Latest / Austin Signal / Early voting numbers, local council and House races, F1 Grand Prix

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Early voting numbers, local council and House races, F1 Grand Prix · Austin Signal

0:08
It is the third day of early voting,
0:10
and so far here in Travis County,
0:12
the number of early ballots cast is
0:14
higher than past midterm years.
0:16
We're gonna talk about the numbers
0:17
we're seeing so far.
0:18
In Southwest Austin, we'll have a
0:20
new city council representative for
0:21
the first time since 2019.
0:23
We're going to tell you about the
0:24
candidates vying for that open seat.
0:26
Plus, in addition to the local races
0:28
that we're keeping tabs on, there
0:29
are plenty others with national
0:31
implications that we are watching.
0:33
That includes U.S.
0:34
House Districts 21 and 37,
0:36
More about those seats and
0:38
candidates coming up on today's
0:39
show.
0:40
The Austin Signal is a production
0:42
of KUT News, hosted by
0:44
Jerry Quijano.
0:45
It's shaping up to be a massive
0:47
weekend of sports in Austin, capped
0:48
off by the Formula One U.S.
0:50
Grand Prix out at Circuit of the
0:52
Americas.
0:52
We're gonna talk about the names and
0:54
the cars that you should be watching
0:55
closely.
0:56
That's up next on Austin Signal.
1:09
Howdy out there, this is Austin
1:11
Signal. I'm your host, Jerry
1:13
Keconnell. It is Wednesday, October
1:15
21st.
1:16
Thank you for tuning in and making
1:17
us part of your day.
1:19
Early voting numbers are breaking
1:21
records this week here in our area
1:23
and across the state.
1:24
Here with a quick update is KUT's
1:26
Travis County reporter, Katie
1:27
McAfee. Katie, welcome to the show.
1:28
Thanks, Jerry.
1:29
Okay, so exactly what kind of
1:31
numbers are we looking at with early
1:32
voting turnout in Travis County so
1:34
far?
1:35
Yeah, so two days in,
1:37
9.59% of registered
1:38
voters in Travis County have cast a
1:40
ballot. That is almost 91,000
1:42
people in Travis county so far.
1:45
So we're pretty much in line with
1:46
voter turnout in 2018, but we're
1:48
still way ahead of voter turnout
1:50
in the 2022 midterm.
1:52
So, so far it's looking really
1:53
strong.
1:54
Yeah, looking really strong compared
1:55
to those last couple of midterm
1:56
go-arounds. What about looking a
1:58
little bit further back?
1:59
Are the numbers kind of
2:00
astronomically higher compared to
2:02
what we're seeing this year?
2:02
I would say astronomically higher,
2:04
for sure. People are really
2:05
motivated to turn out for this
2:07
election. We've got a lot of hot
2:09
races on the ballot, the U.S.
2:11
Senate race, of course, but also I
2:12
think Travis County voters are
2:13
turning out locally for some local
2:15
races. We've five city council
2:17
seats up for grabs and a
2:19
bunch of propositions that people
2:20
are turning out for too.
2:22
Speaking of the Travis County
2:24
elections, the clerk that runs the
2:26
elections, were they prepared for
2:27
this kind of massive turnout?
2:29
And they were. They were gaging
2:31
turnout based on the primary
2:33
election, which also saw historic
2:35
turnout for the same
2:37
reasons. There were local races on
2:38
the ballot, and also people were
2:40
turning out for that U.S.
2:41
Senate race.
2:42
They are preparing, in the words
2:44
of Travis County Clerk Diana Lamone
2:45
Mercado, to have the most accessible
2:47
election in our community's history.
2:50
So they kind of prepared for this by
2:51
increasing voter
2:53
sites, and they're increasing
2:55
hours. So there's 45 early
2:57
voting locations available this
2:58
election.
2:59
That's up from 38 last year,
3:01
and there's 201 places
3:03
where you can cast a ballot on
3:05
election day.
3:06
Another change this year is that the
3:08
polls are open from 7 a.m.
3:09
To 7 p.m., every day, even
3:11
over the weekend.
3:13
During the primary election and
3:14
previous elections over the week,
3:15
and ours were like from noon to six.
3:18
So that should help folks out who
3:20
have crazy schedules.
3:21
And then on the last two days of
3:23
early voting, seven polling sites
3:24
are gonna be open until 10 o'clock
3:26
at night.
3:27
Over at VoteTravis.gov, there is
3:29
a map with estimated wait times.
3:31
We've been seeing quite a few
3:32
locations here in Austin with longer
3:33
wait times, have there been any
3:35
major issues at polling places that
3:37
we have heard of so far?
3:38
Nothing major.
3:39
You know, wait times, I'm looking at
3:41
the map live right now.
3:42
There are a few places with over a
3:44
50 minute wait, some have around a
3:46
30 minute wait, but there are plenty
3:47
of places centrally located
3:49
that have less than a 20 minute
3:51
wait. So if folks just
3:53
go out of their way to go somewhere
3:54
that they don't usually go to,
3:55
there's countywide voting in Travis
3:57
County. So you don't have to go
3:59
to your usual spot.
4:00
Other major issues so far, it's
4:02
been pretty quiet.
4:03
Travis County did let reporters
4:05
know that they had a few paper
4:07
jams on the first day of early
4:09
voting when people were submitting
4:10
their ballots.
4:12
I think elections just get people
4:14
a little bit nervous if something
4:16
like that happens.
4:17
But funny enough, the county
4:18
actually held a tour
4:20
of the county clerk's office last
4:22
week for reporters to
4:24
see what goes behind the scenes when
4:25
they're putting on an election.
4:27
The things they told us is that they
4:29
have a slogan, it's not a
4:30
conspiracy, it's a paper jam.
4:32
This is something that happens and
4:33
people might freak out a little bit.
4:35
Elections can make us high strung.
4:37
You wanna see your ballot go in
4:39
there and make sure that it gets
4:40
counted, but this has happened
4:42
in the past. It happened on Monday,
4:43
but other than that so far, things
4:45
have been smooth sailing.
4:47
Alright, that is KUT's Travis County
4:49
reporter Katie McAfee.
4:50
Katie, do you mind sticking around
4:51
for a little bit?
4:52
I will stick around.
4:52
All right, very cool.
5:01
Austin City Council District 8 is
5:02
getting new representation for the
5:04
first time in eight years.
5:06
Councilmember Paige Ellis wanted to
5:08
seek a third term, but her petition
5:09
ultimately was rejected.
5:11
That means the race is down to two
5:13
candidates who are familiar faces
5:15
around City Hall.
5:16
KUT's Luz Moreno Lozano tells
5:18
us more.
5:19
The race for the District 8 seat is
5:21
between Salina Shia, who led the
5:23
Austin EMS Association, and
5:25
Jeffrey Bowen, who previously ran
5:26
for Austin Mayor.
5:28
The district includes parts of West
5:30
and Southwest Austin.
5:31
It's home to more than 99,000 people
5:34
and hundreds of acres of green space
5:35
including Zilker Park, the Barton
5:37
Creek Green Belt, and the Violet
5:39
Crown Trail.
5:40
Its unique location makes it prone
5:42
to natural disasters.
5:43
Both candidates field as one of the
5:45
top issues facing the district.
5:47
Shia and Bowen shared their views on
5:49
that and other matters during a
5:51
recent candidate forum at KUT.
5:54
On how the city can save money
5:55
during a challenging budget cycle,
5:57
Shia says she has a unique
5:58
perspective as a commander for
5:59
Austin.
6:00
Travis County EMS.
6:01
There are a lot of programs that I
6:03
see that I would think we would need
6:04
to cut before we ask to tax
6:06
our residents even more.
6:08
And I also do believe
6:10
that we need to do some
6:12
form of auditing.
6:13
My preference is that we expand our
6:14
auditor's office.
6:18
Shia does not support Proposition I.
6:19
That's a proposal that would require the city
6:20
to perform an independent audit
6:22
every five years.
6:24
Shia says she would support regular
6:26
internal audits.
6:28
Bowen says affordability and
6:30
providing essential city services is
6:32
a balancing act, and he believes the
6:33
best way to strike that balance is
6:35
by taking a deeper dive into the
6:36
city's spending and finding ways to
6:38
cut back.
6:40
He says before the city asks people
6:41
to raise their property taxes, an
6:43
audit needs to be done.
6:44
That is why he is supportive of
6:46
Prop I.
6:47
I find that they don't, nobody wants
6:48
to go in and start looking at what
6:50
issues need to be actually looked
6:52
at.
6:53
Where's the performance on these?
6:55
What's working, what's not working?
6:56
While property taxes are a concern
6:58
for many Austin families, Shia says
7:00
she does support the city's $295
7:03
million bond package for parks and
7:05
libraries.
7:06
If approved, it would cost the
7:07
average homeowner about $40 more
7:09
on their annual tax bill.
7:10
When I talk to park staff, they
7:12
tell me how critical it is.
7:14
A lot of our pools are in real bad
7:16
disrepair, leaking
7:18
water, and so this actually will
7:19
help go to fix at least four of
7:21
our swimming pools in Austin.
7:24
There also are a lot of
7:25
infrastructure projects in District
7:27
8, including at Zilker Park,
7:29
including our Metropolitan Circle
7:31
C park as well.
7:33
She says the bond.
7:33
But also fund sidewalks and
7:35
improvements to the Hampton Branch
7:36
Library and District 8,
7:38
both of which are needed.
7:41
Bowen says he would not support the
7:42
bond package, citing the city's
7:44
already large debt.
7:45
I realize we have parks.
7:46
We're setting on a bunch of parkland
7:48
we haven't even developed.
7:49
We've got $700 million in
7:51
deferred maintenance.
7:52
So I really wanna see a complete
7:54
overhaul of the parks issue in that
7:56
case. I don't wanna reward for
7:59
issues that we
8:01
seem to get out of hand.
8:02
Both candidates say there is still
8:04
work to do on addressing housing
8:05
affordability.
8:07
Has a plan for that.
8:08
We know that if you are making $20,
8:11
$25 an hour there's no way
8:12
that the market is going to produce
8:14
housing that is gonna be affordable
8:15
enough and so that's why we do have
8:17
to get government involved for
8:18
deeply affordable housing and
8:20
to me that looks like using
8:22
land that the city does own and
8:25
also really leveraging our bond
8:26
dollars.
8:27
Wants to focus on creating more
8:29
affordable home ownership
8:31
opportunities in the district.
8:33
While rents have been trending down,
8:35
buying a house as a young family can
8:36
be challenging.
8:38
Bowen says more apartments have been
8:39
built in the District moving the
8:41
needle in the right direction on
8:42
affordable housing.
8:44
He says it's going to take time to
8:45
get there, especially with the
8:46
district being in an environmentally
8:48
sensitive area.
8:49
For example, the city has land near
8:51
the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower
8:52
Center that can't be built on to
8:54
protect water quality.
8:55
It's not as easy to build because
8:58
we just have the limits
9:00
with all of the green areas and
9:02
land is pretty expensive because
9:04
again, we've got all that land
9:05
that's been taken up.
9:07
Candidates also weighed in on
9:08
improving the city's homelessness
9:09
response.
9:10
They agree the city needs to do more
9:12
to help keep people off the streets,
9:13
but each candidate has their own
9:15
thoughts on how to go about it.
9:17
SHEO wants additional support for
9:19
people who are unhoused and living
9:20
with mental health issues, health challenges or drug addiction.
9:22
We don't have good options
9:24
for people when they are suffering
9:26
something like that.
9:27
It's either jail or hospital and
9:29
in both cases you get kicked out
9:30
pretty fast. So I'd love to see a
9:32
third option that allows EMS
9:34
police officers to take people to
9:36
really make sure that they're back
9:38
on their medications.
9:39
A lot of times it's just because
9:40
they haven't slept in a few days.
9:41
Bowen feels the focus should be on
9:43
preventing homelessness and
9:44
eviction.
9:45
He says the city's current system
9:46
tries to connect people with
9:47
resources, but some can fall through
9:49
the cracks.
9:50
I think we're spending a lot of time
9:51
touching people, the city's
9:53
words, and yet there's no commitment
9:55
by those people.
9:56
We need to take and work with those
9:58
that are on the verge,
10:00
that can be touched and be done in
10:02
just a few touches and get them off
10:03
the street before they ever get
10:05
there.
10:05
Early voting is underway and last
10:07
through October 30th.
10:09
Election day is November 3rd.
10:11
I'm Luz Moreno-Luzano in Austin.
10:20
That's right, as Luz just said,
10:22
early voting is underway, and as
10:24
a result, we're keeping tabs on the
10:25
many local races here in our area,
10:27
as well as the national seats that
10:28
are up for grabs, including U.S.
10:30
House races in the Austin area.
10:32
Here to talk with us about districts
10:34
37 and 21, we've got
10:36
KUT's Olivia Aldridge and Katie
10:37
McPhee back with us.
10:39
Hello!
10:40
Hi,.
10:40
Jerry
10:41
So Olivia, I want to start with you
10:42
in district 21.
10:44
Does that district have an
10:45
incumbent?
10:46
Yes, it's Chip Roy.
10:48
Chip Roy opted to run for
10:50
attorney general this cycle.
10:51
He ultimately lost to
10:53
Mays Middleton in the Republican
10:55
runoff, but that has left his seat
10:57
up for grabs.
10:58
OK, let's talk about that seat,
11:00
and particularly the district.
11:01
What part of town does that cover?
11:03
So the 21st congressional district
11:05
stretches from basically North San
11:07
Antonio to Southwest Austin,
11:09
and then extends pretty far west to
11:11
cover much of the Texas Hill
11:13
Country. So like Kerrville, Bandera,
11:16
Fredericksburg, a lot of those
11:17
areas.
11:18
Okay, you said Chip Roy ran for
11:19
attorney general, so he's not gonna
11:20
be on the ballot for this race.
11:22
Who are the candidates vying for
11:23
this seat?
11:24
So on the Republican side, we've got
11:26
Mark Deshara.
11:26
He is a former major league baseball
11:28
player who played for the Texas
11:30
Rangers and the Yankees and some
11:32
other teams.
11:33
He didn't respond to our interview
11:35
requests, but he's run on a platform
11:37
of supporting President Trump's
11:38
agenda and advancing conservative
11:41
priorities. He supports Doge
11:43
and wants to expand it.
11:44
He talks about ending what he
11:46
calls radical woke indoctrination
11:49
in schools.
11:51
And wants really strong immigration
11:53
enforcement policies.
11:54
And he also has talked about trying
11:56
to lower healthcare costs.
11:58
On the other side, on the Democrat
11:59
side, we've got Kristin Hook.
12:01
She's a scientist who worked for
12:03
the National Institutes of Health
12:04
and the U.S.
12:05
Government Accountability Office.
12:07
She's also focused on healthcare
12:09
access and she's very critical of
12:12
the influence of large health
12:13
insurance companies and
12:14
pharmaceutical companies in
12:16
politics.
12:17
She opposes the Trump
12:18
administration's current immigration
12:20
policies and wants to end
12:21
anonymous ICE raids.
12:23
She's also very concerned about
12:25
protecting water resources in
12:27
central Texas.
12:28
Okay, so the seat, as it currently
12:30
is, is held by a Republican.
12:31
Do Republicans have an edge in that
12:33
district?
12:33
Yeah, this is a pretty red district.
12:35
A Republican has won in every
12:37
election since 1978.
12:40
Okay, now I'm turning to you, Katie,
12:42
and talk about a district further up
12:43
I-35, District 37.
12:46
Who currently represents District
12:47
37?
12:48
District 37 is currently held
12:50
by Congressman Lloyd Doggett,
12:52
but he decided not to run for
12:54
reelection after the state redrew
12:56
its congressional district maps last
12:58
year to strategically create five
13:00
more Republican seats.
13:01
So when those maps were redrawn,
13:03
District 37 was squished to
13:05
pretty much only include central
13:07
Travis County.
13:08
Other parts of the county are now
13:10
included in the same district as
13:11
Midland-Odessa.
13:13
There's another part of Travis
13:14
County that's included in this same
13:16
district as a county that.
13:18
Borders the Gulf Coast.
13:20
So when that happened, Doggett
13:21
decided to step down and kind of
13:23
pass the torch on to another
13:24
longtime congressman, Greg Kassar.
13:26
Okay, so Greg Kassar is going to be
13:28
running to represent the Democrats.
13:30
Who is this challenger in this race?
13:31
He is facing a first-time Republican
13:34
candidate, Lauren Peña.
13:36
Peña is a paralegal and she's
13:37
a mother of six.
13:39
And she said she was inspired to run
13:41
because she struggled a lot in
13:43
her teen years and in her
13:45
early adulthood.
13:45
And she wants to kind of reinvent
13:47
some of the programs that helped her
13:49
get back on her feet.
13:50
Peña told me that when she was 16,
13:52
she got pregnant and was
13:54
kicked out of her home and also
13:56
kicked out of high school with only
13:57
a ninth grade education.
13:59
She'd struggled for many years.
14:01
She was homeless.
14:02
She was a victim of human
14:03
trafficking, but she was able to get
14:05
back on her feet by getting a
14:07
bachelor's degree and getting into
14:09
public housing where she still
14:10
lives.
14:11
OK, Greg Kassar is a name that
14:13
might be familiar to a lot of
14:14
Austinites. You mentioned his
14:16
challenger's platform.
14:17
What is Congressman Kassarr planning
14:19
to run on this time around?
14:20
Yeah, and he also might have a
14:21
platform that's pretty familiar to
14:23
people in Austin. He wants to push
14:24
his new affordability agenda,
14:26
something that he outlined back in
14:28
April.
14:29
That includes plans to cap utility
14:31
bills, childcare costs,
14:33
groceries, prescription drug prices,
14:36
really a lot of things that
14:38
people are struggling to pay for.
14:40
He also wants to
14:42
pass a bill to ban surveillance
14:44
pricing.
14:45
This is a tactic allegedly used
14:47
by airlines and other online
14:49
retailers to charge people different
14:51
rates based on their browsing
14:53
history and personal data.
14:55
He also told me he wants to charge a
14:57
windfall tax on oil companies that
14:59
are reporting high profits because
15:01
of wartime crude oil prices,
15:04
and offer as part of that bill offer
15:06
a rebate to Americans who are paying
15:08
for gas, overpaying for gas.
15:10
Okay well District 37 is
15:12
currently represented by a Democrat,
15:14
but you mentioned the redrawing of
15:15
the maps.
15:16
Is it still expected to be a
15:17
Democratic seat once we
15:19
have tallied all the ballots?
15:21
Yeah, it would be a massive upset
15:22
for this seat to turn
15:24
over to a Republican.
15:25
It's been strategically drawn to be
15:27
a Democratic seat and polling shows
15:29
that Greg Kastar still has a strong
15:30
lead.
15:31
All right, we have been speaking
15:32
with KUT's Katie McAfee and
15:34
Olivia Aldridge.
15:35
We're going to have a link to their
15:36
stories on the races for U.S.
15:38
House District 37 and 21
15:40
in today's podcast, Show Notes.
15:42
Olivia, Katie, thank you for being
15:44
here.
15:44
Thanks, Jerry.
15:45
Thank you, Jerry
15:46
And thank you out there for tuning
15:47
in to Austin Signal.
15:49
We got plenty more coming up for
15:50
you. That is right after this
15:52
quick break.
16:01
This is Austin Signal, welcome back
16:02
to the show.
16:04
If you're a frequent listener of KUT
16:06
or KUTX, you've surely
16:08
heard talk about Rock the
16:09
Park. And hopefully you've had a
16:11
chance to get out and enjoy one.
16:13
And if not, well, you're in luck
16:15
because the 50th Rock the Parks show
16:17
is happening this Friday at
16:19
Gerard Kenny Park at Miller.
16:21
To mark the milestone, we spoke
16:23
to the creators and curators of
16:25
Rock the park to find out just how
16:27
much goes into putting on a fun
16:29
free concert.
16:30
For the community.
16:33
Three we're gonna have everyone say
16:35
their name so we can all get to know
16:37
each other. Okay, we'll say it too.
16:40
One two
16:45
On select Friday nights in Austin,
16:46
hundreds of people spread out their
16:48
blankets across the lawn at Miller
16:49
Park for Rock the Park,
16:51
KETX's free outdoor concert series.
16:54
Families, music fans, and neighbors
16:56
gather to hear Austin artists
16:58
perform under the evening sky.
17:02
We wanted to create an event for
17:04
those folks in particular.
17:06
Folks who can't get out to
17:08
go see Austin Music.
17:10
So we wanted to bring Austin Music
17:12
to them because that felt in line
17:13
with our mission.
17:16
Hi, my name is Jackie Fuller.
17:18
I'm the assistant program director
17:20
at KUTX.
17:21
My role's more logistics.
17:23
First thing we have to do is set the
17:24
dates. I start working on
17:26
the permitting with the city of
17:28
Austin to make sure that we have all
17:29
the proper permits in place.
17:31
This permitting.
17:32
There's booking, which I don't do,
17:34
Deidre and Bill do.
17:36
Bill books the first act.
17:38
And then Deidra Gott, who's our live
17:39
music booker here, books
17:41
the headliners for Rock the Park.
17:46
I pay attention
17:48
to the Austin music scene and,
17:50
you know, what we play on air.
17:52
I go to a lot of shows.
17:54
My name is Deidre Gott.
17:56
I am the assistant program director
17:58
and live music booker for
18:00
KUTX.
18:02
So it's just an ongoing process
18:04
of knowing the
18:06
Austin music scene, and what
18:08
bands perform
18:10
really well that I think kids would
18:12
enjoy.
18:14
You know, I want to make sure that
18:16
I'm getting a diverse lineup
18:18
where we have different
18:20
genres because I think that it's
18:21
great for these kids to see
18:23
different representation across
18:25
the board and be exposed to
18:27
all sorts of music.
18:32
I really leaned into,
18:35
okay, well then let's get
18:37
bands from Austin that
18:39
I know are popular and
18:42
people love them and that all
18:43
ages can love them,
18:45
and be really entertaining
18:48
for kids and their parents.
18:51
So Bill books the opening band,
18:53
which is the quote unquote kids
18:55
band.
18:56
He does his own thing, I do my own
18:58
thing but they always work together.
19:02
I'm Bill Childs, and The Opener
19:04
is a band that I book, and it is
19:06
often a kids' band.
19:07
Sometimes it is a ban that is simply
19:09
kid-friendly and family-oriented,
19:11
without being a kiddy
19:13
event. It's not just for little
19:15
kids, it's not for grownups, it is
19:16
for all of the generations.
19:19
Rock the Park, for that matter, is
19:21
a really good way to provide
19:23
a bridge for kids to say, okay,
19:24
here's kids' music, and then here's
19:26
an act that is not
19:27
kids' music, but you can see sort of
19:29
what some of the flow is.
19:33
The goal is to raise a generation
19:35
of radio nerds and of music
19:37
nerds.
19:38
What is better than hanging out
19:40
outside with a bunch of your friends
19:41
and family and neighbors in a
19:43
park with great music and
19:45
a chance for your kids to dance and
19:46
grow up in and around music and to
19:48
hopefully get them to be live music
19:50
fans for a lifetime?
19:53
It's just really beautiful to see
19:54
people gathering together.
19:56
The music is great, obviously,
19:59
but it's more than just the music.
20:00
I think it is that sense of
20:02
community that Rock the Park brings.
20:05
You can find the full lineup of
20:06
performers and other event details
20:08
at KUTX.org.
20:10
I'm Tinu Thomas in Austin.
20:16
And again, the 50th Rock
20:18
The Park Show is happening this
20:19
Friday.
20:20
The K-Pastas open up the
20:22
show, followed by KUTX's
20:24
March Artist of the Month
20:25
EddieAngel.
20:27
Music starts at 6.30, but
20:29
we've heard on Good Authority that
20:31
you want to get there early and
20:33
snag a good spot.
20:37
It's a mammoth sports weekend in
20:39
Austin. The Spurs are in town for
20:40
their first of three games at the
20:42
Moody Center this weekend.
20:43
The Longhorns are hosting Ole Miss
20:45
Saturday night for a top 20
20:46
showdown, but the biggest of them
20:48
all is happening out at Circuit of
20:50
the Americas for the annual U.S.
20:52
Grand Prix.
20:53
KUT's Juan Diego Garcia is gonna be
20:55
out at the racetrack all weekend
20:56
long, and he's joining us now for a
20:58
preview. Juan, thanks for being on
20:59
the show.
21:00
Thanks for having me again, Jerry.
21:01
OK, so it's been a busy sports year
21:03
already.
21:04
For those of us, I'm talking about
21:05
myself here, who have not been
21:06
following along with the F1 season.
21:08
What's catching your attention
21:10
coming into this weekend's race?
21:12
It's one guy. And his name is
21:14
Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
21:16
He is, he's
21:18
young. And when I say young, he
21:19
turned 20 in August.
21:22
20, two zero?
21:23
Two zero.
21:24
He's been a teenager most of this
21:25
year while he's been winning races.
21:27
And he's going into
21:29
the race at Circuit of the Americas
21:30
with a chance to become
21:32
the youngest ever Formula
21:34
One world champion, beating
21:36
Sebastian Fettel by about three
21:38
years. Fetal won it in 2010
21:40
at age 23 and Kimi Antonelli
21:42
could be moving the goalpost.
21:44
Okay, so Antonelli, is this somebody
21:46
who just came on the scene this
21:47
season or somebody who's been kind
21:48
of creeping along the years past?
21:50
He had his debut year last year,
21:53
jumped straight into the Mercedes
21:55
Formula One team and immediately
21:56
impressed.
21:57
He's been impressing in Junior
21:59
Formula for years.
22:01
So it's kind of capitulation of,
22:03
you know, life's work, if
22:06
you will, getting to this point.
22:08
But...
22:09
All 20 years of that life.
22:09
Right, but he's certainly ahead of
22:11
schedule.
22:11
Only six unique
22:14
winners have emerged victorious here
22:15
in austin since the race became a
22:16
staple in 2012 what
22:18
are you thinking about this
22:19
weekend's race you think we're gonna
22:20
get a seventh name added to that
22:22
list or maybe one of the old winners
22:24
is gonna reprise uh their their
22:25
victory here in Austin?
22:27
There's certainly a possibility.
22:29
Mercedes have had the strongest car
22:31
for the most part all
22:33
year.
22:34
Those gaps are starting to shrink
22:35
progressively as the year has gone
22:37
on. Kimi Antonelli would be
22:39
a brand new winner at Coda
22:41
should he win the race and he needs
22:42
to if he wants to finish
22:44
the championship a few rounds early.
22:47
His teammate George Russell hasn't
22:48
won around Coda yet and
22:51
he's in the other Mercedes But
22:53
Max Verstappen has won
22:55
two races in a row, he
22:57
is starting to look very dangerous.
22:59
I think if we don't get a
23:01
brand new winner around coda it's
23:03
because Max went and won it all.
23:05
Okay, Verstappen, that's a name I'm
23:07
familiar with. Kimi Antonelli is one
23:09
I'm learning. Lewis Hamilton is also
23:10
another winner here in Austin
23:12
in years past.
23:13
What's another name that we should
23:14
be watching out for this weekend to
23:16
see something cool, see something we
23:17
haven't seen before?
23:18
Well, Lewis's teammate,
23:20
Charles Leclerc, is also in
23:22
this race. He's also a prior winner
23:24
around Circuit of the Americas.
23:27
I'm going to throw another winner
23:28
out there, Valtteri Bottas.
23:30
He is back on the grid this year
23:31
with a brand new team,
23:34
the US-based mostly
23:36
Cadillac Formula One team.
23:39
But if they are the Cadillacs of
23:40
Formula One, then the
23:43
term is starting to lose its meaning
23:45
a little bit because he's...
23:47
Not gonna win.
23:48
I mean, I could say that with
23:50
relative certainty it would take
23:52
a series of miracles
23:54
for a Cadillac to be on
23:56
the top step of the podium
23:57
Okay, now I gotta admit, I wanna see
23:59
him win so that we can bring you
24:00
back on the show next weekend and
24:01
talk about the miracles that had to
24:03
happen for that to come to
24:05
fruition.
24:06
Juan, you are a big presence
24:08
in our Vamos Verde podcast and
24:10
you and I are always talking about
24:12
sports that are happening here and
24:13
around Austin.
24:14
What is your favorite part about F1
24:16
weekend about being out at the track
24:17
at COTA?
24:20
It's a thrilling experience. The, you,
24:22
as you're arriving, you can already
24:23
hear the engines screaming
24:25
through the track.
24:27
You get out of your car and you
24:28
start to smell the burning rubber
24:30
and the fuels and
24:32
probably other fumes that are
24:33
probably not great to breathe in.
24:35
But it's such a cool sensory
24:37
experience.
24:39
You walk through the
24:41
whole complex.
24:42
It's enormous.
24:43
There's a lot of folks milling
24:45
about, like excited about the race.
24:47
There's all of this like action and
24:49
excitement. It feels really
24:51
vibrant in the paddock.
24:53
There's just something really
24:54
special about it. It's why I love
24:56
motor racing.
24:57
All right, that is KUT's Juan Diego
24:59
Garcia. He's gonna be covering the
25:01
US Grand Prix out at COTA
25:02
this weekend.
25:03
Juan, thank you for your time and
25:05
enjoy the race.
25:06
Thanks, Jerry, always a pleasure.
25:07
And thank you out there for spending
25:09
part of the day here with us.
25:11
That's it for us today on Austin
25:12
Signal. There's more from us
25:14
at KUT.org slash Signal.
25:17
The Signal team is Karoline Pfeil,
25:19
Alexandra Hart, Kristen Cabrera,
25:21
and I'm your host, Jerry Quijano.
25:23
We'll talk to you tomorrow.