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Transcript

Indy’s Fastest Decade · In Wheel Time Podcast

• 0:06
  Don Armstrong: And a pleasant Saturday morning to you, and welcome to the Inreal Time Car Talk Show.
• 0:11
  Don Armstrong: We are so glad to have you with us and welcome.
• 0:14
  Don Armstrong: Just ahead, author Rick Schaefer, and his book, An Incredible Decade of Speed at Indy.
• 0:20
  Don Armstrong: It's a new track record.
• 0:22
  Don Armstrong: It's a great book.
• 0:23
  Don Armstrong: We just had a little conversation with him before we went on the air, and great guy.
• 0:27
  Don Armstrong: You're going to really enjoy this interview.
• 0:28
  Don Armstrong: Jeff has uh car culture.
• 0:30
  Don Armstrong: His feature this week is going to be on four-wheel steering.
• 0:34
  Don Armstrong: Yep.
• 0:34
  Don Armstrong: Do they even make it anymore?
• 0:36
  Don Armstrong: Mars has off the beaten path, carting around the Houston area.
• 0:40
  Don Armstrong: That's K-A-R-T-I-N-G, not carding.
• 0:44
  Don Armstrong: Howdy, along with Mike Out of This World, Mars.
• 0:47
  Don Armstrong: We always need more Jeff Zeken.
• 0:49
  Don Armstrong: I'm Don Armstrong.
• 0:50
  Don Armstrong: So glad that you could join us for our live version of the in-real-time car talk show.
• 0:56
  Don Armstrong: All right.
• 0:57
  Don Armstrong: Jeffrey, how have you been?
• 0:58
  Jeff Dziekan: Good, good.
• 0:59
  Jeff Dziekan: We're like the uh the uh black shirt gang this week.
• 1:03
  Jeff Dziekan: Uh I had a uh wardrobe malfunction.
• 1:06
  Jeff Dziekan: My blue shirt was interfering with the internet, so we all went black.
• 1:11
  Jeff Dziekan: So there you go.
• 1:12
  Jeff Dziekan: But good, it's been a good week.
• 1:15
  Don Armstrong: That's what I heard.
• 1:15
  Jeff Dziekan: Yep.
• 1:16
  Jeff Dziekan: Hey, went to uh uh Space Center Houston this past week, and it was awesome.
• 1:20
  Jeff Dziekan: If you if you're in Houston or if you come to Houston, you need to go see it.
• 1:23
  Jeff Dziekan: It is incredible.
• 1:24
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
• 1:25
  Jeff Dziekan: It really is.
• 1:26
  Don Armstrong: Mr.
• 1:26
  Don Armstrong: Mars, uh, you survived the rains over there?
• 1:29
  Mike Marrs: Yes, we did.
• 1:30
  Mike Marrs: We're starting to dry out a little bit.
• 1:32
  Don Armstrong: Well, that's got uh gonna change again here.
• 1:34
  Jeff Dziekan: So is it is it is it the whole county's going dry or just your city?
• 1:37
  Mike Marrs: No, just this this area.
• 1:41
  Jeff Dziekan: The world's going dry over here.
• 1:43
  Don Armstrong: Well, let's get to our guest here, shall we?
• 1:44
  Don Armstrong: He's been uh sitting around doing nothing, waiting for us to start the show, and let's just get right to it.
• 1:50
  Don Armstrong: His name is Rick Schaefer.
• 1:51
  Don Armstrong: And uh the book is it's a new track record, decade of speed, indie 62 to 72.
• 1:57
  Don Armstrong: What a great decade.
• 1:58
  Don Armstrong: I don't know how you came up with that, but talk about a decade of speed.
• 2:03
  Don Armstrong: Let's talk about a decade of change.
• 2:05
  Don Armstrong: You go from front engine to rear engine, and uh my god, everything really changed in that decade, Rick.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_03: Well, actually, there's a story behind how I came up with this idea.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_03: It isn't my idea.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_03: Uh though when I my first book came out in 1999 on the first 20 years of the cart indie car series.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_03: And um after I came out, a photographer friend of mine named Steve Stotty said, Hey, if you think you want to do another book, I got a great idea for you.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_03: And I said, Well, what's that?
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_03: And he said, Well, think of the year 62 to 72 and all the interesting cars, drivers, and teams that came through during that era, and I thought, that's a great idea.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_03: Well, unfortunately, Steve passed away in 2009, but I thought if I get this book uh written and get it published, I'm gonna dedicate it to Steve.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_03: That's exactly what I've done.
• 2:50
  Don Armstrong: Well, you know what?
• 2:51
  Don Armstrong: The first thing that comes to my mind when it comes to that decade, Andy Granatelli, the STP team.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_03: That yeah.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_03: He was, you know, he was actually in 62, he brought the Novi back for the first time since the 50s.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_03: And uh they didn't make the race that year, but uh that's where we start out with no eyes, and then he brings the you know, he had the first successful tournament cars, and uh of course that Davio orange color they painted their cars.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_03: That was you know, they stood out.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_03: It was just he was an incredible showman, and it was it was neat that you know he was a major part of this era.
• 3:22
  Don Armstrong: So well, I'll never forget the team, the team colors, those white kind of jumpsuit things with STP stickers all over them.
• 3:30
  Mike Marrs: Yeah, yeah, everybody had the STD STP stickers on your toolbox and on your notebooks and binders everywhere.
• 3:37
  Jeff Dziekan: They looked like this was this was wearable.
• 3:40
  Jeff Dziekan: They looked like gas station attendants.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_03: They used one, actually, that was the kind of short sleeve cover all that the European teams were wearing, but they just put their logo all over it.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_03: Andy himself, he had a regular suit made with entirely covered yes.
• 3:53
  Jeff Dziekan: Sure did.
• 3:55
  Don Armstrong: So um what what so okay, so we understand how how you got to write the book, but this isn't your first book from what I understand.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_03: This is my fourth book on racing.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_03: So I I after the current book, I got to co-author the autocorse history of the 500 with Donald Davidson, and then my most recent book was uh I also be needed to do a story, uh but this was nothing but nondescript stories that weren't widely known because so many of the 500 books have the same stories over and over again, same photos.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_03: So then I I uh had an outfit called uh Coastal A One, published uh uh 500 on the Indie 500.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_03: And then uh, of course, this is this new book is some of these people from England, wonderful people.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_03: They never publishing limited, and uh it was my first uh effort with them, so I've been very happy.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_03: They put out a beautiful product.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_03: They I've had some of their books before.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_03: I have a racing book collection of about 500 copies.
• 4:48
  Don Armstrong: So wow.
• 4:49
  Don Armstrong: 500 copies.
• 4:50
  Don Armstrong: So, in other words, we'll all get one.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_03: And uh well, this there's been 500 different titles, actually.
• 4:56
  Don Armstrong: So oh, I see 500 different books.
• 4:58
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, I guess.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_03: That's my library, that's my research center.
• 5:01
  Don Armstrong: So well, hey, we're always looking for a freebie.
• 5:03
  Don Armstrong: Hey, you're a media guy, you know about that.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, yeah.
• 5:08
  Don Armstrong: As a matter of fact, a little bit of background on Rick.
• 5:10
  Don Armstrong: Um, he used to work for a uh very well-known newspaper there in Indianapolis, and he was also part of an indie team.
• 5:17
  Don Armstrong: Tell us about that, Rick.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_03: Well, uh, when I decided it was time to leave my newspaper career, I had a chance to be the public relations director for uh team called Bettenhausen Motorsports, and this was run by Tony Bettenhausen.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_03: He was the youngest son of a uh same name driver, who was you know such a standout in the late 40s and 50s, and uh uh I I worked uh six years with him, and uh for the years my driver was uh an examined driver named Stefan Johansson, who's now gone to be the manager of uh people like Scott Dixon and Felix Rosenquist.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_03: And uh we had a year with a French Canadian driver named Patrick Raponte, and then my last year with a team we had this uh wonderful Brazilian working named Castro Mavis.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_03: And I always ask people who are this guy.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_03: So he we found a nice friendship from that, and and when I my previous book, he actually did the forward.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_03: So naturally, when I did this next book, I had to get another full-time layer, so I I uh was very blessed to have AJ Foyt do that, and uh, his publisher said, you know, he's the only driver still living.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_03: It was in all those races that I covered in that book.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_03: So that kind of put the deal over the top, I think.
• 6:26
  Don Armstrong: Well, you know, I'll tell you, I had the opportunity to actually have lunch with him one time several years ago, and uh, you know, once you take off the anger and the competitive thing that he's got going on, the aura around him, he's really a nice guy.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I you know, the the thing about Mr.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_03: Foyt is is how you approach him.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_03: And uh I being a rather shy person, uh, I decided the best way was to go through the public system.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_03: That seems to always work.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_03: Anytime I've dealt with him, he's just been you know extremely you know cordial and accommodating.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_03: And uh actually I'll tell you a little story.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I was doing I used to write for a now defunct magazine called uh Vintage Motorsport.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_03: And uh I was doing a story on the 64500, and so eventually I had to talk to him because he won the race.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_03: And uh we were at the Houston Indicar race, and so uh he was finishing up breakfast, so I go on to his coach and I said, sure, you you have come on back, and he said, Do I know you?
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_03: And I said, Well, yeah, AJ, I used to work at the star with Robin Northern.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_03: He goes, Well, we've been in friends for 30 years in Hamlet.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_03: That just broke the ice, had a wonderful interview with him.
• 7:34
  Don Armstrong: So Well, uh, I was I was quite surprised, pleasantly surprised.
• 7:39
  Don Armstrong: Uh really a nice guy, and um I I thoroughly enjoyed the interview.
• 7:43
  Don Armstrong: So let's talk to your talk to you about your book.
• 7:45
  Don Armstrong: Um so 62 to 72, 10 years at the ND500.
• 7:51
  Don Armstrong: And um what what really surprised you that you would point out to anybody that reads your book, hey, be sure and check this section out.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_03: Well, actually, overall, is if you look at 1962, there were still skeptics that thought it was impossible to go to 150 mile an hour until Pernelli Jones goes out and breaks the track record.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_03: And two years later, Bobby Marsman had a practice lab at 160, so they jumped 10 miles over what was slowly impossible.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_03: By the end of my era 72, they're nudging the 200 mile an hour market.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, it's just the thing, was it?
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_03: It was just uh in those 11 races, you had the track record broken nine times.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_03: So, Tom Carney, of course, the track announcer got to utter that thing was it's a new track record.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_03: And uh, you know, it was just really quite an era for technology.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_03: Uh we went from all front engine to rear engine cars uh by 1969.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_03: Uh by 1970, every engine was turbocharged, and there were no limits.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_03: Uh they were getting more than a thousand horsepower, you know, by the early 70s, and then uh the aerodynamics came into play, and of course, with that we also had slick tires for the first time.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_03: So, you know, things like that.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_03: That's what really made this so special.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_03: The different things that happened and uh the people who you know came and went.
• 9:06
  Don Armstrong: So the it it makes me think of the question what do you think of today's cars and today's technology?
• 9:13
  Don Armstrong: I mean uh uh uh 240 miles an hour?
• 9:16
  Don Armstrong: Seriously?
• 9:17
  Don Armstrong: Somebody's gonna get killed.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_03: Well, interestingly, they've gotten safer as they've gotten faster.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I know it doesn't sound like that'd be right, but uh, you know, they've they've come up with a lot of ways that part of the main thing that helped them safety-wise was when they went to the ground effects, they put the fuel tank behind the driver, so suddenly fire's no longer an issue that it had once been.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_03: You know, you see a fire in a car, it's usually the oil reserve tanks uh ignited.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_03: And uh, you know, the the materials, the carbon fiber is much better than the aluminum or than the honeycomb aluminum they use for the tubs.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, you know, the helmets are better, the fire suits are better.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_03: And of course, uh, you know, they was the first to use this, what they call the safer barrier, which is a uh really, you know, you wouldn't think that it's cushioning the the effects where they're when they're hitting the wall, it's not like they're hitting solid concrete, not you know, no give anyway.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_03: So um, but um they've had a knock on wood uh since 1982, they've had uh uh three fatalities of indie car drivers at the speedway.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_03: So we're going on like a 23-year-old.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_03: The last guy that was was uh killed was uh in a test, uh uh promising looking until he ran out that finished seventh the previous May.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_03: This was the fall of 2003, and they haven't had a fatality for indicator drivers since in Indianapolis anyway.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_03: And this is this tractor, you know, total like 43 drivers lost their lives there over the years.
• 10:46
  Don Armstrong: So who was the grumpiest driver that you ever interviewed?
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_03: Oh boy, that's a good question.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_03: I I I think I was pretty lucky.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_03: I didn't really run into you know a lot of terror, you know, but the question is, you know, when you talk to this person, I mean, um uh my first autograph was Alancer.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_03: He was a rookie and I was a little 12-year-old kid, and he talked to my brother and I like we were bored.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_03: And uh when I went to the star and ready to do my first Alancer feature, I was warning now, listen, you know, he he doesn't see you as a fan like he did when you were a kid.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_03: So, you know, he he doesn't he didn't like reporters.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_03: I I think he got burned by a couple of people, so uh, you know, it was not the fun interview I thought it was gonna be, but uh really been really lucky that I haven't had any, you know, tattoos with drivers.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_03: I I think I tried to be careful about when to approach them, and uh, you know, in the case of AJ Foyt, you know, you you're best served on some of them are better when you go through the public assistance that microphone in their face and uh bothering so right.
• 11:55
  Don Armstrong: Well, I I I find it fascinating.
• 11:57
  Don Armstrong: Well, tell me about uh the changes at the speedway uh now that uh the boss has taken over that speedway, and and uh there have been quite a few changes.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, you know, we're still in the early part of this.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_03: Uh he was really kind of hampered because when he brought the track and COVID came on.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_03: So I'm not really sure all the things he's gonna do.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_03: Uh now uh I'm 73 years old and and I I last five years I've I've gone to the race, not as a journalist, but as a fan again.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_03: And my brother and I, we sit on the top row of what they call the VISPA stands and turn four.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_03: So that's 44 rows up.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_03: And this year they put handrails on the aisles.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_03: And boy, for for us, that was a you know a wonderful little thing.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_03: You wouldn't think would be a big deal.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_03: It's a big deal to your average fan.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_03: But uh you know, Roger Penske, of course, he's noted for his uh immaculate-looking cars and and uh crew guides and transporters.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_03: So uh, you know, the speedway wasn't really decrepit when he bought it, but you know, you can just see he's really making extra strides to make it even more professional looking facility.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm biased, I think it's the greatest racing track in the world.
• 13:06
  Don Armstrong: So I've been there a couple of times, and I have to tell you that uh thoroughly impressed, and I've been to a lot of racetracks around, but there's something extra special about Indy, and uh, you know, it's a great big huge long track, and if you're gonna go pick a seat, well, good luck because you're not going to see the entire track like so many are today, and that's the way that they're built.
• 13:26
  Don Armstrong: But uh when this thing was built, they didn't have all of the in-field stuff going on like they do today to block the view.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_03: Well, actually they had a lot more trees in that building, you think.
• 13:37
  Don Armstrong: Oh, really?
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and and the other thing was the grandstands were just single level, so it wasn't until after the war they put the the you know the double level grandstands on uh the front straightaway, and then of course the Vista stand I referred to, they're in all the turns now.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_03: They're really a lot higher than the other ones ever had been.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_03: So uh, you know, my top row is 44, and then they some of them have an overhang with two more rows of seats.
• 14:00
  Mike Marrs: Yeah, so the track had to grow around the track, if you will, because the the track, the race surface, is pretty much like it was, other than you know, being fixed up and maintained.
• 14:11
  Mike Marrs: But it sounds like the track itself grew around that.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_03: Well what happened actually was when they were planning the track, uh they wanted to build a five-mile-long circle.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_03: And so the property they bought after they they they hired the engineer after they bought the property and and they get in together and they show him a map that's got their property, and it was 328 acres of uh farmland, so it was flat.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_03: And uh uh they went in, they told him this is what they want.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_03: Well, problem was the the configuration of the property was a mile long going north to south, half mile wide, east to west.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_03: So it's like you do the math, can you put a five-mile circle inside a half-mile rectangle?
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_03: Of course, you can.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_03: So this engineer seized the moment because he could see these guys are ready to sell this property and start looking elsewhere.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_03: And uh he laid out a three-mile rectangle.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_03: That's the thing, it's not an old, it's a rectangle of nine-degree round corners.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_03: And uh it was a three-mile track that took up all the room, but then he realized he had not left any room for uh um uh grandstands.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_03: And he said, You did say you're gonna have races, right?
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_03: And they said, Yeah.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_03: He said, Okay, I need to shorten the track by half a mile because we need to put the grandstands on the outside of what would be the front straightaway, and that half mile will give me enough room to do that, and uh so that's why the track is shaped like it is, and of course, you know, the grandstands, I don't think they envisioned having them all almost all the way around the entire track now.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_03: Now the golf course came around in the late 20s, and uh what was funny was they originally were going to build an infield road course, but Carl Fisher, the the main driving force among the founders, decided let's make this an aviation automotive facility.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_03: So for a while, you actually had a running uh runway that went diagonal between turns one and three, and a large building inside of turn two, which we call a hangar today, they call it an aerodrome, it's the biggest in the world at the time.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_03: So and all that got demolished when the great aviator Rick Eddie Rickenbacker bought the track and puts you in a golf course.
• 16:06
  Don Armstrong: Well, a fascinating story.
• 16:08
  Don Armstrong: And listen, we could we could sit and talk to you for at least a day and pick in your brain about Indy and uh the Indy 500 and uh the cars, the drivers, all of that.
• 16:19
  Don Armstrong: But the new book, it's it's a new track record, 1962 to 72, an incredible decade of speed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
• 16:27
  Don Armstrong: The author, Rick Schaefer, uh, and we certainly appreciate the time that you've spent with us today, Rick, and and we wish you the best of luck.
• 16:34
  Don Armstrong: And hey, uh call us anytime, because we we can talk to you about the book all we want, but you know, we we also like a fellow journalist, and uh and uh know that you've got tons of stories to tell.
• 16:46
  Jeff Dziekan: We could meet him at Indy next year.
• 16:47
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, that's right.
• 16:48
  Don Armstrong: So we'll meet you there.
• 16:49
  Don Armstrong: You can buy us a hot book.
• 16:51
  Don Armstrong: Okay, we'll we'll we'll we'll look forward to that.
• 16:54
  Don Armstrong: Rick, thanks so much again.
• 16:55
  Don Armstrong: Before you leave, I did want to mention to you this is a tabletop book.
• 16:59
  Don Armstrong: Father's Day is coming up, and as you mentioned off the air, Rick, that uh go to uh any just Google uh the the book or Rick's name, and uh I'm sure that there are probably a dozen different places that you can get the book, and it would be a great one to have uh to give away to dad.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_03: Well, thank you for the kind words.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_03: And and can I say one quick thing before we leave?
• 17:21
  Don Armstrong: Please, please do, yes.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, uh, you were mentioning a four-wheel steering car.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_03: Well, Mickey Thompson brought one in the speedway in 1967, and there's a picture of it on page 153 of the book.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_03: So well, there's my segment.
• 17:38
  Don Armstrong: I know I'm kidding.
• 17:39
  Don Armstrong: All right, Rick.
• 17:40
  Don Armstrong: Well, thank you.
• 17:40
  Don Armstrong: Thanks again.
• 17:41
  Don Armstrong: We really appreciate you, and best uh best of luck to you in the future, and we'll talk to you talk to you down the road.
• 17:46
  Mike Marrs: Thank you, sir.
• 17:48
  Don Armstrong: Thank you.
• 17:48
  Don Armstrong: Hey, just ahead, Jeff's car culture, four-wheel steering, as we just mentioned.
• 17:52
  Don Armstrong: Mars has go-kart tracks around Houston and his driving destinations feature.
• 17:56
  Don Armstrong: All that and more coming up right after this break on the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show.
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• 19:21
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• 19:26
  Don Armstrong: In Wheeltime.com has a list, so check us out.
• 19:30
  Don Armstrong: That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show.
• 19:34
  Don Armstrong: I'm Don Armstrong, inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning, eight to eleven AM Central on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and our InWheeltime.com website.
• 19:46
  Don Armstrong: Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartPodcast, Podcast Addict.
• 19:52
  Don Armstrong: Tune in, Pandora and Amazon Music.
• 19:54
  Don Armstrong: Keep listening, and we'll see you soon.
• 19:59
  Don Armstrong: Time now for seven racetracks worth visiting.
• 20:03
  Mike Marrs: So we looked at seven.
• 20:05
  Mike Marrs: I mean, we started looking at racetracks.
• 20:07
  Mike Marrs: There's racetracks all over the state, all over the country, different kinds, everything.
• 20:10
  Mike Marrs: But are they still open?
• 20:11
  Mike Marrs: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 20:12
  Mike Marrs: So so this is more of uh seven underrated U.S.
• 20:16
  Mike Marrs: racetracks that are worth visiting if you really decide you just want to go.
• 20:20
  Mike Marrs: Some people go to baseball parks and football stadiums, go to racetracks.
• 20:25
  Mike Marrs: So one of them we want to talk about is Road America.
• 20:27
  Mike Marrs: Now, this is the classic natural terrain road forest.
• 20:31
  Mike Marrs: Yes, it's four miles.
• 20:33
  Mike Marrs: It goes through the hills and forests of Wisconsin.
• 20:35
  Mike Marrs: You got a lot of long straights, so you get a lot of speed up, technical corners to make them slow down and try to maneuver around through the lamps.
• 20:42
  Mike Marrs: But the thing about this track is there's a lot of fan freedom.
• 20:45
  Mike Marrs: There's a lot of places the spectators can run big areas of the track to see it.
• 20:50
  Mike Marrs: And because of the elevation in the hills and stuff, you can get up and you can kind of see it.
• 20:56
  Mike Marrs: And then uh it's special, it's considered one of the purest road courses in North America.
• 21:00
  Mike Marrs: Now, the another one I wanted to mention is the Virginia International Raceway.
• 21:07
  Mike Marrs: This one has a lot of elevation changes, which is what makes it kind of work really different from everybody else.
• 21:12
  Mike Marrs: You got uh a lot of places you can get the speed, but they've got flowing corners.
• 21:17
  Mike Marrs: It doesn't have the really long, straight speed uh straightaways to where you're gonna get up the maximum speed that you're gonna get in a lot of people.
• 21:23
  Don Armstrong: And what's the name of that place?
• 21:24
  Mike Marrs: Virginia International Raceway.
• 21:26
  Mike Marrs: Now it's called VIR.
• 21:29
  Mike Marrs: That's kind of the abbreviation for it.
• 21:31
  Mike Marrs: I've heard of that, but it's Virginia International Raceway.
• 21:34
  Jeff Dziekan: I've heard of VIR.
• 21:35
  Mike Marrs: And uh it's considered one of the better driving tracks that's in the country.
• 21:39
  Mike Marrs: And it because people go out there, they think feel like it's like a more like a country club track where everybody's just it's not like real media heavy whenever people go out there.
• 21:49
  Mike Marrs: Then the other thing is going up to uh the Weather Tech Raceway at Laguna Seca.
• 22:00
  Don Armstrong: But weather tech is sponsored.
• 22:03
  Don Armstrong: They're paying them a lot of money to have the name of the topic.
• 22:06
  Mike Marrs: And if you don't look at any topic, it says for weathered weather tech.
• 22:11
  Mike Marrs: Anyway.
• 22:15
  Mike Marrs: But it's one of the things that it's famous for is because of it's got a coarse crew turn with a sudden downhill left-right sequence that drops several stories in elevation.
• 22:25
  Mike Marrs: So you really kind of drop down on it.
• 22:27
  Mike Marrs: I've never driven that track.
• 22:28
  Mike Marrs: I've seen the time races on it.
• 22:31
  Mike Marrs: But uh it's uh in the hills near Monterey, California.
• 22:35
  Mike Marrs: Got a lot of scenic views, so you get a lot of exciting racing.
• 22:38
  Mike Marrs: Fans can sit on the grassy hillsides and watch them, which is one of the things that makes these tracks a little different.
• 22:42
  Mike Marrs: You're not parking with your butt in the stands on all day.
• 22:46
  Mike Marrs: You can actually get out and enjoy some of the outside of it.
• 22:50
  Mike Marrs: Um another racetrack is going to be the Steabring International Raceway.
• 22:57
  Mike Marrs: It's one of the oldest and toughest circuits in North America, originally built on an old World War II fairfield.
• 23:04
  Mike Marrs: So it's a whole kind of concrete surfaces that can get kind of rough and uh makes things really challenging for the cars and the drivers because it's gonna eat on the tires pretty hard as well as the car.
• 23:14
  Mike Marrs: Now, this is where you're gonna find the 12 hours of steavering sometimes.
• 23:18
  Mike Marrs: I mean, that's a race that you can go there to see, and it's more like old school racing, so a lot of people like there going to that gritty atmosphere, uh that racing tradition, and you can actually camp there.
• 23:29
  Mike Marrs: So if you're really interested in that, it's a really great place to go.
• 23:32
  Mike Marrs: It's bumpy, it's brutal, and one of the toughest tracks for the drivers.
• 23:37
  Mike Marrs: The another one, uh the barber motorsports park.
• 23:40
  Mike Marrs: Oh, yeah, that's a good one.
• 23:41
  Mike Marrs: Wait, let's get the middle honour.
• 23:43
  Mike Marrs: Uh-oh.
• 23:43
  Mike Marrs: Where did Middohano go?
• 23:44
  Jeff Dziekan: Here it is.
• 23:46
  Mike Marrs: Yeah, Tinohano.
• 23:47
  Mike Marrs: Midohano is a technical layout track, and it um flows to the wooded hills and elevation changes.
• 23:53
  Mike Marrs: And it's called major series like indie card series there.
• 23:57
  Mike Marrs: It's kind of a small track, but it's considered to be very technical.
• 24:03
  Mike Marrs: We'll go to Barber.
• 24:04
  Mike Marrs: Barber.
• 24:05
  Mike Marrs: Barber Barber Motorsports Park is considered one of the most beautiful racing facilities.
• 24:10
  Mike Marrs: Why did it in the world?
• 24:14
  Mike Marrs: It's got a lot of grants, a lot of sculpted places around the circuit to kind of make it look really nice.
• 24:19
  Mike Marrs: Kind of a botanical garden area.
• 24:21
  Mike Marrs: It's got smooth pavement, blowing corners, so they get a lot of racing for motorcycles there, and the cars alike.
• 24:27
  Mike Marrs: Kind of um actually also has the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum on the site.
• 24:33
  Mike Marrs: So you get a combination of the two, including the indie car Grand Prix of Alabama.
• 24:39
  Mike Marrs: Rhodent Lana is the last one that we're gonna talk about right quick.
• 24:43
  Mike Marrs: It's known for its fast flowing line, dramatic elevation changes, and uh got a lot of high speed, steep downhill run.
• 24:52
  Mike Marrs: The uh instant sports car championship season runs through there, and they have again fans like the uh classic feel of it, being able to sit on the grassy hillsides, being able to get to the areas to where you can see the cars really well.
• 25:06
  Mike Marrs: And that is seven racetracks that uh are much underrated and uh offer opportunities to go and see some different kinds of racing and different feels to the track.
• 25:17
  Don Armstrong: You know, you know.
• 25:19
  Don Armstrong: And a happy 4th of July to you.
• 25:21
  Don Armstrong: Time now for this hour's car review.
• 25:24
  Don Armstrong: Had a chance to drive the 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
• 25:28
  Don Armstrong: Whew.
• 25:29
  Don Armstrong: This thing has got an interior like you wouldn't believe.
• 25:32
  Don Armstrong: Here are the available trim levels: the Laredo, the Laredo X, the Laredo Altitude, the Limited, Limited Reserve, 85th Anniversary Edition, and the Summit.
• 25:46
  Don Armstrong: I happen to have the L for long summit 4x4.
• 25:52
  Don Armstrong: This is a standard SUV, seat six in this particular configuration in three rows.
• 25:59
  Don Armstrong: You can get a bench seat in the second row if you want, but that does away with the console, and I think I would prefer the three-row all buckets.
• 26:09
  Don Armstrong: Anyway, fifth generation, it was all new in 2021, so it is five years old as far as the design is concerned, but is updated this year.
• 26:20
  Don Armstrong: Exterior features, one of the best looking SUVs in the market, in my opinion, with a modern seven-slot grille, typical for Jeep.
• 26:30
  Don Armstrong: Conservative design throughout the body, squared off wheel openings, contributes to its off-road demeanor.
• 26:38
  Don Armstrong: The rear hatch and lighting, very familiar, traditional look.
• 26:43
  Don Armstrong: What I liked about it, the overall design, very conservative, but it's ready to go, and I think that if you like conservative designed SUVs, you're gonna like this one.
• 26:52
  Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
• 26:54
  Don Armstrong: It is ready for a more modern exterior update.
• 26:58
  Don Armstrong: Now, some bits and pieces have been uh actually redone for this particular year, so it has been updated, but ready for a little bit more modern design, I think, overall.
• 27:10
  Don Armstrong: Interior highlights, one of the most beautifully designed interiors on the market.
• 27:17
  Don Armstrong: Infotainment screen is not so intuitive as the outgoing model.
• 27:23
  Don Armstrong: Overall, seating is roomy and comfortable on the inside.
• 27:27
  Don Armstrong: Available second row screens will entertain the passengers like your thirteen-year-olds that you're toting around.
• 27:34
  Don Armstrong: Cargo?
• 27:35
  Don Armstrong: Well, it's uh third row up still allows for some storage back there.
• 27:40
  Don Armstrong: Not a lot, put the third row down, and you got tons of room.
• 27:44
  Don Armstrong: What I liked about it, pretty much everything on that interior.
• 27:48
  Don Armstrong: Quality materials, fit and finish, design elements, it's all there.
• 27:53
  Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
• 27:55
  Don Armstrong: New operation system for the infotainment is not as intuitive as the old one.
• 28:01
  Don Armstrong: I like the old one a little bit better.
• 28:02
  Don Armstrong: You'll get used to it.
• 28:04
  Don Armstrong: Uh it took me a while, and um it's just a little bit different and more modernized.
• 28:09
  Don Armstrong: It has a 2.0 liter Turbo 4 with a start-stop feature on it, which they could do away with, but helps the gas mileage.
• 28:17
  Don Armstrong: Horsepower, get this.
• 28:19
  Don Armstrong: 324 horses out of this little two-liter turbo four.
• 28:24
  Don Armstrong: Torque 332, eight-speed automatic transmission with a tow rating of three tons, 6,200 pounds.
• 28:33
  Don Armstrong: That's significant.
• 28:34
  Don Armstrong: As far as miles per gallon, 20 in the city, 25 on the highway for combined to 22.
• 28:39
  Don Armstrong: I got 21.1 miles per gallon, a lot of highway driving I did, over 413.7 miles.
• 28:46
  Don Armstrong: What I liked about it, well, on paper, the turbo four with 324 horses looks enticing.
• 28:53
  Don Armstrong: However, the turbo lag can be significant in certain scenarios, and it grabbed me for several times while I was driving it the week that I had it.
• 29:03
  Don Armstrong: And um, if you're not an aggressive driver, maybe you're good with it, but I think it's something for Jeep to look into.
• 29:10
  Don Armstrong: Ride and handling.
• 29:11
  Don Armstrong: The air ride suspension is a definite must-have.
• 29:16
  Don Armstrong: Makes it smooth as glass as far as ride and handling is concerned.
• 29:20
  Don Armstrong: It is an option on lower levels on this top-of-the-line model.
• 29:25
  Don Armstrong: It is all there included in the price.
• 29:27
  Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
• 29:29
  Don Armstrong: Nothing as far as ride and handling is concerned.
• 29:31
  Don Armstrong: Now I didn't take it off-road.
• 29:33
  Don Armstrong: If that's what you're looking for, uh only the Land Rover can compete, in my opinion, uh, and it's a lot more expensive.
• 29:41
  Don Armstrong: Uh, this is an off-road vehicle.
• 29:43
  Don Armstrong: Jeep knows how to do off-road, and maybe this is right up your alley.
• 29:47
  Don Armstrong: Okay, here comes the pricing.
• 29:49
  Don Armstrong: Base trim price,$62,195.
• 29:54
  Don Armstrong: Now remember, this is top of the line.
• 29:55
  Don Armstrong: Price is tested,$72,770.
• 30:00
  Don Armstrong: That's a lot.
• 30:01
  Don Armstrong: Base model price, however, you can get into one of these for$40,415, that's more like it.
• 30:08
  Don Armstrong: Now the competitors include the Hyundai Palisade.
• 30:11
  Don Armstrong: It's at$39,435.
• 30:15
  Don Armstrong: That's where it starts.
• 30:16
  Don Armstrong: Also, the Toyota Grand Highlander starts at$41,860.
• 30:20
  Don Armstrong: All very competitive there.
• 30:22
  Don Armstrong: And then the Honda Passport jumps up to$44,950 as the starting price.
• 30:28
  Don Armstrong: So there are three, but there are more, obviously.
• 30:31
  Don Armstrong: But those are the three that I picked for you to give you some comparison.
• 30:34
  Don Armstrong: And that's my review of the 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
• 30:39
  Don Armstrong: Next week, I'll review the Land Rover Range Rover Hybrid.
• 30:44
  Don Armstrong: And I think that you're gonna like that one as well.
• 30:46
  Don Armstrong: And that's this week's car review.
• 30:48
  Don Armstrong: I'm Don Armstrong.
• 30:49
  Don Armstrong: Thanks for joining us.
• 30:53
  Don Armstrong: Keep listening, and we'll see you soon.