Latest / Pushin' the Cushion / Episode 2- Ryder Laplante
Transcript
- Jim Gardner: Before we get started with this week's episode of pushing the cushion, we want to take a moment and acknowledge the tragedy that occurred at Kennedale Speedway Park this past weekend with the world of outlaws. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of outlaw official, Billy Hurt, who lost his life. And we're praying for official Jerry Myers Jr. as he recovers from his injuries. We're thinking about all the fans, the staff of Kennedale, the world of outlaw staff, as they go through this really Slim Pushins: Welcome to the pushing the cushion podcast with slim push ins and Corby Sherb for all your local and national sprint car updates news opinions driver and team interviews and Behind-the-scenes insights and stories. I promise you've never heard these two have no idea what they're doing or why they're doing it So give it a try if for no other reason you'll be able to make fun of Jim Gardner: challenging time. This is a harsh and humbling reminder of the dangers of the sport we all love, but the racing community is strong and resilient. And just as we always do in the face of tragedy, we'll come together and be back at the track this weekend to race in their honor. Slim Pushins: Rutherford team studio. Please welcome Corby and Slim. All right, we are back with episode number two of pushing the cushion. Thanks for making it all the way through the two part series of episode one. My name is Abe Froman. I'm the sausage king of Chicago and my cohost here, the only guy that I know that shaves his entire body twice a week. ryder laplante: you Jim Gardner: Thank Slim Pushins: Corby Sherb. Corby: Hey everyone, how y'all doing tonight? Yeah, it was ⁓ first episode was really good. Even the tester seemed to go through alright I think there's a lot of people that are intrigued with some of the people that we can get to know and Try to understand a little bit more about it's not just local racing, you know, sometimes we're gonna have big names on there ⁓ People that have at least group That's that's not good. That's not good. But ⁓ Slim Pushins: You're the biggest name that I have in my phone. ryder laplante: Okay. Corby: Tonight we actually have someone who, as a young kid, grew up racing, didn't know that he actually wanted to race. His dad got him involved in it, same thing, it's always a family thing. This kid is gonna go on to do great things in racing. I know him very well. I actually, I call him my adopted son, the 88R Ryder LePlan. ryder laplante: Thank Slim Pushins: Welcome, buddy. ryder laplante: Howdy, howdy. Slim Pushins: fresh off of, ⁓ your first outlaw race of the year races. How'd that go? ryder laplante: Friday night, Corby did not show up. So we're already off to a bad start. ⁓ but we had Slim there. Slim kept the team good. He kept us hydrated. Jim Gardner: Hahaha! I'm glad you caught him out on that. Slim Pushins: slim kept the team glued, glued together. Corby: Jimmy was there and he didn't actually help you at all, did he? ryder laplante: He did. No, ⁓ where was Demi? Jim Gardner: I had, I was occupied from the moment I walked through the pit gate to the moment I left. we, we were chasing gremlins all weekend. was, ⁓ it was fine. So I think we actually had it, had it figured out, but just way too late. So, ⁓ you'll have that. Slim Pushins: How'd that work out for you? Corby: Now you showed up Friday night, you was running good, you qualified really good. Is that probably the best qualifying you've had at the World of Outlaws stage? Slim Pushins: Y'all should. Jim Gardner: Thank ryder laplante: Mm-hmm. Yeah, we qualified 12th out of 34, then went 3-3 in the heat and rolled off 12th for the A and made it about three laps before getting KO'd. Canada style. Corby: Mm-hmm. and Yep. I-I-I... Yeah. Jim Gardner: Those are the only three laps I watched all weekend of a sprint car go around the racetrack. Slim Pushins: WAPOWD. ryder laplante: Yeah. Corby: Think that the biggest thing that people don't understand right now is the difference in it's not where you come from like you I guess you grew up you started junior sprints, right and Then you went on to micros after that and then you started racing 305s locally and some nationally with some national races But what's the difference in like your 305 race and just an ASCS race? ryder laplante: Yes. just the format is really the big kicker. know, 305, you're just showing up, you're drawing in and taking your looks from there versus national series, you're showing up qualifying. And if you're anything like the 88 team, you're gonna qualify about 20th out of 25 and then go from probably go from seventh to third in the heat and still barely make the A. So that's the real kicker. Competition to... Slim Pushins: That's the attitude. Corby: Yeah. Is it the quality of drivers too? ryder laplante: Yeah, I mean, guys like Sam, who, you know, still aren't the best of the best, but can still outrun almost anybody in the world. Just guys like him. You got guys like Blake Hawn, ⁓ Seth Bergman at times, Matt Covington, and they're going to race you hard every single lap. Corby: Matt, Matt Covington. Yeah. Right. ⁓ and then it's ryder laplante: Just on the local scene, it's really hard to see stuff like that, you know? Corby: Right. It will cause you know, it's the same thing from the ASCS level to the world of outlaw level. Is there a big difference? ryder laplante: Huge difference. Corby: Yeah, it's not just motors. It's it's drivers as well ryder laplante: It's like going from, you know, playing at fitness to a private gym. Yeah. Yeah. Corby: I like that. I like that. Jim Gardner: I know all about the differences there. It's an excellent, excellent segue for us. Slim Pushins: What's it? Well, that's actually a good lead. Before I asked my question, that's a good way. Everybody should know the three view and everybody that's listening. Corby's a little sassy tonight. He's salty. I don't know if he's, he's kind of going through some stuff. I called him to do a little pre-show earlier and he, went straight to voicemail and then I guilt tripped him in a text, ⁓ told him that I could be bleeding out in a ditch and that I needed his help. So he called me back immediately and was just on something. What? Jim Gardner: Thanks. Slim Pushins: Why? What's Do you need some Corby: I work out every day, no, every day from six to seven, every day. And the most that my phone rings is from six to seven. I've even gotten a call from Ryder and I actually stopped work out to answer the phone because if Ryder's calling me during that time, it has to be pretty major. And they had issues with the motor. So he was calling me asking me my opinion and I don't have a clue. I'm no mechanic in any way, but I can give you my advice at least. Jim Gardner: you ryder laplante: It was true waste of time checking. Yeah. Corby: Absolutely. Slim Pushins: Well, it's good to see that you kind of got out of your funk. At least there's a smile on your face. All right. Here's the question that I have writer when I was out there, well, all weekend, but when I got out there Friday night, it's no matter how long you've done this, ⁓ you're always in awe. It's, it's, ⁓ these guys are the biggest names, the fastest guys in the country, the world. And, ⁓ I pulled up to your pit and you are pitted next to none other than. David Gravel. What's that feel like? They were very nice guys. Y'all see him, you see him more than I get to just being at different places on the road. What was that like? ryder laplante: Mm-hmm. think as a driver, you don't think anything of it. It's because it's just another guy you have to beat. But I mean, from your standpoint, I understand how you're at all. But like I said, as a driver, you just look at him as competition, just another guy you got to try to beat. Slim Pushins: He's just another guy. I ended up with one of his empty chocolate milk jugs in the back of the truck. Ryder threw it in there at the end of the night. ryder laplante: Get in. Corby: Yeah, I think that's the big difference and what people forget. It's not that Texas 305 or even the southern Oklahoma guys Because you're not actually from Texas. You're from southern, Oklahoma, but the Texas 305 guys you got some fast guys But you're not lining up next to someone like he's saying of David Gravel That there is tons of people who cruise through that pit area and it's like say as a racer If you put yourself in that position you believe you deserve to be there ryder laplante: I and like I said, I get where he's coming from. Cause like at Chili Bowl, when I was six to seven years old, you know, you look guys, you look at Keith Kinnis' pit and just being all or Kevin or Sammy Swindell. But now, you know, I'm sure Corby understands when you do roll in the Chili Bowl, you look at him as another car you have to beat. Corby: Yeah. So it's the same. let's, let's, let's like dig deep into who rider of the plan is. So I'm sure that probably no one in the pit area knows this. So you had open heart surgery very young. ryder laplante: Yep, at the age of two, I think. Corby: The age of two you had open heart surgery and for some reason your dad thought it was a good idea to put you in a race car. ryder laplante: Yeah, we started off with T-ball and I was really the kid that just sat there and bang my head off the bat. So it's put me in a race car, you know? No. Yeah, you know, grandpa off the reservation, he was big modified street stock guy. And it is his birthday. Jim Gardner: That's not shocking. Corby: But it worked out. ⁓ you Slim Pushins: Today's his birthday. I'm not exactly sure when this is going to be released, but happy birthday. ryder laplante: We're not wearing any green. No. Slim Pushins: Happy birthday, Big Chief. Corby: No, no one is. Not a single person. Jim Gardner: bad luck. We talked about that with Jeb. Corby: No, Ryder's actually very fond of green, so you can't knock that. ryder laplante: That's Beat the 32 a lot with green. Yes. Slim Pushins: Is this your favorite color? Jim Gardner: Hmm. Corby: I'm sure you did. But you know, it's the same. I know they talk about you whenever you're at the shootout or the chili pole. You've actually won a driller. ryder laplante: Yep, in 2015. Corby: In a junior sprint, right? Yep. What's that like? ryder laplante: Junior then Junior Sprint. Yep. Jim Gardner: Where does that driller stand? Slim Pushins: Where does it live? That's a good question. ryder laplante: Right by the simulator. It's actually a hat holder right now. Corby: The big trophy. ryder laplante: pretty, you know, yay big, about right here. So look up, you know, but ⁓ Corby: It's big man, it's big in a lot of people's minds. There's tons of people who go through their whole racing career and never get the opportunity to win something like that. ryder laplante: Yeah, and it's just a surreal feeling to stand up on that stage. I wish everyone could experience that feeling. But like you said, only a handful of guys get to, well, friend the friend, you know? It's a surreal feeling. Corby: Mm-hmm. Slim Pushins: No you don't. Absolutely. That's not how you feel. That's a, that's Sure. Jim Gardner: It's one of the more impressive things when you're standing in the Corby: That's a cool thing. ryder laplante: It was actually the closest finish in expo history, think. Yep. None other than Chase Randall. Corby: Really? Slim Pushins: So you were that close to not getting it. The kid from Waco. Corby: Chase Randall, actually, ryder laplante: Yes, yes. Corby: Was you leading or was you running second in one? ryder laplante: No, we started first and he kind of just got the jump on me. And if anyone's seen Junior Sprint race, and it's really followed the leader around the berm. But my dad told me, wait for mistakes and just kind of sit there in second until he messes up. So about five to go under red, he gives me that signal to open up my entry and really get after it. Sure enough, down the back straightaway, I open it up and Chase hits it off the berm. I mean, that was his only mistake the whole race. And I was able to cross him up and get him down the front straightaway. We banged wheels coming to the checks. And it seems like we paced around for eternity seeing who won that race. But when they called the 88 to victory lane, yeah, it was surreal feeling. Fun fact too, Chase after that news decided to spin me out. Had to throw that out there. Yes, he did. Slim Pushins: Really? That's pretty cool. Jim Gardner: you Slim Pushins: Did he? What? Did he think that you did him wrong at the time? ryder laplante: I'm a lot of people from that camp thought I did, but it's also for the driller. So you can't blame me too bad. Slim Pushins: You've got the driller at the house with a hat rack, his hat sitting on it. ryder laplante: That's right, that's right. Corby: That's cool. You say that your dad gave you signs like we actually we talked with Jeb last episode about him and his dad and giving signs and and I'm one of the drivers that likes that stuff and the same like I've walked up to your dad before and told him what to tell you that you need to be doing and then your dad has the signs to show you that ryder laplante: What would you be telling my dad? That's my question. Corby: I told I went up to your dad when we was at Kennedy when I told him that you need to open up your entry and drive around the bump the same everyone knows the bump the roller going to turn three, especially in 305s it's huge and I told your dad to make you go around it and ⁓ Who was in your heat race that night? Logan was in your heat race? No, this was a couple years ago. Actually, I've given you one sign before and I know better than to ever give you a sign. No, it was bad. It was terrible. We were at Nationals your first year. Slim Pushins: Well, we know it wasn't Friday night because you weren't there. Jim Gardner: You ryder laplante: Never again. Never again. Slim Pushins: Whoa, I want to hear this story. ryder laplante: We were at Eagle Nationals for 305 Saturday night. Or is it Sunday at that race? Jim Gardner: son of a night. Corby: It was Saturday night that year. It was Saturday night. You were in the big, you made the big show. ryder laplante: Yeah, we made the big show and I'm probably just running around 12th, you know, pretty long race. And as you see Corby in turn one, walk up to the fence with his gay hat on and starts pumping his fist up. It's telling me start hauling the mail around the cushion and going into turn one, I hauled the mail right into the wall. Never went back up there since. Slim Pushins: Wow. Corby: I thought it would work, it looked like it was. ryder laplante: Yeah. Next caution. He just had his head down. Slim Pushins: to you. Do you, when you, when your dad gives you signs, do we always adhere to that advice? There goes Jim Jim's gone. Do you always give, do you always heed that advice? ryder laplante: depends what it is and what moment I'm in. ⁓ Like sometimes I'll be in the lead. No, not at all. It's like sometimes I'll be in the lead and he'll tell me to kind of start slowing down and it's a race where you can't do that. You just can't. But you know, if he tells me to start running the bottom, you know, I got to give him the respect he needs and I'll try it for a lap or two. And if it don't work, I'll throw my hand out the car to prove a point. Yeah. Slim Pushins: Is this classified information? to prove them wrong. Corby, did we ever tell you to slow down? Corby: No, Kerbo, you told me to keep digging and we were lapping more than half the field. But, we won. Slim Pushins: That's what? Yes. What happened that night? What happened to the trophy from that? This is what Corby: It's broke now actually It was a cool trophy the 105 actually gives you like super They they have this little it's just like a piece of plexiglass that has 105 outlined in it and it lights up and it makes all these cool stories and it's set right next to my computer whenever I played iracing and I don't know how But somehow the cord got wrapped around it and it knocked off and it broke the top half off So I'll have to glue it back together Slim Pushins: It's a cool trophy. ryder laplante: Still haven't. Corby: No, not yet. I'll get to it. ryder laplante: Maybe when he shows up. Corby: What about you Ryder, what's ⁓ a ⁓ big win that you've had in your career other than just I'm sure the driller will always take that cake? ryder laplante: I think you got to go with the first sprint car win. That kind of sets you off. Getting that first one's always the hardest thing. It took me two years, but we did it no other than at Grayson County, which is in the backyard for us. So we had all the family there. We had Sherb race in there. I think Slim, maybe Jimmy. Corby: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah, I was actually supposed to race Kennedale that night and we got rained out so we drove. Yep. It was super cool to be there for that moment for you and first big sprint when, cause you had a ton of, it's not opportunities, but you had some chances the couple of years previous to that. just never capitalized. Things didn't work out, whatever. It was super cool to share that moment with you. ryder laplante: Yeah, and it rained out, so it was like meant to be. It was the coolest thing ever. Yes. And I was just glad all my good buddies were there too. I will always cherish walking out of that trailer and getting probably orange juice dumped all over me. Jim Gardner: It was, ⁓ there's victory fuel and this is not a podcast, but we, bought a case of victory fuel from your, from your trailer to dump on you. Yeah, that's right. Slim Pushins: That was not orange juice. Corby: It was a feel. ryder laplante: Victory fill. Slim Pushins: yeah. We had to purchase a case from your trailer to then dump back into their trailer. ryder laplante: best 30 bucks ever spent. Jim Gardner: you ryder laplante: Because it was from my Nana, she was in there and she didn't read the room, right? Like she made y'all pay before y'all dumped it all over me. Yeah. Yeah. Jim Gardner: Yeah, it's fine. It's worth it. Yeah. I think you're back in tech or whatever. Whenever we were like, we don't have anything for him. Slim Pushins: Well, that's cause you know, Jim's not exactly the most personable guy at the racetrack. So, you know, he's always got his head down and, and knuckles dirty. So Nana didn't had no idea that he was part of the family. So he's like, Hey, can I get a case? And she's like, sure you can 30 bucks. ryder laplante: I'm he didn't have a case in his backpack. Yeah. Jim Gardner: Cash only. Corby: It was a cool night. Ryder got his first win. Logan won the championship. It was super cool. was a great opportunity to be there. Thankfully, sadly, we got rained out. I lost my championship, but Logan won one and you got your first race win. Slim Pushins: All we had to do was start that race at Kennedy Island and it got rained out. Corby: I know and actually we spit a rear end at Grayson in the heat race. So it's Yeah, it worked out whatever it was cool. I'm happy that I got to be there for Ryder Slim Pushins: Do you wanna? ryder laplante: And you just spit it out at Kennedale anyway, so. Corby: ⁓ I'm sure. That or clipped a tire. Slim Pushins: Corby, you want to tell real quick what happened ⁓ pulling into the track that night? We raced up there. Everything was muddy. Truck was muddy. Trailer was a disaster. Corby: So Ryder probably doesn't even know this whole story. So we were reading GPS and it said that we could get there a little bit quicker. I knew what we was going to miss hot laps. There was no question about it. ⁓ Danny Merrill said that I was drawn in. It was no big deal. We just had to get there at least by the heat race so that I could at least start a qualifying race. And so we took this back road like an idiot and Ryder knows Grayson County like just, just to go the main roads to Grayson County is super sketchy. It is. One of the coolest racetracks is out in the middle, truly of nowhere. And for sure. Jim Gardner: fans are rowdy too. I think I'm glad. I'm glad we have a couple of races up there this year. I don't think there were any, ⁓ it's just 88R merch all over the place out there. The only kid that doesn't have 88R merch is the kid who's your dad signed his forehead that one year with a Sharpie walked up and the guy's like, you're my favorite race car driver. I was like, I don't think so. Cause that's Scott Sherb's signature on your forehead. Corby: They love right at the plant too. Slim Pushins: Big fans. ryder laplante: Yeah. Slim Pushins: You Corby: But so we're booking it and we try to take this other way and like it we pull up to this just hard 90 degree corner on what's supposed to be a two lane road. It's more like a one lane road and then say we have a 48 foot trailer and Carl Clement was one of our greatest sponsors. I can never thank Carl enough. He sponsored us back in motorcycle days. So we go to turn this corner and it's me, Kerbo and Wesley McNorton and Randy McNorton is actually following us. We go to turn this and there's no way it's not. It's never going to clear. the catastrophic drop off on the other side. And so Randy gets out and like tries to put some two by sixes underneath to like try to make the trailer go across it. And it didn't have the bed. I have no idea whenever we turn the truck back in how it didn't have the bed. Slim Pushins: It creased, it creased the bed. And there was a moment of time that Randy McNorton was willing to give up his right arm. Literally he was willing to put his arm between the trailer and the truck bed. And we wouldn't, we were not having, I don't even know if Jim knows that. Corby: Ha! Jim Gardner: No, I don't. ryder laplante: And he was probably giggling about it too. Corby: I don't know. Jim Gardner: No. Corby: And we got to the races and we got to see all that and then like there was like two or three months later that Carl called and asked for his truck back and so we gave it back and my dad calls me I mean absolutely chewing my ass about When was someone gonna tell me the truck bed got creased blah blah blah. This just cost me, you know $2,000 something like that. I was like what no way the truck trip the truck bed got crease get out of here but Slim Pushins: Corby called me and he goes, Hey, dad just called and um. He wanted to know why the truck bed was creased underneath the rail cap, the plastic rail cap. And I was like, we creased it? It was creased? I don't, I don't even remember even coming close to creasing that trailer or that truck. ryder laplante: Logan must have went racing Abilene that weekend or something. Yeah. Yeah. Corby: It was Logan. It was Logan's fault for sure. Slim Pushins: ⁓ that's going to come up. Jim Gardner: Turbos. Turbo, you've been a part of a lot of, uh, duallys getting destroyed the last couple of years, toeing to the racetrack. When do you have a, you got a rear window blown out last year? Slim Pushins: ⁓ I went with, um, John Carney and, uh, his crew chief, Aaron to, to Texer, Canada, the short track nationals. And we had a pretty good night racing. Everything was good. And we get on the road to leave and we're probably, I don't know, three or four miles from the racetrack on the interstate in like this shotgun blast sound goes off. And I immediately, I mean, it was, I was sitting in the back seat because that's where I fit in. as a make a wish kid that y'all just let me kind of hang out. So I'm in the back seat of this truck and immediately feel a breeze and they're in the front going, what, what the hell was that? So I turned around in the quarter, the quarter window behind me was gone. Like, well, I say it was gone. It was completely shattered. And there was about a dollar bill size piece that was, that was missing. And I was like this back Corby: A dollar bill or a silver dollar? Slim Pushins: No, it was like, I mean, it was probably, yeah, it was probably three or four inches wide by two or three inches, like a tall. And I was like, this back window just shattered. So we pull over on the side of the road and trying to figure it out, trying to figure out. And then John Carney's like, I know exactly what it was. And like, we're looking to the back. No idea. Well, we, there was a unused ratchet strap. Corby: So it's rectangular. ryder laplante: you Slim Pushins: in the back of the truck and we went to pass an 18 wheeler and the pressure and the wind changed and that ratchet strap, the open end, just the ribbon end of the ratchet strap got to blowing around and it went down between the bed of the truck and the cab of the truck and it wrapped around the drive line. And when it wrapped around the drive line, the ratchet end of that went screaming toward the window at like 9,000 miles an hour and it just shattered that glass. And fortunately it didn't do any damage to the drive line or anything like that. And ⁓ we taped it up completely with stuff that we had in the trailer and we get back the truck, the trailer, everything was owned by Tako Casa. We get back to ⁓ the hanger where Tako Casa. ryder laplante: Okay. All right. Slim Pushins: keeps all their racing stuff and a couple of the taco casa guys were there. They came out, we're like, we're not really sure what happened. They were trying to forensic, was it like a gunshot? like, I don't know. We were driving, everything was good and then it wasn't. Not sure what it was. ryder laplante: Did y'all go buy Taco Bell on the way home or? Jim Gardner: you Slim Pushins: But I think those are the only two, I think those are the only two events, unless I'm missing something that I've been a part of. A toe rig. What are you saying? It's my fault? Jim Gardner: Well, that's two more than everybody else. Yeah. That, that, that, and the one time you towed my non-wing car, ⁓ your, your, ⁓ tailgate got stolen out of the parking lot. Slim Pushins: of a Holiday Inn. Jim Gardner: Yeah. Corby: Hey, but that's Kerbo and his choice of hotels. ⁓ Slim Pushins: Literally two weeks, no, we'll get to that. Literally two weeks to the day that we were at my house and Jim and I had been somewhere and I backed the truck up the driveway and I go around and I locked the tailgate and he goes, what are you doing? I was like, ⁓ I'm locking the tailgate. And he goes, who steals tailgates? I've never heard of anybody. Jim Gardner: No, booked the hotel. Slim Pushins: ever. I've never heard it. I've never known anybody that got a tailgate stolen. And I was like, I don't know what they do in the Midwest, but down here, like there's a lot of, I mean, it happens all the time. It's like a, it's like a $7,000, $8,000 to replace tailgate. And he's like, I don't think you're just full of it. Well, fast forward two weeks later, Jim and I are w we're literally walking out of the back door of this hotel, watching two guys. slammed the doors on their suburban with my tailgate in the back of this suburban. Jim felt bad about it. ryder laplante: big with these wheels on the suburban. Jim Gardner: I've had plenty of foot in my mouth moments in my life and that's right at the top. Cause I felt like a piece of trash. Once I found out how old it was. Slim Pushins: Dude, those things are so expensive. I had to claim that on insurance. So unbeknownst to me, you can't just call Ford and go like, Hey, I need a, I need a 2010 F three 50 tailgate with the camera. They don't make them. So I had to file it on insurance, had to go through like a caliber collision. They had to order like 175 different pieces to put this thing together. And it was, I think insurance paid like 10, nine, 10, $11,000 to replace it. It's a disaster. Jim Gardner: And like a month later, didn't some kid crash a go-kart into it? Corby: It's worth more than the whole truck. Jim Gardner: Or a semi at work backed into it or something? Slim Pushins: This wasn't on the, this was not on the notes. This wasn't on the rider LaPlante show notes, but yes, like a week and a half later, I was, don't know why Jared and Lindsay Warhurst always come up, but we, was at their place and they've got a go-kart in their backyard and Dakota, who now is a, is a really good driver. She came off the track straight into the, my tailgate was down. Jim Gardner: you ryder laplante: Okay. Slim Pushins: And it's got like a plastic cap on the end with a over engineered ladder. And she just went absolutely screaming cage first into the back of the tailgate, just shattered that plastic. And then a month later at work, a semi truck backed into it. Corby: We talk about trucks, I mean like you Jim Gardner: You're good. Slim Pushins: That's some bitch, hey, that's some bitch is still dented. My dad, got, the insurance paid it. They gave me like, I don't know, 3,500 bucks. It wasn't a total loss. It was dented all to hell. And to this day, my dad will ask, hey, when are you going to get that tailgate fixed? I was like, I'm not. And he's like, why not? Because nobody's going to steal a dented tailgate. Jim Gardner: Yeah. ryder laplante: Thank Jim Gardner: That's true. ryder laplante: Very good point. Corby: We can keep talking about trucks. mean like, Ryder, like your dad is, beyond. ⁓ I don't know the right words for it about his truck that he pulls your trailer with. ⁓ Obsessed. ⁓ How he takes care of it. Slim Pushins: Obsessed? Big black? Jim Gardner: He called it his mistress the other night. Slim Pushins: Rider's gone. ryder laplante: ⁓ my god. Corby: Probably would probably he might even pick the truck over you sometimes Slim Pushins: There you are. ryder laplante: think you'll pick the truck over anybody. I we don't call him super trucker for no reason, right? Slim Pushins: Ryder called me yesterday to talk about the podcast. We talked for 45 minutes or an hour and I asked him a couple of minutes after he called us, what are you doing? You've been at work all day. What are you doing now? I'm polishing Chrome. And my first instinct was like, you don't, you don't have any Chrome or anything on the race car. You polishing Chrome on big black? And he was like, yeah, had him out there, had him out there polishing Chrome. Corby: Super Trucker, does he let anyone else? ryder laplante: It's only 32 degrees outside. Slim Pushins: That is the most beautiful, that's the most beautiful truck and trailer setup, I think, in the pits though. It's awesome looking. What year is that truck, that tractor? ryder laplante: 1990. Slim Pushins: Yes, no death. Corby: Has he ever let anyone else drive it? ryder laplante: He let me pull it out the truck wash about 10 feet and he put the phone in his pocket and we went down the road. Corby: Yeah. Yep. So you're telling me your dad will drive all night long all the way back home. ryder laplante: I mean, all night long, no stops. After a whole day of racing, after whole night of racing, he'll drive, he'll drive 24 hours on Mexican candy and five hour energies. It may be a quick trip coke, you know? Corby: After a day racing. Slim Pushins: on nothing but spicy Mexican candy. Jim Gardner: Your schedule's been nuts the last month. You guys running south of Florida, Arizona, back and forth is going back and forth all over the country. Corby: Super Trekker. ryder laplante: Yeah, I we went from Volusia to Miami, then back home. I think we made it from Miami to the house in 24 hours. That's a 28 hour drive, so, with one driver. Corby: with one driver. Yeah. Jim Gardner: itself. Slim Pushins: Were you doing anything productive at all in the sleeper? ryder laplante: You know me, I was sleeping. Slim Pushins: Yeah. Yeah, that's about how that goes. Corby: What's it like being a kid and just cruising the country, stuff like that. And I know that you're still young and you don't notice things, but what's it like to travel? Because you did the whole ASCS ⁓ circuit last year. I know that's y'all's plan again this year. What's it like being young and getting to see and travel the world, see different racetracks, see different environments of the world? ryder laplante: It's awesome. I feel like it's easy to take for granted sometimes, just because of how much of a grind it is. But going to places like Montana, Florida, even Arizona, you wouldn't think, but it's really pretty out there. Then, you know, you're also going to Kansas, which is part of the grind I'm talking about. You go to... Yeah, you know, you go to just... Slim Pushins: Easy, you're getting close to the Midwest over that's where Jim's that's just stomping grounds. Jim Gardner: First of all, Kansas is not the Midwest. ryder laplante: absolute ovens of a place. It's 110 degrees outside, you're sweating all day. That's where it's really easy to take for granted. But you know, at end of the day, you just got to sit back and enjoy what you're doing. Corby: Yeah, it's the same. I Eagle Nebraska, I think is, I mean, it's not underrated in any way, but it's beautiful out there. It's so desolate to what the world that we know being from North Texas, Southern Oklahoma, so much different. Yeah, right. ryder laplante: No service, yeah. And you have no option but to enjoy what you're doing out there. Corby: Yeah, that's the I think the difference and I think a lot of people should get to at least experience that. It's not just like you being a young kid, but just seeing what America has to offer, let alone you getting to chase your dreams because this is everything you hope for as a little kid, right? ryder laplante: Yes, and hopefully we're always, hopefully it can be something I can keep chasing for a very long time. Just gotta keep doing my thing. Corby: ⁓ it's just. Slim Pushins: Do you ever get burned out? ryder laplante: There's moments, I think any driver can ⁓ correlate to this, like, especially points racing, you know, you don't have a choice, you have to go to some of these tracks, like in Kansas, you know, like Paducah, Paducy. I you have no choice but to show up when it's 110 degrees outside and the rest of your family's out on the lake, or you get a phone call from Kerbo and Corbina throughout the golf course. Jim Gardner: Kentucky. ryder laplante: that really puts the icing on top. Corby: Well, it's the same like you talk about Paducah Paducah and then you love Grayson County and like I we just told a story about Grayson County is truly in the middle of nowhere But it's a track that's close to home. It means something to you. There's such a difference in that Slim Pushins: What's up? ryder laplante: Yeah, then, you know, there's a lot of people there that I do know that I do know that I can talk to. And I'm also in my bed an hour after the races, which is a huge plus for me. That's all I can ask for. Corby: you Do you miss that sometimes? Is that probably one of the ryder laplante: Absolutely, I really do. That's stuff you take for granted. Corby: I am that much too. Yeah, I'm very much a homebody. I'd rather sleep in my bed. I'd rather drive like a super trucker all night to get home. I'd rather sleep there than stop at some hotel that Kerbo booked for us and Waco and hit every curb in there because Kerbo didn't pay attention. ryder laplante: Mm-hmm. Slim Pushins: Okay. All right. That's the second time you brought it up. Go ahead and tell the story. We were in Abilene double header weekend. Corby: We were in we raced Abilene Saturday night and then we had to race Waco Sunday and Kerbo's yeah, I think so and Kerbo booked us a hotel and I didn't pay attention. I didn't look at anything and ⁓ We pull into this hotel and he was like, ⁓ it's fine. Like drive all the way around He's looking at his GPS like it's no big deal. I guarantee you I hit 17 curbs Guarantee you Slim Pushins: Memorial Day weekend, Corby: So much that I pulled straight out onto the road and just backed the trailer straight up and I mean there was 76 trees and I scraped the trailer down and I said I don't even I don't care anymore like I just I just want to go to sleep I just want to wake up tomorrow. I don't care Slim Pushins: All you people listening, y'all might think that Corby's just the most happy go lucky guys. Always in a good mood, always smiling. That's nothing could be further from the truth in these moments. Corby is a yelling, picking on bullying man in these moments. ryder laplante: and plays the weirdest music you will ever hear on race day. Slim Pushins: Corby has you folks absolutely fooled. He was not happy. was at Corby's. They're just curbs. Like it just, it's not like it's, we're not wreck. We're not crimping any truck beds or anything. It's, it's easy. All right, rider. What I'm curious about is give me your, what are your two favorite tracks? If you could have a 30 race season that only included two tracks, nothing about drive time, 24 hour drives, anything like that. Corby: We already dined at one bed. ryder laplante: I number one's Volusia right now, just after what they did to that place. It races like no other track. And then number two... I to go to I-55. Jim Gardner: Ooh, I crashed so many cars there on World of Outlaws 2000 and PlayStation 2. I junked cars on the crossover gate on the back stretch. Every time. What Volusia did put on some bangers all Speed Weeks, January and February, the late models, the 360 stuff was good, the outlaws were always good. What was different? I know they put new clay down. What was different about it? Corby: place. ryder laplante: Very cool place, very. It's. It's such a bad fast track too. Corby: Right. ryder laplante: Just it kind of raced like a short track in a way. ⁓ You could really race a lot closer in my opinion, Dirty Air wasn't as bad. ⁓ In three and four every night had a three foot curb. And then one and two, if you weren't up there banging, scraping paint off the wall, you just weren't gonna be as fast. And there's a lot more passing in my opinion. Jim Gardner: Yeah, the races were great. They were entertaining to watch from the couch here when we had it, we were iced in and, uh, but, uh, Volusia is awesome. Uh, it always terrifies me when I check the weather app and see that the ADR is 108 % and the density altitude is negative 2000 feet. And I just think it's going to be a motor eaten, um, blow up kind of night. Every time they go down there, it's. ryder laplante: And you're ⁓ Jim Gardner: You know, ⁓ I'm sure with the schedule you guys run running Volusia in January and February to Montana in the dead of the summer, it's probably 10,000 feet and you're just killing the tune on the motor to make it work. ⁓ Slim Pushins: Do you want to, do you want to explain real quick ADR air density rate ratio? Jim Gardner: ratio, air density ratio. It's basically how much oxygen or how much air the air actually has compared to water vapor. You know, if it's humid or if it's crisp. So when it's cool and crisp in the fall or early in the spring, you know, if it's 60 degrees out and there's a nice wind and it's crispy, the motors make a lot of power because there's a lot of air in the air. The ADR is high. Then you need to add fuel. the motor and you have a bigger mixture of air and fuel getting into the motor so you're making more power. And then in the middle of summer when it's July August it's 110 degrees out with 98 humidity the ADR might drop to 85 where there's a lot of water vapor in the air and then you have to pull fuel out of the engine ⁓ to get your mixture right and the motors might make 100 less horsepower. Slim Pushins: Did you get all that, Corby? Corby: really not sure what you just said right there, but ⁓ That's that's great like ADR and then like rider. Let's talk about it. You just mentioned it like dirty air Dirty air is huge and I think that especially in sprint cars is fans They have no idea what you're talking about whenever you say dirty air ryder laplante: Wake up class time for your next one. Yeah, like, you know, we'll be on the couch watching a race and my mom would be like, why is that guy veering off like that? And I'm like, well, he's trying to stay alive. That's how big of a deal it can be. You know, cause he tuck in behind someone. It's like NASCAR. It's drafting in a way. It works on the straightaways, but as soon as you enter that corner, you have to be either inside the left rear or outside the right rear, or you're just not going to turn like Justin Bates at TMS. Slim Pushins: Were you taught, I'm curious, were you taught that or did you learn that the hard way? Is that something that y'all, that you talk about with other drivers when you were coming up into sprint cars or what? ryder laplante: It's a mixture. Everyone's gonna tell you what to do, but you just have to go out there and feel it. That's like what I tell new drivers. Like when Carson Bolden was coming up, I had a discussion with him. I was like, you gotta feel that feeling, but you also, you need to feel it so you know not to do it. And from tracks, like different tracks, it's different. Like Kennedale, you can get away with it all day. But if you go to Belleville or Knoxville, you're not gonna turn and you're probably gonna smoke the wall. Corby: So it's the same as much as like the ADR and what Jimmy's talking about super trucker and Jimmy are these people that make the motors go but it's still you as a driver you have to Know this stuff the same I think that even at Eagle, Nebraska going to turn three that there's dirty air there and I believe that You you have to split your lane whenever you pull in there. I don't care if you're a 305 or a 360 ryder laplante: Very bad. Yeah. Corby: So that's that stuff. ryder laplante: And if you don't split it, it's gonna hurt pretty bad. Corby: For sure, yeah, we've watched how many people drive straight into the wall going in the middle of three and four because of that Jim Gardner: Yeah, it's the, the, cars create wake just like a boat makes a wake through the lake and you just can't see it. Right. So. ryder laplante: every year. Corby: Right. ryder laplante: And another tip, like if you're watching GoPros, a, you know, like a 410 at TMS or Knoxville, when they're in their own air, you'll kind of see the hood vibrate and shake. But when they're tucked in behind somebody, it just really like brings it up in a way. It's kind of a hard tip to explain. Once you see it, you'll get what I'm saying. Corby: I understand what you're saying is the same like if you're just pulling behind an 18-wheeler driving down the highway and you stick your hand out You don't feel anything like you'll feel just like a couple of drafts and then if you pull out then it's all there Same NASCAR any type of drafting that exists. There's a difference in sprint cars We are reliant on the air and how it comes across our wings You know ryder laplante: Yeah. Yeah, if you don't have that wing speed, you're just not going to be fast at all. Corby: You know, it's the same like 360s and 410s you guys have wing sliders and your wing sliders are very important throughout the feature Just simply to get more downforce ryder laplante: Yes. Corby: But what's your plans? Where are you going? What do you want to do? ryder laplante: This year we're gonna keep going with ASCS and then maybe next year do some more 410s and then more 410s and more 410s. And just keep getting my seat time up in that and hopefully do it full time. Corby: Do you want to just stick to dirt? Do ever want to go asphalt racing? ryder laplante: I mean, if I got the opportunity to, it'd be cool. But, ⁓ death, mean, yeah, just, and maybe see if it did work or not. You know, you never know. Slim Pushins: just to add to the resume. Corby: It's crazy how small this world is I know there's a lot of people who I consider you my adopted son How did that story come about where where was where was that story? originated How old were you that year? Slim Pushins: So. ryder laplante: I was 15 at my first Jelly Bowl. I don't know why my parents trusted the sherb so much. I don't know why I trusted the sherb so much. Corby: 15. It worked out, we had fun that week. ryder laplante: Yeah, I think. Slim Pushins: There are hundreds of thousands of people across the world that ask themselves that question. ryder laplante: Yeah, I think my mom gave me my parenting rights for that week, right? Corby: Yeah, she signed the rights over that if anything happened to you that week that I was, and I have no idea why me, I got picked for that, but I was the one who was supposed to take care of you. ryder laplante: I don't know why they let me take a week off of school either. Corby: It was fun though, we had fun. It was great. I'm glad that I got to show you what it was like to be that racer living out on the road, especially as a kid with no parents around, just enjoying everything that happened. Slim Pushins: chasing dreams. ryder laplante: Definitely one of the funnest weeks of my life. Corby: We sucked that week, but it was fun. ryder laplante: I always remember Jimmy being so stressed out. Jim Gardner: permanently. Slim Pushins: It always comes back to Jim. ryder laplante: I one time I was doing bars on someone's car and I got grease on the splines and that still sticks with me. No. I think I did it about four times before I finally quit. Corby: That's a no-go. Jim Gardner: you Slim Pushins: So I've got, I've got notes here somewhere, show notes, ⁓ and it's titled disappointing your crew chief. That would, that would be one of them. You, did you learn a life lesson? Jim Gardner: Ugh. ryder laplante: very life lesson. And like I wasn't, I never tore the tape right either for the stagger on the tire. Slim Pushins: Jim, did we just? Jim Gardner: The tape is very simple. There's nothing, my wife can't use it either. ⁓ Yeah, it's great. Well, you signed up to race with adults, you're gonna get treated like an adult. I don't know what to tell you. ryder laplante: I got the hang of it now, you know? Yeah. Corby: He was 15. Slim Pushins: Everybody's got to learn at some point. ryder laplante: It's true. Jim Gardner: That's right. We're going to do it. Do it right. Slim Pushins: Jim did, did Corby and or I, does any disappointing moments come to your mind? have disappointment stories? Jim Gardner: not, I mean. Slim Pushins: I mean it was daily. Corby, would you agree with that? I mean it was. Jim Gardner: No Corby: I think that even Ryder has one of those moments. We were running at TMS in 24 and Ryder came through the B that night. I think that, I don't know, I was like fourth or fifth. I wasn't that good. And then all of sudden the caution came out and Ryder just saw me spun around backwards. The left front was hanging off. Jim Gardner: No. ⁓ ryder laplante: Talking Corby. Slim Pushins: Is that when we, ⁓ Corby: Someone moved the tire. Someone moved the tire. It wasn't me. Slim Pushins: Didn't we blo- ryder laplante: It's probably the 4x Slim Pushins: It's all right. It's all right, Jim, you can be you can be honest, especially Corby. We've already talked about this on podcast Corby's hit every tire that can be hit and some that can't be hit. Jim Gardner: I The only time I can specifically remember being Slim Pushins: This is where Jim takes the high road. Jim Gardner: Not, not, okay. Frustrated. Well, we had done so much weird stuff to Corby's car and we had, he had a short little race car. ⁓ it was like a 85. So it was a really short wheelbase and I had really short engine setback and like Corby, I couldn't even get in the car because my knees were up against the steering box. ⁓ and we fought that thing and then we got it really fast. I think it was at rocket and. ryder laplante: you Jim Gardner: Corby was leading a heat race by half a lap and I was back with one of his brothers for, ⁓ you know, for heat two or three or whatever. And then the yellow comes out and I was just kind of sitting back there because I had walked away because Corby had this thing in the bag. He was the fastest car on the property. And then I got back to the pits and realized that he was the yellow and steamrolled a tractor tire on his own ⁓ from the lead with about a six second lead. And I don't know that we ever got him back that night. And I remember thinking like, what, what the hell? Like that we were on cruise control there. What is going on? And. ⁓ Slim Pushins: Why am I wasting my time? Corby: The car was good, that short wheelbase car was really good. It was just like the fine point of I feel like I can go faster, but you couldn't actually go faster than that. Like you were fast enough where you was. Jim Gardner: It ⁓ Slim Pushins: Was that the red chassis car? Corby: No, that was the black chassis. Shorter than the red chassis. Jim Gardner: No, no, it's, it was black and it was typical Sher black chassis, white body. And it looked like the other four on the racetrack. ⁓ but it was, it was super small and it just had like a really narrow window and it was edgy. It was really fast. But, ⁓ I think the way we had it set up, I don't know what happened. Like I said, I watched the first three laps and I was like, ⁓ we are gone. This is great. And then next thing I know it's. Corby: ⁓ yeah. ⁓ yeah. Jim Gardner: on jack stands back in the pits. ⁓ Slim Pushins: That happened a lot. Jim Gardner: Yeah, I mean, I contributed to it too, so. Corby: Ryder actually drove one of our short wheelbase cars too. ryder laplante: Are we allowed to talk about that? Corby: Rider drove murals. It was a standard rail 86 40 if I'm not mistaken fully I think that I think that that pad still sits there. It was what did you would y'all wrap like a two by six in a blanket or something this stuff beside you Was it a pillow that you had to stuff next to you in the in the rib guards Slim Pushins: Which one? ryder laplante: was a pillow. Yeah. mean, if Rick, if Rick Burdick would have seen that, I don't think I'd ever race a day in my life again. Yeah. I think we took, we took Marlowe's car to Boyd after blowing mine up a couple of weeks before. think we ran like second at Boyd and we went to Ardmore and kept popping out of gear that we still ran third or fourth, I believe. Slim Pushins: you Corby: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Slim Pushins: So just to fill people in, what they're talking about is, Ryder's tall and doesn't weigh 100 pounds, sop and wet. And it wasn't his seat that was dropped in that car. So when he sat down in it, it was like a hot dog in a hallway. Corby: I think... ryder laplante: Yeah. Slim Pushins: So. Corby: Well, I think that that's what that curb was trying to say is like being versatile as a driver to especially as a young kid coming up like the same like art the midget that you drove at the chili bowl that was ours. We had to take knee guards out. We had to move the seat up and back just to be able to get your knees in there. You made a bunch of turns that that Saturday, didn't you? ryder laplante: Yeah, I think we made five or four. Five. I remember beating you to the line. Corby: Five something like that. It was a lot you actually you actually beat me in the last one ⁓ But ⁓ the same concept, you're a super tall guy and sprint cars aren't really designed for stuff like that. ryder laplante: Nah, every day I pray that I can wake up like David Gravel. Or Corby. Yeah. Jim Gardner: Corby. Corby: It's the same David Gravel, Kyle Larson, Brad Sweet, super small guys, Justin Pegg. Right. ryder laplante: nothing's made for tall guys you know especially a race car. Corby: The same so that you can get like you can go with the tall chassis and it changes your roll center this is gonna get into Jimmy talk and it's gonna change all that stuff and It's the same as like how you put your seat inside of a car all that stuff matters and you as a tall person You can't necessarily always make yourself comfortable It's more of that's what works ryder laplante: No, like, you know, especially with my long legs, I get cramps a lot in a race car and I just have to sit there. I can't move my leg forward or back. I just got to sit there and bend my wheel. Hopefully it goes away. Corby: It's not like me, I can just about cross my legs inside of a sprint car. ryder laplante: Yeah. Even the midgets to this day, in any midget, I can't wear a knee guard. Like my last chilly bowl when I did flip, I really regretted that decision. Still got the scars on my knees, but yeah. Jim Gardner: You got to get some volleyball knee pads just to wear on your suit. Slim Pushins: That's always the story. ryder laplante: Can't lose your, can't lose your aura, no cap. Jim Gardner: You Slim Pushins: know what any of that meant. Corby: But it's okay, so we'll talk about cramps, know, like what about physical fitness? What is it like whenever you drive to Montana and you gotta run two nights in a row? Like you can't just be someone who sits around, right? ryder laplante: hahahaha Slim Pushins: There we go. Here we go. ryder laplante: No, and especially up there, there's like no air. So even like getting in the car, I'm already out of breath. But yeah, I hit the gym about five days a week, Corby Sherb style, shave on Tuesdays. Yeah. Jim Gardner: You Slim Pushins: in Saturdays. Corby: I think it's important like it ryder laplante: But yeah, people don't understand that part of the sport is that you can't just hop in a race car and go crank 35 laps at even at Kennedale. I mean, yeah. Corby: Yeah, at the G forces that we pull at Canada, especially you in a 410, there's a big difference in a 305 and a 410. ryder laplante: I agree, especially with just, you know, I have a long neck. So my neck's always getting pulled. That's the first thing that usually wears out. I don't know if. Corby: Mm-hmm. Are you the type of driver that leans your head on a headrest or do you try to fight it? Yeah ryder laplante: I try to fight it for the photos. You can't be cranking over on your head. Yeah. Jim Gardner: good help, good head tilt. That's what, yeah. Slim Pushins: Is that that's there's no way that's a conscious thought when you're when you're behind the wheel Jim Gardner: I don't know. Like if you see some like old school non-wing guys at the big at Terre Haute and they're just cranked over opposite lock, it's pretty sick looking. Yes. Yeah. Pre-neck restraint. They had neck roll and then the left shoulder strap just pinned. ryder laplante: They're pretty cranked. Yeah. Corby: They had the cool like arm straps and the helmet clips that was that was a different game Slim Pushins: Alright. ryder laplante: As a driver, can't be too concentrated on driving the race car, Kerbo. Cause then I'm just gonna mess up. Slim Pushins: So you like to stay loose? Would you consider yourself? ryder laplante: Yeah, I like to stay loose. Like my dad, he'll sometimes crank the belts down. You know, you might kind of see me crank them back up just a tad. Jim Gardner: D run. Corby: I remember there's a funny story the first time you raced the chili bowl and your dad was there, your preliminary night, and your dad leaned over to me and he goes, please get in there and tighten up Ryder's belts. He won't let me do it anymore. And I'm like, dude, he is tight enough, I promise. Slim Pushins: Are you a ryder laplante: Dude. Slim Pushins: Anyway. What are you a- ryder laplante: I used to get bruises on my body from the belts being so tight. Slim Pushins: Are you emotional? Are you an emotional driver? ryder laplante: I can be. Depends. Corby: Are you emotional on the racetrack or just more like once it's over and you knew you should have done something different? ryder laplante: Once it's over and I can, yeah, I'm a real like, I'm really hard on myself on those types of deals. But it's, how I learned. Like my dad can't stand it when I, when I'm like in a mood after a bad race, but I'm just thinking on what I should have done and what I could do different. Slim Pushins: What, if you could choose, let's talk, assuming that you had what you consider a bad night, you pull back up to the trailer off the track and you get out of the car. If you, if it's up to you, how long do you want to decompress and be left alone? ryder laplante: Give me a week. Slim Pushins: I was more talking like, you know, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, you know, before you become approachable again. ryder laplante: It just depends. maybe about 10. Slim Pushins: so you can just be in your head and mope for a while. Corby: Well I think there's a difference in like family and ryder laplante: Yeah, at least they're let let yeah, just let me take the suit off. That's when it usually goes away. Corby: There's a difference in like family and friends trying to talk to me and tell me what I could have done and then if some little kid walks up then it's different and I'm not gonna be in a mood for that person but... ryder laplante: Yeah, there's definitely on and off switch with it. Slim Pushins: along those same lines, what do you, what do you hate? What kind of pet peeves, on the racetrack on the racing surface? What, what are your pet peeves? Either how people drive you, how a flagman calls the race, unspoken things, anything. ryder laplante: Pet Teeves a lockdown track. Slim Pushins: You don't like it? ryder laplante: It's rough, like Canada, can't stand it. Jim Gardner: That's an incredible answer. ryder laplante: can't stand it. Corby: Don't break techas before the start of the race. Slim Pushins: That's the guy that's kind of what I was getting at like what is there anything is there anything like that? ryder laplante: That or nah, stuff like that I eat up pretty good. Like it don't bother me that bad. ⁓ Slim Pushins: being banged from behind, coming to green. Corby: I've seen people, yeah, I've seen people like, you know, will rub you and stuff like that before it starts. Does any of that stuff ever get in your head or is that more of like a motivator? ryder laplante: That motivates me a lot. Like when Thorson did it to me at Chili Bowl and I did it back to him, that motivated me pretty good. But pet peeves, I don't really have that many. Corby: I think you're in a... Slim Pushins: I mean, you're pretty, knowing you, you're pretty easy going. And it's a question that I like to ask everybody. we got, we got, I got a lot of feedback and I think Corby did too ⁓ at Kennedale this weekend. I really haven't even talked to Jim about it. Maybe he talked to some people too. ⁓ But we got a lot of feet. Jim didn't talk to anybody. He hates people. ⁓ You know, just you should ask people this and you should ask me. That was one of the questions that, ⁓ that had come up that You know, I'm just curious, you know, what, what we see from the stands, if somebody's bumping you or wheel rubbing you or, whatever. know Corby we've talked in previous, the previous episode about, Corby knew he had to stay out of his head. racing local 305 stuff, you see these guys, a lot of times we travel with these guys. We pit next to these guys, you know, weekend and week out. So under caution and stuff. ⁓ there's a lot of just kind of BS and, and messing with each other and stuff, which I think is great. It's, kind of keeps it lively and you can be the hardest of competitors, but yet still be human. and as a race fan, that's always great to see. What about superstitions? Are you superstitious? ryder laplante: I'll eat chicken and sit on a bag of peanuts. I don't care. I'll put my left sock on before my right. I'll do a 360 with my helmet, but before putting it on, mean, I don't care. Slim Pushins: I not. So you got a, in this, on this topic, you got a ⁓ brand new driver's suit, I guess. Was this weekend the first time you pulled it out? So you pulled it out and ⁓ on Saturday, Corby decided to leave Wise County and he came out to support you. And ⁓ I made a comment about it being a ⁓ good looking suit and ⁓ shiny and didn't have any dirt. And Corby, you ask him what? Corby: Did you break it in? You're supposed to go lay in the dirt Slim Pushins: Meaning... ryder laplante: What's that mean? Slim Pushins: Where did that come from? Is that a sherb thing? Is it a motorcycle thing? Is it a worldwide thing? Corby: Don't know if it's any of that it for sure on the motorcycles like I remember the first time I pulled out my brand new set of leathers It was 2009 at Springfield Mile and I'd forgotten that I hadn't broke him in and I told a guy his name was Randy Randy King his son hunter race with us and I yelled at him to come over and hold my bike before we went out for practice and I ran out on the racetrack and I laid down on my back and then on my stomach to break it in It worked, I never crashed in those leathers. Slim Pushins: I, you. ryder laplante: That's why this is this is why we laugh at you. Slim Pushins: Jim, have you ever heard that before? Jim Gardner: No, but that's pretty on brand. You know, Corby, you know, ⁓ no, that's pretty on brand for Corby. I don't know anybody that's just rolling around in the dirt. Slim Pushins: For racers or for Corby? Corby, didn't you do something? Didn't you do the same thing? Didn't you do, don't you have a break? Don't you do something with gloves too? Corby: But it's the same like. Well, it's the same concept like you're supposed to throw your gloves on the ground and step on them. Like Ryder can say that he's not superstitious at all or like doesn't matter under caution but if we had a red flag and we were in 305s like me and Ryder always seem to find each other and we would be trying to yell at each other of what's happened on the racetrack couldn't understand anything that we were saying. But we would always end up being right next to each other. Jim Gardner: I'm going to go back home. ryder laplante: What? Yeah. Slim Pushins: y'all put those helmets on and you think that you can just talk to us like we're talking now. That's not how it works. We have to lean in and still have no, catch about every fourth word and then y'all get mad because we can't hear what you're saying. That happened this weekend. I can't remember what you were asking me, but you motioned me over and you said something and I didn't hear you. And then I leaned in further and still didn't hear you. And then I just walked off. ryder laplante: We're out. I love it when the push guys, they'll like get behind their, their driver's car and they'll be like, Hey, you run the top and three and four. And then everyone, you know, everyone around you now knows what you're about to do. That's my pet peeve. That is my biggest pet peeve. Slim Pushins: Ha ha! Jim Gardner: Yeah. Corby: ⁓ for sure. Jim Gardner: That's a one. Slim Pushins: All right, so you didn't even know you had pet peeves, and yet here we are. ryder laplante: That one does fire me up when Darren does yell what he wants me to do. Corby: But the same even Darren, know, Darren supports you massively and he's been there for you through the ups and the downs and it's not easy having people like that in your pit area. ryder laplante: No, and ⁓ it takes a special kind of person to want to do that for someone else. Especially in this sport, you know, like these guys don't get paid a lot. It doesn't get talked about much. Crew guys probably make 500 bucks a week, 600 bucks a week. And they're out there. Corby: Mm-hmm. Slim Pushins: Wait, there are crew guys that get paid? Corby? ryder laplante: Jimmy was a pretty big crew guy for a while. Slim Pushins: Jim? Why am I just hearing? Y'all told me, y'all have told me for years, crew don't get paid. You're just lucky to be here. Just sit back and be a make a wish kid. Corby: Yeah, but it's like, hold on, hold on, let's just... Jim Gardner: for a while. ryder laplante: Yeah. Corby: Well, let's talk about this, you know, like we talked about super trucker and your dad like driving all across the country and it there's only so much that your dad can do a lot of times your dad just needs help ⁓ people like Darren and ⁓ What's the kid's name that cruises with you sometimes? Yeah, and well just he yeah, comes around and yeah, just ⁓ it's getting experience. Slim Pushins: Wow. ryder laplante: Well, often. Slim Pushins: Flying Dutchman? Corby: Seeing those moments and then it's to go grab a tire or what I saw him climbing up in the top of the trailer this weekend to grab some tire that Darren said we needed that we didn't even put on the car. Slim Pushins: Like it was nothing. ryder laplante: I mean, in this world, there's a lot of work that you'll do for nothing. Like, you know, watch the trailer in the cold weather, just for it to get dirty down the road. That's another subject. Corby: Yeah. Slim Pushins: Corby, Corby would apologize at the end of every night if we didn't win. And I finally told him, was like, listen, why are you apologizing? Well, what did you say? Corby: Man, it's simple like these people give up their their lives They give up their opportunity to go do whatever it is They're gonna do if they want to go to Billy Bob's on a Saturday night To go and cruise with us to some random racetrack probably in the middle of nowhere To not get home until three or four in the morning to like you're saying you're you're super hard on yourself There's a lot of times I could have done a lot of things different After the fact and I just didn't think about it in that moment. So I'll always be apologetic that people did that for me. Slim Pushins: I, my whole thing was like, maybe it's because I've, grew up, I grew up in team sports and that's kind of how I viewed this. If I didn't want to be here or I had something more important to do. Corby: Jimmy was in team sports too. was a quarterback. Slim Pushins: And yet, he's here with us. But maybe that, you I don't know if it was because of team sports or whatever, but that's how I always viewed this. Like, you know, we're in this together and we're going to win and lose together. you, you don't know me in apology. mean, there were some nights that you probably did some tractor tires, some tractor tire nights. But other than that, like, you know, like it is what it is. We, the outcome is the same outcome for, each of us. So, um, you know, what else, what else is there? Corby: I'll just say this, you know, and I'll say this I probably never even actually said this to rider but to me in racing especially at my age and I Don't know if I'm ever gonna get in race car again but to see rider grow the way that he did and whether or not he looked up to me I he actually looks down to me but To see the growth and what rider has done since I think I did medium when he was 14 years old ⁓ That's that's what this sport is and that's what we need more people It's not like me, but more people like Ryder that'll just listen to someone even if it's just to have fun. I know Ryder's made fun of me a lot in his life because that's what grew Ryder into the person that he is today. And now, like I said, I mean, it's so cool to sit there and watch Ryder run at the world of outlaws level. ryder laplante: And back to us meeting, I think we should touch on that subject. Do you remember meet me? Corby: pretty sure. ryder laplante: at ⁓ Grayson County. think I was walking to driver's meeting and here comes Logan and Corby with their earrings and blacked out sunglasses and goatees. I'm like, what in the hell do these guys want to talk about? Slim Pushins: So many people have that same story. Corby: We pulled up, yeah, we pulled up next to you and said hop on and let's go and that was it. We raced Kennedale a couple weeks later. ryder laplante: And they're like, hop on, let's go. I'm like, all right, let's go. Jim Gardner: it. ryder laplante: Yeah Jim Gardner: There's a picture somewhere. There's a picture somewhere of all the sherbs back in the frosted tips days that would just blow your mind. Hardcore motorcycle frosted tips. ryder laplante: Yeah. Better hide your daughters. Corby: No, like that's cool and it was Ryder just trying to show up and he was a nobody. It's not that he was nobody in racing. He grew up in micros. He'd done a lot of things. He won a driller. I know what it's like to be a young kid living inside of an adult's world whenever you get into big sprints, even if it is 305s. Chad Wilson's never been nice to anyone on the racetrack, ever. Slim Pushins: Lock them up. He was nobody to us at the time. Corby: Kevin Ramey is not going to give you a single inch if he ever has the opportunity to. Justin Fifield, Taylor Courtney, there's tons of people around here, Jeb, John. There's tons of people that'll never give you that opportunity and it's the same concept. I feel like there needs to be more people who will just give back to the kids. It's the same with Ryder and Carson Bolden. They're just young kids trying to grow up in this sport. Don't make them hate it. ryder laplante: Hmm I agree, and that's something I'll always appreciate for sure. Jim Gardner: Yeah, that's well, it's also, it's also the kids approach, you know, uh, writer folks have brought them up. Well, writer was coming in with a lot of humility and knew it was, it was a new area and a new scene. didn't come in running over everybody and thinking he was, uh, you know, he was just passing through, you know, uh, we get some of those kids coming through as well. Corby: For sure. Jim Gardner: And who don't show anybody any respect and they'll get any back. know, like I said earlier, you're, you're signed up to race with the adults. You're going to get treated treated like an adult, you know? So, ⁓ you know, Kevin and Amy writers, parents have done a, done a good job, you know, getting him to where he's going and, hopefully still, still pursuing that next thing. Yeah, exactly. Corby: I think if I've ever Slim Pushins: and doing it with respect. Corby: Yeah, if I've ever gotten mad at Ryder it was because he wasn't being aggressive enough in a moment. Jim Gardner: Exactly. So I don't think anybody accused. ryder laplante: And same thing to Corby. I mean, I've, I think we've all told Corby's not being aggressive enough. Corby: It's such a fine line. It's the same in like, and you have your mom and your dad and your sisters and they've always supported you through this. Emory actually raced for quite a while. What's it like growing up in a family that did it together? Slim Pushins: He's just a nice guy. ryder laplante: ⁓ it's very special. know, we have so many stories now. our whole life's now dedicated to racing and it'll probably never change. So, I mean, same thing with yours, Jimmy's. ⁓ Jim Gardner: Yeah, my wife had no idea what she signed up for. My poor wife didn't know what a car was three years ago. ryder laplante: Yeah. I mean, it comes with its pros and cons. There's a lot of arguments about it. Me and my dad are always gone. We're always missing Emory's moments. But when we are together, you just gotta cherish them a lot more than we used to. Slim Pushins: It was, it was good having her having your sister out there this weekend. We'll have it all of them. Your mom and her best friend came out. ⁓ and Emory was out there all weekend. ⁓ big chief was out there doing his, doing his thing. He got, he was, ⁓ he took a ride on the old, on the old ripper. ryder laplante: I I love having her out there. Half breed. Yeah. YAHOOG Jim Gardner: The whole state. Slim Pushins: Yeah, the pit bike. All right. We need to start wrapping it up. I have a couple of questions. The first one is, you rather do you think that we landed on the moon? ryder laplante: Yeah. Corby: Here we go. ryder laplante: Oh man, that's a, I'm real 50 50 on that one. Cause Slim Pushins: There's no wrong answer, but the people want to know the real Rider La Plante. Did we ever, do you think that we landed on the moon? ryder laplante: I was real confident about it till the last episode of pushing the cushion. And he made some pretty good facts, like the wind, there ain't no wind up there, I don't think. Then the rocket fuel. Slim Pushins: No! Corby: Jim's got some crazy facts about it. Crazy. Yep. Yep, the stars and then yep. ryder laplante: Amen. Slim Pushins: So you're on the fence, but... ryder laplante: But who's to say any of us are right? So, yeah, I agree. Slim Pushins: ⁓ no, that's the whole, you know, that's the beauty of it. That's what makes it a conversation. Jim refuses to answer the question. He's a, he's ⁓ Jim Gardner: I already have made a declaration. I will do it again. I am Jim Gardner, currently living in Denison, Texas. I'm making this statement of my own free will. I think we landed on the moon. ryder laplante: doesn't want to get assassinated. Slim Pushins: The Russians are listening. ryder laplante: but what's back in it? Slim Pushins: there's a zero percent chance you're going to engage Jim in this conversation. Jim Gardner: Let's take it. Corby: He praised the government is listening. Jim Gardner: I don't, I'm not entertaining that. Slim Pushins: ⁓ and the second question is we had talked about, Corby and I talked about it before. We'd love to be able to check in with you just to race recap from here and there from the road. ⁓ I wish we would have done it. I wish we would have hollered at you and gotten something on tape from, ⁓ while you were out there in Volusia and then while you're out there in Arizona, are you good with that? Can we give you a call? ryder laplante: Bring me any time, Kerbo. You do it at the worst times that I always pick up. Jim Gardner: But we'll be recording now is the only difference. Corby: Spit. Slim Pushins: I really, I really appreciate it. I'm going to start recording my conversations with Corby so people can really see the real Corby. Jim Gardner: You ryder laplante: so they can know how long the phone rings. Slim Pushins: Yes. ryder laplante: Yeah. Jim Gardner: If you're ever in prison, don't waste your one phone call on Corby Sherb. Corby: I always answer. Slim Pushins: No, because he might be working out. Jim Gardner: Yeah. ryder laplante: It'll be like 9 p.m. and he's like, oh, I'm at volleyball practice, you know? Jim Gardner: You're gonna serve five to seven. Slim Pushins: All right, well, we appreciate you. Jim Gardner: Ryder, what do you got going on this weekend? ryder laplante: We'll be heading to Lawton Friday for the World of Outlaws and Creek County Saturday with the Outlaws once again. Jim Gardner: What's coming up. All right. Have you run four tens at either, ⁓ Creek County doesn't run four tens or haven't in a while. don't believe. ryder laplante: No, I'm they have but I've never it's probably gonna be 60 cars there lot in Yeah, lot and is gonna be lot and you know hammer down, so hopefully we're prepared Corby: Creek County be wild too on a 410. Mm-hmm. Jim Gardner: That's good. Slim Pushins: super truckers never gonna get that red dirt and dust out of the whole big black from lot. Jim Gardner: you ryder laplante: Hopefully we don't put new wings on the car again like we did last weekend. Jim Gardner: Yeah. I won't. Yeah. So yeah. Corby: That's what you get, didn't y'all start with a new wing this last weekend? ryder laplante: That might be a new superstition. No new wings on the car. Yeah. Corby: Right starting with a new wing if you're put a new wing on you got to take a hammer to it least put one dent in it Jim Gardner: Yeah, kick it. Put the dent in it. ryder laplante: I agree. Slim Pushins: I tell you, I was going to say this earlier, the absolute, the people that made out like a bandit this weekend at Kennedy was all the teenagers that were going around collecting sheet metal. ryder laplante: One kid asked, can I have your car next time? how ⁓ about you get out of here? Not in the mood. Slim Pushins: Yeah Somebody asked me, somebody asked me if they can have your steering wheel. And I was like, yeah, take it. ryder laplante: That's a very famous question too. All the time. ⁓ yeah. About once a month I'll get that question. Slim Pushins: Is it really? Corby: Are you particular to your serum, Will? ryder laplante: ⁓ I mean, I prefer my MPIs over anything. Corby: I love my dished MPI, I loved it. Slim Pushins: Do you tape it up? mean, is it done up a certain way? ryder laplante: And people make fun of me for it. Not just MPI, it's got its memory foam, whatever they make out of it. Slim Pushins: Is it taped a certain way or anything? Corby: You run a dished will too, right? A little bit raised up. mean you have massive legs, so... Slim Pushins: NASA. ryder laplante: Yeah. It's a go-kart wheel, people say. Corby: Yep. Slim Pushins: All right. Well, Jim's given us the wrap up signal. we're, we're, ⁓ we really appreciate you coming on and taking your time out of being, the last year of your teenage years, being a teenager and taking a, an hour and 12 minutes and hour and 13 minutes now. ⁓ ryder laplante: Never since the moon. Corby: because we got started late tonight too. Jim Gardner: Yep, my bad. Slim Pushins: Okay, I wasn't going to call him out. Leave it up to Corby. ryder laplante: Yeah, I got it. Jim Gardner: Yeah, that's my fault. But, that's right. Yeah. Good luck this weekend. We'll be watching on DirkVision. ⁓ Lawton in Creek County with the world of outlaws this weekend. think there's 305s at Waco Friday. ⁓ I don't know who all is going down to that. ryder laplante: canceling the ESPN after this one. But thank you guys. This was a blast. Slim Pushins: Jim. Are you going to drop? When is this going to release? When is this coming out? Thursday, Friday? Today's Tuesday. Jim Gardner: I'd say Friday morning. I'll look at it. Maybe some tonight, some tomorrow. There's not a fiddle. This is going to be our first video one. Slim Pushins: Friday. Alright. Corby: But all right, Ryder, was great to have you on and learn who you are. ⁓ Good luck this weekend and through the year, and ⁓ hope to get to talk to you again. Slim Pushins: Don't call Corby between six and seven. We'll see y'all later. ryder laplante: Yeah, thank you guys. Slim Pushins: Thank you for listening to the Pushin' Cushion podcast. I'm sorry that it was a complete waste of your time. Maybe Corby and Slim will actually learn how to make an interesting podcast before the next one. Who am I kidding? I don't get paid enough for this. We'll see you next time. My name is Jeff.