Arizona Car Week is a highlight in the automotive calendar, and this episode dives into the unique experiences and connections made during the events. Host Jay Finning shares his adventures, including attending an artist event at the warehouse and mingling with notable figures like Chip Foose. The conversation takes a deeper turn as Jay reflects on societal issues and the importance of genuine dialogue amidst polarizing views, especially highlighted by a friend's political statement at Barrett-Jackson. The blend of car culture and real-world conversations makes for an engaging listen.
Join Jhae Pfenning for a raw solo episode of Hard Parking recorded right after Arizona Car Week 2026. Recap the magic of The Warehouse artists event, the exclusive Radford party at Pat & Linda Velasco's (Yamazaki 18 pours included), meeting automotive legends like Chip Foose, the talented artist Rae Roberts, and insane full-circle coincidences that scream "simulation" — from Grand Rapids ties to Nebraska connections at a Scottsdale house party.
Plus, time at Barrett-Jackson with friends (golf cart adventures included), spotting the red hat in a polarized world, and real talk on tribalism, the American flag, political division, and why genuine conversations beat echo chambers every time. Car community vibes, networking wins, and a reminder to seek context before judgment.
Subscribe for more Hard Parking: automotive stories, reality checks & no-BS takes.
#ArizonaCarWeek #BarrettJackson #carcommunity
Key Chapters
00:00 Intro & Why I'm Still Introducing Myself in 2026
04:15 Radford Party – Yamazaki 18 & Meeting Legends
07:20 Convinced We're in a Simulation? The Coincidences Start Piling Up
19:00 Barrett-Jackson Day: The Red Hat Moment
21:50 Polarization in America: MAGA Hats, First Responder Plates & Tribalism Dangers
27:00 American Flag & Why We Need Context
30:00 Final Thoughts: Seek Information, Have Conversations, Protect Friendships
"...this is a reminder of Arizona Car Week. I keep struggling with car week versus auction week..."
Arizona Car Week is a special time when many car events happen in Arizona, including auctions where people buy and sell cars. It's popular among car lovers and collectors.
Arizona Car Week is an annual event that features a series of automotive auctions, car shows, and related gatherings, attracting car enthusiasts and collectors from around the world. It's a significant time for the automotive community, showcasing rare and classic cars.
Car
Nissan NSX
"...or the NSX event that she did with me..."
The Nissan NSX is a fast and stylish sports car that many people admire. It's known for being very well-designed and fun to drive.
The Nissan NSX is a high-performance sports car that was originally produced in the 1990s and is known for its innovative design and technology. It combines luxury with exceptional handling and speed, making it a favorite among car enthusiasts.
"...that is Barrett Jackson, to where like she said, it's a quick trip down the freeway."
Barrett-Jackson is a famous company that sells special cars at auctions. People go there to buy and sell unique and collectible cars.
Barrett-Jackson is a renowned automotive auction company known for its collector car auctions. It features a wide range of classic, vintage, and exotic cars, attracting buyers and sellers from around the world.
"...they own Radford, which is a racing school here and the official school of Dodge."
Radford Racing School is a place where people can learn how to drive fast cars and improve their driving skills. They teach both beginners and experienced drivers how to handle race cars safely.
Radford Racing School is a professional driving school that offers training for various motorsport disciplines. It is known for providing high-performance driving experiences and education for both novice and experienced drivers.
Dodge is a car brand from America that makes fast and powerful cars, like the Charger and Challenger. They are known for their sporty designs and strong engines.
Dodge is an American automotive brand known for its performance-oriented vehicles, including muscle cars like the Charger and Challenger. The brand has a rich history in motorsports and is recognized for its powerful engines and bold designs.
"For those of you who are in the cars, Chip Foose seems to always go there. The famous Chip Foose."
Chip Foose is a famous car designer who creates custom cars and appears on TV shows. He's well-known in the automotive world for his unique style and talent.
Chip Foose is a renowned automotive designer and builder known for his work in custom car design and television appearances, particularly on shows like 'Overhaulin'. He has won numerous awards for his innovative designs and craftsmanship.
"They have a company and they do what's called blueprinting of engines, right, which is kind of a deal. I won't, I won't explain what that means, but car people know what that means."
Blueprinting is when mechanics carefully measure and adjust engine parts to make sure they fit perfectly. This helps the engine run better and last longer.
Blueprinting of engines is a process that involves precision measuring and machining of engine components to ensure they meet exact specifications. This can enhance performance and reliability by reducing tolerances and improving fitment.
"And then he brought up that they have a display at SEMA and I'm like, OK, SEMA, that ain't cheap."
SEMA is a big car show in Las Vegas where companies show off their custom car parts and accessories. It's a place for car enthusiasts and businesses to connect and see the latest trends.
SEMA, or the Specialty Equipment Market Association, is an annual trade show in Las Vegas that showcases aftermarket automotive products and custom vehicles. It's a key event for industry professionals to network and display innovations.
"...he's got an early first Gen. NSX and he has AI think 2017 NSX."
'First generation' means the very first version of a car model. For example, the first generation of the Acura NSX was made from 1990 to 2005.
The term 'first generation' refers to the original version of a car model when it was first introduced. In the case of the NSX, the first generation was produced from 1990 to 2005.
"here in the area. He's got an early first Gen. NSX and he has AI think 2017 NSX. So I'm talking to m..."
The Acura NSX is a fast and stylish sports car that was first made in the early 1990s. It's special because it was one of the first cars to use lightweight materials and has a powerful engine, making it fun to drive. People talk about the NSX because it combines high performance with the ability to be used as a regular car.
The Acura NSX is a mid-engine sports car that was first introduced in 1990 and is known for its innovative design and performance. It combines a lightweight chassis with a powerful V6 engine, and its significance lies in being one of the first supercars to feature an all-aluminum body and a focus on everyday usability. The NSX has a strong following among car enthusiasts and is often discussed for its impact on the sports car market and its evolution into the modern hybrid version released in 2017.
"Nobody's car was inside. Well, Brian Cole's Viper GTS ACR..."
The Dodge Viper GTS ACR is a special version of the Viper sports car that is built for racing. It has a very powerful engine and special features that help it handle better on the track.
The Dodge Viper GTS ACR is a high-performance variant of the Viper, known for its track-focused design and powerful V10 engine. It features enhancements such as aerodynamic improvements and suspension tuning to optimize handling on the racetrack.
"Thank you so much. I want to thank my sponsors, right? Honda Wright, Toyota Spark Forge"
Toyota is a Japanese car company known for making reliable cars, like the Camry and Corolla. They are one of the largest car manufacturers in the world.
Toyota is another major Japanese automaker, famous for its innovative technologies and reliable vehicles. The Camry and Corolla are among its best-selling models.
"Thank you so much. I want to thank my sponsors, right? Honda Wright, Toyota Spark Forge"
Honda is a car company from Japan that makes many popular vehicles, like the Civic and Accord. They are known for being dependable.
Honda is a well-known Japanese automotive manufacturer recognized for producing reliable cars and motorcycles. Popular models include the Civic and Accord.
Radford Party – Yamazaki 18 & Meeting Legends
Convinced We're in a Simulation? The Coincidences Start Piling Up
Barrett-Jackson Day: The Red Hat Moment
Polarization in America: MAGA Hats, First Responder Plates & Tribalism Dangers
American Flag & Why We Need Context
Final Thoughts: Seek Information, Have Conversations, Protect Friendships
Select text to request an explanation
All right, we are rolling. This is Hart Parkin, brought to
you by Right Hunt and Right Toyota out of Scottsdale, AZ.
I'm your host, Jay Finning, recording from my home studio in Gilbert, AZ You know what The funny thing is?
I going into 2026, I decided, you know, I don't really need to tell you who I am and where I'm recording from.
But the reality is this podcast is nowhere where it needs to be.
And so I'm going to continue introducing myself.
I am the host. I am Jay Fenning, and this is my
podcast. I just got back from the
warehouse. So if you listen to the last
episode, you saw that I went on location and I interviewed Rebecca Nguyen, who was owner and operator of the warehouse.
In fact, I still have my wristband on.
I was going to cut it off, but you know, this is this is a reminder of Arizona Car Week. I keep struggling with car week
versus auction week, but it's a reminder of Arizona Car week because, you know, at the last episode I said that I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get to the auction and what I'd be able to do. But I did know that I was going
to go to the warehouse for tonight's event with the artist and it was an excellent event. Lynn Lynn Heiner that I met last
night at the Radford party. I'll talk about that the party
in a little bit. Dwight Knowlton, who is a
founding member of the warehouse, who is a who will be a future guest of Hard parking. They had another guy named Bill
Pack and, and David Townsend and the way that Rebecca and her crew is able to transform that warehouse for any event that they have planned, whether it's a wedding or it's the the, the Nissan code RGTR event that she talked about or the NSX event that she did with me. And even tonight, the artist
event is just the way they transform that space is it's a nice touch above just about anything that you're going to attend here in Arizona. And it's just close enough from
the main hub that is Scottsdale, that is Barrett Jackson, to where like she said, it's a quick trip down the the freeway.
And it was a great event. They had bar service there.
Again, all the four artists, you could look at their stuff, you could buy their stuff if you wanted to.
They had an excellent panel discussion and you could Commission artwork from them. So that was an excellent thing.
And I'm and I'm so glad that I attended.
And that pretty much concludes my car week.
I'm recording this on a Thursday night because I'm going out of town and I won't be back until Monday.
I'm not going to be able to experience Barry Jackson like I typically would or go to these. There's there's dozens of events
this week and then Saturday is the big one.
So, you know, do you go to, I assume they're still having bagels and bullshit at Otto. So you go to Bagels and
bullshit, you go to the six other things going on Saturday morning, all before Barrett even opens.
And then of course, you go to Barrett and you do your thing.
But I will say that if you want to hear a recap on Barrett Jackson, I strongly suggest you after this podcast, of course, of course, you know, I strongly suggest you head over to Tormenting Tarmac with Jorge Aquino, AKA Papa Tarmac.
Obviously, he's been on my podcast and I've been on his because I know that he's going to be recording live from the warehouse tomorrow, which will be Friday at the Yvonne event.
If he's still doing that, he's supposed to do it.
We got to hold him to it. But either way, I know he's
going to be doing stuff specifically for Barrett Jackson and and car week. And so that's that's always an
excellent place to get like the pure Car Talk and the pure conversation. This podcast is surface level
and then it's reality and society and things that most of you tune out, tune out because you don't really want to hear it or face it, but it is the reality that we have.
So last night, which would have been Wednesday, I, I did receive a special invite to, to go to Pat and Linda Velasco's home, which is kind of in the Arcadia slash Scottsdale ish slash Phoenix area. Really nice home.
Went there a couple years ago and they own Radford, which is a racing school here and the official school of Dodge.
And of course, you know, Rebecca had mentioned a gentleman named Mark Valentino in last week's episode.
He's a member of the warehouse. It's a members club.
And he's also become a friend of mine as well.
So I was pretty stoked to get that invite.
I brought Yvette with me and you know, it was it was really cool because it's a beautiful home and anything you want to drink at the bar I kind of pointed at because I'm a big obviously I'm a big whiskey person, as you guys know, whiskey, Scotch, whiskey, bourbon, gin, vodka, OK, anything that has alcohol and I'm probably going to drink. I actually like wine as well.
But they had Yamazaki 18 and I kind of pointed to the Barch and I go, is that just for display or can we order that?
And she goes, everything behind me is available.
I will take the Yamazaki 18 please, because this is $800 a bottle of total wine, right? So I don't have that stuff.
But in the course of last night, I had a couple of those and they were heavy pours. I kind of wanted the 3rd just
because, but I didn't because that would have been not worth the risk because this place was like 45 minutes away from my house. But beautiful sushi, great
desserts, and I've never really spent much time with Pat and Lind of Alaska. But even from the last time I
was there, they're so welcoming to people.
And again, they have such a beautiful home.
But the cool thing that I love about this event is you get people there that, that you know or people you know of, but you haven't formally met for the first time, or there's people that are coming into town specifically for the event.
For those of you who are in the cars, Chip Foose seems to always go there. The famous Chip Foose.
If you don't know who he is, look him up, CHIPFOOSE.
But I'm convinced that after last night, we are living in a simulation. And I'll tell you why first
before I tell you that I also got to meet now local artist Ray Roberts. And we follow each other on
social media. And she, we, we talked for
probably 10 minutes and she is such a fantastic person.
And hopefully she'll be on this podcast and Oh my God, she's an incredible automotive artist and she wrenches on her car.
So if you follow Ray Roberts RAEROBERTS, you'll see that she's always working on her BMW or doing other stuff and she's painting. But it was an excellent
opportunity to meet her and kind of network with a lot of other people, really good, genuine people in the business.
But here's why I'm convinced we're living in a simulation.
First, I got to do this. This read really quick.
OK, here we go. Week 3 trying to do this read
because I have not had time still to properly record this and put it in music. But maybe it'll be better this
week than last week. A word from our sponsor, Spark
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It's legit guys. Sparkforge is legit.
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It handles the tech behind the scenes, helps clean up how your business shows up online, makes calls and message make sure calls and messages don't get missed, keeps reviews from slipping through the cracks and wrangles social marketing so you don't disappear for weeks. If you're curious, there's a
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So basically 90 day trial, right?
So if you want to take advantage of the 90 trial, head over to sparkforge head head over to get sparkforge dot AI forward slash hard parking and get started. I kind of cut some of that off
because damn it, it's just hard to read.
This isn't a conspiracy corner segment that I typically do.
And we're going to get to my Ferrett Jackson and also some controversy with that. So just hold on with this and
I'm going to tell you about that in a little bit.
So we're sitting there around the fire and I leave because my wife wants me to go get her another drink.
Now, as we're sitting there, I was looking at this woman in front of us and I told my wife I go, hey, I'm pretty sure I know this woman. She looks a lot like this other
woman that the last time I saw her was in Monterey Car Week seven years ago, maybe maybe even 8 years ago now, randomly, we would have been two of the four people in the hotel lobby at that time of night. And I remember having a
conversation with her then, like, don't I know you?
And it's one of those things where she would know me, but I would know her. And I'll explain to you what
that means in a little bit. But so I pointed her out.
Then I get up, I go to get my wife a drink, and I'm kind of out, you know, lolly gagging, doing my normal talk to everybody, you know, type of deal.
And my wife's sitting down around the fire 'cause it's kind of cold outside. One of three fires they had
going. We're not talking the outdoor
heaters, we're talking like fireplace fires, right?
So one of the three fires that they had outside and they're laughing, having a good time. I'm like, my wife's taken care
of. So then we go over there and
come to find out the guy that she was talking to, his name's Stu Reed. Stuart Reed, and he's the father
of the woman that I said I'm pretty know who.
I'm pretty sure I know who she is now.
Her name's Christine. Why do I keep falling back on
this simulation thing? We are in Arcadia slash
Scottsdale, AZ. I remember her from Grand
Rapids, MI, when I used to work at the Bob as a assistant manager of security bouncer at the time she worked for the Bob.
And I think she may have been dating.
Well, I'll just say I, I'm pretty sure she was dating Greg Gilmore, which was the owner, one of the owners of, of the Bob, the big old building, pretty much the most happening place in Grand Rapids, at least at the time.
And I remember her because she would always come in, blonde lady, come in, go upstairs, work, come downstairs, didn't really talk to anybody and we'd leave.
And when you're on security, you don't forget who the owner's woman is, right? Not a big deal.
So then Fast forward to the Super random weird time that I ran into her at Monterey Car week of all places.
And I remember having a conversation with her about that and kind of reminiscing just a little bit.
And I, I didn't know, but she does a lot with cars, you know, So I'm like, oh wow, this woman who didn't seem like, and again, I don't know, but you know, you judge people.
It's like she never talked to us.
So you didn't really know what she was into.
And it's weird 'cause she's so big into cars.
And obviously I'm into cars, right?
Not as much as Jorge Aquino of of tormenting tarmac, but you know, I'm still into cars. I mean hard parking an
automotive automotive podcast. And so he ends up being her
father. So we connect and we all talk
and we're laughing about it. So then at some point she starts
talking about some friends that she knows here, Arnie and Lena and how they became friends because of dogs.
I'm like, wait a minute, I know Arnie and Lena.
They're I, I'm on, I'm on hug status with them.
You know, when you see people, you shake their hands or you give them hugs. I'm on hug status with Arne,
Lena. And I'm like, this is crazy.
And I figured she met them in Illinois or Wisconsin because they're snowbirds. They have a house here and they
have a house there, but I think she met them here.
So I'm like, this is crazy. So there's this other couple
sitting across from us and they're like, hey, this is our first time here. You know, we own some
businesses. And The thing is this party,
you're surrounded by normal people.
And I say normal people from personality wise.
But behind the normality of people, you have people that are that make $30,000 a year. You have people that make $300
million a year, right? You have that whole thing, that
whole array, and nobody knows. You just know.
OK, Well, there's Chip Foose, obviously he's somebody, but these other people, if you don't know, you don't know.
And it doesn't matter, right, because you're having genuine conversations with people and much like this podcast, genuine conversations. And so there's this other couple
and they're asking us, you know, how do you guys know the Velasco's? And well, they tell us what we
have. We, we do it.
They, they blueprint. If you're watching this, you're
not really into cars. You may not know what I'm what
this means, but they have it a company.
They have a company and they do what's called blueprinting of engines, right, which is kind of a deal.
I won't, I won't explain what that means, but car people know what that means. And they're talking about how
they every year they have a display at Bear Jackson.
And then he brought up that they have a display at SEMA and I'm like, OK, SEMA, that ain't cheap.
This guy, I don't say any was I was on money, but they they tell us that they're from Nebraska. Now, how many people do you know
from Nebraska? I don't know a lot of people
from Nebraska. And so they ask us, do you guys
know anybody from Nebraska? And I'm like, well, my family on
my mother's side. In fact, my mother's now
deceased oldest sibling is from Nebraska.
And so I go, they tell us the town.
I don't know the town. I haven't been to Nebraska since
I was like 12. And I go, well, I don't know.
Do you guys know where Grand Isle is?
They go, yeah, it's like 30 minutes away from us.
And I look at them, OK, so just think about the odds.
We're in Arizona, they're visiting from Nebraska and they live 30 minutes away from the only place that I really know in Nebraska, Like everybody knows Lincoln, NE, right?
But as far as having gone through with personal experience, even at a young age and, and staying at our family's house for a day or two. And I'm like, we are totally
living in a simulation. So then I hear about this guy
that has two NS XS. His name is Dan Withers and he's
here in the area. He's got an early first Gen.
NSX and he has AI think 2017 NSX.
So I'm talking to my friend Ron Evans, who's been on the podcast Ron Evans of the Vault. And if you go back and listen to
that podcast, Ron Evans is talking about, they know a guy who bought an NSX. And back then Ron was dirt poor.
I mean, you wouldn't know if you knew him now, but Ron looks like old money, but he's relatively new money.
And so back when he didn't really have anything, the guy they knew had an intersex. And I think they run around in
it. It was just the coolest thing.
Well, Long story short, it was Dan Withers, this this business card. And so Dan Withers was at this
thing last night and I was telling myself, OK, I got to find this guy. Obviously, I'm the fucking
president of the Intersex Club of America.
So I want to find this guy, not to recruit him to be a member, just to say hi. Thank you.
My name is Jay. I'm the current president of the
club. Thank you so much for believing
so much in the brand. And so I'm thinking to myself, I
need to find this guy at some point tonight.
So I'm walk, I'm talking to Chip Foose, and I think you Remember Me from two years ago. Not a lot of people look like me
except for Will Smith. But even if he didn't Remember
Me, he talked to me like he did, which is great.
We kind of connected on the Art Center stuff because spoiler alert, if this is your first time watching or listen to this podcast, People thought I was going to be an artist.
I still kind of am an artist, but I just display it in different ways, I guess. But he's sitting there holding
this card and I'm looking at the card and I'm like, oh, there's an NSX in the middle of that card.
And he flipped it over and it was Dan Withers card.
The guy I've been looking for all night who just happened to be standing right in front of me.
So the world, the, the, the car space, this is a such a small world that we live in because people are coming from all across the United States, in some cases all across the world.
I'm at this small house party. There was probably 75 people
there, which seems like a lot of people.
But if you've been to this house, there's a lot of space between people and between the Grand Rapids, Holland, MI like my friend is your friend. Deal.
The full circle. Oh, the best part I, I, I can't
believe I almost completely whipped on this.
So Stu Reed, father of Christine that I knew from the Bob, he was an art teacher and Chip Foose was in his class when Chip Foose was 18. I'm like, we are totally living
in a simulation right now. Now I have a, a, an
acquaintance, a friend here. Kayla and her and her fiance are
getting married soon. And last time I saw them was at
this party two years ago. Kayla Rundle, Some of you
already know Kayla. Kayla was also Stew's student
through and I discovered this through conversation later in the night. And then, you know, she kind of,
I think she spoke on his behalf or presented him or something.
But I'm just like, are you kidding me?
Totally living in a simulation. But it was it was a great event
and it's and it's stuff like that.
Nobody's car was inside. Well, Brian Cole's Viper GTSACR
GTS, he has both that was parked inside, you may have seen in my story, and he's a future guest. I've been talking about maybe
getting Brian Cole on here for a while and it's he's down to do it. It's just timing, right?
But some people I knew, some people I met, but it's all genuine conversation. And that's what the car
community is all about because I love going to those events to meet new people. I love going to those events to
network and, you know, possible future guests or possible whatever else. And it was just the coolest
thing in the world. So all right, so as I as I said
earlier, I did finally get an opportunity to go to Bear Jackson. I linked up with Daryl and his
son Weston and I mentioned them every year.
And so this year was no different.
Ended up taking the NSX and going to the lot.
The, IT was like the, the rideshare lot and it was, it was so far away that they had a bus, a charter bus taking you from the lot to the front door, which is great.
So Darryl's one of those crazy guys, right?
What did he end up doing the day before is he took a golf cart out of Barrett Jackson and drove it all the way over to this lot.
For some reason they let him out.
And I think it's because he he talked and presented himself as if it was normal because when you're working security, you probably don't even know. This could be your first gig.
You just don't pay attention. So he's like, hey, this is the
gate. And the guy's like, yeah, this
is the story. Daryl told me he was OK.
So I can just like, pull out of here.
And the guy's like, yeah, I guess.
And so he did. He left the grounds and took the
freaking golf cart. But what he did with the golf
cart is he had a big bicycle lock and he wrapped it around the telephone pole. Way over in Lot 5, which is the
rideshare lot. And so I went there and I parked
and I just hung out by the golf cart until their Uber dropped them off and they walked down and we jumped on the golf cart and we went to Barrett. And it was great.
I was there for 2 1/2 hours. Spent a little bit of time with
them. I always try to spend time with
the people who, well #1 they're friends of mine, hug status friends, right? And you know, he always he hooks
me up when I don't find other things, but I just generally like seeing him. If I didn't go to the auction, I
just wondered what through the I just would have gone to the hotel and hung out with him in the lobby for an hour and a half or whatever and just come back home.
You know, not a big deal. It wasn't about me going to
Barrett. It was about me seeing my
friends that come into town. So I was with him, but I also
saw a couple other friends, Tyson or in and Tyson Hoogie.
That's future podcast episode at his house.
And Peter Cunningham, of course, he came down from the box, the sky box and, and met me in one of the tents and we walked around for 30-40 minutes. I only plan on being there for
like an hour and a half. Was there for like 2 1/2 hours.
This was all before going to the Radford event.
But this is where the controversy comes in.
And this is kind of going back to two episodes when I had J Michael Lopez sitting in front of me and we're talking about everything that's going on in the world and different perspectives and having the ability to have conversation amidst turmoil, right? Friendships, relationships.
And so when, when Daryl and Weston show up, and I'll just say this, this isn't the first time, I think Weston did the same thing last year. But the things that are going on
in America right now are very, very polarizing.
And so just take that into account with this, right?
So Daryl shows up him and his son Weston, and Weston has a red Make America Great Again hat. And so I see it and I'm like,
oh, but he had the same thing on last time.
Obviously, I have no problem with it.
Like you're never going to I'm I'm never going to wear anything political. I'm not putting any signs in my
yard. I'm not putting any stupid
bumper stickers on my car. Like, not that big of a deal to
me. Now, you would think it was to
me if you engaged in recent conversation and debate with me.
But I'm more of a debater than I am anything else.
But I'm just like, man, with the temperature of the United States right now and all the crazy stuff that's going on with ice and, you know, everything is so tribal now.
You're either this, you're that or you're that over there.
And if you're more than one thing, then you're nothing, you know? And it was just, it was weird
because I shouldn't have felt that way.
And so as we're riding in the golf cart, I'm in the front with Daryl and Weston is riding in the back.
He's kind of standing up, you know, with this hat.
It's kind of like this little beacon.
And I'm I'm riding in the pasture scene.
I'm just kind of looking around, looking at people look at us and look at Weston. And I had to wonder, you know,
and Weston's like 17. Like he's, he's a kid.
He's a very smart kid, but he's a kid.
And him and his and his father, I mean, they're very right.
They're not right of Sinner. They're just right.
And I, I, I wondered and I even asked them, I go, hey, so when I come and find you guys later, I'm either going to look for your Red Hat or I'm going to look for the commotion.
And they knew exactly what I was talking about.
But Daryl said at least up to that point, they haven't really had to deal with anything. Most people come up and say,
hey, I like your hat, right? But none of the scows.
And I think although Katie Hobbs is our governor and she's Democratic, I think this state mostly bleeds red, especially from last year when I was there and they had the Trump Diablo go across the stage and it went for like 1.2 million or whatever it
went for and the whole place erupted.
It was crazy. I was like, OK, I guess this is
like the, I guess this is like the Trump auction.
But still, it's it, it kind of bleeds into this other thing, right? Where, you know, one of my
really good friends and I have the license plates.
You can't see them, but they're across the way.
And I have the the first responder license plate.
So it's the American flag and it's got the blue line and the red line across the middle. And when this plate came out, I
bought it. And so this plate is twofold.
And depending on who you are and how you think, you may think that my priority is one over the other.
But a couple things. So that's a first responder.
So when you get it, you support public safety.
A portion of that goes toward firefighters, police officers, whatever else, right? I bought it 'cause it's just a
cool looking license plate because I have a vanity plate.
And so I want people to know that I am VF1, SNSX or my Fat X or hard parking, which is it is now or FX50V8, right?
I don't buy it to make a statement.
And I mean I have another one Jay-Z that was on my my little Z and it says empower on the bottom like that's like a DADEI thing almost right? Empowered.
I'm so empowered. I'm empowered because identity.
I'm empowered. No, I bought it because it's
black and it says Arizona and J space ZJ my name right?
And Jay-Z sticks out. Only reason I bought it, but I
switched to hard parking. And of course, now the, the,
the, the, the classic plate is on there now.
But I have a dear friend of mine who challenged me on that plate years ago. This is 2020.
So it's kind of the height of the George Floyd stuff, right?
To defund the whole police thing and that whole movement, whatever. Regardless of what you think
about it, I think defunding the police is a huge mistake.
But we can spend our money, other more creative ways to make everybody better, right? But that's just my opinion and
you're going to get it. But he challenged me on having
that plate because it's like, you know, you're supporting the, the, the current administration or you're, you're saying that, you know, blue lives matter over black lives.
I'm like, no, dude, what are you talking about?
And this is a friend of mine from probably one of the most liberal states in the union and probably one of the most liberal cities in the Union. So you take that as it is, but
we've never let that come in between us.
But to be challenged on my vanity plate, plate choice, not the customization, just the plate choice, right?
And it's kind of like this whole tribal thing.
And you know, Wes Tangersley and I were talking about this today about the American flag. I'm proud to be an American.
Our country isn't perfect. If you don't like what's going
on, wait four years. It's going to change, right?
Because different administrations come and do their own thing. And there's not a lot of things
that a president or an administration does that actually personally or financially impacts most of us, unless you're own big business or you do all this other stuff, like most of the stuff, the decisions they make that goes through legislation, that doesn't really impact us.
But what's impacts us is what we see, what we feel, you know, what we believe to be right versus wrong, you know, and those are all valid things. But I think we're in a dangerous
place where it's you're either with me or against me.
And when it comes to the American flag, I'm proud of my country. I'm proud of my flag with all
its faults. But I shouldn't be not ashamed,
but I shouldn't be scared or concerned about wearing a American flag T-shirt or flying an American flag in my house.
You know, maybe I'm a military veteran, which I'm not, but it's almost become a badge of like a hate symbol.
And it's, I think, I think if you think that way, we should take a step back and evaluate because another thing we talked about was disrespecting the commander in And I know people don't like orange man and there's all these different things, but it's the same thing when, when our former president Joe Biden was in, in office, Like I really dislike seeing let's go Brandon science, you know, and now they don't even say let's go Brandon. It's just F Joe Biden or F Biden
with the, with like a, a symbol for EU.
And you know, you have all the anti Trump stuff.
And I'm just like, man, it's, it's been like this for a long time. People just conveniently forget
it 'cause it's about who's in office.
It's not about the ACT. It's about who's doing the ACT,
who's behind the act. And I can debate you to the end
of days on why that position. It's not an opinion.
It's it could be verified by facts, right?
This whole ice stuff, it's I don't, I don't like what's going on right now, but it's not, it's tricky.
Nothing is cut and dry. And that's what I said with when
Jay was on here. It's like you have to be willing
to at least have a conversation with somebody.
And if you don't want to have that conversation, then maybe you need to take a break and start evaluating what is important to you and where do you want to draw those lines?
Because I've gotten to some really good debates with some dear friends of mine. And at the end of the day, we
agree to disagree. And there's times where I am
convinced or I my mind has been changed in lieu of new information. And there's times where I've
changed other minds. But none of it happens on social
media. And I think that's the danger
for all of us. But that was, that's kind of
what I wanted to talk about from the controversial part about going to Bear Jackson at the end of the day had nothing to do with Bear Jackson, but it was my friend Weston wearing his Make America Great Again hat. And the way I felt about that,
the way I know other people feel about that.
And we just need to take a step back, let processes take place, examine every bit of information available to you because sometimes there's stuff out there that you just don't see that can help add important context so you can still feel the way you feel, but you need to have that context there so that at least you at least you're more informed.
And I've said this before, I'm the same way where sometimes I have to stop and be like, am I being, am I being controlled?
Am I being navigated down a certain path to feel a certain way? The answer is yes, but you want
to at least think that you can have some kind of kind of control over it and you can have control of you as long as you step back and evaluate everything.
You know, it's like we talked about the Renee, good thing and two things can be right about the same situation and we're still learning stuff. And at the end of the day, my
main point remains the same. In that situation, it never
should have happened. She should have never been
there. She should have never been part
of this anti ICE group. It's not her fault.
I don't blame her. It's the media, it's the system,
it's the environment that's been been gaslighted by both sides, Republicans and Democrats and the media.
And at the end, the people are the ones who kind of get screwed. And, you know, depending on what
you watch and what you've linked your narrative to, it ultimately determines your like and disdain for other things.
Like, I found myself really, really, really disliking people that I've never met before. And I have to check myself,
Like, wait a minute, I don't even know this person.
I just know the stuff that I've seen them say.
And as someone who tries to embrace the full conversation, I think if you've been with this podcast, you at least respect that enough of me to know that I can convince myself and I can convince other people that there's two sides to every story. There's right, wrong or
indifferent. There's always more information.
And it is important for you to evaluate that when it's available and then ultimately make your decision, you know, was this right? Was this wrong?
Was this morally wrong? Was this legally right?
Was this legally wrong? And at the end of the day,
whoever goes to court outside of the court of public opinion, they ultimately have the burden of proving guilt or innocence.
And nothing that we say matters. All it does is add to the court
of public opinion. It tells people where you are at
the current time with your mindset.
And unfortunately, it also can fracture friendships and relationships. And that's the part that is the
most dangerous. OK so you guys are still here.
Thank you so much. I want to thank my sponsors,
right? Honda Wright, Toyota Spark Forge
from Arcus Foundry, Auto cannon officially licensed haunted Acura gear and wearing an auto cannon shirt right now.
Patreon business reporter Kuya Automotive out of Winter Garden, FL automotive specialty tool. I've always built Maryland
saving success Treasure Valley out of Boise, ID, Big House small home design out of Ashburn, VA and Traverse City, MI and last but not least, the Lucky Break sports Breakers out of Caledonia, MI. If you're in a position now with
the podcast upgrade, you can join the Patreon for his Little St. article on patreon.com Hard parking podcast.
And if you like what you heard today, make sure you leave a comment. Thumbs up.
If you're watching this on YouTube, leave a review.
Just don't give me a one star review.
Just like, yeah, I really like that Jay.
He's really good. He covers all topics.
Most of it I don't agree with, but damn, it's a great presentation. That guy.
He's a, he's a small guy. I want to thank Mark Stoneman,
Catherine Cox and Aramis. Richard Gray's Bo Jones, Alex
Camino, Drew Bunkley, Byron Jones, Andre Mullins. e-mail the
show info at Hard Parking podcast. e-mail the show
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