Dinner with Racers Jan 4, 2026

Ep.315 – Zach Veach (is not Mark Dismore)

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Concept

IMSA

IMSA is a group that organizes car racing events in North America. They have different racing series where teams compete with sports cars.

Car

Porsche 718 Cayman GT4

The Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 is a sporty car that is made for people who really enjoy driving. It has a strong engine and is built to handle well, making it exciting to drive on twisty roads or racetracks.

Concept

Road to Indy

The Road to Indy is a series of racing competitions that help young drivers learn and progress towards racing in the IndyCar Series, which is a top-level open-wheel racing series in the United States.

Concept

Indy Lights

Indy Lights is a racing series where younger drivers compete in open-wheel cars to gain experience and improve their skills, with the goal of moving up to the more prestigious IndyCar Series.

Company

Andretti Autosport

Andretti Autosport is a well-known racing team in America, famous for competing in IndyCar racing and has a history of success in the sport.

Concept

IndyCar

IndyCar is a type of car racing that takes place on different kinds of tracks, including famous ones like the Indianapolis 500. The cars are very fast and designed specifically for racing.

Part

power steering

Power steering makes it easier to turn the steering wheel in a car. It helps drivers steer without having to use a lot of strength, especially when going slowly.

Car

Fiat 500S

The Fiat 500 is a tiny car that looks cute and is easy to drive around in the city. It's great for getting around quickly and saves gas, making it a favorite for people who live in crowded places.

Concept

Indy 500

The Indy 500 is a famous car race that takes place every year in Indianapolis. It's known for being very challenging and is one of the biggest events in racing.

Company

Vassar Sullivan

Vassar Sullivan is a racing team that participates in sports car races. They work with different car brands to compete in events.

Brand

Lexus

Lexus is a brand that makes luxury cars, and it's part of Toyota. They are known for being comfortable and reliable.

Concept

Daytona

Daytona is a well-known racetrack in Florida where many car races happen, including the famous Daytona 500. It's a big deal in the racing world.

Term

pit lane

Pit lane is where race cars go to get fuel, change tires, or fix problems during a race. It's an important part of racing strategy.

Concept

oval racing

Oval racing means racing on a track that is shaped like an oval. It's different from regular racing tracks because the cars go around in a circle, which can be very fast and exciting.

Brand

McLaren

McLaren is a company that makes very fast and expensive sports cars. They also race cars in Formula 1, which is a popular car racing series.

Brand

Chevrolet

Chevrolet is a well-known American car brand that makes many types of vehicles, including cars and trucks. They are popular for their performance cars like the Corvette.

Concept

sim racing

Sim racing is when people play racing video games that try to make the experience feel like real-life racing. They use special equipment to make it more realistic, like steering wheels and pedals.

Term

steering torque

Steering torque is how much force you feel when you turn the steering wheel. It helps drivers know how the car is responding and is important for making the driving experience feel real in video games.

Brand

BMW

BMW is a well-known car brand from Germany that makes luxury cars. They are famous for their sporty and high-quality vehicles.

Company

Paul Miller Racing

Paul Miller Racing is a racing team that competes in car races. They are known for their involvement in sports car competitions.

Brand

Lamborghini

Lamborghini is a luxury car brand from Italy that makes very fast and expensive sports cars. They are famous for their unique and flashy designs.

Car

Nissan Quests

The Nissan Quest is a family van that has lots of room for people and their stuff. It's great for road trips and everyday use because it's comfortable and practical.

Car

Subaru 360S

The Subaru 360 is a very small and unusual car that was made a long time ago. It's known for being cute and easy to park, but it's not very powerful compared to bigger cars.

Car

Acura NSX

The Acura NSX is a fancy sports car that looks cool and goes really fast. It's made by a Japanese company and is known for being both powerful and comfortable to drive.

Car

NSX

The Honda NSX is a high-performance sports car that is famous for its speed and handling. It has a sleek design and is made mostly of lightweight aluminum.

Term

hot laps

Hot laps are practice runs on a racetrack where drivers drive fast to get used to the track and see how their car performs. It's like a warm-up before the actual race.

Term

winged sprint cars

Winged sprint cars are special race cars that have a big wing on top. This wing helps the car stick to the ground when going fast, making it easier to turn without flipping over.

Concept

Baja

Baja is a famous off-road race in Mexico where drivers compete on rough terrain. It's a big deal for people who love racing and adventure.

Brand

Ford

Ford is a major car company in the United States that makes many types of vehicles, including cars and trucks. They are also involved in racing.

Term

180 miles an hour

Going 180 miles an hour means driving really, really fast, like in a race. It's much faster than normal driving and can be dangerous without the right safety gear.

Term

three-point harness

A three-point harness is a safety belt that goes over your lap and across your chest, helping to keep you secure in your seat during fast driving or in case of an accident.

Term

break

To 'break' means to slow down or stop the car by using the brake pedal. It's important for safety, especially when driving fast.

Term

190 miles an hour

Going 190 miles an hour is even faster than 180, which is super fast and usually only done in race cars. It requires a lot of skill to control the car at that speed.

Car

Toyota Supra

The Toyota Supra is a popular sports car that many people love because it can go really fast and is fun to drive. It's also known for being customizable, so car fans like to make it even better.

Car

Porsche 911 GT3

The Porsche 911 GT3 is a super-fast version of a famous car called the 911. It's built for people who love to drive on racetracks and want a car that handles really well.

LIVE

So not marked is more junior bead distributor and well-known road rager

Zachary beach if you could describe this dinner. We just had one word. What would it be come?

What wait, no, but what is that what is confuckled it was a situation that was all messed up and we made the best of it

Okay, yeah, I guess we could I could just say foobar. No, but I've never heard yours before

Yeah, yeah, that's original. Yeah, it's like you're confused and it kind of

And now for dinner with racers presented by continental tire with your hosts Ryan Eversley and Sean Hettman

And

Welcome to yet another edition of dinner with razors. I'm Sean Hettman

I'm Ryan Eversley and we are we're sitting in a Johnny Rockets in the middle of a Hollywood, California

That's correct. Don't ask how we got here or why we're here and we just are yep

And we're eating a bacon cheese fries. That's right

And we just got a little plate of Johnny Rockets ketchup, but it's in a smiley face, which is adorable

Yeah, but you know who's also adorable Zach Beach Zach Beach, you know who Zach Beach is not Ryan

He's not mark does in fact not mark this more junior senior. Yeah, but Zach is a former guest of the show

This is actually his third time being featured on dinner with racers

We did a podcast with him originally when he was doing Indy car and then during the COVID days

we did a little remote podcast with them and just kind of caught up with him and

When mark does more decided to not join us at the last second

We got very fortunate that Zach was in Indianapolis where we were for the IMSA weekend

And so we called him up and he came out. We had a great meal with him

Exactly. So if you are a fan of our patreon, which we'll talk about a little bit later

With the whole backstory as to why mark this more did not show up and Zach Beach did is still all told in that

But long story short mark is more decided. He was not interested

And it was about what two hours before we started recording right and we want to make use of the time that we're in Indianapolis

Since we were both there post IMSA weekend

And so Zach Beach just by by pure coincidence was in town and within two hours notice

He met us and we had a lovely lovely dinner. Yeah, now Zach's been racing in the IMSA

MPC class, which is what I race in as well

He's in the GS class and it came in GT4

But he's also been working with his dad and doing a bunch of different things in life

He's gotten really into aviation. He's a private pilot and that's been a lot of fun for him

But some of the things you're gonna learn about in this episode include weird moments to get recognized

shifting your obsession to planes and

Possibly one of the strangest instincts to have when you're on fire, right? That's right

But we went to Dawson's on Maine, which we've been to many times before and I couldn't tell you what I had even though

It was only a few months ago. Very fantastic, but you know what I have. Yes, I do

I had a chicken sandwich. I actually did have a chicken sandwich

Yeah, now we have to mention the the patreon because

The the Zach Beach episode where we talked about why we didn't get marked as more was a lot of fun

But for the last several months, we've been doing a patreon episode

Which is basically a dinner club where we're given behind-the-scenes stories about the show

We're doing a little bit of a race recaps race previews and just kind of giving you guys a little bit more

Content because you've been so great to us in the past exactly

So if you go to patreon.com forward slash dwr show

You'll see a couple different tiers in which can become a dinner club member

But like Ryan said, there's all kinds of insight and special advanced notices and you'll hear a few guest questions in this show

So that's that but you know what Ryan while it's nice to have dinner club members. It's also nice to have sponsors

That's right, and we couldn't have done this show without got mental tire

The smart choice tires, I think that's it

But you know continental we've mentioned this on previous episodes

But continental is of course really pushing the trackability of the success of our show

If you can go on our website click on any of them links that we give you go into Instagram use the hashtag dinner with Conti

That tells continental tire

That you're a fan of what we do and you're paying attention

Obviously if you buy anything continental post it and again use hashtag dinner with Conti

Or just go on a dinner with racers calm and click on some of them links that we have now

Getting to Zach Beach was pretty simple because we had a fantastic

Shover none other than Shane van gisburg and be quiet back there

I got the flight of the cone-codes on all right Zach Beach part 3

Hey Sean good to meet you

Yep, we'll explain how this works. Yeah, I feel bad being late man. No, dude. You're not late

You know what you could have done is called us an hour before your podcast inflaked. Yeah, you could have done that

What are friends for man? So just to set the record straight you are not Mark Dismore. Oh, I'm not okay

You didn't race the 8,500 in 1990

Yeah, I always wanted to you know, I love his go-kart track. Yeah

I'm excited to learn all about it. Yeah, and I have a great history with that track

Yeah, and we're gonna talk all about it. Well, we can talk about it and act like we were there when you do that

We had the idea of just going through like a Mark Dismore bio with you

Like taking it apart. Yeah, but asking you the questions as if you're him. Yeah, it'd be a

Wikipedia and have a phone I got

15% battery

How are you? I'm good. It's been a minute. It has I was thinking about that on the way here

It's been five years almost so we did your podcast on our

COVID trip in 2020. Is that right? Yeah, it was in the middle of code

We were doing our big video trip and the way we snuck in some podcasts there including you. Yeah, which was was it in India?

Yeah, we did it here. Okay. Yeah, the sushi place. Yeah, because I

First I said, let's go to Tegri and you're like, dude, we've gone to Tegri

We had lunch there today. Yeah

It's still

Zoom call yeah catch up a few months later because that wasn't a great time. No, it was not. Yeah, so I mean basically because we like

We did we recorded with you. Let's call it June of 2020

Yep, and then five months later

We did a follow-up because from June until December

Oh, it was a major your career went through a big change in 2020 and here we are in 2025. It's a different thing now

Again, you are not marked is more

But we figured you're here

Well, so let's set the record straight we basically got a text just a few hours ago going like hey

I can't make it. Yeah, and that was all we had planned and so we're sitting there like well

We can go see a movie, you know, or we just like that valid, you know, all right

We're on a budget, you know, I mean like we're paying to be here this week

So it's like we need to try to make this time every night of rental car and hotel is money out of our budget

Yeah, we got to make something out of it. So yeah, man

So the least we can do is buy some dinner. Well, but you don't live in India anymore

No, so Sean actually said what about Zach Beach? That'd be great

And I'm like, I would love that but he lives in Connecticut now

Yeah, and then we started talking about some other people and I'm like, I'll just call him

Yeah, and you're like dude. I'm here. The funny thing is the best when your name pops on my phone

I have no idea what it's ever gonna be

The best way possible because it's like, oh, what is this gonna be?

I figured it was something from the weekend

And I was like, well, I didn't even start the race. I couldn't have ran into him

You would have done that anyway because you're a good dude

But no man, I'm so happy I mean when the funny thing is I think maybe you guys shared or I saw something

It was Joey hand talking about his middle. Hi. Oh, yeah, I saw that that we just put up an Instagram

I was literally getting ready to go to bed

I think before the race and I watched that and I was dying and I was like, yeah

Man, those guys are fun. Like I really enjoy that podcast

I was like, it'd be cool to be back on and again sometime and then you literally call today and I'm just like

Oh, man, the world's wild. Yeah. Well, just to jump right into that

I mean, we've had some good Instagram success with anything that has visuals of cars on fire and flipping

or or stories and

Yeah, that's fair. So for the for the Graham

Do you have any stories we can easily find on YouTube and repurpose into a one-minute video?

Man, when's the last time you were on fire? That was 2019 in the 500. Oh

Okay, so here really sell it like really make it sound like horrible. So the algorithm picks it up

Yeah, and I gotta cut this into 60 seconds. Yeah

I do my favorite part about the whole thing of being set on fire in 2019 is

There was one random fan video going around of like a woman in the stands and it was the most movie scream

I've ever heard. Oh, no way. You just see the car like they're in pit lane

Yeah, it goes up in a flame and you just hear this lady. Oh my god, and you're just like

She was like a thousand feet away, but in that moment. She was there

You know, I love that watch someone die. Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah, you know get your money's worth. Yeah

Yeah, I don't remember 2019. I had to catch on fire. Yeah, so I was in the orange and oh, sorry. This is 2018 2018

2018

It doesn't get better. No, it does not

We had a fueler really strong guy and the buck I supposed to spit you out if you get in wrong

Yeah, and he was just so strong that he just kept pushing past the like the pushback

Yeah, and it was just dumping fuel down the side pod straight to header. So that was unfortunate

I mean feel bad for the guy's wife because I mean he didn't care man. He was every pissed off

He just plugged in as hard as he could

Yeah, yeah, but no, I mean, yeah, that was three times we're set on fire that way. Okay. No that race

Yeah, so he kept doing it. Yeah, man

It was like three weekends that took us to figure out what was going on. Oh, is it happened at Indy?

It happened at Iowa, and then I think one more time

possibly at Pocono, yeah

Yeah, so you're sitting in the car. How does it what's what happens on your end?

Yes, basically just normal put stop came in, you know, they count you down hit the marks wheel straight and back then like

You can't take off till the fuel probe leaves. So you're just staring in the mirror

Yeah, and I remember I had my visor slightly cracked because it was super hot that year

I'm just watching in the mirror watching and all of a sudden I see him pull out

So I go to like pop the gear and as he like releases everything just turns orange

And like and that moment all I hear is my strategist Josh just screaming like fire extinguisher go go go

And all I could think about was you know in World War two if a bomber come on fire

They just like nose down and they're like yeah fires either going out or we're hitting the ground right so I was like

That's what I would have thought about exactly so I was like man

If I could just get this thing going if I can get air going over it the fire

So we just took off and I mean it made a dramatic video

We were viral for a day. It was pretty cool

I mean we finished like 28th because every pit stop we got catching on fire

Yeah, it's not ideal, but it doesn't say is it didn't it didn't catch on fire and ruin your day

You're just like well, this is just what we do now

Yeah, it kind of did because like the next pit stop I'm coming down and you know, he's like alright bud

We're gonna be pit in next lap expect to fire. We're still not sure and it's just like alright. This is our life now

So cool, yeah, you know luckily everybody was good

My favorite thing though is if you go and watch that video

Yeah, the first time they set me on fire and pull out a pit lane

You see somebody one of the safety guys fumbling with a fire extinguisher and he goes to spray the car

And he just smacks my air jack guy goon in the back. All he does is just spray

Yeah straight from the head down his back completely misses the car the guy gets lit up feel bad for his wife, too

So I just want you to know that I just typed your name into YouTube and the first thing that comes up

Oh fire

So did they tell you to go or was this your own decision now was my own decision the only problem

I hesitate because I can't get the car to go because I got to flip it in emergency mode because the fire and the

Buckeye like confuse the sensor. Oh, yes, you go if you want exactly

So I had to flip into emergency mode and then go and then the other thing. It's funny if you watch there's a bucket

There's some guy

At least you tried

He wet the ground so here's the coolest thing about this video you were doing a burnout on fire

Yeah, you're literally smoking the rear as well like burning

Obolition it wasn't like a strategy. Just was like, okay, this is your option. All I think about was you know

You thought about World War two

I was just like

But you know the thing I learned though is don't say stupid before an event

Oh, yeah, yeah, that'll bite you before this race straight up

We were talking about you know hunter and I was talking about the methanol fire and you know how they're clear and I was like

Man these fire suits dudes like you don't even catch on fire. That's scary. Why are we why we need them?

Well turns out yeah, you know

Racing gods was like well

So you went through every stop like this. Yeah now what we happen in a couple more races, too

Yeah, happened at Iowa. We're set on fire a couple times there and then I think it was polka. No, we had another one

We it was always that car though the orange and yellow man for whatever reason that thing loved to be on fire

So it looked cool though like perfect

Yeah, yeah, no, so that's your so so I just typed you into reddit real quick

Oh, there's a picture from Rossi's car where there's like a fuel probe coming out and there's leaked and it's a screen grab from Rossi's

Instagram and I guess the quote is like there's so many things I love about this photo. What about you?

That's what Rossi says and then you responded that it's possible refuel and not catch on fire. Yeah

But the cool thing is now I always have that you know that two truths and a lie. Yes. Yes, man

I always get somebody like I've been set on fire five times. It's not on fire. Oh, yeah burn out on fire once. Yeah, exactly

It was the next thread down on reddit. It's middle school Zach Beach. Did you find me? Is it real? No way?

That's on the internet

Look at that picture and tell me my parents love me. Let me go to school like that

Yeah, that's funny

Yeah, what else is on there? I'm gonna keep going now. Yeah, we've already interviewed you a bunch of times

We'll start picking your part on the internet. Yeah, dude. Perfect. Well, I mean, that's what we do now, right?

So many did have any questions for Zach Beach, I wonder if you answered these what's the aside from the 500

What's the track you're most looking forward to in 2018? Oh, man. Well, I well, I wish I was racing

I wish now was then because I do I want to go to Milwaukee so bad. Oh, yeah

Yeah

Yeah, I

You know how you have certain places

I'm sure you do like I want to know like where your place is but like no matter where you go like what you go and you always

Do well, yeah, like I never started off the front row never finished off the podium there in like five years from f2000

Pro Mazda Indie lights one there and lights. Yeah, it was just like yeah, we walked in there and every time I knew I was like

No matter what happens. We're gonna have a good weekend

So that was like my all-time favorite place. Yeah, it's been very good to me. I mean you're on the wall there

Yeah, that's something of me and Patrick Dempsey. Yeah

We're sitting in the driver's meeting. You're like four rows ahead of me. I was like, wow

I know I made it. I got a quote on the wall. All it takes is doing a documentary about the racetrack

And winning they're like

Sean's got a sandwich. Yeah

Did they really yeah, they took it out. Don't say that part

They said they changed their menu. Okay, so just it just didn't make the cut I guess and what's that is I never got a menu from them

Like I always wanted like the menu just to give to my parents like I did something with my life. Yeah

Yeah, there was a there was a heck minute

One year I might have said this on the previous podcast if I did I'm sorry we can blame, you know head traumas, right?

Well, I remember there was a steakhouse downtown

I can't remember where it was but during every Indy 500 they would like do some driver's names on it Marco was big friends with them

Yeah, I would always have like the Andretti steak sure and then they had like the Rossi

I think and we all went there one dinner and Marco

I remember being like hey man, you're on the menu and I was like, oh really?

So I get there and I'm like flipping through the menu and I'm like, oh, man

I don't see my name. Yeah anywhere and then a little piece of paper comes out and it's like the features of kids menu

So I had some chicken nuggies

So on that level, I don't know if you know this you are in the in the in the in the Shawn Heckman lore one of two people in my entire career

That I've ever cleared a joke with an advance. Oh really? Yeah, you and Andrew Davis are the only people because normally when we do it

Why don't you have a dinner with racers or stuff like that? Yeah, whenever I do a joke at some business

I just do it. Yeah, I'll apologize for it later or just never talk to Dean Cameron again, right?

That's a real thing. Yeah. Oh, what was it?

We got a lot of bits. I know no it was the

the

The why video that the transformers video. Oh, right. Yeah, right. Oh, I remember those. Yeah

We we had a thing where we turned a bunch of

Racing figures into transformer toys and I had a couple of a friend had had two kids and I had them like like

Oh, that's this toy. Yeah, all right, and I had this idea of like I

Got like I've got the IMSA Zach Beach. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, I'm excited. Yeah, the Indy car. I've got the Indy cars

Yeah, I was like that's a great joke, but that's way too mean

And I like appreciated it but like still I wouldn't have been offended

So should we do a background like a just because yeah, it's you know, ten years later since we started this

There's probably fans that aren't going all the way back that might just be like, oh, I know that I would say the way

We should structure. Yeah, since again, you're not marked is more. Yep

The way we should structure this is a quick recap on everything going up to 2020

Yeah, for those who don't necessarily know you. Yeah, and then and then but let's talk about 2020 and on. Yeah, that's a good way to go

Yeah, so yeah, yeah, so

You started your

You started as a young guy doing go-karts just like all of us your dad

Really a trucking software business

Yeah, well, he was well. Yeah, he started some trucking software because our family was in the trucking business

My dad was a national champion truck and tractor pulling that was kind of like the start, you know, that was my wow

Okay, motor sports is cool. You know being at a county fair every weekend a little less cool

But you know the great way to grow up. I mean, I remember

We were telling this story sorry, it's not like super PG

But we're talking about like character building moments in your life

Yeah, and there's a truck pull and bowling green Ohio and it's like college town and it's wild and I remember

You know, I was like seven years old

You'll never forget this day. It was like college towns

there's a bunch of college girls right and long bleachers and I remember they're handing out beads and I couldn't understand the

Right and I was like, I wanted beads so I had a bunch of beads around my neck

I remember these two college girls says a day you clear they were like, oh my god

He's got beads and I was like I just like looked at the beads and I like took them off and I held them up

Right because I was like beads. Yeah, and these two college girls committed a crime

I mean they just flashed me dude. I was like I still remember just being six like I don't know what just happened

But this is gonna be a part of the rest of my life

Right

But yes, so truck and tractor pulling that was that was what my family

But yeah, go carding at 12, you know

Yeah, you know, well, I figured I need to get back to that moment, you know

I was like professional driver bus man, that's it's gotta be a thing. Yeah, so yeah started racing go-karts when I was 12

When I was 15 I got signed by Andretti to their development program. It was sage. Karen and I

Crazy you think that was the first year of the road indie now

Which was you know the whole ladder system to take young kids up to Indy car and it worked

You know, I was able to do that, you know, I did every step of the way

You know with a couple of different teams, but I was the first person ever to do the entire road to Indy with a singular team

So did F2000 pro Mazda Indy lights won a lot of Indy lights races, which you know

Arguably, I think that was some of the most fun I had in my career

And then got to Indy car hall with Andretti auto sports. So

Yeah, I think that was kind of the run-up to when we started talking

I was kind of my last season full-time in Indy car whether I knew it or not depending on

We know what episode you go back and listen to after this

But you know, that's that's motor sports man. I I'm still still thankful

Like I I'm still trying to go back to Indy car to do the 500, you know

Because my perfect year is racing in full-time doing the 500 each May like dude the tip

I had a magic wand that's like I'd sign up. Yeah, right because like Indy still means so much

But like man my life. I'm having so much fun in Imsa. Yeah, like I love the people that are involved

I love the racing power steering. Oh, man. That's great

You know, they get a little hot, but I got a cool suit now. So, you know, that's wicked Indy cars are hot now

Yeah, yeah, I see some guys are running cool. So they figured it out

Yeah, yeah, but yeah, so I mean that's the run-up, you know typical open-wheel guy committed his life to Indy car

It was very fortunate to get there and run some races got to do for Indy 500's got to you know

Check that lifelong dream, but you know getting there is different than staying there. Obviously, it's very difficult to do both

But I think staying there is arguably a little harder at the end of the day

But yeah, 2021 after the podcast we signed with Vassar Selvin. That was my first year racing GT cars racing

Yeah sports cars. Yeah, what a difference man. Yeah. Oh my gosh. It was you and Frankie, right? Yeah, me Frankie Montecalvo in the 12

We had Aaron Tealots and Jack Hawksworth in the 14

And you know, I will say this forever is like Jack Hawksworth, man. What a guy. Yeah, I don't have you guys had

Not yet, but he he's agreed to come on. It's just been a scheduling thing. Yeah, absolutely

Yeah, so Jack and I funny story. We hated each other until the Lexus program because you guys go out you came up to the same road

So our like point of conflict was you can go back find it on YouTube

It was 2013

Firestone Indie lights along eight years before when you're like 14 years old. Yeah. Yeah, so I think I qualified

third for that race and Jack was second or

Something happened. I think Jack was the row in front of me. He might have the pole honestly

But he had a terrible start. I had a really good run on the front straightaway

So I got the draft on him and I moved wide to kind of get to the outside. He moved up

I moved up again. He moved up

I moved up

He moved and at that point the wall was beside me so I couldn't move up anymore

So he just turned himself into the wall and I drove into it

We proceeded to take out four other people in the field, you know, 200 feet after the green flag

And mind you this was when there was only eight cars in the anti-lights field

So we didn't speak for like five years after that. So then I come to the Lexus program and I'm thinking man

How's this gonna go?

And I it couldn't have been further from the truth, man. He came to me from the get-go and he's like

You know mate as he would say you're gonna have a really hard time adjusting from an Indie car to this thing

Because I did it three or four years ago. I'm here to help you any way that I can you have any question

You asked me we spent countless days on the sim together and all that preseason testing man

he was treating himself like a driver coach and

Man, I I can't thank you enough like that's been such a

Core memory that I'll have forever like you know jacks one hell of a guy. I cheer for him so loud

so you go straight from Indie car to

Basically IMSA gtd, which you know like not only is that a big jump to go to

less downforce heavier cars, but also

That gets to me gtd and gtd pro. That's that's as good as it's gonna get at that level of raising

It's like you went to something where you could be a little bit more under the radar like sro

You were right in it at a very high level against guys who've been doing it forever

Yeah, it was man. I it was so fun

But man it was hard to figure out at first because like I remember the first time I was in the car is Daytona

And I'm like, okay. Well, it's a race car sitting in it. Like, you know, it's fine

The right away where I was you know surprised was I was so used to you know coming out of three years full time in

Indie car

I leave Daytona, you know leave pit lane

Get on track without hitting the pit wall, which is big

Hey, man

I get through that first the horseshoe and then you got the little kink and I'm coming up to it with indy car eyes

And I'm like, it's a little kink man flat on the way out of pit lane

And as soon as I go to turn in I realize like uh-oh

This is a corner

Luckily, you know, I got through it would just drop in the right sides off the track and I'm like, okay

Crash in the car on the out laps not a good. Probably not a good luck. Let's just try to take this as it comes

And that was the hardest thing at first was just like realizing what the car was capable of

But man the the racing I fell in love with immediately

Like it's just you're you just feel so much more like a driver because you're handling so much at the same time

You know the car doesn't perform

You know in some areas as it should it's better in others

You're racing against cars that are stronger than you and other places than you are

So it just becomes this big chess match and when what I fell in love with indy car is oval racing

Because it was a lot like that where you know, it's kind of managing the car making

You know high percentage moves. Does this really matter right now? No

So i'm going to let it sit and then once you got into endurance racing

I was like, man, it's so much like running indy 500. Yeah, that it just it felt right at home

So man, I loved it. I mean we got my first insipodium second

This is the other thing and I hate to say it this way, but I grew up racing open will I knew all the legends of open will

Oh, right. Yeah, I didn't know many sports car guys

Okay, this is why I want to turn it about Bill, right? Yeah, I remember being

I hate to say it like this. He's gonna kill me. I remember being at middle, Ohio

first home race in a sports car. I'm running second. It's like

30 minutes to go I'm in the lexus and I'm like starting to catch bill and the bmw

Yeah, and I'm like

Oh, this is mine. I was like bill opera. Okay. Yeah, never heard of this guy. Well, I heard of him, but I was just like

Okay, I you know, I'm got it. I think I got it and I was catching him, right?

You know, I was like eating like quarter of a second half a second a lap and I'm like, oh, it's coming

And then all of a sudden dude, he flipped something on and he pulled out like a five second gap and I was like, oh, don't got that

It was the most humbling moment of my life

Then that's when I started like learning more about him and I was like, oh, you're such an idiot, man

Like he's a legend, you know the winning his driver and history like so, you know

I've enjoyed that aspect of kind of starting over, right, you know, it's I I showed up here with no like real

History of it other than you know, like, you know the glory days of like what made him

So what it is and and just getting to know the people and the teams man. It's been such a fun course

Yeah, so you do the lexus thing for a little bit. You start becoming a regular in the sports car stuff

Uh, you're now doing the pilot challenge series. We'll call it. Yeah, because we're still sponsored by continental

But what's been going on, you know, how did the lexus thing come to an end for you? Yeah, so, uh, the lexus deal that was

2021

So which we were excited because like one it's sports cars. It's a new career

but I always thought

Like that I don't mean to speak for you

But I felt like the thing that held you back in any car was simply the the weight of the steering

You're you're not the biggest guy and and when we talked about it in 2020 on a couple different things

You kept saying that seemed to be that the quick reaction stuff was what was holding you back

And so a sports car with yeah, the tough thing about that is man. I think you're just trying to find a way to

You know understand what was going on. You know, I think I look back at it now five years from it

I didn't have my life structured the way I needed to to be successful with how much I had going on

You know, I have in what regard I just quite a lot of uh distractions in my personal life to be honest

Was it related to relationships? Yeah, man. You know, I think um

You know not negative in any way, but you gotta have someone that's fully in your corner

So I I don't know if we talked about this with the willpower story, right? You got it

So I might have said this before and I thought I had the grasp on it, but I really didn't find it until now

Um, but you know, he told me the most important thing you got to find is a woman you can win with

You know some someone that's all about what you're doing and just wants to help you achieve it

Right not in a way that you don't take care of their needs or like that

But you know someone that believes in you to the point that like if hey me taking care of this right now

Is going to allow you to have one less thing to worry about and you're going to go to this race weekend and be just a little more relaxed like

That's it. So, you know, I don't I

I had just not

It's hard to not say that in a negative way, you know, I was kind of missing something like that in my life

Um, and you see that in retrospect. You never see it when you're in it now, of course

Yeah, um, so that's why I'm so thankful for like, you know the way my life is now. It's just life's easy

as it should be but

Yeah, the lexus thing I was a bit surprised that it did come to an end

Because we had a really good year with them. We're second at

Middle Ohio. We finished second at Watkins and we let

The damaged sister car through so we had a one-two at Watkins, which was great

Then third at Petit Le Mans the final race of the year, which is great

started kind of getting the hang of that endurance ride, but we were talking with the team and we're kind of

Expected to kind of come back. Um, but it was the same time that teal. It's got upgraded to a gold

You know the whole driver radio thing. Yeah, and you were already we planted gold gold. Yeah

So that kind of made things a little more difficult and then of course we had some funding that kind of disappeared towards the end of the season

on the sponsorship side, so

Kind of just came down to hey, you know, if we'd love to keep doing this

But it didn't really make sense on a couple different things and man. I

Love jimmy and sully so much. Yeah, like those guys they've still from that time always had time of day for me at the racetrack

You know if I texted sully. Hey, you got a second always made time

They kind of helped me with a little bit of guidance here and there and I love their team. I love their program

Yeah, so I mean out of all the people I've driven for so far

Besides where I'm at now for a whole set of other reasons sully and jimmy has been like by far my favorite like organization

Right just as far as like the the family feel of it to like the structure to man. They do it right now

I'm really excited to see like, you know this

Whatever's coming, you know, I think there's a lot of rumors that a new car is coming. You see it. All right, I'll see

It's delay

But uh, but yeah, this comes out in December December. They'll probably be announced. Yeah, okay

I mean there's been photos out of stuff, but uh, but yeah, so that kind of came to an end in 21

Um, and then didn't really have anything going on in 22 and 23

Mainly because funding man sponsorship was tough and I didn't have enough time in imsa to really

Explain like hey, you should put me in your car

Like you have one season with three podiums and you let slaps, but like it didn't

Stand off the paper quick

Um, so I don't have you guys met billy vincent by chance. He runs a goat cart team now

MPG he was a strategist at mclaren for a very long time

Yeah, he was at penske for like 15 years

So they were doing some straight line testing for mclaren

Pato and felix both I think got covid or food poisoning so they needed somebody

So billy called me randomly asked if I could fly out and do some straight line testing uh early in 2022

Um, you know at first I was like sure maybe you know

That was the first time I'd been around indy car since I left and I was kind of bitter about it

I was like, yeah, I don't know if I really want to go dude. It was the worst mistake

I showed up the first time they like, you know, they fired the car up and I was like, oh, yeah

I remember that smell. It's kind of cool

Um, and then they're like, you know, hey, can you get suited up?

We want to just check the seat and everything and I was like, okay

So I get suited up. I sit down in it and I'm like, damn the seat still feels really good

Um, and then they're like, hey, we just we need to fire it up again

And I was like, okay, and I bumped it over twice and I immediately hit the ignition and I was just like, oh my god

I still love this so much man. I'm like, you know, you tell yourself like I don't I don't

Yeah, I don't care. Yeah, it's whatever and then you get in and you're like, dude, you're 12 years old again

Just so um, that started a really nice relationship with mclaren. So

I did a lot of straight line testing for them that they were doing and then um, moved over to the sim program with chevrolet

So for 2022 and 23 man, I was kind of just more of a test driver

I was doing on sim. Yeah on the sim and some of the straight days that we did

Yeah, um, and

I enjoyed that because I was learning more about things that I never even heard about

A lot of behind the scenes. Yeah, you know, like, hey, we're gonna try this because of x and it's like, oh

Well, we've done that the track but I never really understood like how we could say is like as a driver

You're not in the sort of extended meetings that happen when you leave in terms of all the behind the scenes stuff

And how this is all collaborated to see all the work that like they would put in, you know

It was was pretty impressive. So I really enjoyed that organization. Um, and it was just fun still driving an indy car

On the sim all the time. Yeah, those are long days though, man

They start at like seven into six p.m. And you're just getting thrashed

You're just in this height in this

The thing is like for those that haven't been in the sim. I mean the it's that would be all of us

Well, I mean you've done some sim stuff or no, no, not not that level. Yeah

So, I mean, it's literally the the same chassis, you know, it's the tub of the indy car

Um, they put your seat in your steering wheel. It's molded your hands your pedals

So it fits exactly like it fit when you were going around the speedway at 240

The only difference is like the steering torque is the same. They've measured that perfectly

So, you know, the wheels just as heavy as it should be

But the thing you don't have is adrenaline

So like when you're in the car and you're getting thrashed on a street

So every bump that's in real life, it's on the simulator, right? So

In real life, yeah, you know, you know, you feel it but your your heart's up

You know, you're committed you feel it after dude the sim days

Like if you go to long beach or Toronto and you're there all day, but like 3 p.m

Dude, you just feel like you've been flogged sure for like eight straight hours

Like your hands are like, you know blistered your joints hurt

Um, but you know it's still something that you know, I was fortunate enough to be right getting paid to drive a simulator

I was like, dude, this is I'm still really happy right this when you do straight line testing

Is that like on a runway? Yeah, so, um, this is pretty cool. I mean all the teams do it

One of the cool places that you get to go to we can't any more for some regulation reason. I think, um,

Hopefully we'll be changing but a lot of teams would go down to kennedy space center. Oh, that's because of lars gear sing

Yeah, it was that is that what happens. We it's uh, we have another episode if you go to lars gear racing episode. He's the reason

Seriously, yeah

Paul Miller racing. I think it was a bmw or lamb. Uh, that might have been a lamb

Lambo wouldn't do that ryan. Yeah

Lamborghini, it's a great organization. How's it comes out in november? Yeah, yeah, Paul Miller racing was was running with an unidentified manufacturer and

They might have been in the way of a plane that was landing. Oh, is this recent? This is a couple years ago. Yeah, that's when it all stopped

Yeah, right. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. That was the end of it. Yeah, like I mean, well now i'm kind of lars gear sing ruin

Yeah, let's get it. We got our joke. Oh, we got our

We just got to go 18 episodes back. Yeah

Well, he heard about this on social he'd be like, okay

I mean, i'm slightly pissed because like those days

Dude, those days were awesome. Yeah, you'd be at nasa. You got a little nasa bad. You're supposed to return

I stole it. So one of the coolest things I still have it on my phone

Because i'm a bit of an aviation geek, right? Dude, we were there one one trip doing some testing in a bunch of a10 warthogs

We're using the runway is like practice strips. So they would like come down and act like they were either bombing or shooting the runway

So dude, they put on a show for us because they thought it was so cool. We were there at the indy car

We were like equally like, oh my god. This is the coolest thing we've ever seen

So, I mean they were flying like 50 feet above us. You know doing the whole wingwags everything and

You know at one point like we were on the runway and they were still not above us

But like off and it's like you're just running down the runway at like 2 15 or wherever and you're just looking up and you're like

Damn, warthogs flying. It's like right there. Keep it up with you.

You know, it felt like you're in a tom cruise movie.

But dude, the thing I said to earlier too, you get the nasa bad and you're supposed to turn it in. Oh, no way. Oh, I stole it.

Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. I was like, I'm yeah, but I didn't realize that's time. So I stole it in 20

Like forward to Rosen quest's wedding in Sweden and 24 in the fall 24

Yeah, so I've always kept the badge in my backpack because I was like, yeah, you know, that's where I'm gonna put it

So we invited to go to Felix's wedding one of my best friends. So I was like, yeah, dude, you know what I will

Take a long flight

Sweden for your wedding because you know, that's what friends do

So we uh, Kinsey and I, my fiance, we land in uh, Copenhagen. We get a car. We drive across the bridge in Sweden

I still blame her. She blames me. It's fine. We get like 20 minutes into it

And I was like, man, we've been up for like 19 hours. I want a coffee

Like just find a coffee shop and we found a coffee shop in like a mall

Right, so I'm like, okay, cool. We get off the highway. We park

Mind you, our backpacks, our luggage, everything's in the trunk as it should be hidden

And we get ready to go in. I lock the car. We walk 15 feet from it

And I'm like, uh, our passports are still just chilling in the cup holders. I'm like, let's not leave our passports

That would be irresponsible. So I go back and I grab our passports. We go in we get coffees

We come back out 15 minutes go by

Kinsey walks around her side of the car. I'm getting my door and she goes, uh

Our window is broken

And I was like, dude, that's not even funny

And she's like, I'm I'm I'm not I'm not kidding and I look and there's just shards of glass everywhere

Pop my head in there. My backpack's gone. My suitcase is gone. Her backpack's gone. Her clothes are still there. Thank god

You know, so but like I have this thing where I'm in sweden

I don't know like, you know what to do. So I call Felix and I'm like, oh, it's the day before his wedding

And he answers and he's like, bro, you make it and I was like, yeah, buddy

But I got a pretty big problem and he's like, oh and I was like, dude, we just got robbed and he's like, ah

And I'm like, no, seriously. We were robbed. Who do I talk to?

So we got connected with the police. They came out kind of did like a report

Really didn't hear anything. We're still in there for like an hour. Felix calls me back. He's like, don't worry

I got a second suit. You can wear that. You're good. And I was like, okay

Well, that's taken care of and then we get a call back from the police

So some truck driver tanker driver hauling petrol. They call it fuel for us americans

Reported he was driving down a dirt road

Saw all these clothes everywhere and he's like, that's weird. He jumps out of his truck

He starts digging through all the clothes and he finds his little badge a nasa badge

He picks it up and it says us federal government property now like national aeronautical space agency exactly

He thought an astronaut got robbed. No way. So that's why he called the cops

So they connected us with it and you know, all of our electronics are gone

Our clothes were there. That was the main thing. I mean our backpacks were saved. We got that that was good

So we had everything that we needed for our wedding, which was awesome. But the one thing that pissed me off so much

So I had my steam deck. It's like a little handheld computer gaming computer. Yep

Dude for a week and a half

The guy was playing forza on my steam deck and I was just like

I'm so upset. I was like this dude wherever just have the time of his life

But but yeah, so that was my my long-winded nasa story. So thank thankfully

Because I had the opportunity before it was wrongfully taken away from us to test it nasa

It saves some of which ruined indy car

Careers are being altered

Yeah, so yeah, that was that was my one terrible story of 2024

No, that when you're doing it in that time is there a hope that this is going to go somewhere

Or are you just sort of like that's a job and you know kind of I mean

I don't know what my expectations were with it. It was paycheck, which is yeah, you know

It was keeping me fed, which I really appreciated

And you know it gave me the opportunity to do something that

I could do the best I could at you know what I mean like I went into that like I don't know if it's going to be a ride

But every one of these tests or these sim days, I'm going to treat it as if there's a not a chance

Yeah, for sure

Because I mean I feel like that's what we do with everything right because we don't know what the next like opportunity is going to be

So just do the best thing you can man

Now somewhere in this process you found yourself in the dirt

Yo, june's oh

Where did first word of this opportunity come from because out of nowhere all of a sudden like little zag beach is like

Running whether like 360s or were they 405? Yeah. No, I was doing a winged 410s 410

Yeah, okay, so the fastest hardest to yeah, so that made sense because like

Never done dirt before let's just let's go the biggest ones. Yeah. Yeah. Well all came together

Honestly from a really nice guy named john shuberks. So

And what was this this was the

Sometime in 2021, you know, I was still doing the Lexus doing Lexus time. Yeah, um, which

I don't know if they really enjoyed it because Toyota understands dirt racing

Yeah, and when one of their, you know, lexus drivers was going off to race sprint cars

I think that was like the notoriously safe winged 410 sprint. Well, it's one thing if you grew up doing it

And you're arguably running with like a better class of driver

But like when you're fighting in the D main your second ever winged sprint car race

It's coming

You're in the you're in the feature you're in the heat race where people make mistakes. Yeah. Yeah, but um, you know

The funniest thing I remember john, you know when he was like selling it to me like hey, you know come do this race

And I was like, yeah, I would love to I got to run it by the team and I just remember him saying

Well, if they're concerned about it, just let them know that the wings take a lot of the impact

And I'm like, dude, the wings are on the top

So for that to work, I'm already upside down, which you know, it's how it goes. Yeah, right

But man, I have so much respect for the the

Sprint car drivers midget drivers like dude, it's a whole other thing

I mean those kids and the the guys are doing it. They're animals. Yeah

Um, I so I did, you know, two or three of those those races which were a ton of fun. Um

I was just driving winters, uh backup car

So man, he had so much time for me, which is great. Answered all my questions basically

Kept me from hurting myself, which was nice. Yeah, but keeping his equipment safe. Dude. I oh, I got made fun of so bad

Though I showed up to my first wing sprint car race

You know the things we laugh about how, you know, if someone showed up with their driver's suit. Well

My teammate did that this year and I scolded him

Type a driver's suit that you're gonna get roasted if you show up sports car racing

Oh, yeah, if you don't have boot cut. Yeah, if you have boot

Dude, I did it when I drove the NSX for rick where I was like, no, you guys. Yeah, you had it. Yeah

Oh, well, no, I showed up with no like boot cut. You know, I had my nice little

Yeah, weirdo

Yeah, they called me a princess and uh skinny jeans and I was like

Yeah

But the other thing was, you know, for those that don't know, um, I showed up for hot laps

With the same

Kind of idea of all the racing I'd done previously. So I showed up and I was like, cool. So hot laps. Is that like 20 or 30 minutes?

So hot laps just for context. This is effectively what you do as your practice session. Yeah, and it's how many laps?

It's like three or three. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, and then you qualify and then go. Yeah. Good luck. Yeah. The way they run is

Nuts. Yeah, man. Those guys are so good. So that's why they are so good because I mean all these guys have been doing it for so long

That's all they need. Yeah, three, four laps. They're like, yep. No, mom. Yeah, it's good. Send it. Yeah

And it's like, wow, dude, it's all over. Had you done any testing or anything?

I did one test, but that's the other thing was dirt racing for those that don't know when we show up to like, you know,

We tested here at the speedway and uh the gt4. I was racing a couple weeks ago. Yeah conditions were relatively the same

That's a 90% so what we learned at that test we showed up here

Your changes are a little bit of temperature a little bit of rubber. Maybe yeah, exactly. Yeah, well

The thing is with dirt tracks when you're the only one running it

They don't want to spend the money to really water it down because you got to maintain these things

So they're notoriously dry. So they're really slick and dusty

Then you show up for the race day and they got a ton of water on it which gets it tacky gives it a lot of grip

And they hold this whole other thing happens that I didn't experience until my very first heat race

Is uh when you're in the back your face is just getting pummeled with dirt and mud

And we're talking like 14 second laps. I mean, we were running like really small like three eighths mile tracks

Which I mean to me was just insane at the time. Yeah

So I remember Kinsey my fiance was there and she was like, yeah, you looked really like out of it the first like

Four laps and then he started like you were starting to get comfortable and you were running and you started passing

And I was like, yeah, and she's like what happened. I was like, dude, I could not see

I kept trying to get a tear off and I'd get my hand up and then I'd be in the corner again

And I was like, well, I gotta choose to like turn or see

So I'm like, I'm turning

So, I mean, dude, it was just like baptism by fire and I just walked away thinking like these guys are like the most bad ass

Individuals just like man, they're doing it every weekend and like no shunt is small. No

No, and those things are like 1400 pounds and have like if any hundred horsepower. Yeah. Yeah, I think you're not close to nine even

Yeah, they don't have weight rules. It's like whatever you get it down to. You know what I mean? It's just insane

Yeah, so it's man. It's wicked those guys like if you ever have a chance if you're listening and you haven't been to like a local show

There's a big divide, you know, I was an ohio guy

So like winged sprint cars was like the way if you come to indiana if you have a wing on your car

You're not, you know, a real racer to some people. They like to see it without the wing

Which in my opinion, that's twice as scary

Right

But the dirt stuff was cool. Um, I don't know if I would really do it full time

Just because I look at it like I really enjoyed it, but

I'm still not ready to not be here

Like if I was done racing here, I think I would commit myself to it

But I would hate to be learning in a sprint car get hurt and then miss an opportunity to race Daytona or something

Yeah, absolutely

But the one dirt race that's on my like

It's been on my list for like 10 years that I really want to figure it out. I want to do Baja so bad. Oh, oh

Yeah, well, how about this comes out for you? Oh, oh

Yeah, oh, okay. We're doing something with Ford. Oh, this is often not not driving. Yeah. Yeah, we're doing a video dinner with

Oh, that would be cool. But I think that's the extent of the dirt racing

That's another level. Yeah, so to kind of wrap up your yeah, this has been a very long time

I mean we feel like we've already done this with you, but now is the kid

Well, but this is all the new stuff that we're talking about. Yeah. Yeah. So, um, you end up

Leave lexus thing and you end up going is what did you do in between that in the racers edge program?

Just the mclaren testing. Okay. Copy that. Yeah, just that I so I did do some right seating and I did some driver instructing at

No, monicella motor club in new york. Why would you ride in the passenger seat?

Dude, I needed money to the chair like, you know, I just moved to connecticut. I was trying to like, you know what?

I'm gonna find my way. Yeah. Yeah, and I was like, oh, well, this is the one thing that

The one skill I have, you know, I've developed this so I started coaching and then coaching

I get it's the riding the pastures. Well, that was it man

I at first it was just the coaching and then it was the right seating and it took maybe three weeks for me to

Be reborn out and be like this is I'm gonna die. Yeah doing this chance. It's like

It just ah man. I remember the moment that I like it clicked that like this is not

Good, um, how big is the impact?

No, but like dude, I was starting to see it. You know what I mean?

Like you hear some of these old times like I started to see like death or I started to see god and I was like done

I wasn't there, but I was like, this is that pack

It's coming because I was yeah, we were somebody else. This is sort of hobby. Yeah

Well, I just remember one story not to throw anyone under the bus

But it showed up in a very very fast high horsepower like exotic

And you know, we're going down the back straight away and we're like close to 180 miles an hour. I'm in the passenger seat

I'm wearing dress slacks. Yes a polo. Yeah an open faced helmet and a regular street car seat though

Yes, right three-point harness and a radio right and I'm just like damn. We're going fast

Like I'm just like oh, we are going way too fast

And we're getting to the end of straight away and we're getting to like the 800 and I'm like that's probably a good place to

Break for you know what we're doing the guy didn't break and we get deeper and guy didn't break

We get deeper the guy doesn't break and I'm like break break and I finally just hit him in the chest and I'm like

Hey, like

You know we let's go in like, you know, I'm like

Okay, I was like, what were you doing and he was like, oh, I just I really wanted to see 190 before I broke and I was like

That's not how this works. Yeah, it's not possible

But I will say, you know, I did get to meet a lot of really cool people

Some of the guys I was coaching like, you know, some like especially people that really like were responsive and they'd listen

And they're respectful man, you had a great time for sure, you know

And you want to like see them go on and do do bigger things

But you kind of knew from the get-go in the morning like if it was going to be a long day or not

so when we

We did a remote thing with you during coven in december of 2020 you had just lost your indy car deal

Your relationship status had changed as well

And now you're engaged

How did all this transpire? Yeah, um crazy, uh, honestly

Um, you know how it kind of goes when you're like, you just got out of a relationship and you're like

This next year is going to be think about me the year of me. Yeah, right? I'm just gonna two weeks later

Do it. Yeah, like a month man, honestly because that happened. Um, you know, I was on my trip out west

and then uh, Mackenzie, she actually uh, I

I appreciated this about her. She slid into my DMs on christmas day 2020

I posted a meme she thought was funny like a week after we did our thing. Yeah, actually like life was over for you. Yeah, but you know

Yeah, dude, you know, I'm trying to work in the stories ways. Yeah

So I posted some meme honestly. It was it was kind of stupid

It was pictures of a bunch of ears on a bear like different bears

And it was like if these things are predators, how do they have ears like this? I was like, you know, that's kind of funny

I'll put it on my story. That's exactly. Yeah, right

Right. So she replies to it and she's like, I'm actually pet a bear and I was like, oh, yeah, okay, you know

Need you to know. Yeah, actually and I was like, all right. So then we just started kind of communicating back and forth. Um

You know just kind of staying you know in touch

And then I kind of came around to you know a month or two later

She was going wanting to go on a ski trip up from the northeast because her family's from Connecticut

So she kind of invited me out to go on a ski trip and I was still in like my yes phase of like

Whatever life comes at me this year. We're gonna, you know, if I make a friend out of it. Cool. If not, I get to go skiing. It's great

So at first it was like, hey

How about you come up here? You and I will go skiing and we'll uh, we'll just you know, get an airbnb or something

And I was like, sounds good to me. Yeah, and we don't need to get into crazy details

But you there's somebody you'd known prior. Yeah, how are you? Yeah, we've met through motorsports. Okay. Yeah

It's an interesting story. Uh, actually

It's up to you. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, uh, you know, she invites me to come up ski

I'm like, yeah, let's go and then I like a week went by and she's like, hey

Do you mind if my brothers come on this trip and I'm like immediately less cool. Yeah, right

But like, you know what sure, you know, I'm not I wasn't expecting anything out of this

I was just like, man, I want to go ski. So let's go and then like three days went later

He's like, hey, you care for my like mom and dad come up in the in the dog and I was like

Huh

No, you know what? Sure. But yeah, so I was like, you know what? It's cool

I'm still just going to go ski and I she picked me up from the airport. I met her entire family

We went on this ski trip

Dude, honestly, like like first date. Yeah, realistically, right and then, um

Dude just loved her family. They were awesome. Still wasn't really expecting anything and we kind of just stayed close until

Till honestly seabring I invited her to seabring gross. Yeah, right because I was like, hey, I want to really treat you

You took me see if you're worth it or not. If you can stick through this

Yeah, and uh, it was funny because you know, we've signed her up for a hard card and they're like emergency contact

She's like, I'm gonna put you down and I was like, okay

And she's like, I'm just gonna put you down as my boyfriend and I was like, oh

Okay, okay, and I was kind of the start of it man. Like that was so

Yeah, then two years after that. Yeah, we got engaged and now I live in Connecticut and

Kind of building a life there man. It's been it's been really good

But uh, yeah, we met through motorsports through a mutual friend of ours that is also from Connecticut. Um, and yeah

So, you know, yeah

Way life goes man, you know

Tackle

So you spend the year I guess sounds like you're kind of like finding yourself

And then you end up getting an opportunity with some sponsorship. I think you put together

Uh, to join the racers edge program. Yeah, so the NSX funny always been a skill of yours on sponsorship

Because we can get into this later, but man not as

It's never when I expect it to be fair. I mean, I guess maybe but you you were not the perennial guy

Like your dad had his own company and had yeah, but man

We work the house three times to get the headlights, you know, I think um when we made it in my first year in indycar

We had

Somewhere near like probably a million and a half in debt. My name is a 21 year old

You know, 22 year old. So, I mean, that's that's what it took to get there, right?

Um, so no is we've always had to have help

Or supporters or take a really big risk. So, um, luckily, uh, yeah, I who helped me with my sRO stuff

And who's still continuing to help a little bit here and there

Is this guy named obi? I met him randomly at a bar in connecticut watching the super bowl

Like he sat down beside me

You know, we started talking a little bit just about the game and you know here and there and that he traveled and stuff

And I think we started talking about golf and he asked me to you know, we could play golf sometime

So he travels all the time. He's hardly in connecticut

So he came back like two months later and we played golf and then we had like dinner

And I think he was like, uh, invited me to do something. I was like, oh man, I'd love to but I'm going to go to this race

And because we never even brought it up because like I still I always feel weird about that

Like just being like, oh, you know, it's like, I don't know. It just right because sounds like make-believe

It does, you know, or you can get stuck in a conversation that you don't want to have in terms of like

Educating the person next to you on the very basics. It's yeah. Yeah. So, you know, we talked about it

He's like, oh, that's cool. And then like a year went by and I got him a two-seater ride at Nashville in 2023

And he loved it, dude

And then that's kind of when our relationship started kind of like really get a bit stronger and um, you know

He just wanted to help me. So he made the sro

opportunity happen

And honestly, that was kind of the jump start the restart of everything because luckily

That opportunity led me to do in the gt4 race with hatori at Atlanta

And luckily we had a great showing with that going from like eighth to the lead and like 20 laps

And then that started this season, which kind of snowballed into where we're at now, unfortunately

So, you know, for those that don't know, I started this season with hatori racing

In the pilot town series running a Toyota super gt4 Toyota Supra with shiggy hatori. Yeah, and shiggy man

He I was getting to know him and I was loving him so much

The phone calls you get from him would be, you know, it wouldn't matter. It'd be midnight or six in the morning

But unfortunately, you know, we only got to do handful races

We did Daytona and seabring and and shiggy passed away in a tragic car accident in charlotte

So, you know, that happened

We really didn't have anywhere to go and steven simpson threw us a lifeline this year and we've been running with them since

I believe in ohio, so

And that's been cool because it's been a little bit of a leadership role

You know, he's allowed us to carry the number 16 on the car to honor shiggy

um, so

So, yeah, you know, it was sad because I was really excited to what shig was going to build

Because he had gtd aspirations. He whatever he did. He did it the right way

Whether it was like nascar trucks when he was racing indy car. Tory racing has been in all of this. Yeah, man. Um, so it was really tragic, man. I like

That affected me a lot longer and harder than I thought it was going to

You know, I mean, well, especially when it's an accident like that. It comes out of nowhere

It's a call you didn't see coming, you know, and the tough thing about it is like

I remember calling him that morning because he was getting ready to go to japan

And like left him a voicemail and I was like, hey, man, if I, you know

Catch you after your flight like we'll catch up later and then you hear the news like 10 hours later

It's just like I think that's the first time in my life. I've like had that moment of like, oh, wow like

Yeah, man, but you know, unfortunately, that's just the way it goes sometimes, you know, and we keep pushing on trying to

You know remember him when we can with stuff like this and then yeah, exactly

So now you're sort of on your way. The official team name is CSM. Yes

Uh, running a portion in the gt4 category of a pilot challenge

Um, where is this all going?

You know

I don't know. Um, I have where I hope it goes, you know, I think

I said it earlier that, you know, driving for jimmy and sully was some of the favorite people that I raced with

But steve and simpson and matias they're

They're right there beside them, you know the thing I

I love about csm is

steven's

Great driver and you know, he knows what it's like from the the driver point of view and driver side and matias

He's been involved in these teams forever now

He understands a different point of view

But what they do together is they make you feel appreciated one

And i've never been worried about the next race

You know, it's like, you know, there's some scenarios what we've been into where it's like

Well, even with the hitori ride some of that was, you know

I got a call a week and a half before datona and it was like, hey, can you come do datona?

And I was like, well, obviously I'd love to so that happened. So, you know with she I

He gave me opportunities, but I knew where he was at

Because we didn't have a lot of funding and at the end of the day

I'm the last person to disagree with it's just business because it's racing

I mean, we're all trying to make a living if i'm a team owner and I don't have the money to put somebody in that

I want. Unfortunately, you're going to have to do what you need to do to survive

You have people to pay and and races to do

So with steven, man, it's just from the get go. It's always been a sense of like

We appreciate your input. We appreciate, you know, what you're doing and with that, man

You just you build up a team. So it's been it's been great to have

You know a little bit of a leadership role just as far as car development

So we've made a lot of progress, but that's not just been me, you know

The other drivers on board have done a lot of work too

I've been really impressed with uh, Morgan who drives the uh, 67 because yeah, he's a young kid, you know

But he's fast, man. He's done a really good job and the thing I like about him

He's always asking how he can improve

You know, and I see that now it's like, you know, I did a similar sort of thing when I was young but like

I was that person asking it to be slightly further down the road and now it'll be like the person that can somewhat answer it

It's kind of strange, man. I don't know. Yeah, I don't know all the time now. Yeah, it's like, ah, man

And then you start explaining things and you're like, wow, I've kind of done this a long time

Yeah, I'm sorry. Yeah, you like I picked this up a little as we've gone. It's good, man

What I hope happens realistically

I would love to be with these guys again next year

And I would love to see us eventually get into something like gtd or you know, something a little quicker

Um, and just keep it going because you know, that's the thing I see an imp so that you don't see too much in indie cars

Like you see some of these older guys now that have gotten in with an organization

And you know this you build something and you have a home where it's like you're an integrated part of that team

And I think that's the goal. I think that would be like

A big check. So in other words, you're part of this organization of wherever they go. You're this is your

Yeah, yeah, I think that's the goal if you're not a factory guy anymore

Yeah, getting that opportunity is you need to be somebody's factory guy, you know what I mean?

You need to be their house pro. Yeah, and so that's what I've tried to establish house pro

I like that. That's why that's what I tell people about me. It might do. I'm like, I'm the house pro

If you need somebody to do anything I can do it. Yeah, absolutely. Um, you were driving with luka mars

Yeah, dude luka mars is polar opposite physically from you. He's probably six

He's gotta be six feet. Yeah, for sure. He's up there. Yeah

Yeah, it was tough, man. And like even younger than you, which is hard to believe. Yeah. Yeah, dude

He's in college now too, which is fun. Yeah, because I'm like, dude, enjoy it

Like, you know, because like now you get to kind of live like live backwards, right?

I see why all the mechanics back in the day was pushing me to do stupid

Right, right because like now I'm doing I'm like luka. You gotta and it's like, oh, wow. I'm living through him now

Okay, but I I really enjoyed luka. But you're to your point. Yeah, like I mean, he's so big my insert

Dude, was it so embarrassing? I hate that's the one thing I hate about him. So right the chair to see

Oh, dude, just every time I walked a pit lane, I just

Carrying a like a booster seat

Dude, my seat is like literally half my size

Because I mean even my teammate this year, Harrison Goodman, uh, another great guy. Yeah

But yeah, he's gotta be close to six foot. Yeah, and it's just like dude, you gotta make up the distance somewhere

I mean, I'm five four. I'm probably I'm into my shrinking years now. I'm gonna be five three in a decade

Yeah

I've been really bad, but I immediately saw benjamin button. Yeah, I immediately saw it man. Yeah

But yeah, no luka. I will say I'm super impressed with him this year

Last year. I mean, I could tell you switched on. Yeah, like he was getting it and it was so close to like

I mean, he was super fast then but like you could see little mistakes here and there. Yeah, um, but man, he's growing up

He is that's all it is so young

So I have found the a really cool community in the northeast in connecticut. Um, it's the aviation community

But um, you know where I keep my airstrip is uh, waylon farms, which it's a guy named tom waylon. He's an eight-year-old man

Uh, he's got a ton of flight experience. He served in vietnam

He flew helicopters and planes with cia. It's just done it all does he say the drink the drink

With water no bodies of water

Come on. You gotta I don't I'll ask you gotta be like give her have anybody lose it

Like like have to bail in the water and see what he says. Yeah

Yeah, because we've noticed that like the old old school war guys would be like

I had to land it in the drink had to put it in the drink. Yeah, maybe dude. He has he's had

He's gotta say dude. My favorite thing about you tom like I'm slowly learning because like we've been restoring a

Well, it's restored now. I'm flying it but a 1945 airplane. So like it turns 80 in december. That's uh, it's a champ

Yeah, iran could champ. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, dude. It's 75 horsepower. No electrical system. So I have to hand prop it

To get it going. Yeah, it's a tail dragger. So it's been you know, I learned to fly a tricycle plane

Which you know as the old timer say is not a real airplane because it's got a training wheel on the front of it

And to be fair the first few times I flew a tail wheel. I was like, they're right

This is way harder and then you figure it out. But um

Another like I say this because my two best friends in Connecticut are tom who's 80

And you know, my friend nick who's you know, I think nick's gotta be in his early 60s

Yeah, okay. So let's talk about the airplane thing because you've gotten really into this

Um, I'd say the most common thing you post about is airplanes. Yeah, you know and like but you're not only flying them

You're restoring them and like building them and helping work on other people's and stuff

Yeah, you and you fly in and out of a grass landing strip

Yeah, so um right now I'm based out of a little grass strip in Connecticut called Wayland Farms

So it's a little 2000 foot runway. Um, it's it feels small

But you know, you're an experienced pilot, you know, like, you know, tom who owns the place, you know

Guy's flown everything for a really long time. He was even burt reynolds pilot for a while

So like some of the stories he's got dude. He's such a cool guy

Like he's made me so excited to like, you know, get to that level of life to like, you know, just

Be solely yourself

Yeah, yeah

But you know, tom he's mechanic as well amp and you know, I bought my airplane from him

And it needed a lot of work. So tom's been helping me along. He's done, you know, all the hard stuff, but the cool thing with

Aviation is if you want to be an amp, which you got to have to be a licensed mechanic

You can work under an amp as long as they supervise and sign off

Let's go about amp is uh, it's airframe and power plant mechanic

So basically meaning you can work on the fuselage and wings and you work on the engine

So I would love to be an amp. It's a lot of school though. I mean these guys it's a lot to learn

So, um, the next best thing is to work on it alongside tom. So, you know, like simple tasks

I'm getting to learn and getting to do. Um, it's funny though. They definitely taught differently

Uh in tom's generation versus fine. Uh-huh. You know word choice word choice

Yeah, yeah, which has been fun, you know, you learn it the right way. Um, but

But dude, I have so much fun with these guys like I love it

It's become like a real passion like, you know, last time we talked climbing was my life

And it makes me sad to think like I don't climb truly anymore

I got rid of the van to help with the airplane. Yeah, but you know, I guess that's life-rise chapters

This is more so

But dude flying's just

You should really consider it man. I don't have any interest in being a pilot. None at all. I love airplanes to death

Yeah, I look at them all the time. I read about them all the time. I have zero

Interest in learning all the ins and outs of it. I'd love to go flying with it

You know what I mean? Like our friend holston who's a photographer friend of ours. He's got his and I'm gonna go with them soon

Um, but like it does like literally I've flown in small planes or like take you on my outskirts

Yeah, doesn't really do anything for me, but I love everything that's happening around me, you know

Yeah, the thing this aircraft has made me love

Vintage things. Yeah. Oh, I could like, you know the the cool thing about it

So it like it came off the assembly line december 6 1945 out of middle town, Ohio. It's crazy. It's like the plant's not even there

There I mean because aranca kind of went out of business

Um, but one thing you can do with the fAA is if you have a tail number you can go back and pay like 20 bucks

And you can request the entire history of the airplane. That's cool. So like I literally have everything

Like I have the signature from when it left the factory. I still have all the log books

So like I mean I 80 and that's what I really want to do is put together like a video on like going through its entire history

eventually like all the places that went and whatever like

I learned that it was bought by an air flight school 1945

It was there for like eight years and then it was auctioned off because they had like four thousand dollars an unpaid property tax

Sure, sure and back in the 40s four thousand dollars a lot of money

And they auctioned off the plane to help self then it went from here to there and you know, it was not destroyed

But it was not air worthy for a while and someone else found it brought it back. So like

I'm like the sixth person to like revamp it like in its time. Yeah. Yeah. So

Where's where's the farthest it went?

Uh, it's always been in the northeast. So, you know, Ohio to the northeast was its longest trip

But I want to take it to Oshkosh this year because it's the the 80th anniversary

So they're going to do a lot for champs in 140s. So I'll fly it out, but dude is slow

Oh, yeah, I mean your videos are like, are you okay?

It's a safe cruise speeds like 80 miles an hour

And if you get any headwind like the other day we were flying back in my grant like my speed across the ground was like 30 miles an hour

I was like just looking at people down. I'm like, wow, they're going faster. You're like, no, I'm okay. Yeah

I'm good. Don't be worried getting there. But like then some of the parts you find for this thing, dude

Which is crazy is like, I don't know if it was a post-war thing

But they made surplus of everything sure and there's some of these parts that I've been getting that is still like sealed

From the factory 1945 and you just rip it open. Yeah, and it's just pristine the paper works in there

Yeah, just cancer all over you. Dude, exactly. That's the other thing. You got to be somewhat careful. Don't open that bag

Yeah

But man, they don't build them like they used to I will say that

I just I love I mean, uh one thing so we talked about like

Certain things that like that happened in the last year that I think are like monumental

And one of those things is I read Chuck Yeager's autobiography. Yeah, that's supposed to be amazing. It's such a good book

So like I've always loved seeing your stories because you actually make some fun out of some of these trips

I try to so like I see you do some museums and stuff and I'm always like, oh, that's wicked

We're on the road so much, you know, it's like I'm gonna blow my brains out if I don't make this fun

But like that's worthwhile even like the autobiography or the audiobook is meant

I mean just the way those guys lived and that's what I appreciate about like tom's generation because I'm just like

Dude, it's so far from the way we're living now. Have you read the right stuff? Yeah, dude. That's that book is unbelievable

It is so hardcore. Dude. I would love to have a jack Ridley in my life. Oh, yeah

Just help me stay alive

I'm unreal so good. So, uh, we have a pass-alone question. We did not know it would be you this evening

Oh, but I'm like the second you were like, I'm here. We both started giggling and I'm like giving Sean a thumbs up

And he started smiling. Yeah, oh god

But we recently had dinner with Ross Chastain. Okay, and Ross's question for you was how do you eat your watermelon?

I never thought about it till now

Yeah, um

Like his way is literally right off the off the rind on the back of a pickup truck

Slice the slice off right there in the in the field and eat it like that. Oh, okay. So that paints the picture

I was like, I was like I was over thinking the hell out of it. Yeah. No, I could see the wheels. Yeah, I was like

Wait, how okay. What's the bit? Yeah

Oh dude, no same, uh, I prefer like picnic table outside in the sun slice it up

But slice it in the triangles. Yeah, dude. The thing I love about watermelon though is

You got to get like the right crisp piece

But like the transition before like rind and you know the like good watermelon. Yeah, like that little sliver

That's dude. That's where it lives. Absolutely. That's the best thing his second question was and again

He had no idea who it would be so it was kind of generic, but what's the favorite cheat that you've seen in racing?

Favorite cheat that I've seen in racing. Well lately it's saying somebody ran you off the track

It's

Um favorite cheat. Yeah, dude, uh

I think honestly it's in our pilot races. Okay of if you can make

The pro qualify and if the yellows fall at the right time how you can turn that into like a proper strategy

Because that's what we tried to do at indianapolis. Yeah, and we had engine issues

Yeah, you guys didn't make the race. We didn't make the race

Um, but that's what was so frustrating is because we didn't get to start

And then we watched both yellows fall perfectly when they needed to be for the strategy

And I was just like, oh today would have been the day, but you know if we started

I love though one thing that's common is we all find a way to make it better. Yes

Yeah, it's like, oh, yeah, if it wasn't for these eight things guys, exactly. Yeah, but also the car could have exploded

So you're lucky to be alive. You're like, all right. That's the other joey hand thing that video you guys posted that I died

It was just the woman like it's gonna pull

Okay, so tomorrow we're having lunch with uh two-time funny car champion, tony pedragon

If you could ever ask a question, I know you didn't know that this is coming. Yeah, absolutely. I uh,

I have two maybe

Uh, the first one would be

What was the most recent thing that's happened

That reminded you how much you loved what you do like motorsports

I think that would be because I've been thinking about that a lot lately just like

Certain things happen and I'm like, this is it like, you know, this is why we do this. Well, so what is that for you?

Yeah, what was the recent thing? Uh, this is gonna sound stupid. I mean, um

Most recently for me it was um doing the track wall here. Huh just like just

being out there and like

No having a plan. Yeah, you know, just being like, yeah, well this

I feel good about this that feeling of like being prepared and just being at the track being like whatever happens this week

And I know it's gonna be good. Yeah

I had a moment the other day where at the at laguna for fry challenge where I'm walking in

To the coaches meeting that they make us, you know, you have to do and that coaches meeting for our challenge coaching is like the

It's the top level of drivers. You know, it's like all the factory Ferrari guys from there over here

All these guys that have won Le Mans and all that, uh, you got

Logan Sargent sitting like two seats in front of me and I'm like, is that the Williams kid from like two years ago

And it's like, wow, I'm in this room and I'm supposed to be

Yeah, exactly. I didn't just walk in here exactly and like, uh,

Mark Miller and I have this and John Miller as well

Unrelated, uh, we have this thing where we check each other's laptops in the coaching sessions because it is the who's who

Of who's out there. So if you're in the top three, you're capable of doing anything, you know

And those are again those things where you're like, this means nothing. Yeah, you know, they're gonna delete this session

It's not going in the books anywhere, but you're like, but I did that. Yeah, you know, those are the things that do make you like

This is cool. Yeah, man. You know

Track walks pretty cool, especially Indian. Yeah, like you're looking around at the history

And what it means to be there. It's just because like it's so easy to make this over complicated and forget why you do it

Yeah, you know for sure. What about you? That was actually my I had two and they're both parallel and they were they were both yesterday

Yeah, uh

It was what we were talking about on the patreon earlier on the grid walk

I'm just standing on the pit wall. I kind of do like a listen to music kind of thing

And one of our fans came up. Uh, he emails us a few months ago. He was telling us about how

hearing about all the imposter syndrome from episode to episode

Made him realize like, oh, I can do this if everybody else has the same thing

And now he's going into his second year as a dag on an Indy car team

And it was like and I don't like we can't take credit for his efforts in his work

But like it's cool that we put him in a in a headspace. It's like I'm gonna go for it

And now he's out there doing that to me that means everything and this is gonna sound stupid

but I uh

I'd left the pits when the race was over and I and then I realized I had to go get something and go back

I cross paths with chili hand. Yeah, I risk go cars with chili hand in like the early 90s

And I'm like and I walked away. We know we just had the normal like posters

Like oh, how's it for you? How is it for you? I remember thinking like how cool is it?

30 years ago that we're still doing. Yeah, you know, and so I mean, I yeah

Those are the moments from like that's that's cool that like

13 year old 14 year old me is still like yeah, am I driving? No, but it's

It's cool. Yeah part of it. Yeah, you know, I think that that's something that you know Gabby and I was talking about last night

It's like

They'll never be able to take that away from us that we were a part of this. Yeah, you know, we we're here

You know, we were part of the family of motorsports and

When we you know talk to each other

No matter what we always have this one thing that's like

Stronger than we went to the same class or something. You know, we like we and I guess that's what it comes down to

He's like you suffered together

Everyone in motorsports has suffered together. You know what I mean?

We've all had super highs and super lows. Yeah, you chose it

That was the other quote that I I saw recently that I've been thinking about a lot and it was like

What a privilege is it is to choose the thing that you're suffering for. Yeah, you know what I mean?

That's good. Yeah, I've never heard you know, or it's you know, another's like what a privilege

It is to be tired from something that's of your own choosing. Yeah, but it's a it's a similar thing of just like

You know, we're lucky enough to say that we want to do this

And then it's hard. It's hard, but it's hard because we chose it. Yeah, so yeah, I like that. I guess the second question though

That's the one. Okay. Sorry

First one was fantastic. Thank you. So this better not suck

I was gonna say uh, when was the last time you've been

Genuinely fearful scared in motorsports or anything. I'll say anything. Yeah

Yeah, yeah, because I mean now down the war is

Exactly. He owed me money like straight

Buckered like, oh, I don't know how this is gonna go man, but we're here

You have one I mean mine's kind of lame mine lately. It's just been flying this airplane

Doing the things we love to do. Yeah, no like now it's just learning new skill. That's what it is

It's like the most recent thing is not even like I was scared, but I was like, oh, this is okay. Um, because like the old airplanes like

You don't have a lot of horsepower and you're getting out of these tiny grass strips and you're trying to always clear trees

And it's not something like, you know, you go full power and just pull back on the stick because the thing like gets in a

Kind of a mushy attitude where it doesn't really climb, but it doesn't really descend. It just travels forward. Yeah

Kind of like a skid almost. Yeah, right. Yeah

So to clear the obstacle you just point the nose at the thing that you want to go over

Because like if you keep the nose someone down and level the wing like produces enough lift for it to kind of move at like a

45 degree angle forward

So like for me the first couple times I did it

It felt so weird because like you're taking off you're staring at the trees

You kind of get into like ground effect

So like the air is smushed between the the airplane and the grass

And you just push them like stick forward towards the trees and at first I was just like, oh

This does not feel right. Yeah. But then you feel it in your ass. You just start kind of

Lifting up and you're like, okay. It's good. Yeah

But like those moments when you're doing something new or learning a new skill that you're skillish

That you're like, oh, I don't like this and then you're like, oh, okay. It's cool. It does work. It's like, it's kind of rewarding

So I guess that would be my other one

It's cool. Yeah

It's good

So we have a patreon. Oh, yeah. Yeah, uh, so we also have a patreon. We ask questions from our patreon

Um, I actually wanted to figure out how I could tactfully go here. So I'm gonna let Curtis Cleveland do it for us

Uh, Curtis Cleveland wanted to know do you take it's gonna take a lot of backstory

But do you take credit for Cadillac F1?

I mean, I don't think I rightfully

Get to say yes

I see I mean, but you just said you don't think you get to rightfully that which means there's a moment

We're like, I kind of made this. Well, I mean, I think I'm a catalyst to it for sure. Yes, you are

I mean, I think

I'm always going to be a part of that story

Right. I mean was I a part of the massive amount of effort it took to get from 2020 to here

Absolutely, right. So to give a little bit back story

Uh, gainbridge was the original sort of uh, uh catalyst to this whole thing and gainbridge is something that you brought

To the table. That is what brought you and sort of secured your deal. So to speak in indy car six years ago

Yeah, I met uh, dan towris, um, you know, great guy through my pastor erin brocket at traders point church here in designsville

Yeah, um, he introduced me to dan and he knew I was kind of close to my first indy 500 deal. So

Dan helped me out with uh, an lpga event that they were sponsoring here at the speed world

That was dan a big racing fan prior to that. No, I don't believe so. No, because uh, you know, we were kind of his introduction to motorsports

Yes, use agbeat in dan towris. Well, yes, you start a spark, right? And that's

Anything in motorsports

It sells itself once you get someone in the door

And you know forever will be the introduction to motorsports for, you know, that group

But yeah, I mean

Would I like maybe a paddock pass to come watch it? Sure. I might ask for that eventually

But um, man, so much work's gone into that. So I don't want to take credit away from no, but effectively putting in time

Dan towris and then dan towris and then game bridge group one zero zero one. I don't know group 1001

Uh, eventually it leads to all the stuff that has to take over andretti and now all the Cadillac program

And and that wouldn't happen had you not taken him to his first race, you know, it starts with a single drop, right?

You know, so I don't hear it but like the the this doesn't sound like a politician either

Like I don't hear any actual anger bitterness at all. I mean, it's what it is. I mean, I to be fair

I was never a kid with F1 dreams

Like I just wasn't like the indy 500 to me. It was everything, you know

I I don't know if that was growing up in small town, Ohio where like my world was as big as the country

Yeah, you know at

10 I never imagined I'd have friends from sweden and london and you know, brazil and south america

Like or other places south america should say or it's like south africa, you know, like with steven

It's wild like my world got so much

Bigger once I started racing because then you start meeting all these people and you're like wow, man

But no, it was always here. Uh trevor price wants to know other updates on the van. You sold it. What was it?

Was that hard? Yeah, dude, honestly price question. Yeah, it was really tough. Um, you know, I spent two years building that van toast

And I loved it. Yeah, um, but the thing that killed me. It was just sitting man

You know, I put so much time and effort in that and I just wasn't always hanging out

Yeah, so, you know, it's just it's honestly in one year. I put like a hundred miles on it

And that was kind of the thing. I I knew I was not really climbing as much anymore

And how many hours did you say you put into building that thing?

Dude, I I don't even have a number. Um

It was a lot of time

I mean if we count every day like if I worked every day like full eight hour days, I probably had

Probably four months of my life in that but it was scattered over. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I got it. I got um

But yeah, no, I knew I wanted to go the airplane route and I kind of just thought well

I get rid of the van

Yeah, that'll get my plane and I have someone left over and it just seemed like the more adult thing to do

Yeah, so one for one and I found I was lucky man the people that bought it

Like they are exactly who I wanted to have it. That was a crazy thing

Do I had some people that offered it and I like met them and I was like, no, I'm not not doing it

I just I didn't want

Then I found a nice young couple that was like eager about life

And they just wanted to go out there and explore and do things and I was like you guys are the ones

Like just take it like so hopefully it's still doing well. I mean, you know, I haven't heard anything about it, but

You know, but yeah, it was cool, man. It was a fun aspect. I think I might do it again eventually

Yeah, for sure

But it'd probably be like a kid project like sure, you know, we want to take like some little ones around the country or something

Yeah, so what's the Zulu's beach club? Oh, dude, thank you. Yeah, I happily bought the shirt

Yeah, I don't know what it really means. I appreciate that. So yeah, I love that show. Wait. What is this because I don't even know

Oh, so I um, it was just an idea like I fell in love with aviation, right?

And I always wanted to do my own indie car shirts

And you know, there's a lot of like regulations that like kind of you couldn't

Sell them maybe at the track because you know, indie car had its own merch

Sure. So I never really investigated the t-shirt rabbit hole too too strongly

But once I started flying I was like, man, I would love to just create something that's mine

Yeah, because I've never created something and someone purchased it. Sure, like

So I loved bonanzas, especially the V tail. Um

So I just got this idea. I was like, I want to start Zulu's beach

Well, technically Zulu's hanger is the the the clothing brand

And Zulu's beach club was the t-shirt with the the beach craft bonanza on it

But I need to do more with it. I was blown away the amount of people that bought the first shirt. Yeah

So I need to dedicate time with it

But the whole thing was just saying like could I actually make something that other people would like? Yeah

And I checked that box and now I got to do something with it. Yeah

So what I really want to do my whole goal this summer before, you know, we've had some

downtime with the plane because we lost an engine that, you know, kind of set us back like three months

But I really want to start like kind of vlogging like flights and stuff and like really create like a social media presence

Just around me flying around and like just I just wanted to just be myself and like have fun

And then I want to turn that somewhat into like this Zulu's hanger. Sure

So once the plane starts flying and I'm confident enough to be

Able to do recordings and fly and not, you know, make a fool out of myself

Then, you know, we'll see the videos but I'm still learning at the moment and you are zulu because of the yeah z

Yeah, so it's just, you know, the alphabet. So z is zulu and I just wanted z's hanger. So that was it. That's cool. Yeah, man

So how many of those do you sell?

Ah, dude, well, I think you sold all of them, right? Like you did like a batch round and yeah

So we ended up with 200. Oh nice blew through those

And then we switched to like a print on demand and started with those because I was like, so I can still buy one now

Yeah, still get one. Okay. Um, my thing was my goal

Dude, if I sell 10 of these things, I was gonna be happy. Yeah, right. And I was just like, oh f***. Okay. Well, I need

Need to do more. So the next idea that I got, um,

I'm hoping to have something out in the next wealth. This is gonna be November. It's December. Yeah, so it should hopefully be out in the

Around then. Um, it's yeah, it's it's smoky bear and themed themed. So, you know, I hope you like that

So is that it? Yeah, there's no pitch. No, that's it. It's a terrible. Yeah, I don't know what it is

All right. So the cool thing about it is I didn't know this until back. Is it shirts? Yeah, so I was gonna do another shirt

But so smoky bear was a literal bear that and I think it was in new mexico

That they were fighting wildfires and they found this burn up burn up little bear

And they saved him, you know, and they named him smoky and that's how smoky bear was created

But there's this iconic photo of like him on the cowling of an airplane

And I was like, I want to do something with this

So we're gonna try to work with the smoky bear foundation. So like proceeds will go back to that and try to do a whole thing

But a lot's gotta happen

If it makes it

I either failed or I was a success

But yeah, man, so you're not here today for racing. Yeah, why are you in india today? So I

You know oddly enough, I kind of have somewhat of a job now too. Yeah, right beyond being the race driver

Yeah, and t-shirt salesman. Yeah t-shirt, you know the glove merchant, you know, we're all trying to do our own things

But yeah, I just so my dad has a managed services company here in indianapolis

So, you know the it world's been a part of my life since I was a baby dad started his company

I think when I was like a year old so I grew up around it

And you know, I was trying to find something, you know, we can't race forever, but I'd like to

So he was needing some help on some things. So I started kind of picking up like part time roles with with him

Oddly enough, man, it's I've been recognized a couple times because like I've been splicing fiber occasionally like project managing

Multi-tenant like internet for like apartment complexes and stuff for my dad's company

So it's fun because like I'm making phone calls and like every now and then someone's like

Wait, I watched you and I was like, yeah, that's me

times are tough

But I mean, right, but just just put context on this

So like there's a new apartment installation or something like that going up here

Somebody's got to do the cabling on the fiber. Absolutely. And that's Zach Beach

Well, it's it was at the ground level, you know, so I'm kind of managing floors one through two. Yeah

Because I can't reach it. No, luckily I'm

I'm kind of managing the projects now because I spent the last couple of years

Kind of being a lot of the grunt work splicing the fiber understanding the cabling stuff like that

So at least when we go to these properties and say you want fiber and 300 units of the apartment complex

I've at least done every step of that that now I kind of see the big picture of it

And you can sell with some confidence. I assume. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. So, I mean, we don't do just fiber

I mean it's managed services. So whether, you know, like you're a coffee shop or whatever

We just manage like the it headache for you. So, I mean something as small as like three computers to companies that have like, you know

A thousand so, um, you know, I enjoy it because it's always changing, you know, I can do it remotely

So, you know, I'm here working on a project, but you know, when I go back to Connecticut

Still able to, you know, work when I'm not racing and

Just nice to have some stability in your life, right? Yeah, no, no, absolutely. It's good to have that to fall back

When you were in Atlanta, when was that dude? That was that was uh, january that this year. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah

I was like that four years ago. It was right before Daytona. Yeah, because we were talking. Um, that's right about the driver lineup

Yeah, yeah, so he's in Atlanta for like a week or something. It is the it was a hell

And you're just working on this. Well, I had I didn't know you did this. Yeah

You know what I mean? So I had no idea what you were doing and you can't we had dinner tonight together

Like no, I'm like drilling holes and things and like placing wires through a building. I'm like you are

Dude, they turned me loose with like a boring drill for like foundations of these buildings. Yeah, I'm like my education was like

On a site was as it should be but like, hey, this is how you do it show me you can do it

And I was like, all right do it a few times and you're like, okay. Yeah, I got it and then that was it

It was like you but

It's fun because like, you know, it's it's something new but dude

This guy's work their ass is by the time you got to me you were worn out

Well, the problem is though what I end up doing a lot of the times like in that scenario

That job was like quoted for like a week and a half two weeks of work

Sure, and I was the only man down there and I was like

Well, if I work 18 hours

A day I could have it done in four. Yeah, and I'm like I could go home

And like I'm always on the road traveling with racing

So when I have to go on the road for this my sole objective is like I'm going to get everything done the right way

But I don't mind like the hours like I'm just going to get

So when you're home you're home. Yeah, exactly. And then some of these stuff too like

The faster you get it done

You're making people's lives easier too because you have a building go down man

People are working from home or their kids. I mean, that's their soil. They come home from school. That's their pacifier in a way

Right, so it's been a new life lesson for sure. Um

But yeah, if you have any fiber needs

I got it. It's uh, it's fun. I think that was the first time

I really recognized you as a person beyond racing like you and I've been friendly for a while

But that's when I was really like this guy is there's no ego here

You're willing to work and so many people aren't you know, just because they

Have a status as a driver or you know used to be a team owner or something like that and you're like, I don't care

I just gotta get done. I'm like, that's how I I like to be

The thing is like I I watched my dad work his ass off from the time I was like that's where it comes from

And then you know, I see you know a lot of these

Why I started they just needed people. Yeah, and you know, I remember just having a conversation with dad and they're like, oh well

We gotta get this done

We're kind of a little behind on this and I'm like

I do it and that's how it started. Yeah, that was that and I'm enjoying it man. I am like but some days, dude are rough

Like today. I'm like, oh, it's Monday. It'll be fine coming back from race weekend

And like three buildings went down ones in Georgia ones up here

And it wasn't even at the end of the day. It wasn't even our fault

It was like a actual like carrier fiber issue like where we buy

Like the pipe into the buildings from never happens

But oddly enough today a carrier in Atlanta had an issue and an issue up here in indy

So, you know, it wasn't down long. It was like 30 minutes each location was down

But they were both down at the same time and once I had like 900 upset people and I'm like, oh man

Because you're looking through everything and you're like nothing's wrong. Like I don't like

Everything's fine and then you get the truth and you're like, okay. It's got nothing to do with us

It's what it is. So dude, that's the thing. I'm like where I'm at now. Um

I'm privileged to be in a race car. I love every second of it, but you know, I'm still just doing whatever I need to do to

You know have life. Yeah, so I'm thankful. I'm happy this worked out though guys. Yeah, no

Don't thank us. Yeah. Thank mark dis more. I will have a beer for him tonight. Yeah. Yeah

I never did get one of those aero carts. Maybe we can work out a deal

I don't know. He didn't seem too interested

All right, so in 2020 people would have hit the we would ask what what you're doing in five years. Who knew you'd be on the show?

So five years from now. Where is uh, where's that beach? Wow? I'm afraid to answer the way it went guys

I was thinking that on the way here

I was like when mark does more flakes in 2030 and we call you again

Well, I was thinking about this right because like five years ago our first conversation. Yeah

I lost my ride and my girlfriend. So right. So I'm like we're the bad news. Cool. No, we're f***ing yeah

No, um five years from now, man

Crazy think about I put the important things first. I think I'll probably be a dad to be honest. Yeah, you know

I think in the next five years. I think I wouldn't mind. I mean, who knows that could all

Blow apart, right? But like, you know, I'm really I

Super you're in that place. Yeah, man. I'm so lucky. Uh, mckinsey has been amazing for me

You know, we've been engaged for a year and a half now

We're starting to plan a wedding because her brother got engaged like two months before us and we really didn't want to

Proud the wedding, you know what I mean? So now it's kind of our turn and that's coming up. So hopefully be married dad

maybe

and

Man to this day. I still hope racing in imsa. I I love it so much here

Like it's just it's everything I imagined racing was man. It's good people, you know

You have your group that you enjoy the racing on occasion is, you know

A little rough but 90% of the time man every one of the times I've been like side by side in the corner or somebody

I'm like, this was good racing

You know, you get with the right people and you're like just you know, you're both are trying so hard

And you're still being somewhat respectful about it, which is good

The other only other thing I mean, I'm trying to find a way into is more vintage racing

Yeah, like I want to just go drive cool stuff that I actually look at and I'm like that thing meant something

Yeah, you know, I mean like you've done those indie

Dude, that's why I do it every year. I mean because like just getting to run, you know, like dan gurney's car

you know rutherford

Dude, it just it allows you to have a moment in time where you're like, what was these guys actually really going through?

And it's terrifying. Yeah, like you think about that thing. You're like, man, these guys are going 200 in this thing

Yeah, man, like it just makes you appreciate it. You know, we have it so good now. You know

But yeah, I think that's cool. That would be exciting to see

I have a really good feeling we're going to be back next year and some capacity. You know, um, but you know, until it's

Until it's Thanksgiving, you know, I think that's the you know, the day that I'll know something until it's been

So when this comes out, you guys will know my profits. See if it will be in the intro

Yeah, exactly

Well, if I could say your

He was wrong

Your your tone compared to 2020 is way more positive. Like I think even in 2020

I think in the summer of 2020 the writing was on the wall that you knew you weren't in the best space and uh,

You're you're in a good space right now. Dude. I'm just enjoying it. I'm loving it. The racing's fun

Like I will say the cars leave a little to be desired, you know, just

With the gt4. I mean when you drive an indy car

Well, it's just I think what I miss is the downforce of even just like the gt3

Because there's been a couple of times where I'm like, oh, this should go differently. Yeah, right, right

But like when you get into the heart of racing and pilot like

Oh, it's awesome. Oh my god. It's the some of the battles have been

It feels like you're in the rental carts with your friends. Yeah, right

It's like the cars are moving around everyone's like fighting for their lives. Like it's just it's so fun

So yeah, man, I think that yeah, I would love to still be here

Yeah, cool. Let's see. Well, I don't know about legacy because every two years are gonna come back on

So we'll find out on the next one. Yeah, exactly. Yeah

Who wait? Well, here's the question in five years. Who's gonna flake that you're coming back? Oh, yeah. Yeah

Wow, um, yeah, you got to pick somebody that's like maybe on the way up now

Yeah, you know to me like somebody at their peak now. Yeah, right. It's in five years. Yeah, don't won't do this

Yeah, you know, it could be an eye for an eye thing. I could you know, if coltoncancel.com

I can see that

I can see that being insanely prophetic. Yeah. Yeah, that's what's gonna happen. Yeah. Yeah, cool. Yeah, even if he doesn't

We can make it seem like that's what happens, right? They'll never know

All of a sudden he gets this one

I'd love to be on

Like tweets it

Hey

Yeah, but uh, sounds good guys. Um, you know what sometimes the best thing is a life around expected

I woke up this morning not thinking I'd be sitting here with you all so I appreciate the call man

I guarantee this one way better than it would have if

Yeah, I was like a giddy little kid when you ran through you're like

I was like doing my legs up and down

I was excited. I was I was like, oh, what the fuck? Yeah, look at this second return guy

We've had two return guests now. Yeah, and it's been justin marx after just starting an ass card team

and

Zach beach

Who is who is now in a whole new part of life? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's pretty new decade 30 now

Moving on. Oh man. It's almost over. Yeah

Yeah

It's fine now

Wow

Wow, let's say with that. I mean continental's got the check. Wait, is it supposed to be?

I'm finished

In the night I see a day

Summer dress in the chair

My favorite song

Let me dream

You

0:00

103:08

Ep.315 – Zach Veach (is not Mark Dismore)

IMSA

Porsche 718 Cayman GT4

Road to Indy

Indy Lights

Andretti Autosport

IndyCar

power steering

Fiat 500S

Indy 500

Vassar Sullivan

Lexus

Daytona

pit lane

oval racing

McLaren

Chevrolet

sim racing

steering torque

BMW

Paul Miller Racing

Lamborghini

Nissan Quests

Subaru 360S

Acura NSX

NSX

hot laps

winged sprint cars

Baja

Ford

180 miles an hour

three-point harness

break

190 miles an hour

Toyota Supra

Porsche 911 GT3

About this episode

Original notes