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Transcript

Inside Pine Valley Raceway’s NHRA Revival In Lufkin Texas · In Wheel Time Podcast

• 0:04
  Don Armstrong: Howdy, and welcome to the In Wheel Time Studios.
• 0:08
  Don Armstrong: The Dual City Studios in Texas, USA.
• 0:12
  Don Armstrong: Just ahead, we talk to the general manager of Pine Valley Raceway in Lufkin, Texas, about his refurbished facility.
• 0:19
  Don Armstrong: Can't wait to love all of that.
• 0:21
  Don Armstrong: Plus just motor minute, and I'll review the redesigned 26 Tubaru Outback all coming up in this half hour of the In-Wheel Time Car Talk Show Howdy, along with Mike Out of It's World Mars.
• 0:33
  Don Armstrong: Over there in Neederville.
• 0:35
  Don Armstrong: Along with Jeff Zeken here in the Houston Studios.
• 0:38
  Don Armstrong: I'm Don Armstrong.
• 0:40
  Don Armstrong: Glad that you can join us this morning.
• 0:42
  Don Armstrong: David Ainsley is uh out.
• 0:44
  Don Armstrong: Is is that some sort of schooling?
• 0:47
  Don Armstrong: What David admits that he's gonna go to school for anything?
• 0:51
  Don Armstrong: Maybe he's uh the professor, maybe he's the instructor, the teacher.
• 0:55
  Mike Marrs: I just figured he had a date.
• 0:58
  Don Armstrong: Well, that that could be, but I I I doubt that too.
• 1:01
  Don Armstrong: I I I I question all of it.
• 1:03
  Don Armstrong: But whatever the case may be.
• 1:05
  Don Armstrong: Well, let's get right to it, shall we?
• 1:06
  Don Armstrong: Yeah.
• 1:07
  Don Armstrong: He's been in the green room for 10 minutes.
• 1:09
  Don Armstrong: He's dying to get on the air with us.
• 1:10
  Don Armstrong: There he is.
• 1:11
  Don Armstrong: Ladies and gentlemen, Steve Queen, General Manager, Pine Valley Raceway, Lufkin, Texas.
• 1:16
  Don Armstrong: Good morning, sir.
• 1:17
  Don Armstrong: Good morning, gentlemen.
• 1:18
  Don Armstrong: How are you?
• 1:19
  Don Armstrong: Well, we're great, good, and we're not as good as you.
• 1:22
  Don Armstrong: We don't own a racetrack.
• 1:24
  Don Armstrong: We wish we did, but I think that we now have a connection up there in Lufkin, and we could probably get in for you know a few dollars.
• 1:32
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, a senior discount for us.
• 1:33
  Don Armstrong: Senior discount, yeah.
• 1:34
  Don Armstrong: And a car show discount.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_03: There you go.
• 1:36
  Don Armstrong: What do you think, Steve?
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_03: I think that's not a problem.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_03: I think that is a possibility, not a problem at all.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, good.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_03: Well, uh, you know, really appreciate jumping in with you.
• 1:45
  Don Armstrong: Well, thank you.
• 1:46
  Don Armstrong: And uh, you know, it's good to know that there is a racetrack that's not in NS, Texas, and uh that we can get to from here.
• 1:56
  Don Armstrong: I did the math because I wanted to know.
• 1:58
  Don Armstrong: Two and a half hours from Houston is Lufkin, and three hours from Dallas.
• 2:03
  Don Armstrong: So you're kind of a tweener out there in the woods.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, definitely.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_03: If you take a look at the map, and and we get a lot of folks from the Louisiana area also, and uh works really well for us.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_03: Uh the place has been here since 2004.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_03: It's actually owned by the Bailey family, and I'm just uh coordinating and guiding things uh with the rejuvenation of the facility quarter mile and HRA drag strip.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_03: And uh we also have a tractor pulling facility that we use on one of our bigger events in October with the Kelly's Auto uh truck parts, uh the big uh truck show that comes in on October 17th, 18th of this year.
• 2:43
  Don Armstrong: So you have uh uh experience at racetracks before you came uh on uh the Pine Valley?
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I've been uh in the business for I like to say about 50 years, to be honest, and around the world.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_03: I've done F1, I've done the NASCAR stuff, I've done drag racing with the National Hot Right Association, which that's what we're sanctioned with here, uh, is NHRA at Lufkin at this quarter mile facility.
• 3:09
  Jeff Dziekan: Steve, is there a uh when when you got involved in this to take over and be the basically the taker or caretaker of it, is do you model what you have there after other tracks or other facilities in the US?
• 3:21
  Jeff Dziekan: So I want a little bit of that, I want a little bit of this.
• 3:23
  Jeff Dziekan: Is that how that goes?
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, you coordinate uh with a lot of the uh sanctioning bodies, a lot of the racetracks that have been around.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_03: Uh the NHRA has got seven divisions of of competition throughout the country.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_03: So we coordinate, we call the quarterback Monday when all the track operators will come make phone calls and and conference calls and discuss our our uh activities.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_03: Uh it's very similar whether you're on the East Coast or the West Coast, uh, just a little bit of different demographic differences.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_03: Obviously, with us in the Texas area, we can almost run year-round, and of course, it gets real warm in the summertime around that July, August time.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it does.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_03: And in the northern part of the country, uh runs in a maybe a six or seven month uh uh racing program.
• 4:11
  Don Armstrong: Yeah.
• 4:13
  Don Armstrong: So what do you have?
• 4:14
  Don Armstrong: You got something going on today?
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_03: Actually, we do, and if you look at where I'm in the background here, sitting in the bottom floor of the timing tower, it's drizzling here.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_03: So we made a decision yesterday morning to cancel or move this event.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_03: It was scheduled for May 9th today, and we moved it to May 30th uh due to the fact that the weather uh it's a situation where families have to travel, as you mentioned.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_03: We're a couple of hours away from Houston, a few hours away from Dallas.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_03: We get them all away from San Antonio as well.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_03: So we try to let the racers know very uh early on uh what our intentions are.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_03: And yesterday we made a decision, and I think it might have been the right one because we're sitting here right now and just a an irritating light drizzle, which obviously with far us car folks, it just doesn't make it happen.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_03: Whether you're doing a car show or a drag race, uh the rain is is a difficult part of the part of the summer.
• 5:10
  Don Armstrong: Do you ever absolutely marry uh like a car show and a drag race?
• 5:16
  Don Armstrong: Or do you call it just one?
• 5:18
  Don Armstrong: Hey, look, here are the race cars and they are the show.
• 5:20
  Don Armstrong: Uh and but I I'm thinking, you know, a road trip for a car club.
• 5:24
  Don Armstrong: We got a Mustang Club we're gonna uh interview here in the next hour.
• 5:28
  Don Armstrong: And I thought, what a great thing to, you know, the Mustang Club.
• 5:32
  Don Armstrong: I don't want to put my car on the track.
• 5:34
  Don Armstrong: I I don't want to take that risk of tearing it up or you know, breaking a transmission or somewhere.
• 5:38
  Don Armstrong: I've done that before.
• 5:39
  Don Armstrong: But um I certainly don't mind putting it in a car corral somewhere for everybody to take a look at the streetcars.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, absolutely.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_03: And it we do it a lot of times, like there's across the country there's super Chevy shows and Ford shows, and you'll have some on-track racing activity for some of the folks, as well as a car show, swap meet.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, so there's a mixture of different things for the folks to come out and take a look at.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_03: We're in the entertainment business, not so much the racing business.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_03: I'd have to say we're in the entertainment business, trying to make sure that everybody has a good time, whether you're here for car show or uh swap meet or the drag racing activity.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_03: So uh it's wide open, wide open on the scheduling.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_03: That's the fun business.
• 6:23
  Jeff Dziekan: It is the fun the racers have fun, the the participants, and then of course the crowds, they have fun.
• 6:29
  Jeff Dziekan: You get future racers bringing up, yeah, that's it's fun.
• 6:32
  Don Armstrong: Well, I mean, not only that, but it's also a family event.
• 6:35
  Don Armstrong: I uh was on the tour uh doing marketing and PR for a top fuel team several years ago, and uh it is a family event, and uh so many people give it the uh the wrong really uh idea that oh, you know, a bunch of hoodlums out there.
• 6:51
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, that's when Mike did it.
• 6:53
  Don Armstrong: Mike Ray had Mike was the hoodlums.
• 6:54
  Don Armstrong: Mike was the hoodless back in the day.
• 6:57
  Don Armstrong: Exactly.
• 6:58
  Don Armstrong: But that's not the case at all.
• 7:00
  Don Armstrong: I mean, the kids come out, they have a good time.
• 7:02
  Don Armstrong: The kids, it's so much fun, especially at my age now, to watch the kids and see their enjoyment that they get seeing a a car, two cars go down the drag strip together, uh, all of the activities that go on in the pits, um, the all of the the booths that are there selling their wares and that sort of stuff.
• 7:21
  Don Armstrong: And let's not forget the hot dogs.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, funnel cakes, all that.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, absolutely.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_03: We do have the junior dragster program with all the the youngsters and different categories.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_03: The junior dragsters are very important to us because it's it's the future of the sport.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_03: And now NHRA has moved into a program where the youngsters can get into the big cars, as we call it, and they ride with a parent uh at 16 years of age and older, and then participate in junior streets.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_03: So NHRA has really done a wonderful job for the young youngsters.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_03: And what's really interesting is the entire family, as you mentioned.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_03: Mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, aunts, uncles, everybody comes on out, and it's just like a big picnic and a big party.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_03: They hang out, you do your drag racing, you're in the pit area.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_03: What's really interesting is how much the racers uh get together as families in the junior dragster ranks and then move on up into the other categories of competition.
• 8:19
  Don Armstrong: Yes, as a matter of fact, uh, of course, uh, you know, uh I've had the privilege of knowing uh the Enders family, and I'm sure you're familiar with Erica and her on on track uh five five time five-time uh world champion.
• 8:35
  Don Armstrong: And um it it's uh and she started in Junior Dragsters, as you know.
• 8:41
  Don Armstrong: And um uh another good friend of ours, uh Stan and Sheila Holt, uh Sheila actually headed up the uh junior dragster program uh back in the day.
• 8:52
  Don Armstrong: And uh and that's how Stan met her, and it's a long story, but uh we're still friends, and uh that's one of the things that uh is so much fun uh when it goes to the drag racing.
• 9:03
  Don Armstrong: And and you know, you get this one person that's got a race car and you hang with them, and then you all of a sudden your friend network continues to grow throughout the entire sport.
• 9:13
  Don Armstrong: Are you gonna come to the races next weekend?
• 9:15
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, I'll be there.
• 9:16
  Don Armstrong: You know, that kind of thing.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_03: And one of the biggest things I think in this Luff Canary, we know there's a lot of uh young people that are out there with their whether it's pickup trucks or their cars or or motorcycles or whatever it is, and it's a safe place for them to come out and you know, go down the quarter mile racetrack.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_03: We have all the safety uh requirements that the NHRA provides and the insurance companies provide, and we just wanted a safe environment, a fun environment.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_03: Again, as I mentioned, we're in the entertainment business.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_03: So a lot of the families back up to the fence, put the tailgate down, they call.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_03: I bet one of the biggest calls we get here to the raceway is not just the fact that we're open, it's the fact that can we bring in a barbecue or can we bring in our own beverages?
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_03: And and we certainly welcome that.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_03: And it's nice to see uh we'll have them from the 300-foot mark all the way to the quarter mile over a thousand foot of fencing that the folks are backed up to and just enjoying themselves.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_03: It's nice to go by and see all these folks in a family environment.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_03: You mentioned the kids, the kids are all out and about, and and we need to look at doing some additional things for the kids as we progress here at the facility.
• 10:27
  Don Armstrong: I'm I'm I'm thinking more along the lines like a drive-in movie where you got the swing set down front.
• 10:34
  Don Armstrong: What do you think, Steve?
• 10:36
  Don Armstrong: You have to go out and buy yourself a swing set now.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_03: But uh there's no doubt about it.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_03: You just that's funny you mentioned that.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_03: I talked to a couple of the folks that come out in in in the area near us because we do have some uh very good supporters of sponsorship in the local area here, and I mentioned that just the other day, and I got somebody looking into doing that.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_03: Uh it's good, yeah.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_03: They need something new sometimes.
• 10:59
  Mike Marrs: And I think that's one of the advantages of being the uh in East Texas, if you will, because you're out there kind of like say in the middle of everything.
• 11:07
  Mike Marrs: Nacadochas isn't too far away or anything, but you've got a little bit more room, it's a little more laid back, it's not solid concrete with grandstands all the way halfway down the track and things, and it just makes it a little more family friendly for people to come out and get involved.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_03: So, where where is it exactly in Lufkin?
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_03: Well, we're right on the very south side of Lufkin.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_03: If you look on a map, we're on 59.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_03: We're on actually on 2497 FM.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_03: But uh we're closest town is the little town of Daiball.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_03: And they're just four miles away.
• 11:39
  Don Armstrong: There used to be a big tin barn in Daiyball.
• 11:42
  Don Armstrong: Are you familiar with that?
• 11:43
  Don Armstrong: Have you have you been in the Lufkin area all your life or no?
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_03: No, not me myself.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_03: No, I'm actually from the north part of the country.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_03: If you can kind of tell, it sounds like this uh Canadian guy or something, but no, I'm I'm from the north and and I've been all over uh motorsports takes you everywhere.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_03: So I've been you know in the Middle East, I've been all over uh it's uh the United States, and uh uh motorsports has been my life.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_03: And I started.
• 12:09
  Mike Marrs: So what you're saying is it took you a long time to get to Texas.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it did.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I did work for the National Hob Rod Association as a part-time employee years back, and we did come through here and and in the Houston race and of course the Ennis race.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_03: Now, next weekend we'll be going over and sharing some activities over there in Ennis, Texas, as they have a double divisional for the Division IV sportsman racers, and we we try to work our schedules with the other racetracks.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I talked to a couple of tracks this week just to get up to speed on what they're doing.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_03: We share our information, they share their information.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_03: So it's kind of a uh it's a family group of people, even though you're in competition, you're trying to make sure that you you're doing the best for the the track itself as well as your customers and such.
• 12:59
  Mike Marrs: So while it sounds kind of like you're you're getting your your feet on the ground, it's because you only got here like in August, I believe is what you told me the other day.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_03: That's correct.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_03: I came down, I met actually the Bailey family.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_03: I flew down here in uh April, took a look at the facility, and then we started a discussion.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_03: And I said, I I really like the family.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_03: It's four brothers that that uh operate the racetrack.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_03: Their father, this was his dream, and he had passed away during COVID, unfortunately, and they're carrying on the tradition of this motorsports facility.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_03: So it's been here for quite a while.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and we're we're we just spent quite a bit of money rejuvenating, fixing the lighting, uh, the timing systems then repaired, uh, the PA system in and the grounds.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_03: There's 183 acres here, wow, and a lot of it is is grassy area or fields of uh of uh clover.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, there you go.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_03: Clover.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_03: It makes it sound much more romantic.
• 13:59
  Jeff Dziekan: So is it there you go?
• 14:01
  Jeff Dziekan: This 183 plus acres, is that about the about the average size of an NHRA facility so far as uh everything involved?
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it depends on each of the facilities.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_03: I think when they looked at building this, they they they marketed it uh uh to a larger audience and and it's got a lot more uh space on it for parking and doing other things on there.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_03: It just kind of depends on the areas uh and and uh and such.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_03: Some places are built off of uh airport, uh leftover airport runways and such, and some of them are tucked into Houston Motorsport Park, is tucked into the northern part of the Houston area with an oval track in it.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_03: And uh so every facility is a little bit different.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but this was built as a quarter mile drag strip uh based on that.
• 14:50
  Mike Marrs: So, Steve, before before we run out of time, you were telling me the other day about some things that y'all are looking at for later on in the fall and stuff to to expand some of the activities going on.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, as I mentioned earlier, we got the Kelly's uh truck parts, the the big truck show, which is October 17th and 18th.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_03: Uh Ron Kelly was out here, the owner of the truck company was out here the other day, and we went over some of the plan for that particular event.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_03: 9,000 people here last year.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I mean the place is that's that's the big 18-wheeler tractor races, not trucks.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_03: Correct.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_03: And and they do a big show.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_03: They have the tractor pole that goes on in the evenings.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_03: Um, that's a big program.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_03: Uh we're doing our Summit Racing Products, which is a company located, I believe, out of the Dallas area.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_03: Uh we have an ET bracket racing series that all the the youngsters from junior dragsters to junior street, and of course our super pro and pro ET and sportsman cars compete on a on a series that then ends up competing in an in an in our division over in NS Texas and has the opportunity to proceed into Las Vegas for a national championship.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_03: So there's a lot of things going on here.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_03: We're really trying to build the base with our local folks here in the Lufkin area to get the kids that uh have their street vehicles to come on out.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_03: Can be a grocery getter, mom's mom's SUV to uh muscle cars and everything else.
• 16:22
  Don Armstrong: I mean well, I'm thinking about uh the 69 Buick Skylark.
• 16:26
  Don Armstrong: I was thinking the Skylark completely completely stocked.
• 16:29
  Don Armstrong: Champagne color.
• 16:30
  Don Armstrong: Uh-huh.
• 16:30
  Don Armstrong: It probably does the quarter mile in about 10 minutes.
• 16:33
  Don Armstrong: But uh, whatever the case may be, it'd be fun to fun to take mom's car out there and tear it up.
• 16:38
  Don Armstrong: Put it to the floor.
• 16:39
  Don Armstrong: That's it.
• 16:39
  Don Armstrong: Burn that right rear tire right off of it.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_03: There you go.
• 16:43
  Don Armstrong: I have experience in that department, but as a matter of fact.
• 16:48
  Don Armstrong: Yeah.
• 16:48
  Don Armstrong: Um, so when I mean, do you have a race there every weekend?
• 16:53
  Don Armstrong: Obviously, weather permitting.
• 16:54
  Don Armstrong: Does it I mean for the locals?
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, uh, if you take a look, uh we're on Facebook under the Pine Valley Raceway.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_03: We also have uh a website for the folks that don't do the the uh Facebook thing, but uh the schedules are located on there, and it does change.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, like today being uh the event needed to be moved to another event, so we have to shuffle things on the schedule, and we're checking with other track operators because we really don't want to step on anybody else's toes.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_03: So the schedule changes a little bit here and there, but everything can be found on the the website and or Facebook, and of course, you can call the telephone calls and the phone transfers to a couple of us that answer the phone uh just about 24-7.
• 17:40
  Don Armstrong: It's Pine Valley Raceway in Lufkin, Texas.
• 17:43
  Don Armstrong: Steve, it's great to talk to you.
• 17:45
  Don Armstrong: Thank you so much for joining us today.
• 17:47
  Don Armstrong: And uh, let's stay in touch.
• 17:49
  Don Armstrong: You got something big coming up.
• 17:50
  Don Armstrong: Be sure and give us a call, we'll get you on the air.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_03: Appreciate it, guys.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_03: We really appreciate you reaching out and having this discussion today.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_03: And anytime you're in the area of Lufkin, stop on in.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_03: We'll see you take you away.
• 18:03
  Don Armstrong: I'll call you at three o'clock in the morning as I'm passing by.
• 18:06
  Don Armstrong: I promise not to do that.
• 18:09
  Don Armstrong: All right, take care.
• 18:10
  Don Armstrong: Thanks, Steve.
• 18:11
  Don Armstrong: Thank you very much.
• 18:11
  Don Armstrong: All right, take care.
• 18:13
  Don Armstrong: Just ahead, Jeff's motor minute and a review of the new Subaru Outback.
• 18:17
  Don Armstrong: And I say new, all new, when the In-Wheel Time Car Talk Show continues right after this break.
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• 20:00
  Don Armstrong: Every Saturday at a regular time, 10 to noon Central, on InWheelTime.com, YouTube, and Facebook, or you can always grab a 30-minute podcast of our show from your favorite podcast store, and it is all for free.
• 20:14
  Don Armstrong: Having a moment is right.
• 20:18
  Don Armstrong: Jeffrey has that.
• 20:19
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, uh, do you change your own oil, Don?
• 20:20
  Jeff Dziekan: How about you, Michael?
• 20:22
  Jeff Dziekan: I used to, but I don't know.
• 20:23
  Jeff Dziekan: Used to is the is the key word.
• 20:24
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, you know that the engine oil temperature does matter.
• 20:28
  Jeff Dziekan: The oil plays an important part in keeping the components of an engine lubricated.
• 20:31
  Jeff Dziekan: Without it, your engine would fail, probably get grenade and all that good stuff.
• 20:35
  Jeff Dziekan: Most drivers know that an oil change is an important part of maintaining your vehicle, but what role does the temperature of the oil play?
• 20:42
  Jeff Dziekan: We'll find out.
• 20:43
  Jeff Dziekan: Not only can it affect how easy or difficult the engine oil change can be, but well, hot oil hurts.
• 20:48
  Jeff Dziekan: I mean it's just sticking your hand in a vet there.
• 20:50
  Jeff Dziekan: Uh planning to change it yourself, wait about 20 to 30 minutes after you shut off the car before you you know you go to the hardware store, you go to the auto parts store, you get all your stuff, you're back at home.
• 21:00
  Jeff Dziekan: Don't do it right away.
• 21:00
  Jeff Dziekan: Let it cool down.
• 21:02
  Jeff Dziekan: There's a reason for it, because you'll burn yourself.
• 21:04
  Jeff Dziekan: Uh if the engine oil or if the car is too cold and you want to change it, that's also bad too.
• 21:10
  Jeff Dziekan: Run it, let it warm up, get it to about 100 degrees, then get your stuff, and then change your oil.
• 21:15
  Jeff Dziekan: Because it takes all of the impurities of the oil that is stuck to all the parts of the car, and it puts them down into the pan where you can drain it efficiently.
• 21:23
  Jeff Dziekan: Because if it's cold, it just sticks to the walls of the cylinders and all that good stuff, and you get all that debris and contaminants that stuck to it.
• 21:30
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
• 21:30
  Jeff Dziekan: Uh it's uh as they call it, it's it's viscous.
• 21:33
  Jeff Dziekan: It's more viscous when the oil is warm.
• 21:36
  Jeff Dziekan: So keep that in mind.
• 21:38
  Jeff Dziekan: And uh less chance of sticking, less chance of getting burned on it, so make sure it's warm.
• 21:44
  Jeff Dziekan: My dad would chain the oil, take the oil out of the car, and he would put kerosene.
• 21:50
  Jeff Dziekan: And he'd run it kerosene for about two minutes and clean off the cylinder.
• 21:54
  Mike Marrs: Try and push all the old oil out of it.
• 21:56
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, exactly.
• 21:56
  Jeff Dziekan: So it just brought that to mind.
• 21:58
  Jeff Dziekan: So warm oil, not hot.
• 22:00
  Jeff Dziekan: I let somebody else do that these days.
• 22:02
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, I do too.
• 22:02
  Don Armstrong: Of course, not only that, I can't get under the car.
• 22:05
  Don Armstrong: That's three.
• 22:06
  Don Armstrong: It's only about that much room under there.
• 22:08
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, for your Corvette, yeah.
• 22:10
  Jeff Dziekan: We used to have the ramps.
• 22:10
  Jeff Dziekan: You had the ramps to drive up, and then just Gucci underneath with all that.
• 22:14
  Mike Marrs: Jack stands, all that stuff.
• 22:16
  Mike Marrs: But the biggest problem to me is uh disposing of the old oil.
• 22:20
  Jeff Dziekan: Dig it up there to the O'Reilly's.
• 22:22
  Jeff Dziekan: Exactly.
• 22:22
  Jeff Dziekan: That's it too, Mike.
• 22:23
  Jeff Dziekan: You have to have a place to dispose it.
• 22:24
  Mike Marrs: You got to put it into something that you can put it up there and take it to O'Reilly's or wherever you're going to go.
• 22:29
  Jeff Dziekan: Walmart does it.
• 22:30
  Jeff Dziekan: You have to, you know, I don't know how they do that.
• 22:32
  Jeff Dziekan: Show them a receipt that you bought the oil from them because they only take certain oil that they sell.
• 22:37
  Jeff Dziekan: So uh keep that in mind.
• 22:39
  Jeff Dziekan: It's true.
• 22:39
  Mike Marrs: They can look at it and tell whether it's Walmart oil or not.
• 22:42
  Jeff Dziekan: Dirty.
• 22:43
  Don Armstrong: Dirty Walmart oil.
• 22:46
  Don Armstrong: Yeah.
• 22:47
  Don Armstrong: All right.
• 22:48
  Don Armstrong: Time now for this hour's car review.
• 22:50
  Don Armstrong: I had the opportunity to drive the all-new, completely redesigned 2026 Subaru Outback.
• 22:58
  Don Armstrong: It comes in these trim levels: the Limited, the Limited XT, the Wilderness Touring and Touring XT.
• 23:06
  Don Armstrong: I had the Limited.
• 23:08
  Don Armstrong: It is a small SUV, two rows of seating, seats five, completely redesigned for 2026.
• 23:15
  Don Armstrong: It's taller, it's boxier, it has a real honest to goodness SUV look to it now.
• 23:21
  Don Armstrong: Gone is the lifted wagon look.
• 23:25
  Don Armstrong: Sharp looking front fascia on this, black plastic wheel well openings.
• 23:31
  Don Armstrong: Very rugged looking, much more so than the outgoing model.
• 23:35
  Don Armstrong: Vertical bumper kickups.
• 23:42
  Don Armstrong: Yeah.
• 23:42
  Don Armstrong: So there's the bumper, and then you got little kickups on the bumper itself.
• 23:47
  Don Armstrong: It's got a obviously like that.
• 23:49
  Don Armstrong: That's it.
• 23:50
  Don Armstrong: Yes, there you see there.
• 23:51
  Don Armstrong: Um it is a much taller roof line now.
• 23:55
  Don Armstrong: What I liked about it, it enhances an overall tougher off-road look.
• 24:02
  Don Armstrong: That's the way I look at it anyway.
• 24:04
  Don Armstrong: Uh we could use improvement, nothing.
• 24:06
  Don Armstrong: I think that this one will really sell and get away from that uh lifted wagon look.
• 24:11
  Don Armstrong: Interior highlights, 12.3 inch display screen.
• 24:15
  Don Armstrong: And depending on the trim, it could be uh kid proof or semi-luxury uh on the interior as far as materials are concerned.
• 24:23
  Don Armstrong: Door panel trim.
• 24:25
  Don Armstrong: Um most cars, uh this this this one in particular transfers the door panel cover, if you want to call it that, to the dash.
• 24:37
  Don Armstrong: And I think is uh a good unique uh touch to it.
• 24:40
  Don Armstrong: Uh rear seat leg room is good cargo, cargo room is enough and it is competitive for its class.
• 24:47
  Don Armstrong: Uh what I liked about it, the return of buttons.
• 24:50
  Don Armstrong: Uh don't laugh, but you know, everybody seems to be going to this.
• 24:54
  Don Armstrong: Oh, let's not put any buttons in it.
• 24:56
  Don Armstrong: Let's do it all through the app on on the center screen.
• 25:01
  Don Armstrong: Well, that's fine if you're sitting still, but if you're driving down the road and you want to include uh, you know, a little bump up in the temperature, let me have a button for that if I may.
• 25:10
  Don Armstrong: Bump up in the base.
• 25:12
  Don Armstrong: Bump up in the base that as well.
• 25:14
  Don Armstrong: So uh anyway, uh they have buttons now, and that's good.
• 25:17
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, it is.
• 25:18
  Don Armstrong: 2.5 liter uh four-cylinder engine, 180 horsepower.
• 25:24
  Don Armstrong: Now there is an option, it's a 260 horsepower version of it, better for towing and that sort of stuff.
• 25:31
  Don Armstrong: CVT transmission, all-wheel drive courses standard on all of the Subaros.
• 25:36
  Don Armstrong: Toll rating 2,700 pounds for this particular one, 25 miles per gallon in the city, 31 on the highway for a combined of 27.
• 25:44
  Don Armstrong: I got 29.2 miles per gallon over 398.9 miles.
• 25:49
  Don Armstrong: Uh what I liked about it, this is good for overall everyday driving on Houston Street.
• 25:55
  Don Armstrong: So don't take it for just off-road stuff.
• 25:58
  Don Armstrong: This is good for all round goodness when driving it to work or whatever the case may be.
• 26:05
  Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
• 26:06
  Don Armstrong: I think that the downshift is a little bit slow to interact with the foot input, but that's just me, because I am a two-foot kind of guy, even with an automatic transmission.
• 26:16
  Don Armstrong: Ride and handling, it's compliant, it's good, it's not too stiff.
• 26:20
  Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
• 26:21
  Don Armstrong: I put a question mark there because I don't know, because it it rides really well and handles pretty good.
• 26:27
  Don Armstrong: And I did not take it off-road, so there is that.
• 26:30
  Don Armstrong: So here's the pricing.
• 26:32
  Don Armstrong: Base trim price,$41,715.
• 26:35
  Don Armstrong: Prices tested$43,560.
• 26:38
  Don Armstrong: The base model price is$34.99.
• 26:42
  Don Armstrong: I think they're going to sell a ton of these.
• 26:44
  Don Armstrong: Uh competitors, Honda Passport in size, but not in price.
• 26:51
  Don Armstrong: The Chevy Blazer, it starts at$34.3.
• 26:55
  Don Armstrong: It would probably be its closest competitor.
• 26:57
  Don Armstrong: Uh the Mazda CX70, they like it as well at$42,250.
• 27:04
  Don Armstrong: So uh the price competitor uh really and size is the Chevy Blazer at$34.30.
• 27:10
  Don Armstrong: Again, the base model price is$34,995.
• 27:13
  Don Armstrong: Next week, we're going to review the Kia Telluride.
• 27:17
  Jeff Dziekan: So that the 29 miles plus per gallon, that you I know that you take a certain highway to work back and forth, but you didn't do any extra usage during the week on it.
• 27:27
  Don Armstrong: I did, I did.
• 27:27
  Don Armstrong: Uh, you know, and that goes with all of the stuff that I drive.
• 27:30
  Don Armstrong: Uh the the most mileage goes uh back and forth to work, and it's about 40 miles one way.
• 27:37
  Jeff Dziekan: Would that mileage suffer if you were off-road?
• 27:39
  Jeff Dziekan: Obviously it would.
• 27:40
  Jeff Dziekan: If you're going the outback trails, you wouldn't get the 29 or 30.
• 27:44
  Don Armstrong: Well, you know, I I'm not sure because it's got the CVT transmission, so it's not one of those that, you know, well, we've got to put it in the low.
• 27:50
  Don Armstrong: Maybe you can hold it in a lower gear ratio kind of thing with a CVT.
• 27:55
  Don Armstrong: I didn't get into all of that.
• 27:57
  Mike Marrs: Isn't there still a lot of construction on your way to work?
• 28:00
  Mike Marrs: There's not.
• 28:01
  Mike Marrs: Oh, okay.
• 28:02
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, that's on your way to work, Mike.
• 28:03
  Mike Marrs: Not Oh, well, I was just gonna suggest maybe he could jump a few ditches and kind of go around some of that stuff to kind of test the off-road game.
• 28:09
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, I'm sure that Subaru would really appreciate that.
• 28:12
  Don Armstrong: Hey, who drove this car last?
• 28:14
  Don Armstrong: Oh, it was Don Armstrong.
• 28:15
  Don Armstrong: Oh, he won't be getting off-road.
• 28:17
  Don Armstrong: There is that.
• 28:19
  Don Armstrong: All right.
• 28:20
  Don Armstrong: Hey, if you'd like to get in touch with us, send us an email.
• 28:23
  Don Armstrong: The address here is info at inwheeltime.com.
• 28:27
  Don Armstrong: We are back after this quick break.
• 28:28
  Don Armstrong: Stay with us.
• 28:29
  Don Armstrong: Your car is a direct reflection of you, so don't be satisfied with color fade or a dingy dull appearance.
• 28:35
  Don Armstrong: Get rid of those terrible automated car wash scratches.
• 28:38
  Don Armstrong: Gulf Coast Auto Shield is your Save the Paint Company.
• 28:41
  Don Armstrong: John Gray and his team of detailing experts can help your cars finish without a full repaint.
• 28:46
  Don Armstrong: Searching for real experts in window tint or windshield protection, Gulf Coast Auto Shield.
• 28:51
  Don Armstrong: Dash cams, radar detectors, Gulf Coast Auto Shield.
• 28:55
  Don Armstrong: Got a new car?
• 28:56
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• 28:58
  Don Armstrong: If you don't know which of the multitude of protection products to go with, John Gray will give you an honest opinion and won't sell you something you don't need.
• 29:05
  Don Armstrong: John will help you understand the many options and pricing right on the spot.
• 29:09
  Don Armstrong: He's your guy to have your ride looking its best and protected too.
• 29:12
  Don Armstrong: See the state-of-the-art shop yourself, free tours anytime.
• 29:15
  Don Armstrong: Gulf Coast Auto Shield is easy to get to, located just south of the Southwest Freeway on the Sam Houston Parkway.
• 29:21
  Don Armstrong: Gulf Coast Auto Shield, full service luxury car care today and online at gcautoshield.com.
• 29:29
  Don Armstrong: Gift giving should be meaningful, and we have an idea: a hand-painted custom illustration of your car from one of the nation's leading artists.
• 29:36
  Don Armstrong: Now you can get one or a car show poster customized for you, a friend, or a loved one.
• 29:41
  Don Armstrong: Bill's sites will be happy to guide you through the process.
• 29:44
  Don Armstrong: No matter what the day, birthday, anniversary, or any day, an autographics custom illustration adds an extra touch of class to any home.
• 29:51
  Don Armstrong: Call Bill today, 832-922-0963.
• 29:55
  Don Armstrong: That's 832-922-0963.
• 30:00
  Don Armstrong: That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show.
• 30:04
  Don Armstrong: I'm Don Armstrong, inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and our InWheeltime.com website.
• 30:14
  Don Armstrong: Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartPodcast, Podcast Addict, TuneIn, Pandora, and Amazon Music.
• 30:23
  Don Armstrong: Keep listening, and we'll see you soon.