Transcript

1:00
What's up race fans, it is Monday night and that means it's
1:03
time to rewind with your digital scrapbook or short track racing
1:07
live on top of racing media presented by Federated Auto
1:10
Parts and Elh Detailing. We are mentally live from the
1:14
Bahamas tonight, but physically we're in South Bend IN
1:17
Bridgeman, Michigan. I am Buju, joined as always by
1:19
the man in the top row himself. Lewis notes tonight will be
1:23
previewing the Bahama Brackets over at the Grundy County
1:25
Speedway. Brian Kuseva, their race
1:27
director, will be joining us for the majority of the show, as
1:30
well as Sean Wheelchair Hunt, who's attended all 34 of the
1:33
previous bracket events. A little bit of local flavor
1:36
with last year's winner in Nick Stremi of the Stremi Racing
1:39
dynasty, as my friend Lewis would say, and Ryan Legacy, a
1:42
former brackets winner himself in the beat class.
1:45
So a snack show tonight talking about one of my favorite
1:47
postseason shows in the Bahama brackets over there at Grundy
1:50
County Speedway. You see, I'm I'm in the I'm in a
1:53
festive mood tonight. But as I said, joined as always
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by the man in the top row himself, Louis notes.
1:57
How are you doing, Louis? Good.
1:59
We had a off weekend, so it was nice to kind of recover from
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that. I know rain sucks, but it was
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one of those things that really since the Clash been running on
2:08
empty. So it is kind of nice where I
2:11
thought I could go chase a few races.
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I almost went down to Mount Lawn.
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It's about a three hour drive, but I thought there's a rain
2:18
chance and I've been burned. Any time there's been a rain
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chance I was burned. At Galesburg by the rain chance
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I was burned. At Painesville by the rain
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chance I was burned by Indianapolis speed drone not I
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didn't go, but it still ended up raining, although they did run
2:32
their show. Credit to them.
2:34
I missed out. But I'm like it rained and
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delayed. I'm like I'm just you know, I
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can't just drive everywhere for rain.
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So I stayed home and I watched the start of the Ole Miss misses
2:46
LSU game. Enjoyed that ending.
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I didn't see any of it, so I was a.
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Hell of a game. Yeah, I watched the Notre Dame
2:51
game a little bit, but I'm like, yeah, I wanna see what happens
2:55
down there. Notre Dame should have Notre
2:57
Dame should have been a little more comfortable than they were,
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but still not all that exciting around the.
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Game but you have to remember it is a big 10 team and it's it was
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a big 10 slugfest and so that's where you know I.
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My big 10 team got slugged so. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I it might be
3:15
bad for them this weekend, 'cause wasn't that against UUCLA
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that they lost too? Yeah, I mean.
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I'm a Purdue fan folks, and Purdue couldn't stop the Pop
3:22
Warner team right now. Yeah, but that's kind of been,
3:25
it's unfortunate. Ever since their coach went to
3:27
Louisville, that's kind of been the thing, right?
3:29
And so Louisville doing well, that's where.
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Nil also came at the same time and I we haven't figured out
3:35
that game yet either, so. Well, a lot of schools, right?
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But I mean, even if you look at some of the scoreboard though,
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like a lot of people are talking about Oregon did to an FCS
3:43
school. I don't know if you saw Grand
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Valley State University put 84 points or whatever it was 90
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some points or whatever on a team and division.
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I think their division too. And I'm like, it doesn't get
3:54
better. Like there's a lot of places
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hurting. So in Grand Valley, I mean,
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Grand Valley's been good for a really long time, but still I
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saw some low scores from the lower divisions and I went, holy
4:03
cow, that's pretty good. That's a that's a butt whooping
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And but be that as it may, right, you know, obviously it's
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super shoot weekend. I know obviously this show is
4:14
going to be super heavy. Again, you're dressed up for the
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Bahamas. I'm dressed up for and some Fast
4:19
Way Creations apparel sitting outside along the, you know, the
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shores of Lake MI. But sure, what the actual
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weather at the. Bottom of breakfast.
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Yeah, Yeah, well, and in ferret. Oh, wait, I do own from the
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Bahamas. If I would have dug really deep
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when we went on a cruise, I do have a shirt that I could have
4:39
put on that I think about it. I failed you all because Brian
4:42
has his on too. So like always, I'm the one that
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stands out on the the freaking podcast.
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But. You got to be the professional.
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Well, that's what we'll say you're.
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Being yeah, that's not actually plans, but but I do want to do a
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super shoot plug because obviously Kalamazoo super shoes
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this week, right we're previewing the Bahama brackets
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because we're the goal is to get a lot of people to go down to
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the Bahama brackets. So that's why I'm giving Brian
5:08
the whole show about the brackets.
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But super shoe obviously is this week.
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So I do want to remind people on board cameras, you're welcome to
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sign up. I'm already at 51 names, and
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while that might seem like a lot, with 42 cameras, there's
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bound to be someone who breaks. There's about, you know, there's
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things that are going to happen and I'm going to have 21 on
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Saturday and 21 on Sunday. So that's still 42 drivers.
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So it depends on the mix. And so there's that.
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But two, Kalamazoo, we did find the bowling balls.
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So if people want to do the Super shoe bowling, which a few
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years ago I had well over Dylan Stovall's bowl had well over
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millions of views. In fact, they're super popular
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in England, in England, beat every US state, by the way, with
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that. But if you want to do that, we
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need volunteers because last year, you know, Cody Guyer and
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Kane Kelly helped, but then Kane didn't get a chance to bowl
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until the end and. That man had a 300 recently, so
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we need. Him.
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Yep, and while he has the record right now, unless you count
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Donnie Brass and Jared Blanchard on a golf cart throwing it,
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we're not found that they they had a head start.
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But last year Kane did break the record.
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Him and another guy were going back and forth for a while, but
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we're going to need about 5 volunteers for that to happen.
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And right now there's not a lot of entertainment scheduled for
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Super Shoe. And I volunteered that I would
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be willing to help plan things, but we need volunteers.
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Lewis is not doing it by himself, you know, because I
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still, there's some things I need to do for a magazine to get
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content and all that. So I still have things I have to
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do to capture Super Shoe moments, race moments.
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Yeah, yeah, yeah. Might be a different magazine.
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Yeah, some of the most. Yep.
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So stay tuned to Kalamazoo Speedway's Facebook page and Top
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Row Racing Media's Facebook page.
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Or the next two days. One day, probably tomorrow, to
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be quite frank, we're both probably going to be posting the
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same thing between Jew Jack and I.
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That in order for us to do this, we need volunteers.
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And if there's not volunteers, nobody's going to going to be
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doing it. Yeah, I think it's safe to say
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that Super Shoe is the the party of the end of the year for
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Michigan. So yeah, obviously very much
7:32
looking forward to Super Shoe. I'm not going to make it this
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weekend unless we'll see. We'll see what happens.
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My intent is to go somewhere else this weekend, but like I
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said, you can't go wrong with Super Shoe.
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It's the party in Michigan at the end of the year.
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Yeah, there's. A little bit of racing as well,
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so you can't go wrong because of.
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Michigan. Super Shoe I've only been for
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the full experience once and it was a rainy one and even that
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was a blast. So can't go wrong with Super
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Shoe. No, well, and there's two
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different well that's you know, and then we the week after we
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got Michigan Cup, right so look. I'm showing a lot of skin here,
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Lewis. Sorry to interrupt.
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Oh no, you're fine. Hey, you know, I'm sure somebody
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has funnies and 10's and ones somewhere.
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But we don't get free shows though, so again, you got paid
8:14
for that. Presidents preferred, but not
8:17
not not not counterfeit presidents, but but with that
8:22
said, Michigan Cup is week after then of course, Bahamas two
8:25
weeks after Michigan Cup. So there's a lot going on, a lot
8:28
of different vibes going on, right.
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So you know, Bahama has a completely different vibe.
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I'm excited to talk about that again, Brian knows that he has
8:36
the whole show. So to give everyone a rundown to
8:39
start the show is going to be Brian Kasaba and he is going to
8:43
be basically an infomercial kind of going over the details, the
8:47
basic things, giving us the rundown of Bahama brackets.
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And then we're going to kind of bring some guests in over time
8:54
to not only talk about the history of the brackets,
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starting with Sean, who's been all 34 of them.
8:59
But then obviously Nick Stremi will get to explain a little bit
9:02
about, you know, his experience and why he goes down.
9:05
He's obviously South Bend guy who races around the area who
9:09
made the trip over to Morris and it's not that far.
9:11
I mean, for me to, it's a, it's a 2 hour drive, but I'm actually
9:15
one mile closer. It's 117 miles from Bridgeman to
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Morris. So I'm actually one mile closer
9:22
to Grundy than I am Springport, Mid Michigan Speedway.
9:26
That's so great. So, so one mile, even though I'm
9:28
in Michigan, I'm one mile closer, which is 2 miles round
9:31
trip, right? That adds up, but.
9:34
So have you seen these gas prices?
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Lewis that yeah, Yep. So it's not too far of a drive.
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So you figure you know, if you're in the Kalamazoo,
9:41
Galesburg area, you know, add about another hour because for
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me to get to Galesburg is 1 hour drive.
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So from driveway to driveway it's one hour.
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Kalamazoo you got to curve over a little bit.
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So it's about an hour 5. So just to get give people some
9:54
ideas, you're mostly highway once you're on the highway.
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Like once you get on 994, you're literally highway until you pull
10:01
off to Grundy. So it's it and there's a little
10:03
bit of a toll road unless you go kind of down and around.
10:06
You can skip out on the toll road if you want to go different
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ways. Like I know Elsie's never go
10:10
toll roads, but it was $0.55 to enter Illinois and $0.55 to exit
10:16
Illinois. So literally, you know,
10:19
comparative to the Ohio and Indiana prices 55 cents both
10:23
ways. But I also am not pulling a, a
10:25
trailer and everything. So for fans, you know, $0.55
10:28
each way because it's like 1 toll.
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I think towards like there's I think really over by where Brian
10:34
lives might be where the toll is.
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And it's like, yeah, you're there and you're back and it's
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$0.55. So just one toll.
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So again, Brian will give us the rundown.
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A lot better than if you're going to Chicago proper, that's.
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For sure. Yeah, that's for sure.
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By a lot. It's like 7 bucks just to stare
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at Chicago. Yeah, but and you didn't even
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cross the toll yet. You just 7 bucks just to look at
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the Sears Tower, not the Willis Tower.
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Nobody calls it the Willis Tower, but, but, but again, you
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know, obviously pulling a or, you know, truck and trailer or
11:04
whatever might be a little bit different, but that gives you an
11:07
idea. That's $0.55.
11:08
Yeah. You don't have to pay the toll
11:10
that night. You can go back on up to 15 days
11:12
later, 14 and pay it with credit card or whatever, but so it's
11:17
really not that bad. So you add about an hour if
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you're Kalamazoo towards Galesburg.
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So about 3 hours for if you drive a little slow.
11:25
But there's a Love's truck stop, you can stop it.
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In fact, I think there's two Love's truck stops on the way
11:30
that you can stop. I mean, there's places to stop,
11:32
there's places to do things, but literally once you're in 94
11:35
here, your highway all the way down till you exit for Grundy
11:40
and then yeah. Go ahead.
11:42
Oh no, I was gonna say then I think it's what, a half mile or
11:44
so off the highway or whatever, something like that.
11:46
Super easy drive. There's all kind there's I mean,
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I know you've been there, you've been there recently now, but
11:52
it'd been some time since you've been there previous.
11:53
So there's a little bit of infrastructure around the track
11:55
now if you have. Grundy in a while.
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So it's a, yeah, very convenient spot, especially if you're
12:00
camping for the weekend. There's a truck stop right up
12:02
the road in some hotels if you don't want to slum it like some
12:05
of. Us, yeah, but.
12:06
But. But my pitch for the show or for
12:08
the yeah, for the brackets is we all talk about all the time is
12:11
back in my day, we we used to have this many cars and it was
12:14
we're focused on fun and there's a whole bunch of respect.
12:16
And that's what brackets is. Everybody show up to have fun
12:19
for the weekend. It's run what you're brung,
12:21
you're racing with cars that are your speed.
12:23
It's a it's a different style format that you don't really see
12:26
anywhere else anymore. Even the Super shoe doesn't
12:29
isn't even really all that similar to what the brackets
12:31
does right these days. So it's a very much in this day
12:35
and age, kind of a one-of-a-kind show and man, it's just so fun.
12:38
Like I raced the last year, I think I I don't, I don't even
12:41
remember what I got for payout at the end of the weekend
12:43
because it didn't matter because it was such a blast.
12:46
My car broke, I overheated house spitting water and it didn't
12:49
matter. It was such a fun weekend.
12:50
Bahama brackets is awesome. I so recommend it to anyone.
12:54
Like I said, you don't even have to be a fast guy.
12:55
It's not. It's a race for the regular guys
12:58
almost because of the breakout and everything.
13:00
Yep. Well, they'll have topless,
13:02
they'll have boards and Brian will be able to fill us in.
13:04
But last year, according to their schedule last year, which
13:07
Saturday was heat races and only heat races and their bashes,
13:11
which were like heat races and then Sunday's features only, but
13:15
you had you, they had single A, AA, AAA, 4A and then they had
13:20
one B2B or single B, double B. Yeah, John.
13:26
And sorry, it's not, it's not run with your.
13:27
Sorry, John. I know it's not run with your
13:29
Bron, but you get what I'm saying?
13:30
It's it's a it's an open show that everybody runs together.
13:34
Sorry. Yeah.
13:35
Well, that's where again, we'll have Brian giving us the
13:37
rundown. But before we get to Brian, he's
13:39
already set and ready to go. I do want to get the trivia out
13:42
here. So again, your rewind brain
13:44
Buster for tonight since we are talking Bahama brackets, but
13:48
let's talk a little bit Super Shoe since that is this weekend.
13:51
Who won the first Kalamazoo Super Shoe Nationals?
13:55
And then bonus, what was the event called prior to becoming
13:59
the Super Shoe National? So winners could include Andy
14:02
Bozell, Scott Russell, the Hurricane Scott or Terry
14:05
Seneker. And was it called Call the Wild,
14:09
the Michigan State Classic Dealer's Choice or The Wolverine
14:12
Championship Nationals? So you can answer one or both or
14:17
none, something. It doesn't hurt to type in an
14:20
answer and there's no prize, just bragging rights if you got
14:22
it right. But again, who won the first
14:26
one? And what was the event called
14:28
prior to that, which was a BB special behind the mark times?
14:33
So just some history there. So call the Wild, which is
14:39
definitely fans still talk about today, Michigan State Classic
14:43
Dealers choice or The Wolverine Championship Nationals.
14:46
So while everyone chews on that, if you're ready, we can bring on
14:51
Brian Kuseba. We are a little behind, but
14:54
that's where I wanted to get some of that discussion out
14:56
there while we build up everybody to talk all about the
14:58
brackets. So if you're ready, we can bring
15:00
on Brian. All right.
15:02
So again, welcome back again, Brian.
15:05
I feel like this is what third time we've had you on now.
15:07
So I'm excited for that because it keeps Grundy in the ecosystem
15:11
and and I know the counts from Galesburg, Kalamazoo area of
15:15
drivers wanted to go to the Bahama brackets.
15:17
It's like 9 or 10 right now. So obviously having you on is
15:22
working because it's it's giving Grundy and awareness out towards
15:25
this area. So, so again, thank you so much
15:28
Brian for coming on and and telling us all more about the
15:32
Bahama brackets now that it's almost what a little less than a
15:35
month away. 3 weeks yes. Well, First off, thank you for
15:39
having me on again. And Lewis, you are definitely
15:43
dressed for the Bahamas. Let me.
15:44
Tell you, yeah. So for for those that have never
15:49
been to the Bahama brackets, what you see out of me and Buju
15:53
is correct and what you see out of Lewis is correct also Louis.
15:58
Will be the Louis will be the smart one.
16:00
Me and the team. Louis is smart.
16:03
Yes, with with, with me being part of the staff, I'll, I'll be
16:06
wearing something similar to this.
16:09
Definitely freezing my ass off. So, but I cannot say how many
16:17
times over and over again how much fun this event is.
16:22
This event has always been focused on fun.
16:27
I'm not going to beat around the Bush and say cars don't get
16:30
wrecked because we're all racing and it's going to happen and
16:34
some people are not going to be happy with this person or that
16:37
person. It's going to happen.
16:39
But at the end of the weekend, the overall goal is to have
16:45
every single driver really look past, you know, any kind of
16:51
complications that they had over the weekend and feel that, yes,
16:55
this event really was fun. When they feel that way, it it,
17:00
it, it urges them to come back the following year.
17:04
And it also urges them to talk to other drivers in their
17:09
division or talk to their friends that may race at another
17:12
track. And that's, that's how we can
17:15
get this to grow. And, and, and this is what we're
17:18
doing here. That's the whole purpose.
17:20
We're trying to make this grow again, you know, to, to what it
17:24
once was when I was still racing it when there, when there's a
17:30
lot more cars, let me tell you, it's a lot more fun.
17:33
There's a lot more strategy that's involved.
17:36
It's it's more of a chess match. It, it makes you think it's,
17:42
it's not your, it's a race, but it's not your typical race.
17:46
There, there are people that are constantly you, they're, they're
17:49
trying to, they're trying to play the game with the clock.
17:52
They're trying to during qualifying, they're trying to
17:54
figure out, well, if, if I turn, if I turn A158, you know, I, I
18:00
think I'm going to land somewhere in this range.
18:04
Well, you don't know until everything's broken up.
18:08
And the more cars we have, the greater chance of a curveball is
18:13
thrown in that because IF158 might end, you might end up
18:18
either at the fast end of a bracket or a slower end of the
18:21
bracket. You know, and there's, there's,
18:24
there's, there's some twists, you know, and turns that happen,
18:28
you know, on on on Saturday when we qualify.
18:31
And then we open up what we call happy half hour qualifying.
18:34
And I'll get into that in a little bit.
18:37
But I do have this year's rules. So we can we can go through the
18:44
rules that way. Everybody that is on the fence
18:48
of going the those that want to go and they're just waiting to
18:52
see what the rules are, I have I have a list of the rules.
18:56
I have a list of the bonuses and we have actually added a couple
19:00
bonuses this year trying to lure more of the the east style cars,
19:07
you know, the cars that are running super shoe.
19:11
You know the the, the, the cars that go topless, the Billboard
19:15
cards cars. We we are looking for those cars
19:19
to come join us. So we have bonuses for them and
19:22
I'll get I'll get into that shortly.
19:25
But again, thank you for having me on.
19:29
I'm really, really excited. Hopefully Mother Nature isn't a
19:34
bitch like she's been all all season long.
19:37
So if you have not heard and Buju, you're you're looking to
19:40
go somewhere the Bettenhausen got postponed till Sunday.
19:45
So there's that there's that. So we so we are actually if, if,
19:53
if anybody's interested in coming over and watching a
19:58
spectacular super late model race, the Mid American sportsman
20:02
cars are going to be on hand. Our Sixer division and our Super
20:07
Cups will be racing as well. 100 laps for the Super late the Mid
20:12
American Sportsman cars. It was announced earlier this
20:16
afternoon there. Overall purse for that division
20:20
is over $15,000. It's, it's an insane amount of
20:26
money for those cars with all the bonus money that people have
20:31
thrown at them. It's I, I, but I think it's a
20:35
300 or $350.00 to start race. And last I heard, I think
20:42
there's 35, maybe there's more than 35 cars that are signed up
20:47
for 2426 spots. So they're definitely going to
20:51
have a last chance race. There's going to be a lot of
20:54
people scrambling. It's it's definitely going to be
20:57
a wild afternoon of racing. So if people don't want to watch
21:02
football and they want to, they want to catch a good race, come
21:06
on down to Grundy on Sunday afternoon.
21:09
We, the racing starts at 3:00 PM Central time.
21:13
So and our, our pit gates open at 9:00.
21:18
We start practice around I think it, I think it's 11:45, but we
21:24
do, we had to, we had to do a little accommodation due to a
21:28
church down the street. So we don't, we don't want to
21:31
fire engines while they're having having service.
21:34
So we had to work around their schedule a little bit.
21:37
But the good thing with the brackets, that's already planned
21:42
out and we have our times, you know, and play with them.
21:46
So we'll, we'll, we'll be good come come October for, for our
21:51
Sunday races. Well, and just real quick, so
21:55
everyone watching knows the the brackets are October 16th Friday
22:01
that starts with like practice and that kind of deal and move
22:05
in and and that sort of thing. Saturday heats, heats, heats
22:08
with qualifying and happy hour qualifying and all the things
22:11
that go with that and. Saturday Saturday night is the
22:15
highlight. Saturday night grilled cheese
22:18
and all the things and then Sunday just like super shoe
22:24
features, features, features, features, features.
22:26
So so just again, that's 16th, 17th and 18th.
22:32
So that way everyone kind of knows grounded where we're
22:34
starting with that. So kind of I know I will.
22:40
I don't know if I'm going to be there Saturday because Hartford
22:42
has their race of doom and I've covered that each year and I'm
22:45
like, I hate missing the race of doom, but do I go and it's like
22:48
34 heat races or give or take and or do I go to do the heat
22:54
races or I don't? I know I'll be there Sunday for
22:57
sure. So it's like, but I always, I
22:59
did that at Michigan Cup of years ago where I came on a
23:01
Sunday and I had no clue where anything was.
23:04
At least at Grundy. I know where things are, but I'm
23:05
like, but I know I won't know where drivers are parked.
23:09
And so my goal is to bring on board cameras for that event.
23:12
So it's kind of like, do I chance that?
23:14
And then all of a sudden I'm running around live with my head
23:17
cut off. So I might still be there
23:19
Saturday. I just, I really got to got to
23:21
see, but I know I plan to be there.
23:23
I almost actually came this Friday just to be a fan.
23:26
But then I'm like, I'm still tired.
23:30
I did not go anywhere. But I love, I mean just the
23:33
backdrop of Grundy everything part of Grundy first class
23:36
operation, all the staff amazing.
23:39
I mean, I didn't run into anybody who is rude that day
23:41
anywhere. I was obviously Trevor and Katie
23:45
got everything started right away from me where they
23:47
chauffeured me all the way around.
23:49
You know, the property can take me wherever.
23:51
And then Steve Bechtel, you know, your general manager
23:56
promoter, you know, working with him, got to meet him just a
23:59
little bit, talk with him, obviously you and then James
24:02
Demott with demit videos. So you're not going to find
24:05
anyone who's at least grumpy. So might be tired by the end of
24:10
the weekend not but not grumpy because again, it's all about
24:12
fun. So, so kind of Brian, wherever
24:14
you want to go, the show's kind of yours.
24:16
I'm just here, you know, to help manage wherever we're going and
24:20
click graphics. So so if you want to start with
24:23
rules so that people kind of know the ground rules, so to
24:26
speak, other than the number one rules, have fun.
24:28
But for the kind of cars that can be there and then from those
24:32
we can kind of go into bonuses and and what that's going to
24:36
look like. So but obviously, if you have
24:38
nothing to do this Sunday and you're not at Super shoe
24:41
nationals, there's really nothing else going on in the
24:45
area. Obviously Chicago Bears fans
24:46
have nothing to look forward to now.
24:48
So, so so you know, why not go racing?
24:53
At least you can look forward to that and you don't have to worry
24:55
about what an offensive coordinator or quarterback or
24:58
whatever you do to break your heart that weekend.
24:59
You can just go watch amazing racing and and that Lee Schuler
25:02
Memorial, I mean, that was what, 100 laps too.
25:05
And that was fast. I mean, yeah, you had the red
25:07
flag. That was kind of like freak
25:09
thing. But beyond that, I mean, it was
25:11
quick racing and that was, I mean, I think that went faster
25:14
than the Kalamazoo Clash, you know, start to finish.
25:16
So it's a third mile for those who are wandering slightly
25:20
banked track. Or would you call it semi
25:23
banked? I'd say semi banked if there's
25:25
banking to it. I, I call it semi banked.
25:29
If you, if you do walk the track, you'll notice that the,
25:35
if you, if you go higher out of the groove, there's quite a bit
25:39
of banking there, but you're definitely getting you're,
25:41
you're definitely in no man's land and the the walls there you
25:44
do not want to get close to. They.
25:47
They will come out here and bite you the.
25:49
Walls have some character it Grundy.
25:51
Yes, yes, I noticed. That first time on the track,
25:53
it's like, what is going on? Yep, Yep.
25:56
Well, and, and I didn't know until I was literally down
25:59
there. I didn't remember from a kid
26:00
again, it had been almost 30 years since I'd been there and
26:03
like when this when Trevor and Katie took me down with steel.
26:07
I I mean it, Painesville is the only other track that I've seen
26:10
walls like that And and Painesville has character too.
26:14
But Grundy, there's definitely curves.
26:16
They are not on Jenny Craig, you know, not those kind of curves,
26:19
but they definitely you can tell they've taken some hits.
26:21
But but again, it's a it's a fast track.
26:25
So almost like progressive banking, maybe because
26:27
Kalamazoo's progressive like as you go up, it gets taller and by
26:31
the time you get to the top, you're like, OK, I need to sit
26:33
for a moment. I'm a little winded with all
26:35
this. But but other than that.
26:37
So for those wondering, it was a third mile semi bank,
26:39
progressive bank, whatever we want to call it.
26:42
So there's there's some banking to it and.
26:47
For our for our area, I would kind of say maybe a little bit
26:50
bigger Plymouth with a little more banking would be the
26:52
closest comparison which my area at least.
26:55
Would you put it close to like M40 banking?
26:58
That's probably a little less than important.
26:59
Little less, I mean, a little less.
27:01
So more than New Paris, Less than and more than New Paris in
27:05
Plymouth, but less than in 40. Yeah, I would say that
27:07
definitely less than Springport and Kalamazoo.
27:09
Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
27:11
So, so yeah, so if we want to start with rules and kind of go
27:15
from there so that people know the ground rules again of where
27:17
we're going, and then we'll just kind of weave wherever.
27:20
OK, so I'll just go down the list here that I have.
27:24
So there there are 10 some simple rules for the Bahama
27:27
brackets. So First off, all cars must meet
27:31
all safety rules required by your home track division or
27:36
series your home track, not our track.
27:40
OK, Event minimums include proper belts, helmet, window
27:45
net, fuel container, roll cage if required, windshield or
27:51
screen with full face helmet, gloves, driver's suit or
27:57
equivalent or long sleeve protection.
28:01
We will, we do not allow cell phones or electronic timing
28:05
devices in the cars. OK.
28:07
This is a bracket race. So we, we don't, we're not
28:10
allowing that second rule. We'll talk about suspension.
28:15
So the front suspension must be conventional large coil spring
28:19
only, must have OEM front stub and full factory frame over rear
28:26
axle. So no, no stock stub style late
28:30
model cars are allowed. VV 6 cars they will be allowed
28:36
with roll cage. Cage must be a minimum of 1 hoop
28:40
or two rear bars, one forward bar and one crossbar.
28:47
Third rule, cars must have full roof.
28:52
But we are we are trying to open this up so we are allowing
28:56
topless cars. OK, so if if you are running a
29:01
car with a roof you and, and there's a sunroof there, you
29:04
need to have it sealed. If you are running topless, you
29:09
must, you must have arm restraints.
29:11
So I know, I know a lot of the a lot of the tracks out that way.
29:15
When when we did the South Bend showdown a few years ago, that
29:19
was one of the rules. You had to have all, you know,
29:21
the proper arm restraints. So I don't see that being an
29:25
issue. Those drivers, they're already
29:28
going to be set with that. Cars must be stock appearing,
29:35
stock cars stock appearing. So that broadens everything.
29:41
We do allow cars, trucks and modifieds, sideboards are
29:47
allowed. So that, so that is something
29:50
that we're also trying to bring more of.
29:53
I know that's been in the rules for several years and we
29:57
haven't. We haven't had a lot of cars
30:01
with billboards. We've had a, you know, a handful
30:04
with just some smaller, smaller type sideboards.
30:08
So we're looking, we're looking to get more cars involved with
30:12
that in general. Go ahead.
30:15
There's certain height because I know like at Galesburg a few
30:19
weeks ago, there are some sideboards that would resemble
30:22
more like Call of the Wild at Kalamazoo, where at Kalamazoo, I
30:25
believe they can only be like roof height.
30:28
I if I remember, maybe a little bit past the roof, I have to
30:30
look at the rules again, but I, I do know they have sideboards,
30:35
but they can't be like way up there.
30:38
Yeah, there's nothing specified, but I know talking to David
30:43
Deary over the weekend, we had discussed this and he's not
30:47
looking for anything ridiculous. Yeah.
30:49
So, so I'm thinking, I'm thinking roof height within
30:54
reason, a little bit above nothing that's like 10 feet
30:58
tall. Yeah.
30:59
You know, we're, we're not, we're not, we're not looking,
31:01
we're not looking to do, you know, speed records you.
31:05
Don't want to be the? World's best, right?
31:07
Exactly. Exactly so.
31:10
So pretty much what you would run for those in this area who
31:13
are going to Kalamazoo Super Shoe, what you run at Super Shoe
31:16
pretty much would be the sideboard that you'd be allowed
31:18
to run in Grundy because again, they're like roof height.
31:22
I mean, there's they're not ridiculous.
31:24
I'm there. They're just just enough to look
31:26
a little different than a normal Friday night.
31:28
Yes, exactly. You OK over there?
31:32
Yeah, I knocked the camera off the table.
31:35
That should actually be a bingo board spot for anyone who has a
31:38
bingo sport. You know bingo spot because at
31:41
some point Buju usually knocks something down South.
31:46
All of a sudden I thought we were on a roller coaster and.
31:49
We're doing. We're doing barrel rolls and
31:51
flips. I try and keep it exciting
31:53
around here. Brian All right, well, we don't
31:55
we, we don't need cars barrel rolling and.
31:57
Flipping so. My mother has banned me and my
32:00
brothers from rolling race cars. There you go.
32:05
All right, so sorry. Sorry, I interrupted Brian, but.
32:08
I no, we're good. No, no, no.
32:10
And, and, and that's a that's a great question because, because
32:14
we don't necessarily have like a height rule.
32:17
So somebody might think, oh, well, I'll come out with a 10
32:21
foot billboard and, and then and then what are we gonna do?
32:24
Are we gonna say no? You gotta trim that.
32:27
So, you know, so. Yeah, let let's, let's keep it,
32:31
let's keep it roughly around roof height.
32:34
You know, maybe I don't know, maybe a foot taller is fine.
32:39
So and and I'll, I'll get into a bonus with about these billboard
32:45
cars when we get to the bonuses. So our engine rule engine must
32:53
be stock appearing with cast iron or aluminum heads and that
32:58
includes crate motors. So we're pretty much pretty much
33:01
open on engine rule. Aluminum intakes are allowed.
33:07
My favorite rule of all out of the brackets other than must
33:11
have fun limit 1 carburetor. So dual quads is out, Tri powers
33:18
are out. You only, you can only run one
33:20
carburetor on your intake and that includes the injector
33:25
system. It's one injector per cylinder.
33:28
You can't, you can't have two of them.
33:30
So so that is that. That is the gas roll per SE.
33:36
Maximum wheel width is 8 inches and steel wheels only tire roll
33:43
is a maximum of eight inches. Tires may not be mixed.
33:48
So in other words, you can't run American Racer on the right,
33:53
right side and Hoosier on the left side.
33:56
A lot of people, I don't know if they want to run Hoosiers
33:59
anyway, so but it it needs to be all the same.
34:04
Make the size and the width you, you can run stagger so that you
34:09
know that's not an issue. But like if you're running, if
34:12
you're running street tires, it has to be all street tires.
34:15
Or if you're bolting on Hoosiers on your, on your Crown Victoria,
34:21
all four tires must be Hoosiers. So like if you're running like
34:26
AD 800, AD 810, they it has to be either AD 800 or AD 810,
34:32
whatever. I'm not familiar with the, the
34:36
American racer. So whatever they have for tires,
34:40
whatever brand it is, it has to be the same on all four corners
34:45
do. Street tires have to be the
34:47
same. Manufacturer question in the
34:49
chat. I don't believe so.
34:53
OK, it says, well, I get yeah, I guess it does.
35:00
It says all say make OK, So a lot a lot of it is geared a lot
35:05
of this is geared toward you notice to slicks.
35:09
So if we let me see on. Sorry to interrupt you there,
35:17
Brian. No, no, no, no, no.
35:18
It's OK, 'cause, 'cause I mean this is something new for
35:21
somebody, right? I would, I would probably just
35:30
go with the same make just to be safe.
35:35
The better if you if they want to bring, you know, some, some
35:40
extra tires just in case that works or you could you can, you
35:47
can message me privately and I'll ask the question to to the
35:52
tech officials more more about that.
35:54
If if we if we would allow like good years versus like hand
36:02
cooks or something like that or waterfalls if you're yeah, well,
36:05
whatever. So, so no, it no, that's a good
36:09
question. And, and again, if there, if
36:12
there are questions out there that I cannot answer, ask me and
36:17
I will, I will eventually get the answer to you that way when
36:21
you're coming, you're prepared. And, and it's not, it's not
36:24
sticker shock that hey, I can't run these now and then you're
36:28
scrambling, trying to find tires that you can run.
36:30
So the weight rolls car as follows.
36:36
So A4 cylinder that is not running a 4 cylinder bracket.
36:41
So, so we, so if somebody's running a mini stack and they
36:45
want to run the A bracket, the car has to weigh 2300 lbs six
36:51
cylinder cars, they have to weigh 2758 cylinder cars with a
36:58
358 cubic inch or smaller, they have to weigh 2950.
37:05
And then these are all overall weights.
37:07
We don't for the brackets, we do not weigh left side.
37:11
We don't do percentages. We don't do anything any of
37:14
that. We can, we can give you
37:16
percentages if you want. We can tell you how what your
37:19
left side is that, but the overall weight rule is your
37:25
overall weight. OK?
37:26
That's the only thing we're worried about. 8 cylinders that
37:30
are running a 35359 or greater cubic inch you have to weigh
37:35
3050 and eight cylinder modifieds have to weigh 2700
37:41
lbs. So that is 9 of the 10 rules.
37:48
The final rule is have fun and don't break out.
37:55
Yep, see, at the end of the day, right, have fun and don't break
37:59
out. And just to give everyone to
38:02
like I, I'm watching the comments and I'm and I'm marking
38:04
a few of them like I'm on. I know John Colpe is on here.
38:07
He'll be at Super Shoe this weekend.
38:09
If I remember, he'll be at super shoe this weekend, but he has a
38:11
couple on here. So what we're going to do is
38:13
we're kind of in the spot now to Brian, as you, you know, but I'm
38:17
giving everyone an idea that we're going to run through some
38:20
guests and kind of bring in their experiences of the bracket
38:23
and what that looks like. Again, just kind of give a
38:26
rundown of our guest tonight. Like I know it looks like Sean
38:28
is getting set up or almost set up.
38:30
I know Ryan's already there. And next, Tremie has been very
38:33
active in the chat. So I know all three of our
38:35
guests, Brian and I want to give a shout out again to Brian.
38:38
So last week, for those who watched the show, know that we
38:41
lost one of my dogs that I had for almost 15 years.
38:44
And so my mind just was not in any racing condition, made it
38:49
through the show, probably shouldn't have even done the
38:51
show, but you know, I'm committed.
38:52
And so we did it. But Brian did all the groundwork
38:55
for me this week. I kind of put it on him to like
38:58
get, you know, ask who you want, bring him.
39:00
Here's the link. Everyone can use the same link.
39:02
So huge kudos to Brian for really, I mean, he gets credit
39:06
for all this. I just provided the link.
39:08
He got all the guests lined up. So again, just thank you, Brian,
39:13
but we're going to kind of like pause that conversation to bring
39:16
in some of our guests, especially Sean, who I know is
39:20
set up and ready to come in, who's been a part of all 34
39:23
brackets to this point. And then you can keep putting
39:26
your questions in the comments because what we'll do afterwards
39:31
when we're done with the guests, Ryan's our last guest as part of
39:34
this is we'll go back to answer a lot of those questions too.
39:38
So Brian has about 20 minutes at the end of our guest interviews
39:42
to go over more Q&A's, more specifics.
39:45
So like I see tire rules coming in.
39:47
If I run an 800 or do this, I see, you know, what's the time
39:51
rule. And so we'll kind of bounce in
39:54
and out of some of these things. So just continue to put that in
39:59
the in the comments and we'll be sure whether Brian can answer
40:01
them. If not, again, we'll get them
40:03
saved for the tech. And I know Steve, the promoter
40:06
over at Grundy's also been active in the chat and you know,
40:09
he might be able to answer some things too.
40:10
So again, I appreciate Steve joining along again.
40:14
I got to meet him at Grundy a few weeks ago.
40:16
So just to give everyone an idea of kind of where we are that
40:19
we're weaving out and we're almost like, you know, picking
40:23
our own race line, right? We're just kind of do doing some
40:25
race lines so. With that fun part, Brian, if
40:29
you're ready, we can bring on Sean because I know Sean's in
40:31
here if we want to bring Sean on and he can talk about why for 34
40:36
years, you know now going to be 35 that he's come to the
40:39
brackets every single year, first at Rockford, obviously now
40:42
at Grundy. And then anyone in the chat can
40:46
continue to do those things and we'll we'll bring some of those
40:49
on. So just to kind of give people a
40:51
show rundown of kind of where we are.
40:53
So of course, if you do miss something, I very purposeful
40:58
where I don't post anything for about 12 to 15 hours on top of
41:01
the show. So usually after the show, it's
41:03
fresh at the top of Facebook. You're welcome to go back once
41:07
we're done live and watch back anything that you might have
41:09
missed. Of course, I encourage you to
41:11
share it out too. I forgot to do the cheap plug
41:13
Monday for that. Share it out.
41:15
Let people know that you need to come down to Grundy and give it
41:18
a shot again. You're not going to you're not
41:20
going to regret heading on down to Morris, IL Like I said for me
41:25
in Bridgman, Michigan, you know, I'm closer to you guys and I am
41:28
Springport Mid Michigan Speedway will be next week for Michigan
41:31
Cup. And so it's about I think it was
41:33
what an hour 40, Yeah, at night time for me to drive obviously
41:37
during the day a little bit longer getting through Chicago
41:40
and well, really the Indiana border.
41:42
Just let's be real, it's Indiana.
41:43
Blame Indiana. But but once you get on the
41:46
highway here, you're ready to go.
41:47
So I'm someone who has done a lot of Hwy. driving to Bahama.
41:52
Why don't we go ahead and bring on Sean to the Monday night
41:55
rewind. Let me make sure that I also
41:57
click the right graphic while we're at this too.
41:59
So last week I had a little I had a lot of issues with the
42:04
graphics. But Sean, again, thank you for
42:06
joining us tonight. I'm so excited to get to know
42:08
your story because when Brian said 34 years, they went.
42:11
Now that's some dedication, you know, going each and every
42:14
single year. So, so Sean, if you want to talk
42:18
a little bit about first who you are for those who are watching
42:21
who may not especially I'm in, you know, Bougie and I are in
42:23
Michigan and Indiana. So we're introducing Grundy to a
42:26
lot of people tonight who maybe don't know about Grundy yet.
42:29
So if you want to talk a little bit about who you are in your
42:32
background and then we'll just kind of get into your story of
42:35
why 34 years in a row almost now going on 35.
42:39
Sure, absolutely. Good evening, guys.
42:41
Hopefully you can hear me all well.
42:42
And first and foremost, I am sorry for your loss and thank.
42:48
You, yeah. You're welcome.
42:50
You're welcome. And yeah, we've, we've been,
42:53
we've been doing this a long time for sure.
42:56
Background is from Raceway Park, of course, in Blue Island, IL.
43:01
Not only my father, but my mother raced there for many a
43:05
years. Basically we've we're on this
43:10
trend I guess or whatever. If you stick around long enough,
43:14
you can close down as many race tracks as possible.
43:18
So. We we got a tally going at this
43:21
point. We we stayed at Raceway Park
43:24
until it closed. We went over to Ileana Motor
43:28
Speedway, well, until it closed, and then we raced the first
43:33
brackets with my father and some years after that, and I started
43:37
in 1997 at the Bahama brackets at Rockford Speedway.
43:41
And well, we stuck around long enough for that to close.
43:45
But here's the difference. I think we're turning the tables
43:48
here, guys, because I'm sticking around long enough to where I'm
43:51
seeing race tracks close, down, reopen, put dirt on it, take
43:55
dirt off of it, close down and open back up.
43:58
So we have a shot, you know. I, I that has, I'm going to
44:05
just, if I say clip that, then the program that we use is
44:08
supposed to clip that because that might be the best quote
44:10
I've ever heard in my entire life.
44:11
That that is up there. Well, and I cuz you travel quite
44:17
a bit, right, You know, to come to the Bahama brackets.
44:20
But I know like in Michigan, Springport, mid Michigan
44:23
Speedway was closed all last year and is opening not only for
44:26
Michigan come again this year, but is opening full season next
44:29
year. So you're right, like tracks are
44:31
opening up South Bend open back up.
44:32
So see, it's a. Trend.
44:34
Sure, you make a long You make quite the drive though, don't
44:37
you? It's from our, our locations.
44:41
Again, when you race a racetrack for 34 years, going on 35, well,
44:45
I mean, I guess granny would be the 35th year.
44:47
But, you know, I haven't stayed at the same residence, I'll say,
44:51
for 35 years, 34 years. So usually we keep it right
44:55
around 2 1/2 hours. That's about what it takes me to
44:58
get to Rockford Speedway. But I will give a shout out here
45:02
real quick than one of my my one of my best friends, Tom
45:05
Crawford, he decided one year that we didn't want to pay
45:09
tolls, so we took for the first. Time.
45:13
Ever a different route to Rockford Speedway and after
45:16
almost 4 hours for us to get there, I, I can give him credit
45:21
that we didn't pay 1 toll at all.
45:24
So I mean, I mean, he wasn't wrong, it just it did take a
45:29
little longer. The gas money probably made-up
45:32
for that We. Probably should have just paid
45:34
the toll. Well, that's where that's why we
45:39
were advertising. I know you were not at that
45:41
time, but like for me where I am in Michigan, to go down, I took
45:44
highway all the way down and I only paid one.
45:46
I was actually shocked. I thought I'd paid more.
45:48
It was 1 toll in and 1 toll out. And it's for me in a car, it's
45:51
$0.55, right? But it's like there's not that.
45:54
It's not like going around to like Slinger where I pay like 6
45:57
tolls. You know it was.
45:59
One toll and it is when I saw 55 cents I went.
46:03
That's actually not that bad compared to what I pay on the
46:06
same toll road in other spots. So I don't know what it is for
46:09
cars and trailers and all that kind of deal, but I know for at
46:12
least a, you know, a car going by is $0.55.
46:15
So that wasn't too bad at all. But but So what has been your
46:19
favorite thing of all this 'cause I obviously, I mean one
46:22
quote of the night. I mean it just like I said, that
46:24
might be the best thing I the best summary of racing I've
46:27
heard ever. So we're definitely going to
46:30
post that this. Week on.
46:31
A on a special little thing, but obviously you were at Rockford,
46:36
you know, obviously for a lot of years Rockford held this and now
46:39
it's at Grandview. So what's in 34 years?
46:42
What's been your favorite part about this that keeps you coming
46:44
back every single year? Honestly that's that's a
46:47
fantastic question but I loved it as a kid.
46:52
My dad who is now 83 years old, OK race the first one and just
46:58
for history sake, the 1st 4 Raceway drivers if anybody wants
47:02
to know was Billy Bob Wiltshire, Brad Carson, Tommy Gibbons and
47:08
Howie Wiseman. Them were the first four Raceway
47:10
drivers to ever go up the Rockford Speedway for the first
47:13
ever bottom of brackets. Well, good news travels fast of
47:17
course. So everybody fell in love with
47:19
the racetrack. Of course we come from Raceway
47:21
where was a little bit of a, you know, 1/5 of a mile, not very
47:24
much banking, you know, not very much straightaways.
47:26
So when we went to Rockford, it was literally like going to
47:29
Daytona for us. And honest to God, the theories
47:33
from day one all the way to the last day, they have been nothing
47:39
but pleasant to deal with. Now, we may not have always
47:42
agreed with all their calls, but that's any racetrack.
47:46
I can tell you as far as a racing family, I've never come
47:50
across a racing family that owned and promoted A racetrack
47:54
that were as good as the theories.
47:55
Like, I mean, they were even their staff were phenomenal.
47:58
You know, Let's Fast forward to Greg Mccarns owning his own
48:01
racetrack with his wife, my wife.
48:02
That all carried back over. I mean, he was a phenomenal
48:05
promoter. But back to the Rockford thing.
48:08
I, of course, as any, you know, son would do, as soon as I could
48:12
get into a race car, I wanted to get into a race car.
48:15
Well, Rockford bit me the first year I was ever up there.
48:20
And by the grace of God, 1997 was the first year I ever
48:25
brought a car up there of my own against the suggestion of my
48:29
father because he thought I was going to go kill myself.
48:31
But you know, of course, that's, that's father's concern.
48:35
But we went out Friday night at Rockford practice.
48:39
The motor starts doing all kinds of crazy things, pop and bang
48:43
and whatever. Well, Dave daughter, who's been
48:44
my best friend since one of my best friends since I was
48:47
probably eight or nine years old, he comes in, rips the valve
48:50
covers off and goes, yeah, kid, you pulled the head studs out.
48:52
Don't worry about it. He takes a ball peen hammer, I
48:55
swear wax the two studs back into the head sets the IT
48:59
doesn't even set the rockers puts the valve covers back on
49:02
and goes go ahead for another 10 laps until it pulls them again.
49:05
So I literally made three sessions with him taking a ball
49:10
peen hammer, beating the studs into the head.
49:13
And then he tells me, OK, wake up early tomorrow morning, go to
49:16
Blaine's firm and Fleet, get 16 roll pins and in X amount of
49:19
drill bits. He ropens every stud in the
49:23
heads because I didn't have no money for screwing studs.
49:25
So Blaine's farm and Fleet and Dave Daughter save my first year
49:29
ever at Rockford and honest to God, I won my first ever feature
49:34
that year at Rockford. OK, so there was no turning back
49:38
from there. There was no way I was not going
49:40
back to Rockford Speedway. I was hooked line and sinker.
49:44
We we were going to finish this deal out.
49:46
So it did break my heart just like everybody else to see
49:50
Rockford Speedway closed down because you hate to say it, I
49:53
I've been to hundreds of race tracks, but it truly was my
49:57
favorite race track ever. I'm.
49:59
With you. Well, nine, and that's the one
50:02
that I remember as a kid, but I didn't from a media site.
50:05
I didn't make it out there to Rockford, but that last year,
50:08
it's like, OK, I need to find a time.
50:10
But you know, like a lot of times I'm committed to Kalamazoo
50:13
Speedway at that time in Spring Court, I'm in Michigan Speedway
50:16
Fridays and Saturdays and it's like you get towards the end and
50:19
I even think Brian said the same thing, right?
50:21
You just get to the end. You're like, well, shoot, I
50:23
didn't make it out there, right. And so, so that's that's
50:27
definitely one regret that I have is that I didn't make it
50:29
back out there. But that's when, you know, Brian
50:31
offered me to come down to Grundy, you know, this year, a
50:34
lot of different times. And finally, there's a weekend
50:36
where it's like we're going, right, there's no choice.
50:39
We're going to make it happen. And I mean, it's almost 30 years
50:42
for me. I was in elementary school the
50:44
last time. There's some things that have
50:46
changed and Grundy and Morris, there's some things that like
50:49
it's the same red and white wall.
50:51
Like there's some things that are definitely the same.
50:54
And I it's been painted, but but there's definitely things where
50:57
I'm like, well, wasn't there a scoreboard over there?
50:59
Because I remember scoreboard and there was a scoreboard over
51:01
there until there wasn't a scoreboard over there, but over
51:04
in turn 3 and 4. But, but again, you know, when
51:08
you think about that and you're, you're winning at features, you
51:10
know, what has it been like for you?
51:11
Then the shift, because obviously that's that's a big
51:15
shift for a lot of people to go from a Rockford historic going
51:19
there all the time to now a different track, you know,
51:21
different vibe that you know, now Grundy gets to make it their
51:25
own. So what has it been like for you
51:26
then to transition? You as driver, transition from
51:30
Rockford and you knew what to expect every year to now you're
51:33
getting the Grundy vibe and going over to Grundy County.
51:36
Oh, sure, absolutely. That's a great question.
51:39
I, I can say it took me many a years to get a good setup for
51:43
Rockford Speedway and we ideally, by the grace of God, we
51:46
were usually in a top three or top five in the A bracket as far
51:49
as qualifying. It didn't always end up that
51:51
way, but I'm lucky enough that I've turned laps at Grundy in
51:55
years past, so my transition wasn't that terribly bad.
52:00
Where I found the biggest challenge last year is I could
52:04
qualify very well. So the car had great two to
52:08
three lap speed, but then I found out like on lap 15 or 20
52:13
that the car didn't have that much speed and I was holding on
52:16
for dear life. And that just wasn't the case in
52:19
Rockford. Rockford, I'll say Rockford was
52:23
a very forgiving racetrack with the banking and it's it was
52:28
progressively banked. I seen a lot of guys that went
52:32
down there that that and and I don't, I don't mean any offense
52:36
behind this because I was one of them guys.
52:38
I was maybe at Raceway Park at best a top ten car.
52:42
And then I go off to Rockford and you know, like it's so
52:46
forgiving that I'm actually good.
52:49
So I mean it, it sounds crazy saying that, but I've brought
52:53
I've brought drivers down there that have never turned a lap at
52:56
Rockford Speedway and they made the show.
52:59
And it's just, it's almost like the way I've explained it to
53:02
people is it's almost like leaning back into one of your
53:06
parents arms and them just wrapping their arms around you,
53:08
because that's the way Rockford felt.
53:10
It just made you feel comfortable going around that
53:13
place. Like even if you had a bad lap,
53:16
the next lap you were going to catch right back up.
53:18
You know, like it was a very comfortable track to race for me
53:21
and guys that I brought down there.
53:22
But Grundy little bit more of a challenge because it's got a
53:26
little less banking now that they've the last couple of years
53:31
they've repaved certain parts of the corners and stuff like that.
53:34
That was a challenge for me because I had never raced on
53:37
them any of the new asphalt that they had there.
53:42
So believe it or not, I mean, I for whatever reason, I'm the
53:45
breakout king when it comes to the qualifier.
53:49
I had to mention that because I know Brian was going to bring
53:51
that up. But you, you get your one free
53:55
pass because you buy your pad and all that stuff.
53:57
And the ongoing joke was amongst me and a lot of other racers, I
54:02
would get $100 and $5 bills and we would re qualify $5 at a time
54:09
to get into the show. But between racers and egos, we
54:13
all had to set the perfect lap. So my fiance, God bless her, I'd
54:18
come down the ramp and she'd have a $5.00 bill in her hand.
54:20
I'd get right back in line and. We do this.
54:23
All day long and until the deeries got smart and went no
54:28
you get 5 attempts. That's all you get.
54:32
That's the Sean Wiltshire role now.
54:34
Yeah, yeah. Hey, I'm going to take half the
54:37
credit for that because I think Danny Junior had a part in that
54:41
too. Well and well.
54:43
And Bill Nearing was another one too, that would spend quite a
54:47
bit of money trying to knock off that perfect lap.
54:50
And that I mean for a record total or whatever.
54:53
Bill Nearing is my uncle Bill and Mary.
54:55
So now you add 2. Equals 1.
54:58
Family, we always had to out qualify each other and get the
55:02
best time and all that stuff and everything.
55:03
So we spent a lot of money up at Rockford Speedway or whatever
55:07
trying to outdo each other. But I'm glad they went to the
55:10
five attempts and last year, truth be told, honest to God, I
55:14
got to give credit where credit's due.
55:17
Scotty Gardner, Junior, he come over and he, I, I went to go
55:20
back out for my last attempt and he goes, dude, you got to stop
55:25
it. He goes every time you go lower,
55:26
you're getting faster. He goes run the middle groove
55:28
through the corner, try and scrub some speed and you'll
55:31
you'll be fine. I think I went like second or
55:33
third quick to get into the show.
55:35
I came up, I went really after 30 years of being in the car, I
55:39
had to have somebody else tell me how to drive it.
55:43
So I mean, I give him credit. He actually did help me get into
55:46
the show. Well, so Bobby Stremi, obviously
55:50
one of the legends of the Stremi dynasty out here, is he?
55:54
Wants to. Know if you're going to make it
55:56
to the track on time this year, so there must be a story there.
56:02
Oh my God, here. And I don't want to go too long
56:06
on this one. Thank you Bobby.
56:08
Bobby is one of my great friends.
56:10
I have the utmost respect for the Stremi family.
56:13
From Cindy to Lou to David to Bobby, Nick, all of them.
56:18
They're just an amazing family. Me and Bobby have tightened up
56:22
here in the last probably 2-3 years.
56:24
We talked multiple times throughout the week.
56:27
He's a great dude. So the back story on this one
56:31
was I built a brand new car over a two year period to get to the
56:36
brackets 2 years ago and I'm late.
56:39
I'm usually late everywhere I go but in my defense I am trucking.
56:44
But that being said, I was so late, he had to practice Al
56:49
Vanderstein's car that I was driving on Friday night because
56:52
I never made it like my fiance pulled the trailer down there,
56:56
went to the hotel, brought the car to the racetrack.
56:59
They unloaded and everything. And Bobby actually turned the
57:02
first laps in the in that car. And here I come rolling in.
57:05
We literally between me and Al worked on this car for 26 hours
57:10
straight to finish this new car and showed up and I want to say
57:14
it was my own stupidity. Something weird happened with a
57:17
valve or whatever it was, but I end up turning like I don't
57:21
know, 3 laps, 3 hellacious laps in qualifying.
57:25
The thing is wrecking loose. I'm going to crash and then I
57:29
pull off the racetrack in the motor stutter and I'm like thank
57:32
God this car is undrivable. So literally the same thing.
57:38
Grace was that I had a second car there to drive, but we
57:41
parked the new car. But we were about 14 hours late.
57:44
So that I I will be on time this year because I'm taking Thursday
57:49
off, Bobby. Oh well, see, there you go
57:52
Steve, because even even Steve said Sean does not own a clock
57:56
or watch her, etcetera. So there.
57:57
You go, we have it. We have it on the podcast live,
58:02
you're live, right? So it, you know, it's already
58:05
been spoken. It's already on there that you
58:08
will be there on time. So we have witnesses to all of
58:12
this and, and, and, and that's something that again, one,
58:17
you've just been a fantastic guest, by the way, I, I.
58:20
Can't remember the last time I. I've one of my favorites.
58:24
Yeah, you know, and, and not laughing because I'm like
58:26
laughing at you, but because it's like this, you're just, you
58:29
have a lot of quotes that I'm like, we're going to clip a
58:31
bunch of this. Yeah, get.
58:33
That out there because again, just your synopsis of racing,
58:37
you've been long enough and and some of the tracks you
58:38
mentioned, I'm from I grew up at Santa Fe and and kind of jumping
58:42
around, you know, before I made my way over to Michigan, you
58:44
know, we started at Santa Fe, went down to Grundy and LaSalle
58:47
and and Blue Island and all the things.
58:49
So it's like a lot of these tracks like Brian and I will
58:51
talk and it's like, I remember these tracks too as a kid,
58:54
right? And so, but that's something
58:56
that again, I I'm I'm excited to meet you in person because if,
58:59
if you're this way on the podcast, I can only imagine how
59:02
you are in person. But before.
59:07
You. Lewis, you have to be here
59:09
Saturday then, for sure. Oh.
59:12
Yeah, that's, yeah, that's see, like I said, I, you know, it's,
59:15
it's a, it's not a coin flip. My gut is saying to be in
59:18
Grundy, you know, even though I know I promised Leah, but I'm
59:21
like, I think they would understand, you know, this is
59:23
something really special too down here at Grundy.
59:25
And and it's a throwback, right? But so for someone who would be
59:30
like, you know, I'm pointing at the screen.
59:32
Bahama bracket experience. Bahama bracket experience,
59:35
Bahama bracket experience, No Bahama bracket experience.
59:38
Sean, what's one thing I need to know about the Bahama brackets?
59:41
If you had a if you had to summarize it And for those of us
59:44
who are watching from Kalamazoo Speedway and Galesburg Speedway
59:48
and 40 Speedway who are going to be making the trip for the first
59:50
time. I have about 9 Galesburg drivers
59:53
right now coming who want to make that trip who raced at who
59:56
will be at Kalamazoo this weekend.
59:57
What should we know about the Bahama rackets?
1:00:00
Like how would you summarize it through your 34 years of
1:00:02
experience? OK, that's a phenomenal
1:00:06
question. And I've been thinking about, I
1:00:08
swear to you, I thought you were going to ask this question.
1:00:11
OK, I'm glad I asked it. I swear to you it's it's awesome
1:00:14
that you did because I'll tell you this, basically if they're
1:00:18
planning on coming down and racing the Bahama brackets,
1:00:20
whether it was at Rockford or whether it's at Grundy, I can
1:00:24
tell you the first year at Grundy was obviously a little
1:00:27
weird. We didn't know how it was going
1:00:29
to work out. I talked to dozens of racers
1:00:31
before Grundy and they're like, we're just going to see how this
1:00:35
works out to see if it sticks before we come.
1:00:37
Well, second year comes around, well, we got a bunch more racers
1:00:41
they seen it's going to stick. And is it Rockford Speedway?
1:00:45
Absolutely. There absolutely not.
1:00:46
There'll never be another Rockford Speedway.
1:00:48
But the best advice I have for anybody come from any other
1:00:52
racetrack to Grundy County Speedway for the Bahama brackets
1:00:56
is 1. Make sure you allot yourself
1:00:59
enough time to enjoy the weekend like it's going to be a, a, a
1:01:05
pretty wicked three day weekend. You're going to practice all
1:01:08
Friday night. They do some mock qualifying on
1:01:10
Friday night just, and that's a lot of egos.
1:01:14
Just just let the guys and the gals go out there and you know,
1:01:17
see who's got the biggest tires and you know, you let that be.
1:01:21
But truthfully, just remember as a racer, when you come down to
1:01:26
Grundy County Speedway or any other racetrack and you have a
1:01:29
multitude of states coming in that you're racing against, just
1:01:33
remember every racetrack is different.
1:01:36
Don't take it personal. We race against guys from Ohio,
1:01:40
Iowa, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Georgia for Jim Gilbert.
1:01:44
All these guys race at different race tracks.
1:01:46
Don't take it personal. They may restart things or start
1:01:50
things the way they do. You just got to realize that
1:01:54
you're not racing against your Saturday night guys anymore.
1:01:57
You're racing against everybody's Saturday night guys
1:01:59
now and there's 1000 different personalities, there's 10,000
1:02:04
different crew members so and at the end of the day, always
1:02:08
remember if it hits the fan, stay at your pit path.
1:02:14
That's the best way you can always not get kicked out of a
1:02:17
racetrack is just stay at your pit pad and let the fight come
1:02:21
to you and defend yourself. And I'm not saying that there's
1:02:24
a lot of fighting and this and that, but we don't know what
1:02:27
track they come from. So it's just best off that we
1:02:31
stay at our pad and it is what it is.
1:02:33
But take in the whole weekend, like Friday night.
1:02:37
There's a reason why Friday nights aren't as spectacular at
1:02:42
the brackets as as Saturday night is.
1:02:45
And that's because everybody has literally run, run themselves to
1:02:50
the ring or trying to get there on Friday night and do some
1:02:52
practicing. So I mean, we do kind of lay
1:02:56
back a little bit on Friday night.
1:02:57
We don't party as hard and this and that.
1:02:59
But Saturday night, once you've got four or five hours of sleep,
1:03:03
you're good. So Saturday night is the funnest
1:03:06
night at the bracket. So I mean, just, you know, drink
1:03:10
your water, your Gatorade, your smart water, whatever you got to
1:03:13
do, but get ready for Saturday night because they've got the
1:03:16
DJs, the Karaokes and the pavilions and everything.
1:03:19
It's a phenomenal time. So see again, and that's why I'm
1:03:24
so excited that again, Brian, thank you for helping put this
1:03:28
together, is that, you know, the goal is to not only bring
1:03:30
awareness to the Bahama brackets, you know, give, you
1:03:33
know, Grundy a chance to kind of expand their horizon and and
1:03:37
bring it towards, you know, with our show here, obviously in
1:03:39
Michigan and Northwest Indiana brackets about because I know
1:03:43
like Nick Strumming and Rich Bold, they will always post like
1:03:46
weekend previews and that kind of deal.
1:03:48
But for a lot of people who maybe haven't been to Grundy
1:03:51
ever found a way, you know, it's kind of one of those like, I'll
1:03:53
go try that some point. And it's always, you know, Sean,
1:03:57
it's getting over the some point, right?
1:03:59
It's like it's so easy. I mean, I did it for 30 years.
1:04:01
So like I know it's like that some point, right At some point
1:04:05
is now. Yeah.
1:04:06
So. It's like take advantage, right?
1:04:08
And and one thing too is, you know, Grundy's been hurts so
1:04:11
much this year by the rain. I mean, they just, you know,
1:04:14
Mother Nature has just done everything they can to central
1:04:17
Illinois and that part of Illinois, western or Eastern
1:04:20
Illinois where it's like, you know, that's two-part of my
1:04:22
like, hey, let's get as many people as we can down there.
1:04:24
Because, you know, Grundy, it's like this is their time, you
1:04:28
know, to showcase their track and get ready for next year.
1:04:30
And with brackets like go have fun, you know, just go do
1:04:34
something different. It's mid-october, we don't know
1:04:37
what the weather will look like, but it's OK.
1:04:39
You know, it, it might snow a little bit, it might rain a
1:04:41
little bit. Hopefully not rain.
1:04:42
It's rained enough. But but again, it's about having
1:04:45
fun. It's getting a chance to connect
1:04:47
with people from other areas, as you just said, Like how many
1:04:50
times does someone from Kalamazoo or Galesburg or even
1:04:53
Northwest Indiana get a chance to race against someone from
1:04:55
like Wisconsin at Slinger or, or the only asphalt track in
1:04:59
Illinois? Oh, we lost Sean.
1:05:02
I didn't bump him, he went on his own.
1:05:04
But. But I think again, right, you
1:05:07
know, I'll finish that because I know Ryan's already here waiting
1:05:09
for Nick. Nick's supposed to be next, but
1:05:11
we'll bring Ryan on. Nick will just have to wait.
1:05:13
He's not smooth. But.
1:05:18
But again, you know. That's where it's like, that's
1:05:20
the mission, right? Is let's get people down down to
1:05:24
to Grundy. Oh, I see Nick now.
1:05:26
I I see we just had to call him out.
1:05:29
We'll bring on Nick. And because I know Ryan's
1:05:31
already been waiting too, so I'm like, Nick, if you're not in
1:05:34
here, we're just gonna bring Ryan on.
1:05:35
I know we told him a little bit later, but we'll just bring him
1:05:37
on. So.
1:05:40
Oh, I wouldn't bring Sean on back though, because obviously
1:05:42
he just kind of dropped off. But let's bring him back because
1:05:45
you can't just let someone. Yeah, there he is.
1:05:48
But. Oh no, you're good, I thought.
1:05:50
Maybe you're. Trying to get to.
1:05:51
I thought maybe you're trying to get.
1:05:52
To the brackets on time. No, Sean had to.
1:05:57
He had to start working on. Another car, he's got one car
1:06:00
done. You're not going to believe
1:06:02
this, guys and. I'm not trying.
1:06:03
To be funny here, but it turned out to be pretty funny to me.
1:06:07
There was a mosquito that landed on the lens and I went, I went
1:06:12
to squish it and it shut me off. I'm like, yeah, I'm like.
1:06:17
That's where I'm like, I didn't do it.
1:06:18
I did not. Bump him.
1:06:20
That was completely my bad and I'm sorry but.
1:06:24
We had Ron Brash on here. Who?
1:06:26
We got kicked off wet boojie like 12 times in one show.
1:06:29
We are we are super flexible. Usually there's thunderstorms
1:06:32
when we're on and tonight's like the first time we don't have
1:06:34
thunderstorms but but again, you know, Sean, I definitely.
1:06:37
Appreciate you taking. Time out of your night and I
1:06:39
know like everyone's operating on like Central time zone and
1:06:43
all these things and we're like, we need, we need you to operate
1:06:45
on Eastern Time tonight. But that's where I appreciate
1:06:48
you coming on and and and giving your experience for the 34 years
1:06:53
that you've been a part of the brackets now going to be 35 and
1:06:56
also have on record that you're going to be on time this year.
1:06:59
So again, I will for sure be on time.
1:07:02
This year I've. Already went in and you know,
1:07:05
these are the days off and it's going to be what it is.
1:07:07
But I and thank you very much for having me on.
1:07:10
It's been a blast. But I will say I did forget one
1:07:13
thing about the Bahama brackets. That's a that's a huge
1:07:16
misconception. All I know, whether it's
1:07:19
Kalamazoo, Galesburg, any racetrack you're coming from,
1:07:22
one of the biggest concerns of racers are, are they going to be
1:07:26
competitive? And I can tell you the Bahama
1:07:29
brackets, no matter what bracket racing you do, you can guarantee
1:07:34
you you will. Be.
1:07:35
Competitive somewhere because you're going to get in where you
1:07:39
fit in now if you have a a front wheel drive 4 cylinder, if you
1:07:43
have a rear wheel drive 4 cylinder, if you have an open
1:07:46
wheel modified, if you have anything that is in racing that
1:07:51
I believe the only thing they don't allow at this point we
1:07:54
used two years ago at Rockford was the Hurricane bracket and
1:07:57
they were basically full blown late models with like wet Sup
1:08:01
motors. But I can promise everybody if
1:08:04
you're looking into the Bahama brackets, you will be
1:08:07
competitive into a bracket that you're supposed to be.
1:08:11
So if you have a, a 15 second car, you're going to run with 15
1:08:16
second cars. If you have a 19 second car,
1:08:19
you're going to run with 19 second cars.
1:08:21
And even like all these Crown Vics blown up everywhere around
1:08:25
every racetrack, bring your Crown Vic, bring 50 Crown Vics.
1:08:29
You know, you're going to get in where you fit in.
1:08:31
You know, like there's a, there's a place for you to race
1:08:34
in every bracket that we have. And I would love to see Grundy
1:08:38
County Speedway, see the numbers that Rockford Speedway used to
1:08:42
have back in the day. Say I want to say and don't
1:08:45
quote me here, but I think at one time I want to say we have
1:08:50
like. 290. Cars on on the premises one year
1:08:53
for the brackets, which is just herda unheard of for a three day
1:08:57
weekend. But you know, and yes, it's it's
1:09:00
almost a rain or shine event unless they're calling for 100%
1:09:04
chance all three days. And here's the crazy part.
1:09:06
We'll show up just to get rained out.
1:09:09
We'll be there. But you know, ideally, I think
1:09:12
it's only been once, maybe twice ever.
1:09:15
The brackets have been rained out, but it got rescheduled and
1:09:18
we've ran them. We've never not ran the Bahama
1:09:20
brackets. So there's always a way to fit
1:09:23
in there. But I just want to encourage
1:09:25
everybody or anybody that's coming down to the Bahama
1:09:27
brackets. I don't care if you have a front
1:09:29
wheel drive 4 cylinder or you have a Galesburg St. stock,
1:09:33
bring it down. You're going to get in where you
1:09:35
fit in and then see more clips. Sean, you should just like take
1:09:41
over the show at this point. I think like all these clips,
1:09:43
like you're doing my work for me.
1:09:45
I don't have to do it now. I don't know.
1:09:47
I appreciate that like because again, This is why like it was
1:09:51
after me coming down to Grundy over the Labor Day weekend that
1:09:54
I had a lot of people message saying, I mean, even John boy
1:09:57
Hotchkiss who has tri-state spreads, he's like, I think we
1:09:59
need to get down to that track. So there's a lot of people in my
1:10:02
ecosystem, you know, who saw Grundy for the first time and
1:10:07
now we're like, I think I need to get down to that track,
1:10:09
track. So it's like, it's perfect
1:10:10
timing. Because, you know, as I was
1:10:13
telling someone, you know, obviously James Dimmitt does a
1:10:15
fantastic job. He covers running all the time
1:10:18
and he gets out there and obvious and his YouTube channel
1:10:21
is huge. I'm catching up to him on
1:10:23
YouTube. But on Facebook, like in
1:10:25
Michigan, if you take out Michigan International Speedway,
1:10:28
because that's a NASCAR track, you know, it's Berlin Raceway at
1:10:31
like 52,000 followers, Kalamazoo Speedway at 51,000 followers and
1:10:36
then Topper Racing Media at 45,000 followers.
1:10:38
And then the next closest is at like 38,000.
1:10:41
So like there's a, you know, it's, it's up there where it
1:10:44
gets far and wide with a lot of people.
1:10:46
So it's like you never know who's watching tonight or who's
1:10:48
going to listen to this, who might say, I want to come on
1:10:51
down. Like I see one of our Corgan Oil
1:10:53
Speedway racers in Mason, MI, Benny Miller, who they might
1:10:57
bring down their Motörhead Miller Mafia Racing and they,
1:11:00
they have front wheel drives and they.
1:11:02
They're pretty. Competitive, So you know, like
1:11:04
right there, that's Mason MI that I bet in Grundy, if I may
1:11:08
be honest, I bet Brian Kasaba maybe didn't even think about,
1:11:11
well, maybe Corgan Oil Speedway would send some drivers down.
1:11:14
Like that's when you draw a circle that may not be part of
1:11:17
the circle, right. That may be like a dream.
1:11:19
But you know, I think it was the last show, Brian, you kind of
1:11:21
talked about like I hadn't even thought about Kalamazoo or
1:11:23
hadn't even thought about Galesburg.
1:11:25
And you know, we're getting we're getting interest from
1:11:28
there. So that's part of like bringing
1:11:29
you guys back on and and bringing guests on is like,
1:11:32
let's help, you know, showcase why Bahama needs to be on
1:11:35
people's, you know, end of year shows to attend.
1:11:39
So so again, Sean, that's where I appreciate you coming on and
1:11:42
taking time out of your night. Sure, thank you.
1:11:45
And again, I mean just. Making us laugh you.
1:11:47
Know that that's good and there's a lot of good quotes
1:11:50
from that, so I appreciate that. That's very relaxed.
1:11:53
I mean, some people get on screen and they're nervous and
1:11:56
nervous and it seem to be anything in your DNA, you just
1:11:58
jump right into it. So, so I appreciate that it's
1:12:02
good and bad. So you're a missing guy, so.
1:12:05
Yeah, I'm, I'm gonna, I'm gonna lay the gauntlet down now.
1:12:08
I'm gonna back up a little bit if I have, if I have a couple of
1:12:11
more minutes. So I'll give you 3 minutes.
1:12:14
Thank you. Let me set the timer hold on OK.
1:12:18
So I. Have a friend.
1:12:20
A mutual friend and he was the baddest dude around.
1:12:24
Now I switched over to dirt for some years.
1:12:26
I had a blast. I had a whole bunch of success
1:12:29
between 17 and 18 at Plymouth and Shady Hill, etcetera.
1:12:34
But there's one guy that's from Michigan, he runs up at Berlin
1:12:39
and he he's a great guy. I love to race against them and
1:12:43
I'm calling them out right now if him or any of his buddies are
1:12:47
watching. I want Josh Fry to bring a car
1:12:50
to the Bahama brackets and I want.
1:12:52
Him to bring buddies too. Because he is the baddest dude
1:12:55
on the planet when it comes to being a dirt or asphalt racer.
1:12:59
That guy has handed it to me more times on dirt than I can
1:13:02
than I can count. And then I go watch him at
1:13:04
Berlin when I help my buddy Boris Shurkovic.
1:13:06
And I'm like, well, he's good here, too.
1:13:09
Yeah, so. Well, he took seconds.
1:13:12
At Kalamazoo. Speedway.
1:13:13
And our points this year in the limited light models, that's
1:13:15
awesome. He he, he battled right to the
1:13:17
end. He he literally it.
1:13:20
Was that night. Chip Night, Kalamazoo, him and
1:13:23
another guy were battling and he didn't make it that night and
1:13:26
that's why the other guy won the championship.
1:13:28
Otherwise, Josh, I mean. He's he's, he's.
1:13:31
Introduced a lot of people who maybe didn't know him cuz when
1:13:34
he started racing at Kalamazoo and went wait isn't he a dirt
1:13:36
guy? And I'm like, cuz I know the
1:13:38
name, right? And yeah, he, he put on a show
1:13:41
at Kalamazoo this year all season long.
1:13:44
So, and I know Bobby just tagged him and he's, he's definitely,
1:13:48
he knows what he's doing behind the wheel.
1:13:50
In fact, if I see him at Super Shoe this weekend, I don't know
1:13:52
if he's racing or not because I know Owosso has their nationals.
1:13:56
But if I see him at Super Shoe or somewhere around Kalamazoo,
1:13:59
I'll be sure. Like, hey, I think someone just
1:14:01
called you out to go to the Bahama brackets.
1:14:02
We need to make that happen. So absolutely.
1:14:05
So, yeah. And for the.
1:14:06
Record. Just so you know, if Josh Fry
1:14:09
comes down to the Bahama brackets this year and whoops up
1:14:11
on me just like next Remy did last year, I I beg the strummies
1:14:16
to go to the Bahama brackets for years.
1:14:18
They show up and they absolutely you want me, you know, and Nick
1:14:23
wins, wins the a racket last year.
1:14:25
I'm like, if Josh shows up, it's.
1:14:29
Over John's not inviting any of his Michigan South.
1:14:32
Bend friends anymore? Hi, buddy.
1:14:35
Hi, buddy. Well, again, Sean, you have.
1:14:41
You have made this a blast already, so that's where I
1:14:43
figured since you're shouting out Nick's.
1:14:45
Tremie that's. Almost like, you know, we got to
1:14:47
bring Nick on because I know right away Nick was in the
1:14:50
comments saying Sean likes. To wave at me.
1:14:52
When I'm racing and so I thought.
1:14:55
Since. You yeah, you channeled this
1:14:57
tremie name in there. I thought let's let's just share
1:15:01
the screen for a moment here. But but again, Sean, thank you
1:15:05
SO. Much for joining tonight.
1:15:06
You'll see, you'll see a couple of your quotes coming across
1:15:10
Facebook over the next couple of days because one, I love your
1:15:13
synopsis of talking about why coming down and that you'll race
1:15:16
with someone who you're supposed to race against.
1:15:18
I think one, people need to understand like you're going to
1:15:21
be in a class that you belong in and then, you know, just just
1:15:24
the fun things that you had to say.
1:15:26
So I'm looking forward to meeting you in person down here
1:15:30
October 16th through the 18th for those watching again down at
1:15:33
the Granny County Speedway more so Sean, we'll see you here in a
1:15:36
couple weeks. All right, guys, you guys all
1:15:38
have a great evening and. Thank.
1:15:39
You for having me on and good luck, but not so good luck to
1:15:44
beat me Nick. So beat me to the track this
1:15:50
year. So that's.
1:15:50
Fine. Well, we do have it on record.
1:15:55
We have it on. Record that he has Thursday off
1:15:57
and then he'll be there on time. So that's already been spoken
1:16:00
so. But again, Sean, thank you so
1:16:02
much for joining. All right, thanks guys.
1:16:04
Have a great evening. Yeah, thank.
1:16:05
You. You too?
1:16:06
Well again. We have the smooth operator Nick
1:16:09
Stremi, obviously, you know, a former track champion in a
1:16:12
couple places got a track championship last year and
1:16:16
concluded his 2025 season with the Bahama Bracket win.
1:16:20
So again, Nick, welcome back your second time on our show.
1:16:24
Welcome back to the Bahama Bracket.
1:16:28
Welcome back to the Monday Night Rewind talking about the Bahama
1:16:30
bracket. So so again, I know for you
1:16:35
we're running just past time. I know Ryan's kind of been
1:16:37
hanging around for a little bit. So I, I know as we plan this
1:16:41
out, Brian, you're still going to get your time to go over
1:16:44
everything. But Nick, obviously you're one
1:16:47
of the South Bend guys who's made the trip over to Morris,
1:16:49
IL. You've said it's one of your
1:16:52
favorite events to go to, something you look forward to
1:16:54
every single year. So why don't you tell us a
1:16:57
little bit about your experience with the Bahama brackets and why
1:17:00
someone from South Bend, Plymouth, New Paris, M40,
1:17:03
Kalamazoo, Corgan oil, apparently I didn't, Brian, in
1:17:07
fairness, I didn't even consider Corgan oil.
1:17:09
I didn't even think that, hey, the the more the merrier.
1:17:12
That's that's what I'm looking at.
1:17:13
Well, they'll bring like 5. Cars, but five cars is better
1:17:17
than no cars. Yeah, yeah, they'll bring a
1:17:20
bunch and they'll bring. Like 10 people with them too.
1:17:22
So, but with that, Nick, if you want to talk a little bit about
1:17:26
why the Bahama, why you go and why you look forward to this,
1:17:30
especially as someone who's won a championship in a lot of
1:17:32
places and done really well in a lot of places.
1:17:38
Just enjoyment. Of it you don't.
1:17:40
Deal with all the I'm going to say it bullshit.
1:17:43
Drama that you do. At the weekly tracks around
1:17:46
here, you don't race with the same guys all year long over
1:17:49
there that you're going to race with now.
1:17:53
We've gone over there the past two years now and we both done,
1:17:56
I mean, decent. And last year we got Dylan to go
1:18:00
and unfortunately this year he's not.
1:18:02
But yeah, last year was pretty enjoyable.
1:18:07
Obviously got lucky luck, Luck, I mean just racing situations
1:18:13
happen and I said in the. Interview after.
1:18:19
The race I made the car a little too fun on Friday night and but
1:18:23
that's how that's how it always was at Rockford.
1:18:26
You always went out all out on Friday night to find your limit,
1:18:29
how fast you could go and you have to tow the car back.
1:18:33
And fortunately, with the help of friends and everyone, we made
1:18:37
the right adjustments and we rode it out.
1:18:40
And just fortunately, I mean, I don't even think we ever came
1:18:43
close to breaking out. And it just stayed smooth.
1:18:46
And just like I get crap because I put the board on now like last
1:18:52
year, but watching the Ink Car video, it's and grandpa told me
1:18:58
something the other day that I'll probably never forget now
1:19:00
that Robert Hampke told him I'd rather drive 80% and keep up
1:19:05
instead of driving 110% and keeping up and.
1:19:10
I'll probably. Remember that the rest of my
1:19:12
life now because it's. I mean, Brian.
1:19:17
You've seen it numerous times. Between Rockford and I mean, I
1:19:21
in all fairness, I don't think the single a last year we had
1:19:25
anyone break out and feature wise, heat, race wise we did a
1:19:30
couple of them. But feature wise I don't think a
1:19:32
single guy broke out. But I mean you look, I mean it
1:19:36
like I was fortunate enough to get to the front early.
1:19:40
Dad ran into his problems and had to pit, which gave me the
1:19:45
lead. And then the last 34 laps it
1:19:47
was, I mean Cody Club come up and I mean he put pressure on me
1:19:53
and then about shit myself when I heard Scotty got to 2nd.
1:20:00
But, and I've joked with that, I sent a.
1:20:03
Meme to my spotter the other day or and or it was last year and I
1:20:08
sent it to Scotty. It's Tyler, Herb said one time.
1:20:12
Would you? How'd you feel when that you
1:20:14
seen that 20 RT roll up to your outside on the white flag lap?
1:20:17
I'm fucked and that as soon as he said. 13 was.
1:20:21
The P2 with 20 to go it I'm like well.
1:20:27
We're going to just. Push it, but not push it and.
1:20:31
Like. I said I it worked out perfect
1:20:33
last year. I had my wife reading off stop
1:20:36
watching me, reading me off times and Cody Hahn was spotting
1:20:39
for me and it just worked out. I mean, I like I said, I took
1:20:43
the roof off, put the sideboard on.
1:20:44
It felt like it was like driving a slot car almost it.
1:20:48
That's very fortunate how smooth the car was and hopefully we can
1:20:54
go back and do it again. This year, it's been a.
1:20:57
Little bit of a rough year, but I mean, you're going to have
1:21:01
those years and we're going to work back towards it.
1:21:04
And I do want to go try try to go faster than what I did Friday
1:21:08
night last year. But on the other same sense I
1:21:13
was trying to explain. To Josh Trammell.
1:21:14
Earlier I was in the middle of mowing my lawn when he called me
1:21:18
and just talk about rules and stuff about when when they're
1:21:21
coming out this and that or what the rules are.
1:21:24
I said it was literally days within now of when they were
1:21:28
released last year. I guarantee if they're not
1:21:30
released by this weekend, I guarantee they'll be released
1:21:33
right after the Bettenhausen because I mean, you can't blame
1:21:36
the track for having to reschedule a race and then
1:21:39
promote the next race that they're putting on.
1:21:42
I mean, they're going to promote the Bettenhausen.
1:21:43
I'm sure Brian can test to this. I mean, you guys want people to
1:21:48
show up to the Benthouse and just like you want to show up to
1:21:51
the brackets. I mean, that's the only way to
1:21:54
keep people while the track open is keep people coming.
1:21:57
I mean, you can't promote the show a month down the road and
1:22:00
not a week down the road. Well, and and I know.
1:22:04
Obviously, Josh is a. Weekly Galesburg driver.
1:22:07
He's one of those who I talked with at.
1:22:12
The Van Avery. Memorial who said I know I'm
1:22:13
thinking about going down to that Grundy track because
1:22:16
Anthony dual after having Brian on on that I think they were on
1:22:19
the same episode actually that you know, he said I want to go
1:22:23
try that Grundy and that kind of started Van Avery's have talked
1:22:26
about coming down a couple of talked about coming down.
1:22:28
Like I said, I'm, I think I'm up to 9 in my count of drivers
1:22:31
coming down. And obviously your name that has
1:22:33
been cited numerous times about going down to Morris for that or
1:22:37
I should say over and down for you where you are in South Bend.
1:22:41
But so with that obviously. So that's kind of preface there.
1:22:44
You drive a street stock that you can go race at Owosso and do
1:22:48
really well. You've raced it at New Paris,
1:22:50
you've raced it at, I always told you it's always great when
1:22:53
Astremi's on the property. You know, obviously then you've
1:22:57
raced at New Paris this year, you've obviously raced at, at
1:22:59
Plymouth. And I don't know if you made
1:23:01
South Bend, but I, you know, your, your street stock can
1:23:04
travel around, right? You go to those tracks.
1:23:06
So for you, as you, as we explained, maybe like the Street
1:23:10
stocks specifically racing in this region, what did you have
1:23:14
to change? To go race.
1:23:16
Over at ground year, what are some things that you might have
1:23:18
had to adjust here or there so that maybe someone understands
1:23:22
like, hey, you don't have to do a whole lot to go race at this.
1:23:25
Or here's some of the things that you're probably going to
1:23:27
have to do because you're legal at the same tracks that a lot of
1:23:31
these cars are legal at. So if you want to kind of give
1:23:34
an idea of that and we're not going to quote you, be like, you
1:23:36
know, obviously Brian gave the rules, but I know sometimes you
1:23:39
hear people say, well, I don't want to change that much or I
1:23:41
don't want to do all these things.
1:23:43
So for you, if you want to give a little bit about your
1:23:45
experience on what it was like going from this region where St.
1:23:48
Stock racing is probably the number one class in the area
1:23:52
over to Illinois in all reality for this race.
1:23:57
I wouldn't have had to change a thing.
1:23:59
I mean, down to the last rivet. I mean, you wouldn't have had to
1:24:04
change a thing to go now because I like race.
1:24:09
I enjoy race without the roof and stuff, so obviously I took
1:24:12
the roof off again. Corey Woods has my sideboards
1:24:17
for Kalamazoo this weekend so I'll get them back from him and
1:24:19
get them put on and we just went through.
1:24:23
We swap motors back and put my normal 1 back in.
1:24:29
We tried a different one at Owosso Championship night.
1:24:35
I look forward. To it it's.
1:24:37
You don't have to change. Very much.
1:24:38
I mean, like you guys said earlier and Sean pretty much
1:24:42
state the statement where you're going to find someone to race
1:24:47
with. I mean Dylan we last year with
1:24:50
Dylan, we should have probably sent him out another time to try
1:24:52
to pick up a couple more tents of qualifying.
1:24:55
He would had a little bit better shot in that feature to win I
1:24:58
think. I mean race Olson, he was on it
1:25:02
last year. I mean, they knew where to have
1:25:04
him qualify and he was good. And Dylan, we, like I said, we
1:25:12
should have probably had him go out and qualify a little bit
1:25:14
better, but he did great for what he qualified with not
1:25:17
pushing the car too hard. I mean, he was close a couple
1:25:20
times. I mean at least by stopwatch he
1:25:22
was close, but I find it hilarious that.
1:25:27
Those mid am guys. With plastic bodies, I thought
1:25:30
they were going to run a steel body over.
1:25:34
They thought twice after they seen one.
1:25:35
Of them did their. Own car, I'll tell you that now.
1:25:39
Dylan's looked like it. Went through Dylan Washington
1:25:40
Derby but. He he did a great job.
1:25:43
He they tried roughing him up. I mean, he held his own and I
1:25:47
think he ended up third, second or third.
1:25:50
I mean, still, it was his first time racing there, his first
1:25:54
time making laps there. I mean, he did a good job.
1:25:57
But back to like your original question, Dylan didn't change a
1:26:00
thing. I think we end up, we might have
1:26:02
took the roof or the window out for Sunday, but that was how he
1:26:07
ran that card a couple times throughout the year, like how he
1:26:10
did. That's how we took it.
1:26:12
And I mean, he fell in right where he qualified and he raced
1:26:16
where he qualified. Well, that's why I want to
1:26:19
highlight that again, right? Just so people understand like
1:26:22
you know from Super shoot in Michigan Cup, Michigan Cup is
1:26:26
class racing. So you know, classes are going
1:26:28
to look like classes. Roofs are going to have roofs
1:26:30
all the things, but you know two weeks are going to make some
1:26:33
money on rivets the next. Couple of weeks.
1:26:35
Oh yeah, Yeah, they are. They will.
1:26:37
Be a little busy. And you know, but then for
1:26:40
Bahama, right, if you want to do no roof and sideboards, you can
1:26:43
go back and do that. But you're going to have two
1:26:45
weeks after Michigan Cup for those racing Michigan Cup to
1:26:49
turn around and get ready for Bahamas.
1:26:51
So that's why I keep trying to highlight like there's not going
1:26:54
to be a whole lot that you're going to have to do to go and do
1:26:56
this and be successful. And but you know, Nick, you know
1:27:01
drivers, right? And I know well, everyone on
1:27:03
here except for me has been a driver or does currently drive,
1:27:07
right? So the media guy who has not
1:27:10
been in a race car, right? But you know, you know, you see
1:27:12
the conversations, you see the Facebook posts, you see the
1:27:15
Facebook comments. Why?
1:27:16
I don't want to change a whole lot and I don't want to do that.
1:27:18
You know, like we see that and it's just truly again,
1:27:21
highlighting, highlighting, highlighting over and over and
1:27:23
over again. It's like beating a dead horse,
1:27:25
right? Like just go race, go have fun.
1:27:27
You're going to find where you need to be.
1:27:29
And as long as you don't break out for the weekend, which will
1:27:32
give Brian time at the end of the show to like highlight what
1:27:35
that is. And I think you only, I think
1:27:37
you only get what, 2? Breakouts all weekend, right?
1:27:40
Yes, yes, Yep, I I thought that. Was the same as what?
1:27:43
It's always. Been and and people will
1:27:46
probably I must say a bitch and complain about it, but it's been
1:27:51
the same role for how many years now?
1:27:53
You know that limit when you go over there and it's people call
1:27:59
it the sandbagger Nationals like what super shoe used to be.
1:28:01
But yes, it may be sandbagging, but I mean we had a 34 lap green
1:28:09
flag run last year in the A feature out of 50 laps, the
1:28:13
first lap or first lap or two, Swan broke a left rear wheel
1:28:17
studs. I mean, you can't help a parts
1:28:19
failure there. Another guy got.
1:28:23
Spun by just like a racing incident and another guy lost it
1:28:26
by himself racing. No one was straight up wrecking
1:28:30
each other. It was, I mean, don't get me
1:28:33
wrong, you race hard, but it and back.
1:28:38
What I. Said when I first got on.
1:28:40
You don't race with those guys all year long during it like and
1:28:44
you see you. Race with them.
1:28:45
Once a year at end of the year shows and I think that's what
1:28:51
makes it even better racing because I say if I was to
1:28:56
follow. Buju for 30.
1:28:57
Laps. Is he going to do the same thing
1:28:59
all 30 laps or is he going to do the same thing three nights in a
1:29:03
row for 30 laps? Right.
1:29:04
Yeah, yeah, who knows? I mean, and it's just, it's
1:29:08
part. Of the game.
1:29:09
And yeah, speaking as someone. Who is a Hornet racer has to.
1:29:12
Play that breakout game all the time.
1:29:14
It's not a fun one to play. So it's you're not, you're not
1:29:17
getting rewarded for the. Game, I mean, I mean.
1:29:19
Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't.
1:29:21
As you're saying, it's a, it's a tricky, It's a slippery slope.
1:29:25
So Cody Hahn helps me. He got.
1:29:26
Over there, he. Hauled Dylan over Friday last
1:29:28
year and I go out for practice and I I went all out.
1:29:32
I want to see what I could run. When I pulled off the track and
1:29:37
into my pit stall, all I seen was this.
1:29:39
His head was down and just shaking.
1:29:41
He didn't even look at me and I'm thinking.
1:29:44
Are we that bad? Well, because the year prior I
1:29:47
couldn't come within two 3/10 of even close to what the the
1:29:52
breakout time was. And I mean we.
1:29:55
Obviously, the car was a heck. Of a lot better last year than
1:29:58
what it was two years ago. We went through it, redid it all
1:30:02
and I get my helmet off. I'm sitting on the dash and my
1:30:08
wife brings her phone over and just shows me and it's 6/10
1:30:11
under what we're supposed to run.
1:30:12
I'm like, oh, oh. But I will say this though, I
1:30:17
the one lap I barely. Cracked out the throttle through
1:30:20
three and four. It just stuck so but to that
1:30:24
point. You have to.
1:30:25
Push the car that hard to know where that limit is and know how
1:30:28
much you have to back it down, right.
1:30:31
And I mean, some people on, I must say, unfortunately couldn't
1:30:36
do it since some people can. And I mean it.
1:30:40
It's part of it, yeah. So as I.
1:30:44
Asked Sean. I'm going to ask you because.
1:30:46
Obviously, again, you know, you go to the brackets, you like to
1:30:49
advertise the brackets to talk about that.
1:30:51
So you heard me ask Sean, because I know you've been
1:30:53
active in the comments is so I know you've been on the show.
1:30:58
How would you summarize the brackets?
1:31:00
Why should someone like if you're pitching and you're
1:31:03
selling and you get a minute to sell, how would you sell the
1:31:07
brackets and why someone should go down after not everything
1:31:10
that you've already said and talked about and not changing
1:31:13
things, but you get one minute to sell it, Sell it, the pure
1:31:17
enjoyment of it. The.
1:31:23
The environment of it I mean. Don't get me wrong, I'm this is
1:31:27
not towards any race tracks around here.
1:31:29
Steve Bryan. I mean hell if you gave me
1:31:32
thumbs up every time I pulled out on the track, no matter if
1:31:34
it was re qualifying, a practice session, heat race, a feature.
1:31:38
You were staying outside of turn 2, which I don't.
1:31:40
I would assume you won't be this year.
1:31:44
You might be in the tower. Who knows where you'll.
1:31:46
Be that that that is yet to be. Yeah, that's that's to be
1:31:51
determined yet, but the tech officials.
1:31:54
The pit officials, the I I forget the lady's name, what
1:31:59
diri is, the one that does the pit passes on Friday.
1:32:05
You know who I'm talking about. Yeah, I'm, Yeah, I'm.
1:32:07
We all know who you're talking. About someone.
1:32:11
All I know is that someone. Pissed her.
1:32:13
Off last year on Friday because they didn't have their stuff
1:32:15
ready and you better have your stuff ready when you get to her.
1:32:17
But other than that, everyone there, Cheryl used to race.
1:32:22
She part of the track that helps out everyone that was there.
1:32:28
It's the environment is so neat. I don't.
1:32:36
Think we met one? Track official that was in a
1:32:39
shady attitude all weekend to be honest with you and it makes it.
1:32:44
Enjoyable to go race. Well, and that's that has always
1:32:48
been the. Uniqueness of this event.
1:32:50
So, so whether, whether it's it's track officials, like all
1:32:54
the years that I ran at Rockford when I was there, the, the
1:33:00
camaraderie amongst all of the racers.
1:33:03
I mean, you, you're, you're going to like I said at the
1:33:06
beginning of the show, you're, you're, you're probably you may
1:33:11
end up, you know, getting into an incident with somebody, you
1:33:16
may end up getting upset at somebody that's racing.
1:33:19
OK, But but at the end of like each night, it just it you're
1:33:24
just taken back to where like when we when we have the the
1:33:28
after race party on on Saturday night, you see everybody hanging
1:33:32
out and it's like, oh, there's that.
1:33:34
So and so, and then and you know that that guy may come up to you
1:33:38
and be like, Hey, I want to buy you a beer.
1:33:41
And then and then you and then you end up talking things out
1:33:44
and it's like, hey, this guy ain't so bad.
1:33:46
The the uniqueness of this event.
1:33:48
It, it's just, it's, it's overwhelming at times where you,
1:33:52
you battle, battle, battle every single Friday night or Saturday
1:33:56
night at your home track, OK, or, or if you're touring, you
1:34:00
know, you're battling the same people over and over again.
1:34:03
When you do, when you do this particular event, you may battle
1:34:07
with those same people, but now you're you're you, don't you?
1:34:12
You don't necessarily. You're not like necessarily.
1:34:15
Like an enemy per SE, you know, it, it be, it becomes like, it
1:34:19
kind of becomes like a home track war.
1:34:21
So like, so you're with like your home track, you know,
1:34:25
drivers and you're like, you know what?
1:34:28
We have to root for each other because we want our home track
1:34:33
to be victorious, Not so much that, you know, I want Nick to
1:34:37
win per se, but I want Nick to win because he represents, you
1:34:42
know, our home track, you know, and that's, and that's how,
1:34:45
that's how it's always been. The, the, the staff at Rockford
1:34:48
has has been second enough and and that's that, that's what we
1:34:53
want it. We want to do the same thing.
1:34:55
We'll we'll never, we'll never be Rockford.
1:34:57
We'll never ever do that. It'll never be duplicated and.
1:35:01
That's what I said. My interview last year it.
1:35:03
It sucks to see what happened to Rockford happened the way life
1:35:09
you could say it rolls on. It sucks how everything evolves
1:35:12
and unfortunately the track still being a track, it didn't
1:35:17
evolve that way. You can say, and that's
1:35:20
unfortunate circumstance, but in the fortunate side of it, Grundy
1:35:24
was able to pick up the tradition and like Sean touched
1:35:29
on it the first year that they ran it two years ago, the car
1:35:32
count was lighter. Everyone from what a brackets
1:35:36
usual car count was. Everyone was Larry on how it
1:35:40
was. Going to roll how?
1:35:41
Everything was going to work out last year.
1:35:44
I think I'm pretty positive the car count picked up.
1:35:49
I don't think it picked up as much as what everyone expected.
1:35:52
But in this year, I mean just and I'm going to say it, the
1:35:55
price of everything isn't going to help nothing right, and not
1:35:59
just fuel, just life in general. It's probably not going to help.
1:36:03
But I mean, hopefully. I mean, I'm glad to hear that
1:36:06
there's multiple multiple cars coming from over this way.
1:36:10
I don't know, is Jefferson still doing their weekend deal the
1:36:13
same weekend? So luckily this year, Jefferson.
1:36:17
Is not the same weekend so that'll help out so many cars I
1:36:22
feel. Because I mean, I noticed like,
1:36:24
Danny Church went up there. The the the.
1:36:29
The the the Potters ran. That last year and and and and I
1:36:33
read last. Year they.
1:36:34
Were they were so disappointed with how everything went down
1:36:39
there. I immediately reached out to the
1:36:41
Potters and I said you are always welcome to come down and
1:36:45
and they told me right away, well, we are coming next year.
1:36:48
So, and that's, that's awesome because I mean.
1:36:51
Matthew Clossy was another one that I remember racing with that
1:36:56
well. The one time I got to race at
1:36:57
Rockford, I know, like I said, there was a dozen or maybe even
1:37:02
two dozen people that went to Jefferson last year.
1:37:06
And like James Swan and us. Were talking at the start of the
1:37:09
drivers meeting that how many different people went there
1:37:14
instead of Grundy because A, it might have been closer for them
1:37:17
to drive to. But now that they're on separate
1:37:19
weekends, just like how last weekend it was Winchester
1:37:22
weekend also. So hopefully some guys around
1:37:25
here that go to Winchester to hang out, maybe they take cars
1:37:28
to Grundy, who knows? Yep, and that's again why.
1:37:32
We're doing this and. You know Brian and I game
1:37:34
planned this sitting in the stands until like 2 in the
1:37:38
morning. Illinois 2 in the morning I
1:37:41
kept. Looking at the clock, not in a
1:37:43
bad way, but I'm. Looking at like add one hour
1:37:45
Louis you know add 1. Hour we were just talking about.
1:37:50
That on the phone earlier what? Time we're leaving that Friday
1:37:53
to head on over. It's like, all right, our time
1:37:56
or their time. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
1:37:58
Well, that's when I was looking at.
1:37:59
Their schedule from last year, I'm like, do I really want to
1:38:02
get up that early or again, does that just go get a hotel and
1:38:06
stay over the weekend and do the things right then I'm already
1:38:08
there. But yeah, that's we game plan
1:38:11
this whole show sitting in the stands for a while just watching
1:38:15
and chilling. And you know, and that's why
1:38:18
we're doing this right is, you know, as we're thinking it's
1:38:21
like, man, how can we how can we help bring that?
1:38:24
I don't want to use the word exposure because that's kind of
1:38:26
getting overused now. But within the ecosystem of top
1:38:29
row, how can we use that to maybe attract some drivers who
1:38:34
hadn't even heard of Grundy before.
1:38:35
So especially now that I'd video Grundy and can show Grundy and
1:38:39
show it in action and people see it.
1:38:42
And that's what made that number.
1:38:43
Because I think when I talked with Brian, it was like 6
1:38:46
drivers at that point. And by the time I got home and
1:38:48
woke up that morning sun or Monday morning, it was up to
1:38:51
910, something like that. So I mean, there's quite a few
1:38:54
who are thinking about it. So I'm hoping that's why we're
1:38:58
doing this right, is to get the awareness out there so that way
1:39:00
people can see there's one more chance to, you know, especially
1:39:03
if you don't go to Winchester, don't have a race Winchester or
1:39:06
you can't think about the idea of racing Winchester and go no,
1:39:11
If I want to do that, you know, all week and you know that
1:39:14
Grundy is an option and that it's probably a little closer,
1:39:17
quite frankly, to most of us then down in Chester.
1:39:20
So I know it's it's an hour closer than when I drove.
1:39:23
Four times this year to go race, So yeah, yeah.
1:39:26
So, well, that's why I keep telling people the stat that I'm
1:39:29
one mile closer to Morris, IL than I am Springport, Michigan.
1:39:33
So it's like. And the other thing too is
1:39:35
Grundy is. Really, really racy like every
1:39:38
year or the last two years, I should say.
1:39:40
Every year the last two years there's been people running held
1:39:44
left side below the rumble strips before they get to the
1:39:47
dirt to the 3rd, 3rd and a half groove.
1:39:51
But they've been able to make it work cuz this corners are so
1:39:54
smooth that I mean, like I said on Friday night last year I
1:39:59
barely left lifted all the throttle through 3 and 4 is just
1:40:02
how smooth the track is. Well, it's gonna.
1:40:05
It's even. Smoother now cuz we had to do a
1:40:08
bunch of patches in, in turn 1 and 2 after our first bus race
1:40:12
this year. So, so there's, I've, I've been
1:40:15
told by a lot of guys that have overshot turn 1 and they've hit
1:40:20
those patches and they're like, oh, there's a lot of grip right
1:40:24
here. I hit that.
1:40:25
I'm like last. Year and I got out of it.
1:40:29
Yeah, you, you, you. Really don't want to be in that
1:40:31
third. Groove but with a lot of the
1:40:33
patches and and they're not they're not small patches,
1:40:36
they're long strips. So you know you.
1:40:40
Can see that. In in some of the videos and
1:40:43
I've been told that the people of, you know, shit themselves
1:40:48
thinking they're going to hit the wall and they get on that on
1:40:51
those, those strips of of repaid and they're like, Oh my.
1:40:55
God, the car's stuck and. I was.
1:40:58
I was able, you know, to get through the corner so, so you'll
1:41:02
if you don't go up there. But if you if you do go up
1:41:06
there. It.
1:41:08
May be more forgiving this year than it has in the past.
1:41:12
I do know. Another fun thing was we went.
1:41:14
Fishing out at. The back pond Saturday morning
1:41:16
before we got started. So that's a fun Yes, Yes.
1:41:19
There is a pond and. And we, and we were, we were
1:41:22
talking about it on Friday, you know, for, for our, for our
1:41:26
first night of the Bettenhausen weekend.
1:41:29
And we were talking about, you know, maybe we should do some
1:41:33
sort of like competition, you know, during the, because,
1:41:36
because some people were like, well, you know, I really don't
1:41:40
want to hang out, you know, in the pits all day.
1:41:42
You know, I, I wouldn't mind going fishing, you know, that
1:41:45
day. And I'm like, well, why don't
1:41:47
you come to the track? There's a pond Outback you can
1:41:49
go fishing. What kind of fish are in there?
1:41:51
And I told him, I said, I said Bill service is caught a bass.
1:41:55
I said, so there's, there's legit fish in there.
1:41:58
Yeah, my sister and I, we both did last time, and they weren't.
1:42:00
Huge ones, but I mean, we both caught one last year sitting
1:42:03
there. I mean, we're waiting for
1:42:04
everything to get started. So I threw a couple fishing
1:42:07
poles in the bed of the truck before we left and we went over
1:42:10
and went fishing for a little bit.
1:42:13
But it that that's another thing that.
1:42:14
Makes it enjoyable. That you can go do this like
1:42:20
like obviously we don't stay at the track, we stay at the hotel
1:42:23
right there right down the road we get up I.
1:42:27
Go with buddy. Of the track, my wife,
1:42:29
mother-in-law want to stay at the hotel for a little bit and
1:42:31
just chill out. They don't have to come right as
1:42:32
soon as I do right. But me, I'm, I'm one that I like
1:42:35
to get there, get set up. I'd rather be sitting there
1:42:37
waiting for stuff to go on and show up late and be rushing
1:42:41
around. I hate to be rushed around.
1:42:44
And like I said, we had plenty of time.
1:42:49
Car was sitting in the air waiting to go out for practice.
1:42:51
So we grabbed fishing poles and we went out fishing.
1:42:57
I wouldn't have even. I wouldn't have.
1:42:58
See, that's former. I wouldn't have even thought
1:43:00
about fishing. But but again, Nick, I know like
1:43:03
Ryan's been waiting for a while. He's probably like, man, you
1:43:05
told me all this time and he's probably saying their time was
1:43:08
going. We must really be on Michigan
1:43:10
time because they keep getting all these seconds.
1:43:12
But but we're not Wolverines around here.
1:43:15
We don't add seconds just for the heck of it, but.
1:43:20
But. We're on real time.
1:43:22
But but anyways, I know Nick, I wouldn't have thought fishing
1:43:25
though. So that's one more thing you can
1:43:26
do at the at the Bahama brackets.
1:43:29
You know, you could be like a Flamingo and go play in the
1:43:31
water and you might come out with a fish or go down to the
1:43:34
gas station and play slot machines.
1:43:36
I mean. It's up to you.
1:43:37
Yeah, that is a different world. You know you get out.
1:43:39
That way it's a different world. They we don't have that around
1:43:41
here. But but again, you know, the
1:43:44
smooth operator, Nick Stremi, of course, former champion over at
1:43:48
Plymouth and has won some of the big races around.
1:43:51
I again, thank you for joining us in, you know, out of every
1:43:55
guest tonight, we're the only three who's on our own time.
1:43:57
So you know, everyone else is is an hour behind, but having to be
1:44:01
an hour ahead tonight. So again, I appreciate not only
1:44:03
Sean coming on, but I know Ryan is on and he's been I mean, he
1:44:06
got on pretty like at 7:30. He was right on ready to go.
1:44:09
I'm like, oh, he's early. I hope, you know, but he went
1:44:12
did some things, lived life a little bit, came back, but then
1:44:15
he's been been waiting a little bit.
1:44:16
So I definitely want to get him on.
1:44:18
But again, Nick, thank you so much.
1:44:19
And you know, I'm a big fan of yours, so I'm excited to see
1:44:22
what the 66 can do down over at Morris, IL.
1:44:25
I was ready to be done after Owosso, but I got talked.
1:44:28
Into it's hard not to go. Back I like.
1:44:32
I said last year I I love racing.
1:44:34
At Grundy it. Fits my driving styles and big
1:44:37
smooth and we'll have fun. I well, hopefully.
1:44:41
Yeah. Well, that's that is number 10.
1:44:44
Rule. Have fun.
1:44:46
Yeah, but the number. Over a one rule right it?
1:44:48
Might be listed 10th, but it's in big lettering, if I remember
1:44:51
right, that it's have fun. So yeah, well, we'll have fun if
1:44:54
we can get another one of them right there, yeah.
1:44:58
Well. So again, Nick, thank you and.
1:45:01
Obviously. Are you at Owosso Nationals this
1:45:03
weekend? Are you just off?
1:45:04
No, I'm done till done till Grundy we're.
1:45:07
Gonna go practice at New Paris to make sure everything's fine,
1:45:09
but otherwise we're done till Grundy.
1:45:12
All right, Well, that means we'll well.
1:45:15
Are you gonna? Oh, no, you.
1:45:16
I'll be there Sunday to watch. Yep.
1:45:18
So we'll definitely see you at Kalamazoo.
1:45:20
Then, Oh yeah, it'll be Sunday the Watch, all right.
1:45:23
Well, I'll see you this weekend, but then.
1:45:25
Obviously, you know, take some time to rest up because it's
1:45:28
almost time to Bahama bracket race hopefully.
1:45:33
Again, Nick, we'll. We'll see you this Sunday.
1:45:35
That's cool. Again, spare me on the property,
1:45:37
not racing, but at least there'll be a strand me on the
1:45:39
property at Kalamazoo and you can never go wrong with that.
1:45:41
So we'll see you and I know you're busy in the chat, so you
1:45:44
just keep chatting away and keep those people on their toes a
1:45:48
little bit. All right, you guys.
1:45:51
Have a good night. Thank you.
1:45:52
You too. Thanks.
1:45:54
Nick, All right. Well, if.
1:45:55
You're ready, I. Know Ryan has been he's like a
1:45:57
SpongeBob I'm ready and he's been ready so we'll bring he's
1:46:00
gotta be bursting in the gate there like a.
1:46:03
PBR Bowl. But.
1:46:05
So, Ryan, again, thank. You for being one, being
1:46:07
patient. I know you've been in the you've
1:46:09
been in the staging area for a while when you popped on at
1:46:11
7:30, I'm like, oh, he's really early.
1:46:14
But but you, I saw you went in life and did different things
1:46:17
and you came back and but again, welcome to the Monday night
1:46:21
rewind. I appreciate it.
1:46:23
Thanks for having me. I, I left to go set up, I set
1:46:28
the camera up and then I went to go put the kids to bed and I'm
1:46:31
not good with technology. I, I just had a fancy football
1:46:35
draft party at my house where I couldn't get the TV to work.
1:46:37
So that's why I set up the. The iPad a little early to make
1:46:42
sure. I could talk to you guys.
1:46:43
Oh no, that's well, Bill, I don't you.
1:46:46
I don't know if you've ever met Bill Russell, but he's one of
1:46:48
the owners over the M40 Speedway.
1:46:50
And he once told us, he said, if I can figure this out, anybody
1:46:54
can figure it out. So we do try to make it pretty
1:46:57
easy. But, you know, sometimes I think
1:46:59
we've had, you know, phone notifications come in and it
1:47:02
makes it drops the person from the feed and we're like, they
1:47:04
got a notification they'll be back.
1:47:06
So, so we're we, we in 32 episodes, we've had a lot of
1:47:09
different things happen. So we're pretty flexible here.
1:47:11
We call it a shoot, first, second podcast, so we just kind
1:47:16
of go wherever the conversation goes.
1:47:18
So I know you and I haven't had a chance to meet.
1:47:21
I don't know if you boos you have ever had a chance to meet,
1:47:23
but obviously you're in an audience right now who you're in
1:47:27
southwest Michigan, Northwest Indiana, wherever, wherever
1:47:30
anyone else is watching. Hopefully Illinois tonight.
1:47:33
I just see the Monday night rewind.
1:47:35
So I always start with the softball question of like who
1:47:37
you are. Obviously we see race cars in
1:47:39
the background and all that. So if you want to give everyone
1:47:41
a little bit of your background and then we'll get into the
1:47:43
Bahama talks. I'm Ryan Lagersty, I live in.
1:47:47
Lowell, IN, which is kind of in the middle of everything.
1:47:51
Dirt tracks, asphalt tracks have been racing for over 20 years
1:47:56
and most of that's been in the four cylinders.
1:47:58
And one of the few times I raised a street stock every year
1:48:01
is at the brackets. So I'll get the brackets IN24
1:48:05
cylinders, a Street stock, and if Brian would let me run my
1:48:09
bus, I'd try to hit 48, maybe 5A.
1:48:13
Take my Figure 8 bus out there and.
1:48:15
That we we may need. To make a bracket for between.
1:48:20
Trailers and buses, yeah, the the other bracket that's not.
1:48:24
A bad idea? And.
1:48:27
Yeah, I I love. Racing all surfaces.
1:48:30
I do dirt racing asphalt, OK. The the biggest race that I won
1:48:35
this year, I only raced five times I think so far this year.
1:48:39
But I won the Hornet race at Plymouth and the Thursday night
1:48:44
show. And yeah, that was the the first
1:48:48
time I've actually raced at Plymouth trying to go full speed
1:48:52
in about 20 years. Yeah, Wow.
1:48:54
OK. I raced in high school before.
1:48:56
It was repaved. And I have not been on the track
1:49:01
for a weekly race in a long time.
1:49:03
I've done enduros but not weekly racing, so that was definitely
1:49:06
the highlight of the year and every season I do the brackets
1:49:12
as well and that's why I'm here. Well, and obviously you're a
1:49:16
former brackets winner. Right.
1:49:17
And so for you, what stands out as you said that that's the one
1:49:21
time of year that you race St. stocks and and that sort of
1:49:24
deal. So you know what for you makes
1:49:26
the the Bahama brackets, you know, special to go to.
1:49:31
It's special for. From start to.
1:49:33
Finish from the moment you walk in the gates.
1:49:35
I think that Brian, were you talking about are you think?
1:49:38
Nick was talking about. Terry Gerke Yes, yes, yes.
1:49:42
So, Terry? 'S from Rockford, she.
1:49:45
She handled thousands. Of guys who've raced.
1:49:48
The brackets over the years being she's the first face that
1:49:50
you see and so she's transplant from Rockford a few times a year
1:49:55
down to Grundy. And as soon as I see her I'm
1:49:58
like, oh, this feels like home. I know it's not Rockford.
1:50:01
Rockford will never be duplicated, but as soon as I see
1:50:04
her I'm like, Oh yeah, you can yell at me.
1:50:06
It'll be a great weekend. So so people that never has
1:50:12
their paperwork done I. Don't know how to use.
1:50:14
Stamps or whatever you have to use.
1:50:16
So sign me up, I'll pay 20. Extra bucks I.
1:50:18
Don't care so. Why don't you 'cause?
1:50:22
You're now the. Second person to mention the
1:50:24
paperwork. So let's go over the paperwork
1:50:27
from a driver's standpoint. So what are things to make Miss
1:50:30
Terry happy? What are some things that you
1:50:32
probably should have ready to go when you come down to the Bahama
1:50:35
brackets if your car number? Is taken.
1:50:42
Please have something you can. Change your number with some
1:50:45
tape, or even change it if you register.
1:50:47
You know if you register number 93, show up with a 93.
1:50:52
Don't show up with some. Random number on your car
1:50:55
because there's so many numbers that get taken some of these
1:50:57
weekends the just be ready to go.
1:51:03
Pretty much if you're. Clueless and you don't, oh, I, I
1:51:06
don't know if I got a 4 cylinder, an 8 cylinder like
1:51:08
just know what you have. Give her a hand and you get
1:51:14
stickers for what time bracket you're going to be in.
1:51:17
So the that means nothing. That's not like we're going to
1:51:21
be all weekend. You'll get a sticker that says
1:51:23
like comp cams and when you go out, you'll be with the comp
1:51:26
cams group the whole weekend until you actually qualify and
1:51:30
end up in a bracket. So those are just tidbits, and
1:51:33
I'm sure at the end of the show Brian's been taking notes, so
1:51:36
he's going to write down a bunch of stuff to talk to you guys
1:51:39
that we missed. Well, that's why again.
1:51:42
I appreciate everyone coming. On tonight and taking time out
1:51:45
of their Monday night to you know, do this show because again
1:51:49
it's you know, how can we help bring that awareness to the
1:51:52
Bahama brackets and and and add one more show possibly to
1:51:55
everyone stock it you know, for end of year racing obviously in
1:51:58
this area with the Kalaman Zoo super nationals that are this
1:52:02
weekend and Michigan Cup back at spring court next weekend.
1:52:04
But then two weeks later the on the 16th or the 18th Bahama
1:52:08
brackets. So for you, you mentioned that
1:52:10
you raced a, you know, you've raced a couple times this year.
1:52:12
So, you know, when you go back to Grundy, that'll be maybe your
1:52:16
sixth race or so. So what are, you know, what are
1:52:18
some of the things that you know as a driver that you're going to
1:52:23
have to do maybe with your cars if they haven't, you know, shut
1:52:26
down too much this year? What are some things that you're
1:52:27
going to do maybe on a Friday or Saturday as you go out your
1:52:30
first couple times? The main thing?
1:52:33
Prepping beforehand is like there's no camber rule for your
1:52:37
car. There's no real well at least
1:52:40
I'm talking about the four cylinders.
1:52:41
I don't know about the 8 cylinders.
1:52:43
I I don't read the rules for those.
1:52:44
I just show up and drive that car for the four cylinders.
1:52:51
Like same thing You can, you can put some boards on the car if
1:52:54
you run street tires every week, but you're curious about
1:52:58
Hoosiers, you can find a set. And like the main thing with the
1:53:02
4 cylinder cars is gearing. If your car is geared wrong, it
1:53:06
can kind of ruin your weekend. And that's something even when
1:53:09
we're at Rockford and where we're at now.
1:53:10
Grundy, if anybody has any gearing questions and like wants
1:53:13
to reach out and tell me about your car, tell me about where
1:53:16
you race. I've raced probably 5060 tracks
1:53:20
and like I'll help out any 4 cylinder guy that or girl that
1:53:25
wants to come race the brackets and tell them a ballpark.
1:53:28
I hate seeing people changing transmissions because that's
1:53:30
about the only way you can change a gear on a 4 cylinder
1:53:33
unless you're on a Mustang. But the yeah, if anybody has
1:53:38
questions. I mean Honda.
1:53:39
People I can help you out the most, but other people, I'll get
1:53:42
a shot. Well, that's been in the
1:53:44
comments too, a little. Bit is that.
1:53:46
Some people give them commenting like, you know, drivers will
1:53:49
come over who they didn't even know and we'll help them out or
1:53:52
do different things. Because again, rule #10 although
1:53:55
the biggest rule of them all is to have fun, right?
1:53:58
And and especially for those who maybe don't know Grundy, like go
1:54:01
ask someone who's race Grundy or Ben, you know, you know, it's
1:54:05
the more competition, the better, you know, because again,
1:54:08
fun, fun. So so with that.
1:54:12
In Brian. 'S post he called you the the so
1:54:15
excuse if I don't know this reason, but I saw Dutch mafia so
1:54:18
what's the Dutch mafia? What?
1:54:20
What is that I I need to? Know that because I don't I.
1:54:23
Don't know that. I'd like once you said endurals,
1:54:25
I'm like, I knew I knew that name from somewhere because you
1:54:28
know, not from racing, but from the endurals.
1:54:30
I'm like, I know I've seen that name before, but I couldn't
1:54:32
figure out where. But but with the Dutch mafia,
1:54:35
I'm like, OK, I need to know what that is.
1:54:38
So when I was in high school. I went to Ileana.
1:54:41
Christian and Ileana Speedway was about 10 minutes away and
1:54:46
they had the 4 cylinder pier stacks and one guy in my high
1:54:49
school got a 4 cylinder and like 25 guys from my high school
1:54:54
junior senior year all were running 4 cylinders.
1:54:57
I mean, it was so stupid. No one had cages.
1:55:01
I can imagine that causes. Problems.
1:55:04
Nobody ever got hurt, fortunately.
1:55:06
But like the school, the community I was in was mostly a
1:55:09
Dutch community and so they just started calling us the Dutch
1:55:13
Mafia because we travelled in a group of like 10 to 20 Dutch
1:55:17
people all racing together. And to this day, I still have a
1:55:22
good pack. I mean, when I do a Grundy
1:55:24
Enduro, I usually bring 10 cars from my stable or my friend's
1:55:29
stable. And we just have been called the
1:55:32
Dutch Mafia and it's carried on for a long time.
1:55:36
I like when. I saw them like I got to ask
1:55:38
what this? Is because you don't see Dutch
1:55:41
too often, right? You don't see like the, you
1:55:44
know, or someone be referred to with Dutch.
1:55:46
And so I'm like, I need to know because I, you know, that just
1:55:49
stood out to me really quickly. So I'm like, I'm glad that I
1:55:52
asked because I'm like, I wouldn't, I wouldn't have known
1:55:55
otherwise. So I think Sean Sean Welcher is
1:55:58
actually Dutch. Oh see, so if he was in a 4
1:56:01
cylinder, we'd accept him in the beach market.
1:56:05
Doesn't meet the requirements so.
1:56:07
With that, you, you know, you said that.
1:56:09
You're going to be racing a couple.
1:56:10
Cars, you know, at the, the brackets.
1:56:12
So what's that challenge like for you then to jump from car to
1:56:15
car to car as you do this? Because obviously, I mean, it's
1:56:18
just busy in itself already for people with one car and you're,
1:56:23
you're going 3 cars. So what?
1:56:24
What is it like for you then to adjust from one to the next to
1:56:28
the next? That's the hardest part, I mean.
1:56:31
I think that I used. I knew my B car would.
1:56:36
Hit. The the breakout pretty
1:56:37
perfectly. So that one I was like, you
1:56:39
know, it's kind of on autopilot. But the BB thing, I had my
1:56:44
friends Alex Trepto and my friend Chris Kuiper, they were
1:56:49
watching their phones of and once again, I'm so bad at
1:56:52
technology. I'm like, just tell me what I
1:56:54
need to aim for and I'm like, I'll go.
1:56:56
And so, Alex? Was.
1:56:57
Doing some math and he's like I think you need to go out again
1:57:00
and pick up like 2/10. So I paid the extra money, went
1:57:04
out and the the RE qualify where you get one lap and picked up
1:57:08
2/10 and I qualified like 5th for the BB bracket but I was
1:57:14
like barely off of the time so it was perfect.
1:57:19
And so the first year they did the brackets at Grundy, I won
1:57:23
the 4 cylinder B and the BB in the same year.
1:57:27
That was hard. I was so.
1:57:30
Tired, took off work for a couple days.
1:57:32
After that, I mean, that's a lot of laps.
1:57:35
That's definitely a lot of laps. And that doesn't even include
1:57:37
your qualifying and happy hour and all the other things.
1:57:40
I mean, that's that's a lot of laps because I was looking at
1:57:42
some of the lap counts from last year.
1:57:45
You know, again, there's to get an idea.
1:57:47
So imagine doing the math in my head.
1:57:48
I'm like, you definitely know how to turn left.
1:57:51
You've mastered that. Yeah.
1:57:54
And that was. The first time in my life I've.
1:57:55
Had a headset on, you know where they can.
1:57:58
Bob could talk to me and I had the little mic button.
1:58:02
When you run dirt, you don't have mirrors, obviously, you
1:58:04
don't have a headset. And I predominantly race dirt
1:58:06
now. And like the first time Bob
1:58:09
talked to me in my ear, I was terrified.
1:58:10
I was like, I forgot. I forgot about this.
1:58:16
And like I, I give him a. Ton of credit for that year.
1:58:21
He when I was tired and he would tell me what to do.
1:58:25
Like it made my life a lot easier and it gave me a little
1:58:27
sparkle motivation and like he was and I don't run mirrors
1:58:32
still. So he was my eyes outside of the
1:58:34
car. And you know, that was fairy
1:58:37
tale. Actually, my grandpa has lived
1:58:39
in Florida for a a long time and he was at the brackets for the,
1:58:44
you know, winning both those races.
1:58:45
So that was a rare opportunity to get him at a track and
1:58:50
definitely a highlight for me. Well, that's as.
1:58:54
You, because I know you've been around since.
1:58:56
Over an hour now. So you've heard all the other
1:58:58
interviews and all the different, you know, you know,
1:59:00
I've asked Sean and I've asked Nick.
1:59:02
And so that's why I want to ask you, right?
1:59:04
Like, you know, if you had to sell the brackets to somebody
1:59:07
and you were the pitch man and, and Brian or Steve or whomever
1:59:10
said, hey, you know, go get us 10 cars or go get us 15 cars,
1:59:14
You know, how would you sell it to somebody on why they should
1:59:17
make the trip over to Morris, IL?
1:59:20
It's like. Like Sean and.
1:59:23
Nick have both said the camaraderie, I mean the things
1:59:25
that you can do around the track even while you're waiting are
1:59:28
sometimes more memorable than just being on the track.
1:59:32
I mean, the whole weekend is you see so many faces that you've
1:59:38
either seen on Facebook or social media and then you might
1:59:41
race against them and then spark a conversation.
1:59:44
I mean those fire pits that they bring to the bar area
1:59:47
afterwards, some of the most fun racing conversations you can
1:59:50
ever have happen around those, whether you lost, whether you
1:59:54
are meeting somebody or you know, reconnecting with
1:59:57
somebody. I mean every year there's a guy
2:00:01
named Isaac Lacour that I grew up watching at Raceway Park when
2:00:05
I was a kid and I only see him at the brackets every year, but
2:00:10
have like an hour long conversation with him.
2:00:12
I think his son raced a couple Times Now.
2:00:15
And you know, this is a friendship now that's almost 30
2:00:18
years old. And it continues because we go
2:00:20
there and and Josh is putting a car together.
2:00:24
To come back to run the yes, yes, so, so you'll be able to
2:00:27
see Isaac nice, good, good. And just the track time, I mean,
2:00:34
you don't have to run 3 cars to get seat time.
2:00:39
There's so much seat time at Grundy that weekend and it's
2:00:43
good seat time. It's not it's against people
2:00:47
that you're not necessarily racing against every week, but
2:00:49
it's a lot of people you can trust.
2:00:50
Everybody took time out of their schedule to get down there to
2:00:54
plan to camp. They're not going to try to
2:00:56
rough you up and practice, you know, rough you up in a a heat
2:00:59
race. Everybody wants to get some seat
2:01:01
time. Features get a little wild, but
2:01:04
I mean end of the year people you know got some.
2:01:08
Time to rebuild and. If it's the last run, they might
2:01:10
run a little hard, but it's part of the entertainment and that's
2:01:14
part of the show. Well, and again, I know that's.
2:01:17
Why I'm looking forward to getting.
2:01:18
Down there just to see because again, you know with the
2:01:21
Illinois position you get Wisconsin that can come down.
2:01:24
Obviously Iowa comes over, Indiana goes over but you know
2:01:27
we're sounds like we're bringing a bunch of Michigan people we've
2:01:31
talked about Georgia, Kentucky and others.
2:01:33
So I think that's what's exciting is that it's, you know
2:01:36
where Illinois is located. It's a in a great location to
2:01:38
bring a lot of places together. And so you've already mentioned
2:01:42
a couple names already. So obviously in all the racing
2:01:46
you do, who's someone that you really look forward to racing
2:01:48
each year that you're like, this is the one time of year that I
2:01:51
get to race against somebody. You know, who's that driver that
2:01:53
stands out to you, who maybe you on the especially on the dirt
2:01:56
side that you don't get to race as often.
2:01:58
So there's a group of. Guys that come from South Bend
2:02:03
every year and like the Danleys are with them.
2:02:05
There's a there's a few guys from that crew that have made
2:02:09
it, you know, a point to get there since Rockford.
2:02:11
And they'll bring various cars. And I always look forward to
2:02:14
running against them because I know, I know.
2:02:16
That's a good group of guys. And they got some fast cars.
2:02:20
I'm trying to recruit more dirt people.
2:02:22
A lot of people skipped the brackets every year because the
2:02:25
Kokomo Clash was the same weekend, but it's a different
2:02:28
weekend this year. So I think I have a few.
2:02:32
Yeah, I'm gonna go. I've never been.
2:02:34
Able to go, so we'll see about. That.
2:02:37
But and for four-cylinder guys specifically gear wise, I've ran
2:02:43
M40, I've ran Plymouth for M40. You're almost spot on for Grundy
2:02:48
if if you're a Plymouth person, bump up a couple tire sizes and
2:02:52
you're fine. If that helps motivate some
2:02:55
people like hey, I don't have to change a lot.
2:02:57
I I can't say much for like the Michigan tracks.
2:03:00
I have not been to any besides M40 Hartford and and Montville
2:03:06
and actually KZU. I'm just going to keep listing
2:03:08
them but. Not to cut you.
2:03:12
Off Ryan, but to your point. There's such a good group of
2:03:16
people that. Goes and it feels like when we
2:03:18
pull somebody in, they just stay.
2:03:20
I'll be back. Yep, Buju, you're going to.
2:03:23
Say something about like important.
2:03:25
To Ryan's point, I literally raced M. 40 in August, the
2:03:28
Carson Boujou Oh, I'm sorry, but.
2:03:30
That's probably a good news, a good thing for.
2:03:32
Ryan Oh, no. Look, you might have to repeat
2:03:35
Luis. It's all right.
2:03:36
Love you. Somebody can.
2:03:37
Translate. For me here in a second, but I
2:03:39
literally raced. M40 in August, that's what it
2:03:41
looks like. I literally raced M. 40 in
2:03:43
August, the car here while. Buju talks and I'll get the
2:03:46
repeat. The car set and the trailer from
2:03:48
when I raced the M40 in August. I unloaded it, me and Derek were
2:03:50
first and 2nd on the board. It's Saturday morning at M40,
2:03:53
they're at Grundy, so yeah, it's pretty close if you're running
2:03:55
up. In the SO translation, Buju said
2:03:58
he pretended. To be a race car driver for once
2:04:00
in his life, he's not really good at it and but he actually
2:04:04
was somewhat decent coming off of the trailer from the last
2:04:07
time he had raced M40. That's basically the transition
2:04:10
or translation is that, you know, when he pretends to be
2:04:13
race car driver, sometimes it works out for him, sometimes it
2:04:16
doesn't work out for him. It didn't work out for him at
2:04:18
Grundy after a little bit, but at least he got the car on the
2:04:20
track. It translates.
2:04:22
Thanks, Ryan. I wish I could have heard it.
2:04:25
I'll talk to you in the brackets.
2:04:28
Don't. Listen.
2:04:29
Back to the. Show.
2:04:30
Just trust. What I told you but but.
2:04:34
I'm so glad that you brought up M. 40 Because we obviously,
2:04:37
like, I know Bill Russell's on here, we actually have quite a
2:04:40
few people who are, who are watching, who probably have at
2:04:42
least race at M40 and, and definitely people who race at
2:04:46
Plymouth. Who would you just kind of gave
2:04:47
them an idea again, like here's some of the things that you
2:04:49
might be able to do in this specific class.
2:04:51
So that way, you know, if you're at M40, like that's like Grundy,
2:04:55
you know, you're pretty set up. You're pretty good to go.
2:04:57
If you race at Plymouth, you might have to do a few different
2:04:59
things with the tires, but you're still be good to go.
2:05:02
So again, that's where, you know, having this conversation,
2:05:06
you know, it's, hey, here's the things to do to be successful at
2:05:09
the brackets. And, you know, and it sounds
2:05:12
like a lot of people would already be set up.
2:05:14
All they got to do is show up and figure it out.
2:05:16
So, so I'm hoping right that that 9 or 10 that we're at right
2:05:20
now keeps jumping up and that there's like a convoy.
2:05:23
So when I'm leaving Michigan, I've run into a lot of Michigan
2:05:25
people going the same way I am down to Morris, IL.
2:05:29
So cuz after Michigan Cup, there's nothing in this area
2:05:32
going on other than night of destructions.
2:05:35
And. So so it's like that's perfect
2:05:38
time to, you know, to go race and get it, you know, one more
2:05:42
race in for the year. Car will still mostly be in in
2:05:45
peace from super shoe, hopefully and from super shoe and and
2:05:49
Michigan cop right, you know, or maybe a little work here, a
2:05:52
little work there and take it on down.
2:05:54
And you know that that's what I'm hoping for is to get a lot
2:05:57
of people to go down because Grundy is such a fun track.
2:06:00
I went there for the first time over Labor Day weekend in almost
2:06:03
30 years and the racing was, you know, just as good as as I
2:06:08
remember as a kid, right, like I just kind of standing there.
2:06:11
It's like goosebumps in a way. You know, it's like, man, this
2:06:14
is just throwback. I'm just now I'm videoing and
2:06:18
but it's a Grundy where I wanted to be like a NASCAR driver,
2:06:21
right. I wanted, you know, to win the
2:06:22
Daytona 500 and do all those things that I will never have a
2:06:25
chance to do. But I wouldn't, you know, my
2:06:29
third grade self would have never even thought that I'd be
2:06:32
doing something like that at a racetrack, right?
2:06:34
So so that's what it's really kind of like full circle to come
2:06:38
back to Grundy because that's, you know, I grew up at Santa Fe,
2:06:40
but that's the track that I really fell in love with and
2:06:43
could understand like these are dreams that I have things I want
2:06:46
to do. So so it's really nice to go
2:06:48
back. And so that's where I'm like, I
2:06:49
need a lot of people to come and experience Grundy.
2:06:51
It's kind of like Springport. Once you go once, you're going
2:06:55
to want to come back. So.
2:06:58
But yeah, other than that, like I said, I know we've kept you
2:07:00
for a long time. At least you got to do your
2:07:02
fantasy football and got it figured out.
2:07:06
I like the sign. Yeah, now Boo.
2:07:11
Just want to say thank you. I want to say thank you to oh.
2:07:14
Yeah, to you guys. I mean, the I was at work today
2:07:18
just day dreaming about promoting or, you know, Grundy
2:07:22
in the brackets and the goblin enduro and just have to see your
2:07:26
your motivation to push this, Brian, And I'll apologize in
2:07:32
advance if I get any of my dirt friends to come.
2:07:34
I mean, there's clouds that are stuck in frame rails sometimes,
2:07:37
so I'll tell them to clean them out.
2:07:38
Good. And hopefully safety crews.
2:07:42
Got a couple brooms. Handy in case something big
2:07:44
comes out, but I'm trying to get my dirt friends to go race.
2:07:47
Well, that's what I like about Kalamazoo.
2:07:49
Though, like this week. At Kalamazoo, we almost always
2:07:51
have UMP modifieds that come out.
2:07:53
Usually there's two or three modifieds and then sometimes
2:07:56
there's dirt cars and at, but at Michigan Cup we had a dirt car
2:08:00
that races at Butler we had two dirt cars and the one was right
2:08:04
down there on the edge of of Springport hitting some of the
2:08:07
spots just kind of sliding around.
2:08:08
Like I don't think it works that way.
2:08:10
But you know, they, they didn't pull up as much as you would
2:08:14
have thought. Like I thought, Oh, this is
2:08:16
going to get messy, but it was just kind of fun to watch him
2:08:19
figure it out. And and I don't know if you've
2:08:21
been to Springport, but it's like bank banks.
2:08:23
And so it's fun. But, and I think that helped in
2:08:27
their favor, not bring up as much dirt, But I know at South
2:08:30
Bend, they've had some dirt cars come up a couple times and they
2:08:33
definitely kicked up dirt. It was as one of those like he's
2:08:37
really down there. And but I think that's what's
2:08:39
always fun is when you see the dirt cars on the asphalt, right?
2:08:42
That's always fun because you kind of see some of those
2:08:45
tendencies to come in and that just makes it different.
2:08:48
And you see all the asphalt cars going, what the Hell's this guy
2:08:50
doing? I don't know what's going on in
2:08:53
front. Of me but that ass end is.
2:08:54
Doing things that I've never seen unless shit's about to hit
2:08:57
the fan and and just normal, just going through the corners,
2:09:01
you know, don't mind me doing my dirt things and slide job, you
2:09:05
know, and no, nothing to see here, just doing what I do
2:09:08
right. But but that's that's what makes
2:09:10
it fun. So definitely, you know, enjoy
2:09:12
recruiting your dirt cars to come over to Grundy and give it
2:09:14
a shot. I think they'll love the track
2:09:16
and but Grundy's going to stay asphalt though, you know, it's
2:09:20
Oh yeah, it's one of those. That sometimes I know people.
2:09:23
Going like this would be a good dirt track.
2:09:25
Well, Illinois has enough dirt tracks.
2:09:27
This is the only asphalt track left so it's probably not going
2:09:29
to go dirt anytime soon. But but that would be fun to see
2:09:32
dirt cars there to maybe do like imagination like man, what if
2:09:35
this were a dirt track? So, but again, Ryan, that's
2:09:38
where I definitely the only thing I I will apologize is I
2:09:41
must have I I typed it wrong and I'm like, I hate when I spell
2:09:44
names wrong. And so you gotta let instead of
2:09:47
that I'm like, I'm gonna hate that.
2:09:49
And that's been bothering me ever since I saw you pop in.
2:09:51
I'm like, I don't have time to change your graphic right now.
2:09:54
That kind of I pissed myself off on that.
2:09:56
So I apologize on I got every letter but one I had to when
2:10:01
people spell my last name wrong, they just.
2:10:03
Say you just put the gas in Legacy.
2:10:05
So I don't know who came up with that joke, but we'll just roll
2:10:08
with it. Well, there you go.
2:10:10
Wow. Just know that.
2:10:12
The whole show it's been bothering me, but I if I leave
2:10:16
the screen sometimes it freezes up.
2:10:17
So I'm like, I don't have time to change it now, but it's been
2:10:19
annoying me since you came on at 7:30.
2:10:21
I'm like it's spelled wrong. It's a weird name.
2:10:24
It's a weird name. Don't worry, it happens.
2:10:26
All the time, but I know now so for the graphic.
2:10:30
When I do the lineup graphic, I'll at least have that right.
2:10:32
So because now I'll know that Nope, it's an E, not an A, but
2:10:36
so I brought the wrong valve. So if I run Wheel of Fortune, I
2:10:40
would lose money there. But but other than that, Ryan,
2:10:43
again, thank you so much for joining and thank you so much
2:10:45
again. You hung out for about an hour
2:10:47
just kind of sitting in the in the staging area doing different
2:10:51
things. So I appreciate and I look
2:10:53
forward to meeting you in person here in a couple weeks at
2:10:56
Grundy. Thank you guys.
2:10:58
Again, can't wait to meet. You, you're doing a good thing.
2:11:01
See you soon. Yeah, we'll see you soon for
2:11:03
sure. And now?
2:11:04
I know everyone's kind of been waiting, Brian, for all these
2:11:07
Q&A's to come in at the at the end here.
2:11:09
And so we have about 10 minutes because I know I have a phone
2:11:13
call that's supposed to be coming in.
2:11:15
And so it's 1015 minutes give or take where we can kind of wrap
2:11:19
up here and go over some of the things that came up with in
2:11:22
chat. So I want to highlight a few
2:11:24
things. I've been starring them as we've
2:11:26
been going where like John Cope says something else the Michigan
2:11:31
guys should know. They use the AMB transponders
2:11:35
and you have to rent them from the track, not the yellow W hold
2:11:39
ones. So so.
2:11:43
Let me get to that here, because that was 1.
2:11:48
Thing. That I was going to touch base
2:11:52
on if I can find it and while you're going and looking at
2:11:56
that, I know. Steve, I'm just scrolling up
2:11:58
here a little bit and I appreciate again, Steve taking
2:12:00
time a lot of, I mean, we've had a really solid audience this
2:12:04
whole time. I appreciate everyone sticking
2:12:05
around. I'm, I'm hoping that you're
2:12:07
getting a lot out of this or, or if you're from the Grundy area
2:12:10
that you feel like we're representing Grundy and putting
2:12:13
a really great, you know, showcase on it.
2:12:15
But I know Steve popped in here and said there's a group that's
2:12:18
dedicated to the event and that any questions can also be posted
2:12:21
within that group. So I wanted to make sure that I
2:12:23
pull it up here for those on YouTube.
2:12:26
I know you won't see his comment because it's on Facebook, but at
2:12:29
least it's it's here for that. And so I'll probably share it on
2:12:34
top row around noon Eastern Time tomorrow.
2:12:37
I'll I'll get it out there, you know, just in case.
2:12:40
I I hate doing that in a way because then you might get weird
2:12:44
people joining. So I might think of how we do
2:12:46
that. But but it is here.
2:12:48
I know weird people can't follow it if I put it on the screen
2:12:50
because they can't click on it and spam it.
2:12:52
But other than that, I want to see what else.
2:12:56
So transponders was one and then someone else said about tires
2:13:03
that where was it? Where was it?
2:13:04
It's buff Steve Shiitake mushrooms.
2:13:08
It's around here. Answer the transponder thing and
2:13:13
I will. And when I'm looking for the
2:13:15
tire thing, it would come up. I know John did it.
2:13:17
So I just have to find there's like 8000.
2:13:19
Here we go, John Cope said. D8100 has been discontinued.
2:13:23
Can we mix the old ones with the new D8 tens?
2:13:29
I will find out 100. Percent on that from hang on,
2:13:38
let me see what exactly how this how this is said because it is a
2:13:43
little confusing. I know in the past it was if you
2:13:48
if you ran F70 fives, you have to run all all four of them F70
2:13:53
fives. You couldn't mix and match D8
2:13:56
hundreds had to you had to run all four seven 90's the same
2:14:00
thing. So I'm going to say you, you're
2:14:03
going to I can't find the tire thing now.
2:14:06
Oh, there we go. So two things at you.
2:14:11
At once. All right, so I'll reread.
2:14:15
The tire. Rule Tire rules Maximum 8 inch
2:14:18
tires may not may not be mixed all same make size and width.
2:14:23
You must race the tire brand or type you qualify on.
2:14:29
Who's your D8 hundreds and D8 tens are allowed but with it
2:14:37
saying you know you? You may not.
2:14:41
Mix them I I'm gonna go and say if you're gonna run 8 tons, you
2:14:45
got to run all 8, all four 8 tons.
2:14:48
If you if you're gonna do 8 hundreds, do all 8 hundreds.
2:14:51
The if if somebody if. Somebody.
2:14:55
Needs tires. Reach out to me because there's
2:14:58
a buttload of people that are willing to always unload some
2:15:03
tires at a very inexpensive cost, if not anything.
2:15:10
So there's already been some tire talk.
2:15:12
In the chat too, where like Mason has been talking about,
2:15:17
you know, with someone, you know, you might have some spares
2:15:19
or use Hoosiers so I mean even in the chat area when people
2:15:22
talk about tires, there's been some tire conversation going on
2:15:24
there too yeah and. And if.
2:15:27
If you, if you start sending messages on, on this, on the
2:15:32
Facebook page that Steve had posted, that'll be a great way
2:15:36
for, for other drivers to chime in and say, hey, you know, this
2:15:41
is what we do. This is what we run.
2:15:44
This is what we have available, you know, if you're interested,
2:15:49
a lot of people that you know, they, they, they know all these
2:15:52
drivers travel. Hey, we're going to, you need,
2:15:55
you need 2 sets of used tires. This is what we got.
2:15:58
This is, you know, the last measurement measurements we
2:16:01
have. We know they hold air, you know,
2:16:04
do you want us to bring them? You know what to give me, you
2:16:08
know, 40 bucks for the set and then a driver will be like,
2:16:12
yeah. But how am I going?
2:16:13
To get them well, we'll bring them to the track for you.
2:16:16
OK, cool. And you know that.
2:16:17
And that's that's one of the biggest things how how the
2:16:20
brackets work. You know, it's, it's drivers
2:16:23
helping other drivers. You, you may not, like I said
2:16:27
before, these are drivers that you don't always race against.
2:16:31
And the camaraderie this, this is a, this is another page, you
2:16:36
know, of, of that storybook. You know, it's, it's drivers
2:16:40
always helping other drivers. Every single year somebody
2:16:43
breaks something and every single year somebody doesn't
2:16:47
have that particular spare. So every year we make
2:16:50
announcements, we have a driver that is in need of whatever
2:16:55
part. If you can, if, if you have
2:16:57
something, if you can help this driver out.
2:16:59
This is the location in the pit area.
2:17:02
And I don't think I've ever seen a driver have to other than if
2:17:07
they've blown an engine. But we have had people that have
2:17:10
brought spare engines and have loaned them out.
2:17:13
So I don't think there, I don't think there has ever been a time
2:17:17
where somebody actually had to load up early because they broke
2:17:22
something without having something available.
2:17:27
Yeah, again. That's what makes that I mean
2:17:30
just. Again, awesome and it puts again
2:17:31
the fun right. We're here to have fun and and
2:17:34
get people on the track and you know, the more the merrier.
2:17:37
That's where I even started thinking because I know not
2:17:40
everything's been posted yet, but I'm thinking too.
2:17:43
Like do you know what your pit passes cost for the weekend off
2:17:46
the top of your head or that is to be determined because that.
2:17:51
Because all of that is going to be factored into like a driver
2:17:55
entry. So that, so, so for a driver,
2:18:00
when they, when they pay the entry fee that's going to it'll
2:18:04
determine on where they want to pit at.
2:18:06
So their entry fee for the weekend includes their pit pass,
2:18:10
OK. And so, yeah, so.
2:18:13
So for a driver it's. Not like they're going to spend,
2:18:17
you know, spend money on an entry fee, their pit pad and
2:18:21
then on top of that, they have to spend more money.
2:18:23
It's it's all one price depending on where they want to
2:18:26
pit. Now for crew members or fans
2:18:31
that want to go in the pits, there are single day and I know
2:18:37
there's two day I I'm not. Sure, if they're.
2:18:39
Going to do a three day pass. I know at Rockford it used to be
2:18:43
where you could do a three day pass where you know, where there
2:18:46
Friday, Saturday, Sunday, so you'd buy that.
2:18:49
I believe it's the same way. So I don't know what the what
2:18:55
the prices are, if anything's gone up this year, you know,
2:18:59
just like everything else. But hopefully nothing really has
2:19:03
gone up, you know, that much to where, you know, we, we have to,
2:19:09
we have to try and make this as affordable as possible.
2:19:12
But at the same time, you know, there's got to be some sort of
2:19:15
return in order to give back to the drivers, you know, for you
2:19:19
know what they did. And you know, we, we have
2:19:21
employees and whatnot that, that have to get paid also.
2:19:26
But the I'm not sure if the entries are the entry forms are
2:19:33
going to be available tomorrow. I'm not 100% positive, but I'm
2:19:39
hearing sometime early this week, OK, I believe.
2:19:45
So. So check on Granny County
2:19:47
Speedway. 'S Facebook page because that's
2:19:49
where that'll be announced. I know today you did the Benton
2:19:51
housing only because obviously that's that's a big show.
2:19:54
Still need to promote that, especially with the makeup date.
2:19:57
But other than that, I know people are looking for that.
2:19:59
And, and you know, I think in Grundy's perfect world,
2:20:03
Bettenhausen would have been behind him instead of in front
2:20:05
of him, right? You know, where then all effort
2:20:07
could go towards Bahamas. But Mother Nature, of course,
2:20:11
had to throw a curveball and said hey.
2:20:14
Surprise, you get to race again this Sunday and and also try to
2:20:20
get Bahama ready to go, which is I mean, just I hope people
2:20:23
understand that these are huge events at the end of the season.
2:20:26
They take a lot of work, a lot of coordination, a lot of
2:20:28
planning and especially you're working with another team,
2:20:32
right? You know who does a lot of this
2:20:34
and so you know they have their own things that they're doing
2:20:36
too, but so entry form posted sometime hopefully this week yes
2:20:42
with further information and the bonuses you talked a little bit
2:20:46
about the bonuses already well I'll.
2:20:51
That's what I was gonna get to next.
2:20:53
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I can.
2:20:55
What? I can tell you.
2:20:56
Is what it what it's going to pay to win for each bracket so
2:21:02
so for the A bracket that'll pay 1500 to win the 2A and. 3A will
2:21:10
be. 1000 each and if we have enough cars, the quad A will pay
2:21:17
850. Now the four-cylinder bracket,
2:21:20
so that's the B brackets. Both of those will pay 7:50 to
2:21:25
win. Oh OK.
2:21:27
I mean, that's pretty comparable to.
2:21:28
Super shoe, to be quite honest, I mean, if you look at super
2:21:31
shoe payout, that's, that's there's not much difference
2:21:33
between the two. Just as you spotted off the
2:21:36
numbers. I'm like, that's pretty close.
2:21:38
I like, I think our top aim is 2000 to win.
2:21:41
So, but we're also racing late models and then you're not
2:21:44
racing Super 8 models and all that kind of deal.
2:21:46
So it's a little different, right?
2:21:48
You know, where if you went down to where like Street stocks and
2:21:51
that kind of deal and modifies what you're racing, that's about
2:21:54
the same payout. If not, that's the exact payout.
2:21:56
So for the winter, so, so as people are kind of comparing
2:21:59
numbers, obviously I know there's some travel Illinois and
2:22:02
different things, but if you're kind of making, you know, if
2:22:05
you're timing some money out and you're looking at the payout,
2:22:07
it's about the same. So, and obviously in Michigan,
2:22:10
we're pulling for Super shoe, we're pulling from Rock Flat
2:22:13
Rock Speedway and Toledo Speedway and you know, from all
2:22:15
over. So Matt Elsie is wondering, can
2:22:19
4 cylinders run in the A 4? Cylinders can run in the A.
2:22:25
So when the when the entry comes out, you have to you have to
2:22:31
specify what bracket you're going to run in if you're going
2:22:34
to run in the A bracket or the B bracket.
2:22:37
So the the only four-cylinder cars that I see running the A
2:22:43
bracket would be a mini stock. But if you're running like like
2:22:49
a Cobalt, a Saturn, you know something like you know your,
2:22:54
your your your Hornet type car, a bandit, a pure stock like
2:22:58
that. Those cars generally run the B
2:23:02
brackets because they they will not be able to compete against
2:23:07
the, the bigger, the bigger car, the, the bigger motor type cars.
2:23:11
So you know, if, if we are talking, you know, like, like a,
2:23:16
a good, a good example of a driver would be Dalton Irish.
2:23:20
If he brought his mini stock. I would definitely tell him no,
2:23:25
you better run, you better run in the A bracket because you
2:23:28
will be way too fast to run the B bracket.
2:23:31
Yeah, well, and. Matthew Elsie, junior.
2:23:35
Is I think he'll be the a 'cause if you're using Dalton Irish,
2:23:39
which I know he does a front wheel drive now, but Matthew
2:23:42
Elsie junior just won the championship for the national
2:23:45
compact touring series and won the Kalamazoo track championship
2:23:49
for like the 100th year in a row.
2:23:50
So it's four, it's four years in a row in fairness.
2:23:53
But I, I, I think that's probably what they're thinking
2:23:56
is like if if Christina raced her car, they'd be one, they'd
2:24:01
want to be AB. But with Matthew, Elsie, Junior,
2:24:03
yeah, if they're bringing that 27 down, they're probably
2:24:06
thinking an A. Cuz I Matt, I was, I was
2:24:10
flirting with the brake. Out in the B bracket with the
2:24:12
Saturn. So yeah, you're not going to
2:24:14
want to run that one, brother. Yeah.
2:24:17
Because he'll he. They're usually faster than our
2:24:20
Street stocks, so Oh, geez. Oh, all right, he's gonna be.
2:24:24
And you know our Street stocks in Michigan at Kalamazoo.
2:24:27
We don't we don't mess around. We got some St. stocks.
2:24:30
So and this area in general has St. stocks and he's usually
2:24:34
faster than them. Matt in his car that probably, I
2:24:38
mean, he's close to his son, but his son whoops a lot of people's
2:24:41
butts to to give. Everybody an idea what the
2:24:45
breakout? Times are gonna be.
2:24:46
So for the A bracket the the fastest time that anybody can go
2:24:52
is a 16.200. OK, but you if if you get that
2:24:58
perfect lap, you are allowed two tenths under that time OK.
2:25:05
For the B bracket it will be 18.000 which would give you 2/10
2:25:13
under that. OK.
2:25:15
If you do break out, you retain your your original qualifying
2:25:22
time, OK, just. Keep that in mind.
2:25:26
In years past, like back at back at Rockford before I want to say
2:25:30
they started doing this the last couple years Rockford was open.
2:25:35
But prior to that, it was if you broke out, whatever time that
2:25:41
you broke out at, that was your new elapse time and you also
2:25:46
bumped up a bracket. So if you were.
2:25:50
If you were in the triple. A and you broke out you you set
2:25:54
a new time, but now you went up to 2A with much faster cars that
2:26:00
you couldn't compete with. So the last couple years at
2:26:03
Rockford, they did away with that and they said, you know
2:26:06
what we're just going to we're going to we're going to keep the
2:26:09
original qualifying time and you're not going to bump up
2:26:14
either. So, so I kind of it kind of
2:26:19
makes it fair for the driver because before it was like you,
2:26:23
you definitely had no chance once you broke out and you
2:26:26
bumped up to another bracket. So at least you're still running
2:26:30
with your your kind per SE. Now it's up to you to figure out
2:26:36
how to slow yourself down and and that's.
2:26:40
The That's the chess match of of.
2:26:42
This game of this bracket weekend, it it's a chess match
2:26:46
not not only between the other drivers, but you're racing the
2:26:49
clock also. Yeah.
2:26:52
Well, and that's. Where again I will.
2:26:54
I will find a way to share that link so that way you don't get a
2:26:58
lot of weird people coming in who are bots and all the things.
2:27:01
Cuz anytime you put a link out on Facebook, you just never
2:27:04
especially group like that. You just never know who you're
2:27:06
gonna get and you don't need that in there cuz then you're
2:27:09
managing a whole different thing.
2:27:10
But but that's where you know, definitely in the comment
2:27:14
section just to remind everyone go ahead and keep comments
2:27:16
coming in because you know Brian will see that.
2:27:19
I know Steve has been in here that he's the promoter or what's
2:27:23
his like his his general manager is the promoter, Steve.
2:27:25
Steve is the promoter. Promoter.
2:27:27
Yeah. Promoter over at Because.
2:27:29
I'm like, I think you guys then do have a general manager.
2:27:32
So earlier when I said general manager, I'm like, oh, wait, I
2:27:33
think they do have a general manager, but but with the
2:27:36
promoter, I know Steve has been in in the chat a lot to, you
2:27:39
know, sharing things, clarifying things, answering people.
2:27:41
So obviously then you have that group too that, you know, we can
2:27:45
find a way to get people over. Maybe Brian, I send you because
2:27:47
I think you invited me to that group so I can send you a list
2:27:50
or whomever and maybe that's an invite so we don't get weird
2:27:53
people getting in there here. Like who the hell are you?
2:27:55
Hey, send the weird. People, I don't care.
2:27:58
I'll answer questions but they're body people.
2:28:01
You don't want the bots, but. But with that, I know you talk
2:28:06
about the sideboards we're trying to think in in just
2:28:09
because it is almost 930 our time here and I know Boozie has
2:28:12
to go to work in the morning. I'm going to split here in like
2:28:14
a minute. Yeah, I don't.
2:28:16
I don't have that. Worry that I have to get up
2:28:18
right? Away in the morning but and I
2:28:20
know in central time you know everyone's still living their
2:28:22
830 life yeah it's 8:30 here we lived we did the. 830 an.
2:28:26
Hour ago, but but with that so you know, is there anything else
2:28:30
that that stands out to you Brian that maybe we didn't get a
2:28:32
chance to touch base on yet that you really want to hammer on?
2:28:35
I know. Yeah.
2:28:37
Yeah, I know. You guys are are.
2:28:38
Ready for bed Good. So am I, but let let me go
2:28:42
through the through the bonuses yeah, cuz, cuz I cuz I think
2:28:46
that's really important. So and I don't I don't know I
2:28:49
don't know if super shoe does this, but we have we have $100
2:28:54
bonus for the best Bahama themed car, $100 bonus for the best
2:28:59
Bahama themed pit area. So what you know, we so we so we
2:29:02
want you to decorate, OK. Yeah, $100 for the farthest
2:29:07
traveler, which will be Jim Gilbert.
2:29:09
So. So you can count that one out.
2:29:12
Hold on. Unless.
2:29:13
Unless somebody's traveling. Farther.
2:29:15
Than Georgia. What if we did like a second or
2:29:17
whatever and top? Row throws that in there.
2:29:19
So that way, like I know John Culp said no Michigan guy has a
2:29:22
chance. And I know you've kind of said
2:29:23
there's one guy who will get it every year.
2:29:25
So what if top row? That's why I asked you the
2:29:27
question about pit passes or whatever, because I'm thinking
2:29:29
what can top row do? Because it's not just, you know,
2:29:32
talk, it's walking at the same time.
2:29:34
So, you know, you and I can talk off here.
2:29:36
We don't have to talk about it on there.
2:29:37
But you know, I'd like to throw some different whatevers at
2:29:41
this. That way we can help get, you
2:29:42
know, some of those Michigan cars down, Indiana cars over.
2:29:45
And I mean, Iowa, doesn't matter of where they come from.
2:29:47
But you know, I, I definitely know most of my audience is
2:29:50
going to be Michigan and Indiana.
2:29:51
So most of my audience seeing this is going to be Michigan and
2:29:54
Indiana. So so you and I can talk off air
2:29:56
on you and I are really great friends on Facebook chat.
2:29:59
So just to help that way. It's not this, I know that guy
2:30:04
is going to already get that, but maybe maybe top row throw
2:30:06
something in there that, you know, the the Michigan and
2:30:09
Indiana guys can sit there and go, OK, we can get something out
2:30:12
of this other than decorating. So yeah, you and I will talk off
2:30:15
air, $100 bonus for a woman. To win a bracket.
2:30:19
And if my memory serves correctly, there's only been one
2:30:23
woman to do it. And I finished I think fifth
2:30:27
behind her. And, and, and it's a really good
2:30:29
friend of mine. So, so that was cool, $100 bonus
2:30:33
for the oldest driver to win a bracket, $100 for any truck to
2:30:38
win a bracket, $100 for any station wagon to win a bracket,
2:30:45
$100 for any dirt car to win a bracket, $100 for any 6 cylinder
2:30:49
to win $100 for the top top finishing 4 cylinder in an 8
2:30:56
cylinder bracket. And these are.
2:31:00
These are newly added. Ones that I'm leaving for the
2:31:02
end here, $100 bonus for the best side boards.
2:31:06
So they want you to get creative.
2:31:10
So get creative. With.
2:31:11
Sideboards. And $100 bonus for any topless
2:31:15
car to win a bracket. So I had talked to Dave Derry
2:31:19
about this a few weeks ago originally and then we talked
2:31:23
again this past Friday night and, and I and I told them I
2:31:28
want to do something to, to get more of the east cars to come.
2:31:33
I said, I said, they're under your shows.
2:31:36
They start taking tops off, they start putting billboards up.
2:31:39
I said, I want to get that, you know, that type of car in.
2:31:45
And I said, can we do some sort of bonus?
2:31:48
He said absolutely so so best sideboard, best looking
2:31:53
sideboard. So you got to get creative with
2:31:55
that and and if you run topless, not like without a shirt, but
2:32:00
like without a roof, that that'll be $100 bonus also.
2:32:07
Yep. So like so like.
2:32:09
So so so. So Nick probably is thinking,
2:32:12
well damn, why didn't you have this last year?
2:32:14
Because I won last year, yeah. Well, and I and I know and us
2:32:19
talking. In the grandstand, right, you
2:32:21
were thinking about a lot of these different things and how
2:32:23
you can help this grow. And and then that's, you know,
2:32:27
as we set an air you that's where you and I planned out this
2:32:29
show and what we wanted it to kind of look like and, you know,
2:32:32
bring people in and just really showcase what the Bahama
2:32:35
brackets is all about. We had three different people
2:32:37
from three different areas, you know, talk about why they love
2:32:40
the brackets. Again, Sean's going to have a
2:32:42
lot of coats this week because he he put a lot out there.
2:32:45
But you know, even some of what Ryan talked about with the dirt
2:32:47
side, you know, bringing that in, but that's where that's
2:32:50
where, you know, as you know, you're talk about bonuses and
2:32:54
different things. It's like, OK, what can I do to
2:32:56
help with this? Because that's, you know, at
2:32:59
Springport, I always give because I've always believed you
2:33:01
just need to try it once, you know, but I know things are up
2:33:04
for people, right? I don't have to pay diesel, but
2:33:06
a lot of people have to pay diesel and other things.
2:33:08
So it's like, OK, you know, I'm, I'm a big believer in, you know,
2:33:12
putting, putting your money where your mouth is.
2:33:14
And obviously on this podcast, I can definitely use my mouth to
2:33:17
talk. And so it's like, how can we
2:33:20
help get, you know, get people down?
2:33:22
What's another bonus or what's something that we can boost or
2:33:25
so you and I can talk about that because I definitely don't want
2:33:28
to help out with the brackets and, and get people down there.
2:33:31
Like I said, I, you know, obviously Michigan, Indiana is
2:33:33
going to be a big focus, but I don't care where they come from
2:33:35
as long as they're coming to Grundy and they're making a
2:33:38
weekend out of it and just enjoying, right?
2:33:40
That's what it's supposed to be about.
2:33:42
So you and I can definitely chat away and, you know, just to help
2:33:48
with that. But one thing you mentioned too,
2:33:51
is with alcohol sales, obviously, and it's after 9:00.
2:33:54
Yeah, I don't mean to interrupt them.
2:33:55
I do got a split so thanks for coming.
2:33:57
On Brian, I'll see you next month.
2:33:58
All right, dude, see you when I see you.
2:33:59
I see you at the races, everybody.
2:34:01
Thanks. There you.
2:34:02
Yep. But I know.
2:34:04
You talked about alcohol, so before I let you or before we
2:34:07
wrap up, I know with alcohol you said that and more.
2:34:10
It's like if people wanted to get anything they can't and
2:34:12
more. So if you wanted to, you know,
2:34:14
mention that really quick, you know what that might look like
2:34:18
if someone wanted to bring anything, you know they have for
2:34:21
the pit area on Saturday. So so my suggestion would.
2:34:25
Be If you're going to bring alcohol, bring it ahead of time.
2:34:30
But if you need to purchase alcohol, you are going to have
2:34:34
to more than what you're going to have to go 10 minutes E to
2:34:39
Minooka. And that's where that's the
2:34:42
closest place that you'll be able to purchase alcohol other
2:34:46
than going all the way back to Joliet, which is going to be
2:34:50
another 20 minutes or so. Plus you have to go through the
2:34:53
construction. So, but, but yeah, yeah, the,
2:34:57
the interesting thing is years ago and it was, it was for I, I
2:35:03
don't know, I don't know if it was Labor Day weekend, but I
2:35:05
went to, I went to the local grocery store at Jewel and I'm
2:35:11
looking around and I'm like, where's the.
2:35:12
Alcohol. Section and I I think I walked
2:35:15
the store 3 times and I'm like OK apparently they don't sell
2:35:19
alcohol. Well, there's, there's a Walmart
2:35:21
that is on the other side of the Expressway and I'm like, I know,
2:35:25
I I know I've been to Walmarts that sell alcohol.
2:35:28
So I went in there, walked around, couldn't find anything.
2:35:32
So then I went back to the track and I found out, yeah, Morris
2:35:35
doesn't have alcohol except for there's there's one liquor store
2:35:40
in Morris and that's the only, that's the only place I guess
2:35:43
that sells alcohol. So I'm like, all right, well,
2:35:46
whatever. So, but if my my suggestion is
2:35:51
to bring bring enough, everybody brings the alcohol we do.
2:35:58
Have we? Will have alcohol for sale
2:36:02
during racing for those that are in the actual stands for the
2:36:08
after party. We will also be selling what
2:36:11
we'll have beer and and some of those seltzer drinks on what
2:36:16
not. And you know, it's, it's after
2:36:19
the races, it's a big, it's a big family party.
2:36:22
So you know a lot of people that they bring enough to share for
2:36:26
everybody. So just keep that in mind.
2:36:32
I also suggest filling your tank before you get into Illinois
2:36:38
because the gas tax is ridiculous in Illinois and you
2:36:43
were talking about diesel when I when I headed out to Grundy on
2:36:47
on Friday afternoon. The I believe it was the loves
2:36:52
actually that you were talking about just before, just before
2:36:56
you get to Morris. It's the last exit before you
2:36:58
get to Morris. Diesel at that station is over
2:37:03
$7.00 a gallon so you're definitely gonna want to fill up
2:37:07
before you get to Illinois. Or if you can wait till you
2:37:10
leave Illinois, that's when your best bet is to fill up.
2:37:13
Also, yeah, Indiana is literally like I.
2:37:16
Live 16 miles north of the Indiana border and if I drove 16
2:37:20
miles South, I would save a dollar on gas.
2:37:23
Yeah. Yeah, That's.
2:37:25
That's crazy. So welcome to Michigan.
2:37:28
Just to touch on like. A a little.
2:37:30
Bit of the schedule of events yes so so if anybody wants to
2:37:35
get there early, their registration will be open on
2:37:42
Thursday evening at 6:00. They will open the the pit gates
2:37:47
up to you know to park haulers and whatnot and I guess tech
2:37:52
will be open if you want to if you want to roll your car
2:37:55
through tech. So that's that's the only thing
2:37:58
that is happening on Thursday evening.
2:38:02
Now Friday, the registration will open at noon.
2:38:07
The pits will open at 1:00 and that's when they'll start
2:38:10
parking. The rest of the haulers non
2:38:14
registered sign in. So those are people that are
2:38:18
just showing up that didn't pre register that that sign in will
2:38:23
be at will start at 2:00. Tech line will open at 4:00 and
2:38:28
we will start practice at 5. Practice will run until 8:30 and
2:38:33
at that point we will call cars on track for not qualifying.
2:38:37
Not qualifying, you'll get, I believe you get a, I believe you
2:38:41
get a single lap for that. And it's just basically you're,
2:38:46
you're getting an idea what your car is going to run.
2:38:48
Possibly, you know, the, the night, the night time run is
2:38:52
going to be different than the official daytime run.
2:38:56
So this so this not qualifying is not official.
2:38:58
If you're not getting an official time, you're just
2:39:01
getting an idea of potentially where you might end up.
2:39:05
You know what times after, after my qualifying is done, we will
2:39:10
have a beach party in the commercial building.
2:39:12
So that's the building where we're, we're having all of our
2:39:15
party stuff. That's where you can purchase
2:39:17
alcohol. We'll, we'll have a DJ.
2:39:21
There's going to be music, kind of kind of like a get to know
2:39:25
you type thing. I'll, I'll be in there at at
2:39:27
some point. It's, it's, it's the beginning
2:39:32
of a great weekend is what that is.
2:39:35
And to clarify, because you just said commercial.
2:39:38
Building so for those who don't know, because this isn't common
2:39:40
in Michigan, Grundy County is at the fairgrounds.
2:39:44
So if you go to Grundy County and you plug in Grundy County
2:39:48
Speedway, it'll get you there. But if you plugged in Grundy
2:39:50
County fairgrounds, it's the same front entrance there and
2:39:53
that'll get you there too. There's a a pit entrance.
2:39:56
There's there's what 3 entrances there?
2:39:59
There's the main entrance which is.
2:40:01
Like right in the middle, but towards the end is the pit area,
2:40:03
although you could you could do both.
2:40:05
You'll you'll just have to curve over behind turn 3 and 4.
2:40:08
But so since you said commercial building, someone might be like,
2:40:11
what's a commercial building that Grundy County Speedway is
2:40:14
at the Grundy County Fairgrounds.
2:40:16
So that way for those who may be watching who wouldn't know that
2:40:21
and that commercial buildings right outside the main gate,
2:40:24
right. Is that the commercial building
2:40:25
that's right there? Yep.
2:40:27
Isn't the right race car or something.
2:40:29
People were going in there when I was there and I didn't venture
2:40:31
around too much that way, but people are like, yeah, there's a
2:40:34
race car. Like they're telling the kid
2:40:35
there's a race car over here or something like that.
2:40:39
Yeah. So that that's where it was.
2:40:40
So when you were there that. We had we had the Hall of Fame
2:40:44
ceremony that Saturday. So, so that that building was
2:40:48
open and it had memorabilia stuff in there.
2:40:51
So and we're we're. Kind.
2:40:53
We're kind of talking about trying to build that building up
2:40:57
as more of a racer type, you know, atmosphere, you know,
2:41:02
again, this is only our third year doing this.
2:41:05
So there there are a lot of things that we are, you know,
2:41:08
we're we're we're talking about what we're possibly venturing
2:41:11
into. OK.
2:41:12
So, well, just to kind of. Remind everyone to just in.
2:41:15
Case cuz. I know obviously for a lot of
2:41:17
our Michigan and Indiana people, it's almost 10:00 for them that
2:41:21
it, if you miss any part of the show, obviously it'll be still
2:41:24
on Facebook. It'll, it's on YouTube, YouTube,
2:41:27
it'll be there. There's nothing that's going to
2:41:29
get posted until after Super Shoe weekend.
2:41:31
So that's pretty safe. But on Facebook it does get busy
2:41:34
cuz I'll be promoting super shoe stuff throughout the week too.
2:41:37
So it's also on Spotify. So if someone doesn't have or
2:41:41
doesn't want to watch on on YouTube or doesn't have Facebook
2:41:44
and they only have a Spotify or they want to listen to it at
2:41:47
work, the audio version only or whatever, you can get it on
2:41:51
Spotify. You can get on Amazon Music,
2:41:53
Apple Music or no, that's Apple Pet Podcast and iHeartRadio.
2:41:57
So there's a lot of different places to go and venture.
2:42:00
Most people are on Spotify, but those are a couple different
2:42:04
platforms that you can get it on where you can download and
2:42:06
listen to it to audio version. You won't see our faces, but
2:42:10
you'll definitely get to hear it.
2:42:11
So just in case someone's missed it, you know, help us help
2:42:16
Grundy, you know, share this out.
2:42:17
So that way, you know, Illinois, Iowa, wherever everyone can
2:42:22
watch this because we've covered a lot in the in, you know,
2:42:25
almost 3 hours. So this is 1 of this is our
2:42:29
longest show. So but it's a lot of information
2:42:31
and so it's worth it, but I know some people are probably in and
2:42:34
out doing different things. So I just wanted to, I figured
2:42:37
while we're talking about the Grundy part and commercial
2:42:40
building, like, let's also do the cheap plug of like don't
2:42:43
forget you can watch us in other spots or if you know where you
2:42:46
stopped listening, you can definitely pick back up once
2:42:48
we're done live. When we're live, you can't go
2:42:51
back, but once we're done live, you can go back and listen to
2:42:54
the whole show within about a minute or two US of us ending.
2:42:57
So I thought, let's help everybody, let's help ourselves.
2:43:00
You know to do that so far and wide you can listen or watch
2:43:04
somewhere. Exactly.
2:43:08
So Saturday. Pick gates will open at 8:00.
2:43:12
Tech will start at 8:39 AM. We will be practicing every car
2:43:20
that practices must have. They must have gone through tech
2:43:24
already. That's the only way you're going
2:43:26
to be able to practice. At roughly 11/20, 11:30, we'll
2:43:31
have a drivers meeting and at noon we will begin qualifying.
2:43:35
Each car will get 2 laps of qualifying and once all of the
2:43:40
cars in both brackets have qualified, we will take a little
2:43:46
bit of a break and we will begin what's called happy hour
2:43:50
qualifying, which tends to take more than an hour.
2:43:54
And and then, and this is where this is where if you may have
2:43:58
messed up qualifying, you know your two qualifying laps.
2:44:02
Here's your opportunity to better, better your time.
2:44:06
You can only better your time. You can't make it worse for the,
2:44:10
for those that are are trying to qualify in the first session
2:44:17
with the two laps. If you, if you break out during
2:44:21
that time, you will now have to run and happy hour qualifying in
2:44:26
order to race, you have to have an established time.
2:44:30
So we've had people where they had they've Sean was one of
2:44:35
them. Sean would have to spend all
2:44:37
kinds of money in order to establish a time because he kept
2:44:41
going too fast. He kept going, he kept going
2:44:43
under the breakout time. So he, he would have to go back
2:44:47
in line, pay, you know, pay the fee.
2:44:49
He'd go back out there for a lap and he'd go under the time
2:44:53
again, he'd get back in line. He'd have to pay the fee goes
2:44:57
back out there and and eventually, eventually you hit,
2:45:01
you have to figure out that you got to slow down somehow and you
2:45:05
don't have a whole lot of time because because you're on the
2:45:09
clock also trying to go out there and trying to establish
2:45:13
something. So I don't think we've ever had
2:45:16
it where nobody, nobody was unable to qualify.
2:45:21
So but once. Once.
2:45:24
All qualifying is done. Then we will.
2:45:27
We'll take a break, they'll get all of the brackets situated and
2:45:33
then they'll have all of the races, all the lineups ready to
2:45:37
go. We start racing at 6:00.
2:45:40
So we start, we start off with all the heat races.
2:45:44
Once all the heat races are done between the A bracket cars and
2:45:48
the B bracket cars, we move on to what's called the bash races.
2:45:53
So it's, it's like a, it's, it's kind of like a last chance race
2:45:58
or, or an added heat race. So like your heat races I
2:46:02
believe are I think they're, they're 10 or 12 laps.
2:46:06
I think it's 12. Yeah, I think it's 12.
2:46:10
And the and the the bash. Races typically are 15 laps.
2:46:15
So if you don't make it, if you don't advance to the feature in
2:46:18
your heat race, if you don't advance in your bash race, you
2:46:22
still have a couple opportunities.
2:46:25
We will then after all the racing is done, have a party
2:46:29
again in the commercial building.
2:46:32
That's where most of the people tend to hang out.
2:46:35
That's that's the lively night. So there we also have an
2:46:39
opportunity where you can sing for your start.
2:46:42
So we have karaoke and if there are drivers that are worried
2:46:47
about not making the feature, they have an opportunity to
2:46:51
sing. So how that works is you get up
2:46:53
there, you do your regular karaoke like everybody else is
2:46:57
either seen or done and it's, it's voted on by, by applause.
2:47:04
OK, so, so I, so I, one year I had, I had to sing and I
2:47:09
advanced my way, you know, through karaoke.
2:47:12
So if you, there are people that are, that are shy, they don't
2:47:15
want to do that. So if you don't want to do that,
2:47:17
you have to run the last chance race on Sunday, Sunday
2:47:22
afternoon. So we'll, we'll have a brief
2:47:25
practice around 10/10/15 that usually lasts about an hour.
2:47:32
We just, it's just one session through every, every single
2:47:35
bracket. After that we'll have a drivers
2:47:37
meeting and then we will start racing at noon.
2:47:42
So we'll have the last chance races and then we will go into
2:47:46
features. In between some of the features
2:47:50
we have what's called the Foo Foo race.
2:47:53
So if we have we have drivers that did not advance, those
2:47:58
drivers have a last race they can run.
2:48:02
It's like a last dance and it's a it's a it's a fun race.
2:48:05
You don't advance into a feature.
2:48:07
It's just you know, you it's, it's it's a last time to to race
2:48:11
before the weekend's over, right.
2:48:14
So they they can call the Foo Foo.
2:48:16
I'm like what the? Heck is a Foo Foo race.
2:48:19
They they, they, they've given out.
2:48:21
Interesting trophies in the past.
2:48:25
What what one or a couple years? They did it because they had
2:48:29
enough of them. Winners.
2:48:31
Winners of the FUFU race received a bidet so so.
2:48:37
There is, so there. Are there are people out there
2:48:38
that have bidets as trophies? So I.
2:48:43
Mean. You can't complain about that.
2:48:46
I mean, it's it's. Fun.
2:48:48
It's fun. It's.
2:48:49
All. About the fun.
2:48:51
So we we do have breakfast at the track.
2:48:56
There are some places that people can go on the other side
2:49:00
of the Expressway if they want to get something to eat.
2:49:03
There's lodging in Morris and there's also lodging in in
2:49:08
Minooka, which is roughly 10 to 12 minutes east of Morris, right
2:49:14
on right on 80. So they can just jump on head
2:49:17
over 1012 minutes. There's hotels over there as
2:49:19
well. If people want to camp there.
2:49:23
There are there are camping spots available.
2:49:26
We have a lot of area for campers.
2:49:28
So I don't know what the fee is on that.
2:49:31
All that'll be released once the what once the the registration
2:49:37
is is live. So there, there are there
2:49:41
there's opportunity for, for camping, there's lodging.
2:49:45
So I just, I encourage and invite anybody and everybody to,
2:49:50
to come out to Grundy for the Bahama brackets this year.
2:49:54
Well, and again, that's where I'm excited.
2:49:56
Like I said. I don't know if I'll be there
2:49:57
Saturday. I'm leaning towards being there
2:49:59
on Saturday just to take it all in, you know, whole weekend.
2:50:02
I mean, if I go Saturday then I'll be there Friday.
2:50:04
So I would make it a whole day weekend just to get out there,
2:50:08
just like I said, to take it in. But that's where it's like, oh,
2:50:11
it's race of doom. I mean, how many times you get
2:50:13
to see a school bus with pyrotechnics and cars going
2:50:17
around it? It's literally from like Cars 3
2:50:19
or whatever with not Frizzle or maybe it is Frizzle.
2:50:23
Who's the bus? I forget what the bus's name,
2:50:25
but basically it's that race. And so just no Lightning McQueen
2:50:29
just and dural cars basically being chased by a school bus
2:50:32
with pyrotechnics and, and bubbles and everything else
2:50:36
being foam. You name it, there's all the
2:50:38
things. And so, but with that, I
2:50:40
definitely know no matter what, I'll be there Sunday.
2:50:43
But like I said, I'll probably end up being there Saturday.
2:50:45
And then if I'm there Saturday, I'll be there Friday.
2:50:48
But I just want to remind everyone again that, you know,
2:50:50
just in case you've missed something or, you know, someone
2:50:53
might have missed someone or, or someone had to leave.
2:50:55
Like I know John has been here the whole show with us since
2:50:59
since we kicked off. So he's one of the the
2:51:01
marathoners with us and, you know, just help share this out.
2:51:06
You know, it's very easy to click the share button and say,
2:51:08
hey, give it a watch. You don't have to watch it all
2:51:10
at once. You can, you know, take breaks
2:51:12
because I definitely know that this was a long show for us, but
2:51:15
I feel like it's still very important to get the information
2:51:18
out there that we could. Obviously there's still some
2:51:20
things that has to be solved, but but we have a really good
2:51:23
start and I want to thank Sean and Ryan.
2:51:26
I fix the banner. It was bothering me.
2:51:28
I'm like, OK, I'm going to just pause that banner because I hate
2:51:31
when I spell someone's name wrong.
2:51:32
I don't do it on purpose. If we're now when you talk about
2:51:36
lineups, just so everyone knows, you guys use race monitor and
2:51:39
then you also use your own like you don't use my race pass to do
2:51:43
lineups or anything. Correct, correct.
2:51:45
In Michigan. And.
2:51:47
Indiana, we pretty much use my race pass.
2:51:49
That's pretty much what we use for everything because it's all
2:51:51
one button. You just but.
2:51:55
Grundy's gonna be a little. Different you're gonna.
2:51:57
Have to go to. A specific lineup spot to see
2:51:59
lineups and all that. So just stay tuned for that
2:52:02
information cuz it is different than over here.
2:52:05
Even though they are on my race pass, they're not using my race
2:52:07
pass. So don't be confused by their
2:52:09
profile on my race pass. They don't use it for anything
2:52:11
but but so get race monitor if you don't have race monitor and
2:52:17
I forget the website now for the race lineups, but it I know
2:52:20
scoring dot racing is where we go scoring.
2:52:22
Dot racing, there you go. Yep, so definitely have.
2:52:24
That ready to see lineups and how it all shakes down but other
2:52:28
than that once the forms. Available.
2:52:31
I'll share that. Out we'll get that out there and
2:52:34
I'm trying to think if there's anything else that we might have
2:52:37
missed or any big thing you did the schedules you did the
2:52:40
bonuses you and I will talk off here about maybe additional
2:52:43
bonuses top broken help with feel like we I mean I feel like
2:52:48
we covered everything or pretty much everything other than the
2:52:51
forms not live yet. That's about the only thing I
2:52:52
would I would suggest if if. If drivers are coming and
2:52:58
they're they use race seaver, make sure you bring your race
2:53:02
seaver. Oh yeah, yeah, cuz, I mean.
2:53:05
That's gonna be mandatory anytime on the track, right?
2:53:10
Well, it. It is according to your track,
2:53:12
your home track rules. So yeah, there are there are
2:53:15
still tracks out there that don't they, they don't use race
2:53:18
savers. So yeah, no every.
2:53:20
Callum was you Galesburg, wherever in this area at least
2:53:23
if if your car's on the track, that means you have race seaver
2:53:26
on and and if it's not working and you can't hear stuff, you
2:53:29
might end up black flagged. So, so yeah, the most of our
2:53:33
drivers have race Seaver. I think I know on the schedule,
2:53:37
I feel like last year the channel was posted that Race
2:53:40
Seaver is on for you guys over at Grundy.
2:53:42
If I remember the schedule right.
2:53:44
I feel like something was posted on there for channel to use, but
2:53:48
that information will be out there.
2:53:49
So again, that schedule, that compact schedule, if it's
2:53:52
anything like last year that you were reading off of will be
2:53:55
posted online. I that's where I looked at last
2:53:58
year's to get an idea of the schedule.
2:53:59
And OK, when do I go down or when should I go down South?
2:54:03
So if you look up Bahama brackets on Facebook, Grundy
2:54:07
from 2025 will come up and that'll give you an idea on some
2:54:09
of the things that to be expecting and the schedule
2:54:12
layout. So obviously at times may change
2:54:15
or whatever, but at least the layout's pretty much the same.
2:54:18
So, so that will give you an idea of how to plan your trip
2:54:22
and everything else. And then other than that, we
2:54:25
covered hotels in the area. We covered the, the if people
2:54:28
bring alcohol, we covered where they can go for the party
2:54:30
afterwards, which literally is right outside the grandstand
2:54:33
area, main grandstand area. Yeah, I feel like we covered a
2:54:37
lot in, in the three hours that we've been on.
2:54:40
So if we think of anything that it'll definitely be shared.
2:54:43
But stay tuned to Granny County Speedway Facebook page and
2:54:47
definitely the the website which is I think Granny County race
2:54:52
Granny County right Grundy Speedway dot.
2:54:56
Comgrundyspeedway.com Yep, I'm like.
2:54:59
I knew it was something like that.
2:55:01
It was different. I'll pull it up really quick
2:55:04
here. That way people can see what to
2:55:08
look for, because there are. Links on the.
2:55:10
On the Grundy page. Of course that won't let me go
2:55:13
to it. I quit of.
2:55:18
Course when I want to. Go into it, it's going to tell.
2:55:20
Me you can't load it right now, but sometimes it takes a couple
2:55:24
times to get the website to load.
2:55:26
I did experience that. But they do have the link on
2:55:28
there to all their scoring and points and all that.
2:55:31
Right now it's just circling. So I'm like, I'm not even gonna
2:55:33
fight with it right now. But yeah, if you just, if you
2:55:36
just go to to the. Facebook page yeah, there
2:55:40
there's a direct link you can just click on that and that'll
2:55:43
bring you up to the actual the actual page yeah, so oh it's.
2:55:50
Yeah, it's just once. It's just thinking right now,
2:55:52
but it's grundycountyspeedwayonline.com.
2:55:56
So that's that's where it wants to take it.
2:55:58
But if I click schedule, then it'll pop through.
2:56:00
It's like you can't click the official website.
2:56:02
You have to click one of the links and then it'll take you to
2:56:06
the. It's silly, but I'll pull it up
2:56:10
really quick because I can share it just so that everyone can see
2:56:15
what I did. But so again, this you'll this
2:56:19
will come right to you. So what I did is I just typed in
2:56:23
Google Granite County Speedway. If you click that, it's going to
2:56:25
take forever. If you just click schedule and
2:56:28
then click home, that'll take you there.
2:56:31
It'll work. Sometimes going the main way
2:56:33
doesn't want to work. It doesn't load.
2:56:35
It doesn't do whatever even on the phone, but this will take
2:56:39
you there and then if you go down here to points and results,
2:56:43
then it'll take you right to my laps, which will show you things
2:56:46
and also the lineups can be found this way too.
2:56:50
So other than that, I'll Click to Oh, it already stopped
2:56:54
sharing. But but other than that, like I
2:56:57
said, I think we've pretty much covered everything.
2:56:59
So I Brian, I appreciate you taking the long time out of your
2:57:03
night tonight to talk with us and get all this out there.
2:57:06
I appreciate everyone who's watching supposed to John.
2:57:08
John should get like a big high 5 this when I see him this
2:57:11
weekend and be like, man, you're a marathon with the rest of us.
2:57:14
But again, if you can, anyone who's still watching, please
2:57:18
share this out. Please help spread the word, you
2:57:22
know, cuz it's definitely there's a lot of information in
2:57:24
the show, including driver interviews for those who've done
2:57:27
it to get their experience. So other than that, Boujou's not
2:57:31
here to do his, you know, Sears races.
2:57:35
So Brian, I'm going to hand that off to you.
2:57:37
You get to do that tonight, all right.
2:57:39
And so I got to get in mode because Dalton Irish is funny.
2:57:43
He brought up Dalton because Dalton one night we had him do
2:57:46
the closing and he did it so perfect.
2:57:48
I'm like, man, he just needs to do this, right?
2:57:50
It's like almost like with Sean, Sean, you just need to take over
2:57:53
because he did a nice job too. But once again, I'll message you
2:57:57
as soon as we're off and say maybe what can top row help
2:58:00
with? But OK, now I got to get a mode.
2:58:04
All right, so now I. Can't say buju right so I got to
2:58:06
go. All right, Brian, it's almost
2:58:07
time to turn left and go fast because oh, wait, hold on, I
2:58:11
almost was premature. So our back to our rewind brain
2:58:16
Buster. I did forget to do this.
2:58:19
So who won the first Kalamazoo Pursue Nationals?
2:58:21
It was Hurricane Scott. Hans won that and then it was
2:58:25
dealer's choice. So I know a couple people got
2:58:28
that C and three call. The Wild used to start the year
2:58:31
at the at Kalamazoo Speedway, but it was dealer's choice that
2:58:36
the B BS promoted behind Mark times.
2:58:39
For those who remember Mark Times, the B BS promoted dealers
2:58:42
choice at Kalamazoo Speedway and then it turned into the Super
2:58:45
Shoe Nationals which is this weekend at the Kalamazoo
2:58:48
Speedway. Again, practice and all that
2:58:51
starts on Friday. There's camping.
2:58:53
Camping is sold out. Numbers are up for camping.
2:58:57
So we are sold out on camping. Although there's few spots left
2:59:00
that are first come, first served.
2:59:02
Cash I believe is the payment this this week if you go in
2:59:07
person. But other than that, Saturday is
2:59:11
mostly qualifying and practice and all that.
2:59:13
So everyone will have practice sessions because that's when all
2:59:15
the cars will move in if they didn't move in on Friday.
2:59:18
So at practice we'll have qualifying.
2:59:20
Then we'll have all of our heat races in any E, D or C feature.
2:59:25
And then on Sunday is feature, feature, feature.
2:59:27
We start at 12:15 I believe it is, and that's A&B features.
2:59:32
B features first, A features last, which includes the rear
2:59:35
wheel drive super shoe nationals to close the program out.
2:59:39
And that's where mostly our Super late Outlaw, super late
2:59:41
models will be. Obviously we've been talking
2:59:44
Grundy the whole night and so I know at Grundy you guys will
2:59:47
have your Bettenhausen. So one way or another, there's
2:59:49
plenty of racing to go and enjoy.
2:59:51
And I know Owosso Nationals are this Friday and Saturday, Day 2
2:59:54
for people who in Michigan want to double dip and go get some
2:59:58
Owosso Nationals and Super Shoe in the same weekend.
3:00:00
So other than that, now we can do.
3:00:03
I almost forgot to go back to the trivia question at the
3:00:07
beginning of the show. So it's almost time to turn left
3:00:10
and go fast, Brian, because we'll see you at the races.
3:00:15
All right, see every.