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How Indy Went From 150 To Nearly 200 MPH! · In Wheel Time Podcast

• 0:06
  Don Armstrong: And a pleasant Saturday morning to you, and welcome to the Inwheel Time Car Talk Show.
• 0:11
  Don Armstrong: We are so glad to have you with us and welcome.
• 0:14
  Don Armstrong: Just ahead, author Rick Schaefer and his book, An Incredible Decade of Speed at Indy.
• 0:20
  Don Armstrong: It's a new track record.
• 0:22
  Don Armstrong: It's a great book.
• 0:23
  Don Armstrong: We just had a little conversation with him before we went on the air, and great guy.
• 0:26
  Don Armstrong: You're going to really enjoy this interview.
• 0:28
  Don Armstrong: Jeff has uh car culture.
• 0:30
  Don Armstrong: His feature this week is going to be on four-wheel steering.
• 0:34
  Don Armstrong: Yep.
• 0:34
  Don Armstrong: Do they even make it anymore?
• 0:36
  Don Armstrong: Mars has off the beaten path, carting around the Houston area.
• 0:40
  Don Armstrong: That's K-A-R-T-I-N-G, not carding.
• 0:44
  Don Armstrong: Howdy, along with Mike out of this world, Mars.
• 0:46
  Don Armstrong: We always need more Jeff Zeken.
• 0:48
  Don Armstrong: I'm Don Armstrong.
• 0:50
  Don Armstrong: So glad that you could join us for our live version of the In Real Time Car Talk Show.
• 0:56
  Don Armstrong: All right.
• 0:57
  Don Armstrong: Jeffrey, how have you been?
• 0:58
  Jeff Dziekan: Good, good.
• 0:59
  Jeff Dziekan: We're like the uh the uh black shirt gang this week.
• 1:03
  Jeff Dziekan: Uh I had a uh wardrobe malfunction.
• 1:06
  Jeff Dziekan: My blue shirt was interfering with the internet, so we all went black.
• 1:10
  Jeff Dziekan: So there you go.
• 1:12
  Jeff Dziekan: But good, it's been a good week.
• 1:14
  Don Armstrong: That's what I heard.
• 1:15
  Jeff Dziekan: Yep.
• 1:15
  Jeff Dziekan: Hey, went to uh uh Space Center Houston this past week, and it was awesome.
• 1:20
  Jeff Dziekan: If you if you're in Houston or if you're coming to Houston, you need to go see it.
• 1:23
  Jeff Dziekan: It is incredible.
• 1:24
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, it really is.
• 1:26
  Don Armstrong: Mr.
• 1:26
  Don Armstrong: Marnes, uh you survived the rains over there?
• 1:28
  Mike Marrs: Yes, we did.
• 1:30
  Mike Marrs: We're starting to dry out a little bit.
• 1:31
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, that's gonna change again here.
• 1:34
  Jeff Dziekan: So is it is it is it the whole county's going dry or just your city?
• 1:37
  Mike Marrs: No, just this this block area county.
• 1:41
  Jeff Dziekan: The world's going dry over here.
• 1:42
  Don Armstrong: Well, let's get to our guest, shall we?
• 1:44
  Don Armstrong: He's been uh sitting around doing nothing, waiting for us to start the show, and let's just get right to it.
• 1:49
  Don Armstrong: His name is Rick Schaefer, and uh the book is it's a new track record, decade of speed, indie 62 to 72.
• 1:57
  Don Armstrong: What a great decade.
• 1:58
  Don Armstrong: I don't know how you came up with that, but talk about a decade of speed.
• 2:02
  Don Armstrong: Let's talk about a decade of change.
• 2:05
  Don Armstrong: You go from front engine to rear engine, and uh my God, everything really changed in that decade, Rick.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_03: Well, actually, there's a story behind how I came up with this idea.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_03: It isn't my idea.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_03: Uh there were when I my first book came out in 1999 on the first 20 years of the CART IndyCar series.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_03: And um after I came out, a photographer friend of mine named Steve Stony said, Hey, if you think you want to do another book, I got a great idea for you.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_03: And I said, Well, what's that?
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_03: And he said, Well, think of the years 62 to 72 and all the interesting cars, drivers, and teams that came through during that era.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_03: And I thought, that's a great idea.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_03: Well, unfortunately, Steve passed away in 2009, but I thought if I get this book uh written and get it published, I'm gonna dedicate it to Steve.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_03: That's exactly what I've done.
• 2:50
  Don Armstrong: Well, you know one of the first thing that comes to my mind when it comes to that decade, Andy Granatelli, the STP team.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_03: Remember that?
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_03: He was, you know, he was actually in 62, he brought the Novi back for the first time since the 50s.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_03: And uh they didn't make the race that year, but uh that's where you start out with no eyes, and then he brings the you know, he had the first successful tournament cars, and uh of course that Dagua orange color they painted their cars.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_03: That was you know, they stood out.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_03: It was just he was an incredible showman, and it was it was neat that you know he was a major part of this era.
• 3:22
  Don Armstrong: So well, I'll never forget the team, the team colors, those white kind of jumpsuit things with STP stickers all over them.
• 3:30
  Mike Marrs: Yeah, yeah, everybody had the SPD STP stickers on your toolbox and on your notebooks and binders everywhere.
• 3:37
  Mike Marrs: They looked like this was wearable.
• 3:39
  Jeff Dziekan: They look like gas station attendants.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_03: They based them on actually that was the kind of short-sleeve coverall that the European teams were wearing, but they just put their logo all over it.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_03: Andy himself, he had a regular suit made with entirely covered yes.
• 3:53
  Don Armstrong: Sure did.
• 3:55
  Don Armstrong: So um what what so okay?
• 3:58
  Don Armstrong: So we understand how how you got to write the book, but this isn't your first book from what I understand.
• 4:03
  unknown: Right.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_03: This is my fourth book on racing.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_03: So I I after the current book, I got to co-author the autocorse history of the 500 with Donald Davidson, and then my most recent book was uh I always thought it'd be neat to do a story, a book just with nothing but nondescript stories that weren't widely known because so many of the 500 books had the same stories over and over again, same photos.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_03: So then I I uh had an outfit called uh Coastal 181, published uh uh 500 on the Indy 500.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_03: And then uh, of course, this is this new book is is from these people from England, wonderful people named Everrow Publishing Limited, and uh it was my first uh effort with them, so I've been very happy.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_03: They put out a beautiful product.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_03: They I've had some of their books before.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_03: I have a racing book collection of about 500 copies.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_03: So wow.
• 4:49
  Don Armstrong: 500 copies.
• 4:50
  Don Armstrong: So, in other words, we'll all get one.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_03: And uh well, this there's been 500 different titles, actually.
• 4:56
  Don Armstrong: So oh, I see 500 different books.
• 4:58
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, I guess.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_03: That's my library, that's my research center.
• 5:01
  Don Armstrong: So well, hey, we're always looking for a freebie.
• 5:03
  Don Armstrong: Hey, you're a media guy, you know about that.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, yeah.
• 5:07
  Don Armstrong: As a matter of fact, a little bit of background on Rick.
• 5:10
  Don Armstrong: Um, he used to work for a uh very well-known newspaper there in Indianapolis, and he was also part of an indie team.
• 5:17
  Don Armstrong: Tell us about that, Rick.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_03: Well, uh, when I decided it was time to leave my newspaper career, I had a chance to be the public relations director for uh team called Bettenhausen Motorsports, and this was run by Tony Bentonhausen.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_03: He was the youngest son of the uh same-name driver who was you know such a standout in the late 40s and 50s.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_03: And uh uh I I worked uh six years with him, and uh for the years my driver was uh an ex 401 driver named Stefan Johansson, who's now gone to be the manager of uh people like Scott Dixon and Felix Rosenquist.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_03: And uh we had a year with a French Canadian driver named Patrick Carponte, and then my last year with the team, we had this uh wonderful Brazilian rookie named Castro Mavis.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_03: And I always ask people you heard of this guy.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_03: But he we we formed a nice friendship from that, and and when I my previous book, he actually did the forward.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_03: So so naturally when I did this next book, I had to give another full-time lawyer.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_03: So I I uh was very blessed to have AJ Foyt do that.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_03: And uh, his publicist, I said, you know, he's the only driver still living.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_03: It was in all those races that I covered that book.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_03: So that kind of put the deal over the top, I think.
• 6:26
  Don Armstrong: Well, you know, I'll tell you, I had the opportunity to actually have lunch with him one time several years ago.
• 6:32
  Don Armstrong: And uh, you know, once you take off the anger and the competitive thing that he's got going on, the aura around him, he's really a nice guy.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I you know, the the thing about Mr.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_03: Foyt is is how you approach him.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_03: And uh I being a rather shy person, uh I decided the best way was to go through the pubble system.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_03: That seems to always work.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_03: Anytime I've dealt with him, he's just been you know extremely you know cordial and accommodating.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_03: And uh actually I'll tell you a little story.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I was doing a I used to write for a now defunct magazine called uh Vintage Motorsport.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_03: And uh I was doing a story on the 64500, and so naturally I had to talk to him because he won the race.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_03: And uh we were at the Houston IndyCar race, and so uh he was finishing up breakfast, so I go on to his coach and I said, sure, you you have come on back, and he said, Do I know you?
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_03: And I said, Well, yeah, AJ.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_03: I used to work for the star with Robin Miller.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_03: He goes, Well, we've been friends for 30 years in Hamlet.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_03: That just broke the ice, had a wonderful interview with him.
• 7:33
  Don Armstrong: So well, uh I was I was quite surprised, pleasantly surprised.
• 7:39
  Don Armstrong: Uh really a nice guy, and um I I thoroughly enjoyed the interview.
• 7:42
  Don Armstrong: So let's talk to your talk to you about your book.
• 7:45
  Don Armstrong: Um so 62 to 72, 10 years at the ND500.
• 7:51
  Don Armstrong: And uh what what really surprised you that you would point out to anybody that reads your book, hey, be sure and check this section out.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_03: Well, actually, overall, is if you look at 1962, there were still skeptics that thought it was impossible to go to 150 mile an hour until Pinelli Jones goes out and breaks the track record.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_03: And two years later, Bobby Marsman had a practice lap at 160, so they jumped 10 miles over what was supposedly impossible.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_03: By the end of my era 72, they're nudging the 200 mile-an-hour market.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, it's just the thing was it was just uh in those 11 races, you had the track record broken nine times.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_03: So, Tom Carney, of course, the track announcer got to utter that famous it's a new track record.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_03: And uh, you know, it was just really quite an era for technology.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, you went from all front engine to rear engine cars uh by 1969.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_03: Uh by 1970, every engine was turbocharged, and there were no limits.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_03: Uh they were getting more than a thousand horsepower, you know, by the early 70s, and then uh the aerodynamics came into play, and of course, with that, we also had slick tires for the first time.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_03: So, you know, things like that.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_03: That's what really made this so special the different things that happened and uh the people who you know came and wet.
• 9:05
  Don Armstrong: So the it it makes me think of the question what do you think of today's cars and today's technology?
• 9:13
  Don Armstrong: I mean uh uh 240 miles an hour?
• 9:16
  Don Armstrong: Seriously, somebody's gonna get killed.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_03: Well, interestingly, they've gotten safer as they've gotten faster.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I know it doesn't sound like that'd be right, but uh, you know, they've they've come up with a lot of ways.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_03: Probably the main thing that helped them safety-wise was when they went to the ground effects, they put the fuel tank behind the driver, so suddenly fire's no longer an issue that it had once been.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_03: You know, you see a fire in a car, it's usually the oil reserve tanks uh ignited.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_03: And uh, you know, the the materials, the carbon fiber is much better than the aluminum or than the honeycomb aluminum they use for the tubs.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_03: Uh you know, the helmets are better, the fire suits are better.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_03: And of course, uh, you know, they the Speedway was the first to use this, what they call the safer barrier, which is a really, you know, you wouldn't think that it would it would it's cushioning the the effects of their when they're hitting the wall, as long as they're hitting solid concrete, not you know, no give anyway.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_03: So um, but um they've had a knock on wood uh since 1982, they've had uh three fatalities of indie car drivers at the speedway.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_03: So we're going on like a 23-year-old.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_03: The last guy that was was uh killed was uh in a test, uh uh promising looking Tony Rana had finished seventh the previous May.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_03: This was the fall of 2003, and they haven't had a fatality for indicator drivers since in Indianapolis anyway.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_03: And this is this tractor, you know, totaled like 43 drivers lost their lives there over the years.
• 10:46
  Don Armstrong: So who was the grumpiest driver that you ever interviewed?
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_03: Oh boy, that's a good question.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_03: I I I think I was pretty lucky.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_03: I didn't really run into you know a lot of you know, the question is, you know, when you talk to this person, I mean, um uh my first autograph was Al Ancer.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_03: He was a rookie man.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_03: I was a little 12-year-old kid, and he talked to my brother and I like we were bored.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_03: And uh when I went to the star and ready to do my first Al Ancer feature, I was warning now, listen, you know, he doesn't see you as a fan like he did when you were a kid.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_03: So, you know, he he doesn't he didn't like reporters.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_03: I I think he got burned by a couple of people, so uh, you know, it was not the fun interview I thought it was gonna be.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_03: But uh really I've been really lucky that I haven't had any, you know, tattoos with drivers.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_03: I I think I tried to be careful about when to approach them, and uh, you know, in the case of AJ Foyt, you know, you're you're best served on some of them are better when you go through the public system in their face and uh bothering so right.
• 11:55
  Don Armstrong: Well, I I I find it fascinating.
• 11:57
  Don Armstrong: Well tell me about uh the changes at the speedway uh now that uh the boss has taken over that speedway, and and uh there have been quite a few changes.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, you know, we're still in the early part of this.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_03: Uh he was really kind of hampered because when he bought the track, then COVID came on.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_03: So I'm not really sure all the things he's gonna do.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_03: Uh now I I'm 73 years old, and I I last five years I've I've gone to the race, not as a journalist, but as a fan again.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_03: And my brother and I, we sit on the top row of what they call the VISPA stands and turn four.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_03: So that's 44 rows up.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_03: And this year they put handrails on the aisles.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_03: And boy, for for us, that was a you know a wonderful little thing.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_03: You wouldn't think would be a big deal.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_03: It's a big deal to your average fan.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_03: But uh, you know, Roger Penske, of course, he's noted for his uh immaculate-looking cars and and uh crew guides and transporters.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_03: So uh, you know, the speedway wasn't really decrepit when he bought it, but you know, you can just see he's really making extra strides to make it even more professional-looking facility.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm biased, I think it's the greatest racing track in the world.
• 13:05
  Don Armstrong: So I've been there a couple of times, and I have to tell you that uh thoroughly impressed.
• 13:10
  Don Armstrong: And I've been to a lot of racetracks around, but there's something extra special about Indy, and uh, you know, it's a great big huge long track.
• 13:18
  Don Armstrong: And if you're gonna go pick a seat, well, good luck because you're not going to see the entire track like so many are today, and that's the way that they're built.
• 13:26
  Don Armstrong: But uh when this thing was built, they didn't have all of the in-field stuff going on like they do today to block the view.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_03: Well, actually they had a lot more trees in the ability, you think.
• 13:37
  Don Armstrong: Oh, really?
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and and the other thing was the grandstands were just single level, so it wasn't until after the war they put the the you know the double level grandstands on uh the front straightaway, and then of course the business stand I referred to, they're in all the turns now.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_03: They're very they're a lot higher than the other ones ever had been.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_03: So uh, you know, my top row is 44, and then they some of them have an overhang with two more rows of seats.
• 14:00
  Mike Marrs: Yeah, so the track had to grow around the track, if you will, because the the track, the race surface, is pretty much like it was, other than you know, being fixed up and maintained.
• 14:10
  Mike Marrs: But it sounds like the track itself grew around that.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_03: Well, what happened actually was when they were planning the track, uh they wanted to build a five-mile-long circle.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_03: And so the property they bought after they they they hired the engineer after they bought the property and and they get in together and they show him a map that's got their property, and it was 328 acres of uh farmland, so it was flat.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_03: And uh uh they went in, they told him this is what they want.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_03: Well, the problem was the the configuration of the property was a mile long going north to south, half mile wide, east to west.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_03: So it's like you do the math, can you put a five-mile circle inside a half mile rectangle?
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_03: Of course you can't.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_03: So this engineer seized the moment because he can see these guys are ready to sell this property and start looking elsewhere.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_03: And uh he laid out a three-mile rectangle.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_03: That's the thing, it's not an oval, it's a rectangle of nine-degree rounded corners.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_03: And uh it was a three-mile track that took up all the room, but then he realized he had not left any room for uh uh uh grandstands.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_03: And he said, You did say you're gonna have races, right?
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_03: And they said, Yeah, he said, Okay, I need to shorten the track by a half a mile because we need to put the grandstands on the outside of what would be the front straightaway, and that half mile will give me enough room to do that, and uh so that's why the track is shaped like it is, and of course, you know, the grandstands that I don't think they envisioned having them all almost all the way around the entire track now.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_03: Now the golf course came around in the late 20s, and uh what was funny was they originally were going to build an infill road course, but Carl Fisher, the the main driving force among the founders, decided let's make this an aviation automotive facility.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_03: So for a while, you actually had a running uh runway that went diagonal between turns one and three, and a large building inside of turn two, which we call a hangar today, they call it an aerodrome, it's the biggest in the world at the time.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_03: So, and all that got demolished, and the great aviator Rick Eddie Rickenbacker bought the track and puts it in a golf course.
• 16:05
  Don Armstrong: So well, a fascinating story.
• 16:08
  Don Armstrong: And listen, we could we could sit and talk to you for at least a day and pick in your brain about Indy and uh the Indy 500 and uh the cars, the drivers, all of that.
• 16:18
  Don Armstrong: But the new book, it's it's a new track record, 1962 to 72, an incredible decade of speed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
• 16:27
  Don Armstrong: The author, Rick Schaefer, uh, and we certainly appreciate the time that you've spent with us today, Rick.
• 16:32
  Don Armstrong: And and we wish you the best of luck.
• 16:33
  Don Armstrong: And hey, uh, call us anytime, because we we can talk to you about the book all we want, but you know, we we also like a fellow journalist, and uh and uh I know that you've got tons of stories to tell.
• 16:45
  Jeff Dziekan: We could meet him at Indy next year.
• 16:47
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, that's right.
• 16:48
  Don Armstrong: So we'll meet you there.
• 16:49
  Don Armstrong: You can buy us a hot book.
• 16:51
  Don Armstrong: Okay, we'll we'll we'll we'll look forward to that.
• 16:53
  Don Armstrong: Rick, thanks so much again.
• 16:55
  Don Armstrong: Before you leave, I did want to mention to you, this is a tabletop book.
• 16:59
  Don Armstrong: Father's Day is coming up, and as you mentioned off the air, Rick, that uh go to uh any just Google uh the the book or Rick's name, and uh I'm sure that there are probably a dozen different places that you can get the book, and it would be a great one to have uh to give away to dad.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_03: Well, thank you for the kind words.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_03: And and can I say one quick thing before we leave?
• 17:21
  Don Armstrong: Please, please do, yes.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, uh, you were mentioning a four-wheel steering car.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_03: Well, Mickey Thompson brought one to the speedway in 1967, and there's a picture of it on page 153 of the book.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_03: So well, there's my segment.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_03: Thanks.
• 17:39
  Don Armstrong: All right, Rick.
• 17:40
  Don Armstrong: Well, thank you.
• 17:40
  Don Armstrong: Thanks again.
• 17:41
  Don Armstrong: We really appreciate you, and best uh best of luck to you in the future, and we'll talk to you talk to you down the road.
• 17:46
  unknown: Thank you.
• 17:46
  Mike Marrs: Thanks, sir.
• 17:47
  Don Armstrong: Thank you.
• 17:48
  Don Armstrong: Hey, just ahead, Jeff's car culture, four-wheel steering, as we just mentioned.
• 17:51
  Don Armstrong: Mars has go-kart tracks around Houston and his driving destinations feature.
• 17:56
  Don Armstrong: All that more coming up right after this break on the In-Wheel Time Car Talk Show.
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  Don Armstrong: He's pretty good.
• 19:00
  Don Armstrong: Apple or Android In Wheel Time Podcasts can be found everywhere, on the stream and through downloads.
• 19:05
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• 19:10
  Don Armstrong: Honest new car reviews, fun, informative interviews with real car people, weekly automotive news, features like Jeff's car culture, mic's driving destinations, all on In Wheel Time.
• 19:20
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• 19:26
  Don Armstrong: Inwheeltime.com has a list, so check us out.
• 19:31
  Don Armstrong: Join us 10 to noon Central Time every Saturday for our live show about all things automotive.
• 19:36
  Don Armstrong: We hope you'll we hope that you'll get a whiff of it and to tell everybody.
• 19:40
  Don Armstrong: And then we thank you for being with us today.
• 19:42
  Don Armstrong: And with that in mind, I want to say that in two weeks we're going to be in Granbury for the Lone Star Street Broad Association.
• 19:51
  Don Armstrong: Actually, it is called the State Run.
• 19:54
  Don Armstrong: And there's a history behind that, and we'll talk to somebody about that in a little bit.
• 19:58
  Don Armstrong: But uh it's a it's a great show, so um it's actually worth a day trip up there.
• 20:03
  Jeff Dziekan: I'm getting a new suitcase for all of my hair care products, specifically for that.
• 20:07
  Jeff Dziekan: All right.
• 20:07
  Don Armstrong: Time now for Jeff's Car Culture.
• 20:09
  Don Armstrong: Four-wheel steering.
• 20:10
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, uh we we've heard of it, we've seen it somewhere demonstrated, but uh it was first popularized in the 80s.
• 20:16
  Jeff Dziekan: Uh four-wheel steering or four WS is all-wheel steering, uh AWS is all-wheel steering, relatively common, but all-wheel steering uh does have uh certain benefits and also has certain things that you really don't want to get involved in.
• 20:31
  Jeff Dziekan: So rear-wheel steering vehicles utilize a system where rear wheels can turn in conjunction or with opposite to the front wheels, enhancing maneuverability and stability.
• 20:40
  Jeff Dziekan: The system allows the rear wheels to turn in either direction or in the same direction as the wheels called parallel for stability at high speeds.
• 20:48
  Jeff Dziekan: Why four-wheel steering you might ask?
• 20:50
  Jeff Dziekan: Mike was asking this, uh car manufacturers fit four-wheel steering in various reasons.
• 20:55
  Jeff Dziekan: High speeds, rear steering, uh rear wheels normal to turn in the same direction as the front wheels, as whereas at low speeds they would turn in an opposite direction.
• 21:04
  Jeff Dziekan: These drive-by-wire systems usually have no physical linkage between the steering wheel and the rear wheels, unlike earlier mechanical.
• 21:11
  Jeff Dziekan: That's comforting to know.
• 21:13
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
• 21:13
  Jeff Dziekan: Uh is it the same?
• 21:14
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, since all cars front wheels are steered in the front wheel, uh and some are referred to as rear steering vehicles, that would be like a forklift or a rear skid turning uh device, uh, but not strictly correct.
• 21:29
  Jeff Dziekan: It refers to a vehicle that has fixed front wheels and steered by the rear wheels only, such as a forklift truck, as just stated.
• 21:36
  Jeff Dziekan: Now, four-wheel steering is used most popular uh to handle on the best sports cars and maneuverability of some of the biggest SUVs and truck models.
• 21:44
  Jeff Dziekan: It's a great way to aid the handling of a large heavy-duty truck or a large heavy-duty SUV, and appears to be more nimble and agile as they would otherwise be.
• 21:53
  Jeff Dziekan: It's usually found in more expensive vehicles and not regarded to be worth the complexity, weight, and extra cost of the year.
• 22:00
  Jeff Dziekan: Your everyday small vehicles like your Hondas, your Toyotas, and things.
• 22:03
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, how does it work?
• 22:04
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, we just talked a little bit about that, but mainly the front wheel steering uh steers it while the rear wheels provide the motivative force in that direction.
• 22:14
  Jeff Dziekan: So uh you're saying, well, uh what kind of cars do we usually get them on?
• 22:18
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, the engine and the drivetrain do matter on this.
• 22:21
  Jeff Dziekan: Uh it's a report that the uh different speeds and different uh turning radiuses, which uh are very limited on some of these as well.
• 22:29
  Jeff Dziekan: Some of the disadvantages you're looking at the cost.
• 22:32
  Jeff Dziekan: Now, if you have the system, if you were to buy it on a car nowadays, you're looking at about a five grand option for this.
• 22:39
  Jeff Dziekan: If it was to go out of warranty and it breaks, you're looking anywhere between a$1,800 minimum repair per corner or just a replacement of$3,500 per corner.
• 22:49
  Don Armstrong: When the mechanic sees one coming in the door, this does he goes how does that work?
• 22:54
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
• 22:55
  Jeff Dziekan: And of course, uh one of the other parts is the malfunction.
• 22:57
  Jeff Dziekan: If one part of it goes down, then then they all go down.
• 23:00
  Jeff Dziekan: So it's it's pretty much uh it's a it's a risky thing to do.
• 23:05
  Jeff Dziekan: Various Audis, various BMWs, Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsche models, and you can still get it to today.
• 23:11
  Jeff Dziekan: You can get a lot of them through Mercedes.
• 23:12
  Jeff Dziekan: Mercedes do offer it as an option when you go in there and look at those cars.
• 23:16
  Jeff Dziekan: And Mike just clicked on it.
• 23:17
  Jeff Dziekan: My favorite, which is the uh bonus pick.
• 23:20
  Jeff Dziekan: There's a rear-wheel drive vehicle right there.
• 23:22
  Jeff Dziekan: That was actually uh a four-wheel drive vehicle.
• 23:24
  Jeff Dziekan: A rear-wheel drive, still-wheel steering.
• 23:28
  Jeff Dziekan: Uh so the tires on this lunar rover were uh a wire mesh uh composite uh for durability to add to the temperatures so that they didn't sink in the sand and the and the moon dust and all that good stuff.
• 23:40
  Jeff Dziekan: But that vehicle was on Apollo 15, 16, and 17, and they're still up there.
• 23:45
  Jeff Dziekan: So I think, Mike, what we need to do is send you up there to bring them back on a flatbed and we'll check them out.
• 23:51
  Don Armstrong: Oh yeah.
• 23:52
  Don Armstrong: That would be fun.
• 23:53
  Don Armstrong: Okay, good.
• 23:54
  Don Armstrong: Well, that what a great that's a great feature.
• 23:56
  Jeff Dziekan: I took that uh at uh Johnson Space Center.
• 23:58
  Jeff Dziekan: That was a display.
• 23:59
  Don Armstrong: Oh, really?
• 24:00
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, that's a good last picture.
• 24:01
  Jeff Dziekan: So that's why I've sent it to Mike Lake.
• 24:03
  Don Armstrong: Let's get over to driving destinations.
• 24:05
  Don Armstrong: Mr.
• 24:05
  Don Armstrong: Mars has that.
• 24:06
  Don Armstrong: We're talking about go-karting.
• 24:08
  Mike Marrs: Yeah, so we're gonna stay along the same lines of something that's fun to drive.
• 24:12
  Mike Marrs: So if you're looking for something that goes beyond the big indoor uh chains, you know, like around Houston, there's a couple of places, big multi-story buildings that uh take up several blocks.
• 24:23
  Mike Marrs: And it's so if you're looking for something that gets a little more personality, a little bit more host or history, or some old school Texas vibes, then we've got a few of those that we can look at.
• 24:34
  Mike Marrs: So we're gonna start with uh the go-kart raceway, great name off of West Mount Houston Road in Houston.
• 24:41
  Mike Marrs: But for decades, it's been kind of a quiet, but it's been one of Houston's best old school outdoor cart tracks.
• 24:47
  Mike Marrs: Survived after all the similar family entertainment centers have all disappeared.
• 24:52
  Mike Marrs: Now they've all got some sort of arcade system and everything built in with it, but it's all part of trying to make that family experience to go along with it.
• 25:00
  Mike Marrs: But now this facility includes the arcade games, laser tag, and the 1960s vibe, just an old school vibe that uh families can go to, particularly the younger riders, because they've got four different levels of carts.
• 25:13
  Mike Marrs: You got regular carts, you got two seaters so that you can take and ride with the kids.
• 25:17
  Mike Marrs: They've also got what they call the supercarts, which you've got to be 15, at least 15 years old to drive, or they've got an F1 cart that you've got to be 16 with a driver's license to be able to drive.
• 25:27
  Mike Marrs: So they've got a lot of variety there out there on their tracks.
• 25:31
  Mike Marrs: Then uh the second one would be Speedy's Fast Track up off Hempstead Road.
• 25:36
  Mike Marrs: Now, it's really been a neighborhood type entertainment center because that's what they've built and that's what they've kept.
• 25:42
  Mike Marrs: Now it's alongside Hempstead Road, so there's a lot of attractions there with go-karts, mini golf, laser tag, and some arcade games.
• 25:49
  Mike Marrs: It's kind of a compact place, but it's all uh something you can get to, and it's a little more personal than you find with a national polish change with a lot of the neon lights and flashing indoor racing type things.
• 26:01
  Mike Marrs: It's not a big track, but it's got a lot of tight turns that might think you about the old school when you were a kid and used to go and drive on them.
• 26:08
  Mike Marrs: And because it all keeps all the racing close.
• 26:10
  Mike Marrs: It's lively and it's very competitive because it's all such like a short track.
• 26:14
  Mike Marrs: Now, you can make it for a great casual date night destination because it balances fun.
• 26:19
  Mike Marrs: You got a little bit of atmosphere, you've got lots of different things you can do at Speedy's to get because of the quirky personality that keeps people coming back year after year.
• 26:27
  Mike Marrs: This made this a really great place to go do.
• 26:30
  Mike Marrs: Now, the other ones a little more upscale is Speed Sports Racing Park.
• 26:35
  Mike Marrs: We've talked to these spies before.
• 26:36
  Mike Marrs: And I brought them in because they are out of the way.
• 26:39
  Mike Marrs: They're up in New Caney, so they're up in Southeast Texas, if you will, and they've got a lot of arcades, of course.
• 26:45
  Mike Marrs: And you know, they do a lot of birthday parties and they got a big venue there.
• 26:49
  Mike Marrs: But it's all into motorsport culture.
• 26:52
  Mike Marrs: The outdoor track is fast, it's very technical, and it's designed for drivers who want to improve lap times because they do have league racing here that you can get involved with.
• 27:03
  Mike Marrs: They also have driver coaching that you can get involved with.
• 27:06
  Mike Marrs: So whether you're a beginner or you get into the competitive cart racing, uh, you can see different levels of driving on this track that'll reach that everybody can participate on.
• 27:17
  Mike Marrs: And uh they also actually do have a racing academy that you can sign up for if you really want to get into it and get serious.
• 27:24
  Mike Marrs: Then the next one, I was surprised to find this one, MSR in Houston.
• 27:29
  Mike Marrs: We talk about MSR in Houston a lot because of the road course on it, uh, but did not know about the carting.
• 27:36
  Mike Marrs: Wow.
• 27:36
  Mike Marrs: They actually have carting.
• 27:38
  Mike Marrs: Now, this is down in Angleton.
• 27:40
  Mike Marrs: Uh they've got uh where they along with all their track for their road track for their cars and stuff, it is a track that's set up for golf carts.
• 27:50
  Mike Marrs: Now it's part of that like larger complex, it's a shorter track.
• 27:54
  Mike Marrs: Uh it's a three-quarter mile part of the track, and you've got to be at least thirteen years old to get on this course and get on this track because it is a little skillful.
• 28:03
  Mike Marrs: I mean, it takes some skill and you've got to be able to drive it.
• 28:06
  Mike Marrs: And because the track itself is long, it's smooth, and it's quick enough that you're gonna get some speed up, and I think they can get up to like 45 miles an hour in this course, and so you've got with the turns and stuff, you've got concrete walls.
• 28:18
  Mike Marrs: It's a racetrack for cars that you're gonna get into in a golf in a go-kart.
• 28:22
  Mike Marrs: So you gotta be uh I gotta have some skills, you gotta pay a little bit of attention.
• 28:27
  Mike Marrs: The the last one I found that uh I thought was really interesting.
• 28:30
  Mike Marrs: Now, this is down in Galveston.
• 28:32
  Mike Marrs: So it's still, I consider that still part of the Houston area, but it's down on Seawall Boulevard in Galveston.
• 28:37
  Mike Marrs: It's the Galveston Go-Kart and Fun Center.
• 28:41
  Mike Marrs: Now, this is Beachtown.
• 28:42
  Mike Marrs: We're talking resort, Beachtown Energy.
• 28:44
  Mike Marrs: It's got a lot of uh charm to it because of the retro family amusement park setting it's in.
• 28:50
  Mike Marrs: Along the seawall, it's very easy to be part of that beach atmosphere.
• 28:55
  Mike Marrs: A lot of people on vacations going down here, but they've also got the outdoor cart track, and it's not really ultra competitive, but it's great for going out just to go for a ride that you want to get quick on and maybe have a little family racing setup or just something to do on vacation, like a lot of towns across the country.
• 29:13
  Mike Marrs: They do have arcade games and they've got uh a lot of other things like pool tables.
• 29:19
  Mike Marrs: Uh, they do have some axe throwing that Don found real popular one time.
• 29:22
  Mike Marrs: We were talking about that.
• 29:24
  Mike Marrs: Then we also have a uh virtual reality roller coaster that I thought was rather I was trying to understand.
• 29:31
  Don Armstrong: Don't even talk to me about roller coasters, okay?
• 29:34
  Mike Marrs: But it's a virtual one.
• 29:36
  Mike Marrs: You just put on the headset and go, man.
• 29:38
  Mike Marrs: Okay.
• 29:38
  Mike Marrs: Well, thank you very much.
• 29:40
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, we appreciate that.
• 29:41
  Don Armstrong: Driving destinations go-karting around the Houston area.
• 29:43
  Don Armstrong: Thank you, Mr.
• 29:44
  Don Armstrong: Mars.
• 29:44
  Don Armstrong: In real time car talk show continues right after this quick break.
• 29:48
  Don Armstrong: Stay with us.
• 29:49
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• 30:35
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• 30:49
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• 31:11
  Don Armstrong: Call Bill today, 832-922-0963.
• 31:15
  Don Armstrong: That's 832-922-0963.
• 31:20
  Don Armstrong: That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show.
• 31:24
  Don Armstrong: I'm Don Armstrong, inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and our InWheelTime.com website.
• 31:34
  Don Armstrong: Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartPodcast, Podcast Addict, TuneIn, Pandora, and Amazon Music.
• 31:42
  Don Armstrong: Keep listening, and we'll see you soon.