldn't be, yeah, safety shouldn't be the cost.
29:35
Right, right. And I just feel like if you do it that way and if you make it
29:40
consistent, then it's fair.
29:42
Fair if if you know if if it's flag
29:45
things for safety alone and not
29:48
for the betterment of the show right yeah
29:51
it'll be fair yeah i mean you know
29:54
you can have a a track like road america where you know somebody spins out that
29:59
you know somebody has an incident in the kink and oh we'll let everybody come
30:02
around and hit and stuff and then we'll throw the yellow but still i just don't
30:06
agree with that you know and and it's just same way like if you talk about basketball you know Now,
30:11
if it's a foul in the first minute of the game, it's a foul in the final 10 seconds.
30:16
And and so that's the thing. If if it's a yellow, it's a yellow.
30:22
And or if it's cause for yellow, if there's an incident, then it should be one.
30:28
And because that's where these guys are supposed to all make their money.
30:33
That's what these guys get paid, a shitload of money to be strategists and to
30:37
do all this other kind of stuff.
30:39
And so, you know, they're the ones that are supposed to make these calls.
30:45
And I just don't understand why we sit there and say, oh, well,
30:49
you know, this isn't worthy to throw yellow right away. We'll let everybody pay.
30:53
No, you throw it and you let the competitors figure out what to do for them.
30:58
Yeah, but it ships all where they fall.
30:59
Yeah. Well, and also another thing is, I'm sure that the person who,
31:04
the driver who called the yellow, is not loving that it's being delayed. Right.
31:12
Because, A, that means the car is still going by its speed, and B,
31:15
the AMR isn't out yet, because they're not coming out. Yeah.
31:19
Yeah, they're not coming out until the yellow goes.
31:22
And so, yeah, it should, it should just be a, it should just be a uniform thing
31:27
that as soon as something happens,
31:29
you know, and, and say it as it like, if a car say road America or,
31:36
you know, anywhere else goes off track in the grass and the,
31:39
you know, and they hang out there for a while and stuff.
31:41
Okay yeah no but i mean when you know
31:44
cars are getting damaged or when they're pointing the wrong
31:47
direction or when they're doing all that kind of stuff that's a yellow no matter
31:51
what that's a yellow and and it should be dealt with that way and so and and
31:56
especially when it seems like and i don't know if you want to do a deep dive
32:01
and and say you know go by and and see who benefits the most,
32:05
but it just seems glaring sometimes when you look at who benefits from a call and it's a Penske car.
32:13
I mean, you know, I would really think that the owner of the series would want
32:19
to try and avoid any type of discussion of conflict,
32:22
you know, conflict of interest and, you know, but apparently he's not doing that.
32:28
And I think that doesn't sit well with people either.
32:31
Yeah. Yeah, that was a big discussion. And then a couple of Facebook groups
32:36
I'm in yesterday, I just kind of scrolled through some of the comments.
32:40
But I don't feel like there's been a change in the officiating since Penske took over.
32:47
Right. So I don't feel like I don't feel like I'm owning a series that's really
32:54
benefiting Penske drivers, with the exception of the whole cheating thing.
32:59
I feel like I'm doing an internal investigation like, hey, we've got cheating,
33:04
but we're going to investigate ourselves and you should just trip them. Yeah.
33:08
That's if she is gone. Right.
33:11
Otherwise, I don't feel like there's been any impropriety just because I feel
33:17
like the officiating has always kind of been tipped in the favor of the bigger piece.
33:22
Well, yeah, that's that's true, too. I mean, you know, and you and you look
33:26
even like last year at Toronto when, you know, Polo Drive, you know,
33:32
drove the end of the race with, you know, his nose hanging on for dear life in front of the car.
33:36
He should have been black flagged for that and i'm saying that as a
33:39
as a polo fan and how he's finishing that race probably helped him win the championship
33:44
but but but yeah i mean if you know if a coin car was driving around like that
33:51
i don't think they would i don't think they would let him drive around like
33:53
that especially you know and especially i hate to say it but,
33:58
you know you look at toronto and i mean tragic things can happen anywhere but
34:03
you look at what happened a long time ago at Toronto and yeah,
34:06
a nose flying off of a car could be bad,
34:09
you know, and, and they should, they shouldn't be, you shouldn't be able to
34:14
drive around even if you're keeping pace.
34:16
And I know that's, that's a separate thing that they'll black flag you if you're
34:19
not keeping your pace, but if your car is damaged in some way that could cause
34:23
harm to anybody else, you know, you've got to race control has to take care of that.
34:29
Absolutely. Again, you should flag based on safety.
34:32
Right. Not, yeah, not the number
34:35
on the car or the person driving it or anything like that, you know.
34:40
Or shaving ship invocations or blah, blah, blah. Yeah.
34:43
Like, if the nose cone is being held on by what's basically a piece of duct tape, nah.
34:48
Yeah yeah especially like i
34:51
said you know that that comes off you know
34:54
that falls off in front of pullo's car he runs
34:57
over it what happens to him or what happens if you know god forbid it drinks
35:01
off and and you know it gets a draft of air underneath it throws that thing
35:05
up in the air you know i mean i've never i've never lifted a nose before and
35:11
i don't know how heavy they are but I can imagine they're heavy.
35:15
So, you know, I mean, for them to be as... They're heavy enough to fall out of the sky at you.
35:23
Yeah, yeah. I mean, you know... Somebody doesn't have to be that heavy for me to not want to date them.
35:29
Right, right. Absolutely.
35:31
Yeah, my bar for that is pretty low. Yeah.
35:35
I guarantee that the nose is heavier than anything I want to get kids to head
35:39
with. Yeah, yeah. Absolutely.
35:42
So we've already talked a little bit about Portland. And here's another one, too, is that,
35:49
You know, another guy you've got to think about as far as the title.
35:52
I mean, you have, you know, a top six.
35:55
If you want to just look at the guys who were in that window of Palo,
35:59
Hurta, Dixon, Power, McLaughlin, and Award.
36:03
I think the guy who I sort of like to maybe possibly if something happens to
36:10
Palo is either Dixon or Hurta to make a really serious move this weekend.
36:16
I just think, you know, you know, in golf, they call Saturday,
36:20
you know, there's a four round tournament Thursday, Friday, Saturday,
36:22
Sunday, they call Saturday moving day.
36:25
And I sort of feel and that's where you like, train, you know,
36:29
move yourself up in the field, so you're in position to do something big on Sunday.
36:32
And I kind of think that I kind of think I feel like I feel like this weekend
36:39
is kind of moving day and where you position yourself to.
36:44
I mean, whoever it is, you know, if if I'm those guys that are in within 50,
36:50
60, 70 points of blow, I want to put the pressure on.
36:53
And it's unfortunate in sports that you have to not root for somebody's demise.
36:59
But if it happens, you're not going to apologize for it.
37:03
And so, so if Paloma doesn't have the greatest of weekends, you know,
37:07
if I'm those next two or three in the standings, I've got to pounce on it.
37:11
And I think of somebody, the person, the two people I think most would be Hurta and, and Dixon.
37:17
I mean, of course, power is right there too, but, but those two guys,
37:21
especially Hurta, you know, like I said, he's done well at Portland,
37:25
you know, Dixon, I like it Milwaukee.
37:28
I like power at Milwaukee because I think at least the first week,
37:32
the first race is going to benefit guys who have been there.
37:37
Yes. So so that that advantage goes to Dixon power and even further down to
37:44
to New Garden, you know, and especially if it's one of those. And I hope it's not.
37:50
One of my worries about Milwaukee is that the race won't be like Milwaukee back
37:56
in the day or it was just to follow the leader fast.
37:59
I hope that's not the case I hope what we got this weekend will be a better
38:06
indicator for that but especially if it's a follow a leader race I really look
38:11
at the people who have raced a lot there to.
38:16
Be able to really put the pressure on Palau and you know take Palau to the last
38:23
race of the year on an oval where he has to perform and see what happens,
38:28
yeah i mean that might be the push that
38:31
he needs you never know yeah i never
38:34
know what uh what that kind of pressure will do i um it's a funny story i was
38:38
a competitive swimmer i swam on a lot of swim meets not just like iso swimming
38:43
i did year-round swimming yeah and so those swim meets at their three-day events
38:49
friday saturday sunday and each day has specific events and so you're You're not in an event.
38:54
You are in a specific heat number of that event number, and then you also have a lane number.
39:00
Right. So it's so much shit that we end up writing our event heat and lane numbers
39:06
on our arms in Sharpie. Yeah.
39:11
Because there's no fucking way you're going to remember that.
39:13
So anyhow, I was, there was a little bit of overlap with the high school season
39:21
and with the year round for how we would do it.
39:24
And I had just won the gold on me and I was in the 100 freestyle.
39:29
And for whatever reason, in my moderate, I thought it was a 50 freestyle.
39:34
And which is a very different, very different race.
39:38
Because you breathe maybe one time at a 50 freestyle like maybe on the flip turn,
39:43
maybe you breathe at all yeah there's 100 freestyle you don't
39:46
really do it like that it's not exactly an all-out sprint
39:49
and i'll tell you what i was almost back to the wall and it hit me i was like
39:53
wait a second this isn't a 50 this is 100 and i was like oh my god i'm gonna
40:00
die yeah i just got balls to the wall for 50 meters and had to do another 50
40:05
and but yeah yeah, I took 14 seconds off of my best time.
40:10
The funniest part is my dad was the sometimes he came over and as soon as I
40:14
got out of the pool, he was like, you thought it was a 50, didn't you? And I was like, sure did.
40:19
And he was immediately like on the get. He was like, oh, and I saw you take
40:23
off. I knew you thought it was a 50. He goes, I'm just glad nobody had to tell you to keep swimming.
40:28
Well, yeah, I mean, being a track parent, I mean, there were especially indoor meets.
40:33
There are a lot of times where I'd see somebody like pull up a lap too early
40:37
and then you're like no you've got no more lap and then they you know then they
40:41
have to get it together and and you know but their last lap they'd be mentally
40:45
fried because they made that kind of mistake but but yeah with nashville high bank concrete,
40:54
loss of speed yeah that that could that could lead to some interesting things
40:59
and yeah if i'm i want a 54 point lead before i head there but,
41:04
this being IndyCar, you can't just drive around and do that.
41:08
You know, that's sort of the hard thing about it is you just can't ride around
41:13
and be like, oh yeah, I'm just going to hang in there and try and nurse my lead because,
41:17
that's when you just end up making a mistake or, you know, the way things work,
41:25
all of a sudden you're 10th and somebody else wins and they take a big chunk out of your lead.
41:30
So, yeah, I think the pressure on Palou as the season ends is quite different
41:37
than it has been, you know, for a long time,
41:41
given the fact that, you know, nothing's set in stone after after Portland and
41:47
the last couple of championships he's won.
41:51
That's almost been the case you know where it's like
41:54
oh well you know we get done in portland hey we're going to a we're going
41:57
to a road course this is cool but now it's we get
42:00
done with portland and holy crap we've got three more ovals three
42:03
ovals on two tracks that all he's probably
42:06
done is tested on so you know
42:09
it's gonna be interesting like i said as
42:12
an alex pillow stan dude i i want
42:15
him you know i'm rooting for him to win the championship but at
42:18
the same time i also realize that it's not going to be
42:21
all that easy for him and yeah it's
42:24
not it's not going to be a sunday drive one yeah
42:27
what do you speaking of though milwaukee what do you
42:30
think the the racing has been like i haven't really followed the testing all
42:35
that much or anything like that i mean you know the hard part is is is just
42:40
you know back in the day there wasn't a second line through the corners and
42:43
that was what made things different or difficult so and especially Especially on lower horsepower,
42:48
I'm just kind of curious to see what this is going to be like in its return.
42:53
Yeah, you know, I'm curious to see that as well. I hope that the rate being
42:57
good. I haven't followed the company that closely either.
43:00
So I hope it is. I hope it is. I'll say I'm cautiously optimistic.
43:04
Yeah, yeah. I mean, Milwaukee is just one of those places where IndyCar needs to be. It does.
43:13
I mean, it's a great market. It's not far away from us, I'd say.
43:16
It's close to you guys up near Chicago.
43:18
Yeah. Yeah, because it's only about a four-hour drive from Indianapolis.
43:22
So it's another great Midwest stop.
43:26
So I absolutely love that we're going there. And I love the history of the racetrack.
43:31
It's actually older than IMS.
43:37
Which is awesome. Yeah. And, and just hearing the, the, you know,
43:42
all the stories about the history of racing.
43:44
I mean, you know, Ralph De Palma, who is one of my, you know,
43:47
one of my racing heroes, uh,
43:50
before anything was built around that racetrack now
43:53
it sits and it's like a wriggly field or it's like ims it's it's
43:55
right in the middle of a neighborhood but he was going down
43:58
the back stretch and he crashed and he crashed into
44:01
a cornfield and he got a corn stalk
44:04
impaled through his chest you know i mean
44:07
that's just that's just like badass old-time racing
44:10
stuff but then you look at you know aj floyd
44:13
and how you know one time he had to
44:16
come there and qualify in his dirt car because his other
44:19
car wasn't ready and he still he still put it on the front row
44:22
i mean you know and and watching it from
44:25
the like 80s and 90s and the way they raced there i mean milwaukee yeah it's
44:30
just it's part of the history of racing and i i think any car needs to be there
44:36
for one and two they've got you know if the racing isn't great i think they
44:41
should really go to great lengths to
44:43
try and improve it because yeah, I think, I think Milwaukee should be,
44:48
should be on the schedule from here on out.
44:51
I completely agree. Yeah, it's just, it's got, like I said, such great history
44:55
that it's one of the places, like, yeah, we need to keep going here.
44:58
Yeah. And, you know, I felt that when we went back to Portland as well.
45:02
It was, it's got such a great history. I mean, it's not as old as Milwaukee
45:06
or IMS, but it's got such a great history.
45:10
And, you know, when we went back there, I was like, yes, we need to keep coming
45:12
back. Like, it just feels right. Yeah.
45:15
And so, yeah, it's like, if we don't quite have the racing running here,
45:19
then we need to work on that. So you do get it right.
45:22
Milwaukee deserves to have good racing. And I hope the fans show up.
45:26
I mean, that's a big thing. Now, that was always disappointing when you just see the effort.
45:32
I went to, what, the last probably five or six races there from maybe 2009 or 2010 on.
45:39
And yeah, I always felt bad because people put a lot into it and nobody showed
45:44
up. And it's kind of unbelievable because it's easy to get to.
45:49
Parking's easy. you can park close the tickets aren't that expensive you know
45:55
there's just so many good things about going there and it's close you can you
46:01
know even really even if you live a few hours away you can pick or choose what
46:04
race you want this weekend if you don't want to go to both,
46:08
and absolutely you can and you can't go wrong and you know you can still have
46:12
your labor day weekend and all that other kind of stuff so i mean it's so set
46:16
up in my mind it's set up for success and I just yeah I just want to see it
46:22
happen I want to see it happen too and you know.
46:27
We have been after ovals and we've got three great ovals at the end of this
46:33
so I really can show up too especially with it being such a such a close track
46:39
to drive to for so many fans for Nashville that's a four and a half hour drive as well,
46:47
Yeah, I think when people talk about...
46:51
I've got to say, sorry, that's definitely a farther drive for you.
46:54
Yeah, but still, it's and I mean, especially when you're going to a city like
46:58
Nashville, it's it's it's pretty cool.
47:01
But I know a lot of people may not agree with it.
47:04
You know, I don't have a problem with IndyCar.
47:08
You know, a lot of people say, oh, we need to go race on the East Coast or we
47:11
really need to go do this.
47:12
And, you know, I I like a diverse schedule and I think IndyCar stretches out pretty well.
47:19
But I don't see a problem with focusing on the Midwest the way the series tends
47:25
to do, because the most loyal fans are here, you know.
47:30
And so I'm glad California has a couple of races because those fans are extremely loyal.
47:36
When you look at, you know, when you look at like Long Beach,
47:39
I mean, extremely loyal.
47:41
Portland has proven to be a great market, you know, St.
47:44
Pete speaks for itself. but for the most part
47:47
but for the most part yeah i mean just you got to put races where the fans are
47:52
and and i think any car drivers or any car fans you know don't mind driving
47:58
eight nine hours to go to a race you know and so why not put a majority of your
48:03
races that far from everywhere,
48:06
and let everybody because most people go to multiple races anyway so you may
48:11
i mean this This will be what my fourth or fifth of the year.
48:14
So, you know, we all go to multiple races anyway. So just put it here.
48:19
Absolutely one thing i was saying back to back because i gotta work sometime yeah exactly,
48:28
exactly you gotta spread them out a little bit my employer's like you yeah yeah
48:33
exactly so one thing i will want to mention to our charter listeners who are going up to milwaukee,
48:39
back off the pedal the gas pedal a little bit once you get in wisconsin because
48:44
they are they They will be out in force, put it that way.
48:47
Anytime they know people are coming up from Illinois, they're waiting.
48:51
And I know from personal experience. Oh, and it's already a holiday weekend,
48:55
which brings out force anyway.
48:57
Right, right. But I mean, I fell victim to that the first Milwaukee race I went to.
49:03
So, you know. Yeah, Wisconsin police do not play.
49:07
Well, yeah, a quick story. We took my wife's son up to school at the University of North Dakota.
49:12
Cody he he went to his first semester there was
49:15
the spring semester so we took him in the dead of winter in
49:18
January and I'm cruising through Wisconsin it's
49:21
nighttime you know we get into some valleys the
49:25
the the temperature thing on the car would say it was like 20 below I go breezing
49:30
by this cop he pulls me over and I look at the I look at the temperature and
49:34
it's 19 below and I'm like if this guy's getting out of his car when it's 19
49:39
but I'm getting a ticket and yeah a hundred.
49:44
So so but but yeah my my story with the the way on the way to milwaukee was
49:49
came over a hill came over an overpass and they were like there was a little
49:54
access road there and there were like 12 12 state troopers just lined up picking people up so so yeah,
50:04
yeah i would definitely yeah definitely lift a little bit definitely go into
50:08
fuel safe mode Or when you come into Wisconsin,
50:11
it will like... Yeah, across that border.
50:14
It'll benefit your wallet a lot. Yeah.
50:18
And if you're staying in the Pfister Hotel, it makes noises.
50:22
There might be ghosts, but, you know, it's just part of the charm of that hotel
50:26
in Milwaukee. So don't worry about that either.
50:31
But yeah. So, so then you did it to just, you know, move on to the finale.
50:36
And I don't want to talk about Nashville a little bit, but I don't know if,
50:42
I mean, the downtown street race is fun and all that other kind of stuff,
50:46
but if they're going to stay in Nashville, which I'm okay with,
50:49
I'd rather they almost stay out at the speedway.
50:52
I know it's... I think it's going to... I hope it... You know,
50:56
we were talking about Milwaukee and ticket sales.
50:58
I hope you know, Nashville is the same way because you know, what is it?
51:04
45 minutes outside of town and they have traffic problems and all that other kinds of stuff.
51:09
I really hope that the fan tour, I probably won't be going.
51:13
So, you know, anybody who hasn't gone to an IndyCar race, go there on my place.
51:17
But yeah, that's another, another event that is just really needs to succeed,
51:22
I guess, for, for the benefit of IndyCar.
51:26
I agree. Yeah, I'm interested to see how the oval will be.
51:31
I hope it's really great racing because three course has been,
51:35
frankly, kind of disappointing. Yeah.
51:38
And, yeah, just a lot of things. I was there in person for the first one.
51:42
And, you know, stands weren't needed to, like, the day of the race.
51:46
There was just kinds of weird stuff that went on.
51:50
So I would love to see it.
51:53
And, you know, I said Nashville knows how to throw a course.
51:56
Yeah they they do that very well they were just still you know getting their
52:01
feet wet with learning for a race so i'm i'm excited to see how it is at like
52:06
a permanent track i think that'll be helpful,
52:08
and so i feel like this is gonna hopefully usher
52:11
in some some really fun racing and fun times
52:14
in the napa area yeah i want one
52:18
thing i will say about it and if you've never been to a street street
52:21
race those of you who are listening what's really cool about a
52:24
street race is the party is right outside the
52:27
track you know it's like you finish it like
52:29
whatever's going on the track you just leave the
52:33
track area and you're within restaurants and bars so yeah it just it just continues
52:38
on to the next location it's wonderful yeah yeah and and that's the only thing
52:45
i get you know i think about with some of the some of these tracks that are sort of far out there.
52:50
But I think what also on the flip side is going to help is being that this race
52:55
is going to be five or six weeks later on the calendar, it may not be as oppressively
53:00
hot, and there may not be...
53:05
And there really may not be as much of a threat of bad weather.
53:11
So I think moving it to the middle of September is good for a lot of different
53:17
reasons. And maybe if they...
53:20
If they decide to go back downtown, then maybe, you know, I think they are keeping
53:25
it there because it's going to be the finale for a while.
53:28
But I think that'll, I think, change, you know, how many people come to that race weekend as well.
53:36
So let's just say, let's just say here's getting close to an hour.
53:40
So here's with four races left and let's find time to, you know,
53:45
check back on this a couple of times between now and then. but race finishes in Nashville.
53:50
Give me a prediction of your top three and points.
53:54
Oh, I have no idea who are the topics right now.
54:01
Top six right now are below Herda Dixon, power McLaughlin award.
54:09
Tough to say, isn't it? It is. I feel like Dixon and power are going to do well. Yeah.
54:17
They're extremely versatile drivers and they statistically do the best on this track.
54:26
Both of them are very good at that.
54:31
I have to go with Dixon because I haven't blogged in a while,
54:34
but I should again, but if you go to the Fast Cars, Ferris Girls website and
54:39
read my prediction from the start of the season, I've hit Dixon as a champion.
54:44
Oh, that's right, you did. I did. I did. I did. So, you know,
54:48
my head is still saying him because he's great at Portland.
54:53
He's done well at Milwaukee. And I remember a couple, at least one race there
54:57
where he was really dominating the racing out of penalty.
55:00
So he's done well at Milwaukee. Power has done well at Milwaukee.
55:04
So my head really is thinking that Dixon's still, I guess I'll have to go with
55:11
my prediction from a few months ago.
55:13
So I say the top three are going to be Dixon, Palo and Power.
55:19
Okay. And, you know, and maybe, and maybe Hurd just because I don't know how far back it goes.
55:28
If Hurd has ever, I know he's too young to have ever even in a ladder series, if he's ever raced.
55:35
But, you know, you look at those three guys, second, third, and fourth are separated
55:39
by seven points, you know, and then, and then McLaughlin is another seven back.
55:45
Act so is that duchess it
55:49
sure is hi duchess boomer boomer's a boomer's a w daycare so it's it's pretty
55:56
quiet around so yeah that's what i guess i have to say is is dixon pillow power
56:02
would be you know since i have to stay faithful to my my choice at the beginning of the beginning.
56:07
Of the year so well absolutely but
56:11
again i mean you know
56:14
you look at a guy that and and dixon if i'm not mistaken without
56:17
looking this up and taking the time to do it i think he's won at
56:20
nashville hasn't he i think he has yes true
56:23
all right so so to answer a question
56:26
while you're doing that i looked it up surprisingly any
56:30
car has a racer since 2008 and here's
56:34
a from a story i read off the website beyond the flag nashville super
56:38
speedway has not been on the indycar calendar since 2008
56:41
when scott dixon won there for the third straight
56:44
year there we have it there you
56:49
go so granted different era different car all other kinds of stuff but he's
56:57
scott freaking dixon and so somewhere in the recesses of his brain he's like
57:02
i've won here before maybe I know how to win here.
57:07
So, yeah, I think that's, I think I might be pretty, I should look back and
57:13
see what my predictions look like.
57:15
Maybe I'll talk about that if we're, you know, in our next recording and see
57:18
how close I am to some of those.
57:21
I think so. Thanks for listening. Be sure to check out my blog on the website, pathcarfabgirls.com.
57:29
And as always, we're on all social media. Thanks for listening.
57:33
See you later. All right.