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Talking NASCAR & Life With Tyler Reddick! · 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 Jegs love. That little diecast, the Jegs
• 0:08
  diecast brought to you by Jegs the leader in high performance,
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  aftermarket car parts and remember to go to jegs.com for
• 0:17
  everything and anything you need.
• 0:18
  They always say Herman, tell him we got Jeep parts, and we got
• 0:22
  truck parts. That's a big deal at Jags right
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  now. Well, we were so honored
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  earlier, Car said that I could interview Tyler Redick.
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  And this story is fascinating to me, I wanted to interview Tyler,
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  because years ago maybe 10 15 years ago, I met Tyler at a dirt
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  track and I think his story is so fascinating because here's
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  Tyler Reddick at a dirt track. Maybe 15, 16 years old I watch
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  them from afar. He becomes a superstar.
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  He's one you know a handful of Nascar Cup races, he started out
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  like us rednecks, start out as dirt racing and now Tyler
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  Reddick is that the highest form of Motorsports possible in
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  America and that's the Nascar Cup Series.
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  So as we head to North Wilkesboro or North Wilkesboro,
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  what is wrong with me as we head to North Wilkesboro for the
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  All-Star Race? And I remind you, it pays 1
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  million dollars to win. Can you believe that?
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  Hey, we're going up to that little dirt track and it pays 1
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  million dollars to win. So I asked Tyler radek about
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  that. I asked him a lot.
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  So here we go. Sit back and we were able to
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  steal Tyler etic for about 10 minutes.
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  Here we go. I am so excited to have a long
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  time. Friend joined the show.
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  Tyler Reddick. So Tyler The last time you and I
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  race together, we were on the north side of Nashville,
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  Tennessee. You were just a young kid and we
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  were racing dirt cars together. But uh look at you now brother.
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  You're a NASCAR winter, you're a superstar, how you doing?
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  I'm doing great. It's great.
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  Great to see a great catch up with ya.
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  Yeah, it's crazy how things have moved along and Yeah.
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  You know dreams dreams do seem to come true every now and again
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  but it's really crazy that you know, think back on all those
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  times as a dirt track and getting to see each other and
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  race against each other, for sure.
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  They they got an Aerosmith song. It says, life's a journey tell
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  me, tell me about that quick Journey between those dirt
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  racing days and and the dream that seems so far away.
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  You know, I want to quit running these bull rings.
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  I don't want to become A NASCAR race car driver.
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  Just tell me real quickly. You know, what was that process?
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  Dirt card or what? Next?
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  What next and here you are. Yeah.
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  You know, I would, you know, like those reason a lot with
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  with, you know, with loose soil. What about lies their National,
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  you know, trying to hit all the big events running late models
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  and through doing all that got connected with with your good
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  friends, Ken Schrader and he was like I think you should come off
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  then, you know, hop in my stock car and So you know we've worked
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  it out and I got to run a couple races with him on the ark aside
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  at Mobile Alabama, was my first-ever asphalt race and then
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  we went to Salem and I got to run that race as well and I was
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  pretty much a fish out of water for those races certain things
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  were there, but just understanding asphalt racing in
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  general is very different. So think about 70 months go by
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  and I you know we're going to run a canine race, it rocket
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  Hammond is car and that was pretty much it.
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  We can that kind of changed everything we went in there we
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  qualified third. The fifth somewhere in that
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  range just kind of hung out in the top five the entire race
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  didn't really do anything special, the first half the
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  race. Just kind of was was there
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  wasn't really leading wasn't really doing anything crazy.
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  But yeah, you know, the second half of that race.
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  We kind of went from fifth to Fourth and fourth to Third.
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  And I remember probably 20 laps to go getting around Corey
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  LaJoie and this may be as no shock to you but I started
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  moving. Off the bottom, I got the point.
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  The tires got so high, I couldn't the bottom anymore, I
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  didn't but I said screw it. I'm just going to go, I'm just
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  gonna start moving up the racetrack and let's start trying
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  hit the wall in three and four and one and two.
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  So I just kept moving up, moving up and right now, Brett Moffitt
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  and and won that race on the final lap and pretty spectacular
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  crashing fashion. You know?
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  So, you know, kind of the day that changed everything and they
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  got me lined up with Brad Keselowski on a part-time
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  schedule and you know, for had my three years and truck Add
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  enough success to full and part-time gig has Chip ganassi
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  racing Wii my first year there, which, which helped Propel me to
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  Junior, Motorsports winning. Winning a championship there,
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  then are TR. And from that point on everyone,
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  kind of knows, I was at Hershey our cup whatever.
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  But you know, that was kind of the journey and it really the
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  asphalt real journey really got kick-started by by Schrader and
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  his group and then willing to work with someone.
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  So green is I was, you know, I really put them through a lot,
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  but you know it really paid off. So you know, that Journey that
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  you took, we watched, you know, up in North Wilkesboro, the big
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  All-Star Weekend. What a great nickname.
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  This is is kid named Butterbean, you know, we get those
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  nicknames, you know, mines are Herminator, you know, these
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  Southern nicknames, but this kids, the real deal.
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  He's a great race car driver. So he basically did what you
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  did. He outruns some great race car
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  drivers last night. These kids look at you and want
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  to be. You did you pay attention to the
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  start of the all-star weekend at all?
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  What do you think about this? This All-Star late-model stocks,
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  the stock cars last night at Wilkesboro.
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  Yeah, I'm actually really glad you asked me, and I thought her
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  neck pain, made the trip up there yesterday afternoon, and
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  we got to catch the tail end of qualifying, but we got to, we
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  stuck around for the first two features.
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  I really want to stick around for the superb.
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  Teacher at the end of the night, but I know is already pushing my
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  luck being gone all day. A new Alexa, excuse me, that's
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  your cut, go, whatever. I do, I need to get home.
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  As I look at you now it is been a lot of fun for me to watch how
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  far you've come and I've heard everything word on the street.
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  I can tell you're physically fit but they tell me that you work
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  extremely hard inside, you know, your team, whether it's on the
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  simulator. Like I said your chiseled out,
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  you're doing everything right? Tell me what it's like to be in
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  a high end. Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin run
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  team. What do you do every day to have
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  everybody brag on you, that you put a lot of work in inside the
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  shop? Well, I mean the week kind of
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  fly by honestly and I think, you know project that is just how
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  much goes on every week. Not just for me but the whole
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  team they when does a really good job of Of really
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  communicating. And I think that that allows us
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  to make the Leaps and Bounds that we've been making in the
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  short time that we've been together so far.
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  You know, so it's the team does a really good job with with with
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  you know, I never really was a meeting person but we do have a
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  lot of meetings during the week here and I find all of them very
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  beneficial and useful that's the whole point of the meeting,
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  right? So everyone here at the team
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  does a really good job of debriefing, you know, me and
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  Bubba and the in the Roku do a good job of debriefing going
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  over the race weekend and they brought Jersey is in place here,
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  kind of head of head of competition.
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  Does a really good job of extracting information out of us
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  and giving us, you know, the the template if you will to really
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  have a good platform to communicate and then you know
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  again we really communicate well with Joe Gibbs Racing.
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  We go down and debrief the post. Guys go over what you know what
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  we thought of the race weekend. You know we share a lot of
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  information with one another and so haven't you know those six
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  teams to be able to reflect on the weekend before the ER the
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  day before you know really is beneficial.
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  And you know we have We have a good team here that goes up.
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  We have over a lot of information leading into the
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  races, there's not a whole lot for don't close for obviously
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  you know the cars have changed a lot since since the 90s.
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  But you know, we do spend a lot of time going over, pre-event
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  information. And then, you know, the same
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  time that we put in every week is very, very useful.
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  He already has a great simulation program and great
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  people that really run that and manage it, you know, Drew
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  Herring Ryan Truex. I think even David Hawksworth is
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  done some work. For clarity getting the Whip or
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  scar where it needs to be given us, the right information,
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  there's a lot of parts and pieces.
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  Make it all work, for sure. And that's just on the team
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  side. Then I try and find time to go
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  work out and stay in the good shape that I've really built up
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  over the last five, six years with everyone that I've been
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  training with. So yeah.
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  All that being said, then it's normally a Friday and you're
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  heading to the racetrack and then you go to the racetrack and
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  write it out. So do you find those meetings,
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  intimidating, or therapeutic? Because you said, you used to
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  never do. Before and you know with with
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  all my years in, NASCAR usually, when we were having a meeting
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  that meant, I was getting my ass chewed out.
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  But when you started doing these meetings intimidating or
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  therapeutic, it's extremely useful.
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  You know, I mean, they aren't there.
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  We would debrief after the weekend with, you know, the kids
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  that, you know, are all of our Affiliates.
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  So, I mean, we would, we would have that.
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  But just the extra steps that this place takes that I feel
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  like is really gone. Official, we know we share a lot
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  of good information and it really helps, you know, bring me
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  and Bubba to a place to have a conversation to be able to, you
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  know, share our differences, in opinions, or just different
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  differences, in perspective of those, this situation, or how we
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  approach a tire run like a North Wilkesboro or how, you know, we
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  approach a race at this track or the other.
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  So, I think everyone really does a good job of communicating here
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  and just how we prep and take our car to the racetrack.
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  Really thinks that, you know, make gives gives me and Bobby
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  the opportunity to really be able to mimic each other if
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  we're not, you know, with one of us has a, we want to be we want
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  to change up your driving style or cars or clothes really close.
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  So that allows us to really change your driving cells really
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  compared to one another and I think that really helped push us
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  in the right direction. Yeah, so it sounds like it.
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  You like these meetings. Okay.
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  So look, we're 13 races into the year and you were with you
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  started with a new team you came from Richard Childress to this
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  team You got to Phoenix and Buddy.
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  You lit on fire. You run third at Phoenix and
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  fifth and then you win Circuit of the America you go on.
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  You're still running really good.
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  You got six top, tens, your tenth and the points.
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  So, when you go to that, that Phoenix race for, you know, you
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  got everything going in the right direction.
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  Is there any one thing? On the car or you or the team
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  that let you on fire, because it's very hard to run in the top
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  10 every single week. Is there any one thing that you
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  put your finger on that? Got you up to speed, honestly?
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  No, I mean, it wasn't a Phoenix. I mean, it was from the first
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  time I was in the car. It certainly America's for a
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  tire test for Goodyear, way back in January.
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  You know, the the way that's cars drive, they drive really
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  good. It just seems like everyone has
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  a good understanding none. The tracks Shankar.
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  And yeah, the results weren't necessarily there.
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  It Daytona, obviously we crashed out of that race and fun Hannah,
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  we fell out of that race as well, but even if those
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  racetrack for finishes weren't there, but like I could just
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  tell just what we had, you know, week to week to week.
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  I mean, it's pretty much been every week honestly, like the
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  speed is there in our cars. Just, you know sometimes things
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  happen in this part of racing or not.
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  Expecting that kind of take you out of the race or something
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  goes awry on on pissed off, whatever it might be but like it
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  really pretty much every week with this team since since they
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  wanted The Clash, I've been really really pleased with with
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  the, the outright speed that we bring you the race track.
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  So it's just a matter of putting those, those finishes together
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  and surviving those crazy, late race caution.
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  So there's a, there's a really good song.
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  It says, Hey, Now You're an all star, get your game on.
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  So listen, man, you're an All-Star.
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  You're locked into The big All-Star week up in North
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  Wilkesboro. This cannot be downplayed.
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  It's 1 million dollars to win. It looks like as Nascar has been
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  treading water over the last 15 years, looks like short tracks
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  are on the come back. There's a seems to me.
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  There's a big societal shift. You're going you're going to
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  Wilkes Carl because you're an All-Star, you're good.
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  You're locked in. What does that mean to you?
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  That that you're so good that you're one of the boys.
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  I always thought that found that.
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  Very cool. How do you feel about that?
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  That is definitely cool. I mean, I've remembered the in
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  the last three previous years that, you know, I've been in the
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  cup series, I wasn't having to fight my way into the altar,
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  right? And, you know, Bristol, it
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  didn't pan out, it's Texas, the first year it did, but we, you
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  know, we just didn't quite have the speed to go in 10 the last
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  year at Texas, kind of going forward to get in the race and
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  we crash and go home early. So yeah, it is really nice to
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  have those winds and be locked into the All-Star Race.
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  Yes, I do feel like again, you know, we did this, we were at
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  the tire test for Goodyear and North Wilkesboro earlier in the
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  year and I was really really really pleased with the handling
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  and pace of our car over run. So I feel like based off that
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  you know just just just having that little bit extra experience
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  to I think we're going to be in really good shape when we get
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  there. So I'm very excited about one
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  being locked into just just how good that test went for us.
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  You know, the very unique track and I love that I got, I got the
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  opportunity through toy Toyota and a good year to go out there.
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  Get slapped on the traffic tarah.
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  I'm smiling right now because I'm like a dad watching a kid
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  grow up your you're perfect in this era because you're very You
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  know you're very digital orientated.
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  You're always talking about my tire test my you know you're
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  doing it. All right.
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  I mean this is pretty incredible.
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  That it is true that you put the work in.
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  You're physically fit. You you're up with digital you
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  under. Do you understand all these
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  graphs and simulation like a Formula?
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  1 driver. Where did you learn all this
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  agent just from the time put in into you know, studying you know
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  like Ears up your ears past. You know, when I had to really
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  put a lot of work and get better at the road courses, you know,
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  we go right to the comparing to the best of the best at the
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  time, you know, preparing to chase, very to Danny.
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  Martin Truex, Junior, Kyle Larson crisper Bell.
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  You know, and because of the information that's out there
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  through smt the information collected through, you know,
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  through the passes that they are in the teens have that affects
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  access to, you know, gave me a great platform to be able to get
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  better. So just in the day and age of
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  NASCAR now, you really have to be able to understand.
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  You know, all those 50 60 Graph that you might see in a weekend
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  and pick the ones that make the most sense for that situation
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  that you have and dive into it and make the adjustments.
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  So obviously every car is going to be a little different even in
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  the next Genera on the set up and whatnot.
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  But still, you know, you have to look at that stuff in the in
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  just just get your head thinking a little bit differently than
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  you normally would. Okay.
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  I know how this guy likes to grab this car into the corner
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  and he's making it work. I got be able to adapt to that
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  quickly. And so being able to understand
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  all that stuff available, well listen.
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  There is kids. If you want to be like him, you
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  better, you better understand how to work a simulator and get
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  into the digital age. Tyler listen, thank you so much,
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  do good at Wilkesboro, 1 million dollars, go in and like to say,
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  I'm sure you spend your mom out for it.
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  Thank you for coming on to Kenny Wallace show.
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  And remember, everybody, we are in, we are in podcast form.
• 16:39
  Check us out on iTunes Spotify. Remember to, like, And
• 16:43
  subscribe? So Tyler.
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  Do good at Wilkesboro win 1 million dollars and give it all
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  of your wife. Yeah I'm right for here.
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  Love you buddy. Thank you.
• 16:54
  Thanks guys. See you