WEBVTT - Best Of JMV 7-23-26 0:00:00.080 --> 0:00:03.120 On the Andy More Automotive Group potline. He knows I 0:00:03.200 --> 0:00:06.000 love him, but he forgot about me. A couple of 0:00:06.040 --> 0:00:10.200 days ago from ESPN, the senior writer Dan Wetzel joins us, 0:00:10.920 --> 0:00:12.399 my pal, did you forget about me? 0:00:13.400 --> 0:00:14.000 You don't? You know? 0:00:14.120 --> 0:00:18.320 You don't calling up anymore. I don't spend flowers, you know, right? 0:00:18.720 --> 0:00:21.000 Like you know? No, it was bad. It was bad. 0:00:21.040 --> 0:00:26.360 I am sorry you and more importantly to your listeners. 0:00:25.920 --> 0:00:28.360 Oh it is It is all good, pal. You know 0:00:28.480 --> 0:00:30.360 that you know how much I love you out there too. 0:00:30.440 --> 0:00:34.000 And hey, speaking of love, let's go the opposite of love. 0:00:34.080 --> 0:00:37.479 Ride here hate? Would I you in the football program 0:00:37.600 --> 0:00:41.640 be the most hated in college football? And the landscape 0:00:41.680 --> 0:00:43.120 right now? Is that what we're looking at? 0:00:44.680 --> 0:00:45.800 Are you? 0:00:45.880 --> 0:00:46.200 Yes? 0:00:46.360 --> 0:00:49.880 I don't know. I don't think they're hated. Why because 0:00:49.880 --> 0:00:51.599 they're they're they're the champs. 0:00:52.120 --> 0:00:56.000 Uh well, we'll look at the sec rallying in the troops, 0:00:56.320 --> 0:00:59.200 you know, Ohio stateon Michigan. You're looking at this infiltrator. 0:00:59.680 --> 0:01:02.360 You know, it used to be the doormat of college football, 0:01:02.400 --> 0:01:04.360 and now all of a sudden it's now the defending 0:01:04.440 --> 0:01:08.240 national champion. It seems like, hey, everything is all great 0:01:08.880 --> 0:01:11.800 until a team like this Infiltrates gets in and wins 0:01:11.840 --> 0:01:15.120 the national title. Now everything has to change. Why so 0:01:15.240 --> 0:01:17.679 much hate, Dan, Uh? 0:01:17.720 --> 0:01:23.319 Well, jealousy? I would say, I don't know. I mean, 0:01:26.280 --> 0:01:28.240 the one thing that Indiana did. 0:01:28.280 --> 0:01:32.000 Was blow out the excuse for about SUTI programs that's 0:01:32.040 --> 0:01:35.319 not more and why you. 0:01:35.319 --> 0:01:36.920 Can't compete, and. 0:01:38.800 --> 0:01:41.920 That to me it's the most fascinating part of their run, 0:01:42.120 --> 0:01:45.720 because I think you could reasonably sat around and said, hey, 0:01:45.800 --> 0:01:49.760 you know, how good can I don't know, you know, 0:01:50.000 --> 0:01:53.760 Missouri be? How good can Michigan State really be? How 0:01:53.800 --> 0:02:00.280 good can Minnesota? Well, Indiana was sixteen and uh so, uh, 0:02:00.440 --> 0:02:02.440 that's how good you can be if you get the 0:02:02.520 --> 0:02:06.400 right guy and and you're you get the right alignment 0:02:06.560 --> 0:02:07.720 and you get everything going. 0:02:08.440 --> 0:02:11.760 Uh, there's that, But I'd say there's a lot of jealousy. 0:02:11.840 --> 0:02:17.400 There's a lot of concern. When you're on top, you're 0:02:17.400 --> 0:02:21.160 gonna take the shots. But I don't think you're anywhere 0:02:21.240 --> 0:02:22.640 near the most heeded. 0:02:23.320 --> 0:02:26.360 So Dan Wetzell of ESPN ESPN dot COM's on the 0:02:26.360 --> 0:02:29.120 Andy Moore Automotive Group potline, how much longer do you 0:02:29.160 --> 0:02:31.560 think that the whole landscape of how you go about 0:02:31.560 --> 0:02:35.640 building a team and running you know, running a program 0:02:35.680 --> 0:02:39.200 within I L with a transfer portal. How much longevity 0:02:39.200 --> 0:02:41.120 do you think this ultimately has, Dan. 0:02:44.360 --> 0:02:44.919 I would think it. 0:02:45.360 --> 0:02:47.760 I think they'll they'll try to come up with some stuff, 0:02:47.760 --> 0:02:49.680 but there's only so much they can really limit it. 0:02:49.720 --> 0:02:55.440 At this point. The money is there, even even if 0:02:55.480 --> 0:03:00.600 they got some kind of ability to limit ants. Ferst 0:03:00.680 --> 0:03:03.440 to a degree where you know, they talk about you 0:03:03.480 --> 0:03:05.720 only have five years to play or something, and you 0:03:05.720 --> 0:03:12.040 have one one transfer without penalty, which I think is fine. 0:03:12.320 --> 0:03:15.360 You know, you can't transfer every year, but if you 0:03:15.360 --> 0:03:18.040 have one transfer without penalty and then you're always allowed 0:03:18.040 --> 0:03:20.880 to transfer once you've graduated. To become a grad student, 0:03:21.520 --> 0:03:24.000 you basically got two and three and a half to 0:03:24.040 --> 0:03:26.919 four years three years. Sometimes these kids graduate pretty quick. 0:03:27.000 --> 0:03:30.000 So I think the roster movements kind of here to 0:03:30.080 --> 0:03:33.880 say say it's about building a roster. I don't think 0:03:33.919 --> 0:03:35.920 they're going to be able to get you know, there's 0:03:35.920 --> 0:03:38.120 definitely people in the SEC to look back at the 0:03:38.120 --> 0:03:42.240 glory days of yeah, Georgia and Alabama got all the 0:03:42.280 --> 0:03:44.360 recruits and that's why they always won. 0:03:45.480 --> 0:03:47.920 But I just don't see that getting bad. There's no 0:03:47.960 --> 0:03:48.640 way to put. 0:03:48.480 --> 0:03:52.600 That that tooth space back in the tube. So wow, limits, 0:03:52.640 --> 0:03:54.920 But I don't think it's going to totally affect in Indiana. 0:03:55.920 --> 0:03:58.760 Hey, Dan, is that why we see the SEC? There 0:03:58.760 --> 0:04:00.880 seems to be a little bit of freak out going 0:04:00.920 --> 0:04:03.480 on there with Greg Sankee and and really lot of 0:04:03.560 --> 0:04:06.120 the coaches and the teams. Is that what they see? 0:04:06.160 --> 0:04:09.600 Do they see the longer term situation that they're going 0:04:09.680 --> 0:04:12.160 to have to deal with with this college football landscape 0:04:12.280 --> 0:04:14.240 that they never had to prior. 0:04:15.400 --> 0:04:19.400 Absolutely, and like some of these complaints, if you if 0:04:19.400 --> 0:04:22.120 you if there was one thing about SEC media days, 0:04:22.240 --> 0:04:25.720 what we kept hearing is the Committee has to respect 0:04:25.880 --> 0:04:32.520 our strength to schedule right, And I'm not unsympathetic to 0:04:32.600 --> 0:04:35.960 that argument. I think the depth of the SEC is 0:04:36.000 --> 0:04:38.479 better than anywhere else. I think it's better. You know, 0:04:38.560 --> 0:04:41.000 the eighth nine tenth best team is better than maybe 0:04:41.040 --> 0:04:43.560 the eight nine tenth of the Big Ten, or they 0:04:43.560 --> 0:04:46.560 certainly care more. There's not many teams that are just 0:04:46.600 --> 0:04:50.720 sort of there kicking along your UCLA's or your Rutgers 0:04:50.760 --> 0:04:55.880 or whatever. But if you look at last year, the 0:04:56.000 --> 0:05:01.599 Committee absolutely gave the SEC the benefit the doubt. They 0:05:01.640 --> 0:05:05.279 put Oklahoma in the playoffs that didn't really have a 0:05:05.279 --> 0:05:07.800 great win. Their best win was Michigan, but that wasn't 0:05:07.800 --> 0:05:11.200 a very good team, and they got in without even debate. 0:05:11.680 --> 0:05:15.080 Alabama survived a terrible loss in the SEC championship game 0:05:15.120 --> 0:05:18.760 and got in. Notre Dame wasn't a Big ten team, 0:05:18.800 --> 0:05:21.760 but it was Notre Dame that got left out. And 0:05:22.600 --> 0:05:25.840 what did Oklahoma and Alabama do the respected because of 0:05:25.880 --> 0:05:29.159 their schedule, Well, they must be pretty good. Alabama beat 0:05:29.160 --> 0:05:31.120 Oklahoma and then they got beat thirty eight to three 0:05:31.240 --> 0:05:32.880 or so it was at least thirty eight to three 0:05:33.160 --> 0:05:34.880 in the end. They got run off the field at. 0:05:34.760 --> 0:05:39.400 The road balls. So like, what are you complaining about? 0:05:39.680 --> 0:05:42.400 Like, you got your chance and your teams didn't didn't 0:05:42.440 --> 0:05:45.800 show anything. They haven't had a SEC hasn't had a 0:05:45.800 --> 0:05:48.880 team in the title game in three year, let alone 0:05:48.960 --> 0:05:54.440 win it. They're losing significantly, you know, they're they're they're 0:05:54.480 --> 0:05:58.960 grasping as things to complain about. But getting more SEC 0:05:59.040 --> 0:06:02.680 teams into the playoff, because what's that going to show? Uh, 0:06:03.040 --> 0:06:06.800 you know, we're not seeing these SEC teams make you know, 0:06:07.600 --> 0:06:09.919 huge runs. I guess Ole Miss did last year that 0:06:10.000 --> 0:06:12.479 was pretty good. They made the final four. But you know, 0:06:12.560 --> 0:06:16.840 we're it's not like you're you're you're watching these fourth 0:06:16.920 --> 0:06:19.159 or fifth place teams and all of a sudden, the final. 0:06:18.880 --> 0:06:20.239 Four three STD teams. 0:06:20.800 --> 0:06:23.760 So I just think they're they're scrambling looking for something 0:06:23.800 --> 0:06:27.560 because they spent so many years dominant and then crowing 0:06:27.600 --> 0:06:30.400 about that dominance as is understandable, and they don't have 0:06:30.480 --> 0:06:31.039 that right now. 0:06:31.880 --> 0:06:35.760 So Dan Wetzel VESPN ESPN dot com, Dan, friend of 0:06:35.760 --> 0:06:38.200 the shows on the Andy Moore Auto Motive Group Potline 0:06:38.200 --> 0:06:41.280 Speedway City Garage, our location. Jeff's going to rejoin the 0:06:41.360 --> 0:06:43.280 second Doug Bowles Top of the Hour is going to 0:06:43.360 --> 0:06:47.880 be here live. Uh, your staked out home base is Michigan. 0:06:48.000 --> 0:06:51.240 Dusty May is a long time high school friend of mine. 0:06:51.960 --> 0:06:52.120 Uh. 0:06:52.160 --> 0:06:54.880 He bails after a national title, goes to Dallas. And 0:06:54.960 --> 0:06:57.039 I do know this, Dan, I know that that was 0:06:57.080 --> 0:07:00.440 always a goal of his, like any other coach, coach 0:07:00.520 --> 0:07:03.400 at the highest level, and he was offered and he took. 0:07:03.960 --> 0:07:06.680 But what is left behind? What is going on right 0:07:06.720 --> 0:07:09.960 now in an arbor? And was there a lot in 0:07:10.080 --> 0:07:12.960 your opinion of what you hear and what you know 0:07:13.160 --> 0:07:18.200 going up there that helped maybe him consider even more 0:07:18.320 --> 0:07:21.520 so that the NBA should be his next stop and 0:07:21.560 --> 0:07:22.880 be his next stop this year. 0:07:25.080 --> 0:07:25.880 You know, I kind of. 0:07:25.800 --> 0:07:29.760 Feel like Dusty was above the above the Fray as 0:07:29.840 --> 0:07:33.040 much as their Michigan keeps finding ways to put themselves 0:07:33.080 --> 0:07:34.200 in the headlines here. 0:07:35.480 --> 0:07:37.480 You know, the Harbaugh error was over. 0:07:38.960 --> 0:07:45.720 Sharon Moore scandals were really personal at this point. I mean, 0:07:45.760 --> 0:07:48.480 he got cheating on his wife with a staff member. 0:07:48.520 --> 0:07:53.280 That's not that's not really a NCA violation. He had 0:07:53.280 --> 0:07:56.600 a lot of problems, but Dusty had his own program 0:07:56.680 --> 0:08:01.280 running and they had plenty of backing all that, and 0:08:01.320 --> 0:08:04.600 obviously he knew he would capable winning national teams there. 0:08:04.640 --> 0:08:06.560 I just think, like you said. 0:08:06.520 --> 0:08:10.200 Anybody knows Dusty for a long time. The NBA's long 0:08:10.360 --> 0:08:14.080 intrigued him, and you know, I think he's gonna do 0:08:14.160 --> 0:08:16.360 pretty well. We'll see, But even if he does it, 0:08:16.480 --> 0:08:18.680 the thing about going to the NBA is it's not. 0:08:18.640 --> 0:08:19.480 A career killer. 0:08:20.160 --> 0:08:23.560 Michigan is a very good place to coach basketball, but 0:08:23.640 --> 0:08:25.600 it's not like it's the only place, and. 0:08:25.560 --> 0:08:29.000 There are probably places even better. So if Dusty may 0:08:29.360 --> 0:08:29.880 a couple. 0:08:29.680 --> 0:08:32.959 Of years it doesn't work out in Dallas, he can 0:08:33.040 --> 0:08:36.520 have the number one job whatever's open that year, All 0:08:36.520 --> 0:08:38.880 these schools will beg to get him. Whether it's you know, 0:08:40.040 --> 0:08:44.120 Kansas or North Carolina or even not you or whatever whatever's. 0:08:43.800 --> 0:08:47.760 Open that year, he'll go get it. So I think 0:08:47.840 --> 0:08:50.640 it did. I don't think one had so much to 0:08:50.640 --> 0:08:52.720 do with the other. If he had stayed he was, 0:08:53.160 --> 0:08:54.320 he was in great shape. 0:08:54.960 --> 0:08:59.280 Blinton. He always told me how important he was as 0:08:59.480 --> 0:09:03.200 a part of his staff in his program. And obviously 0:09:03.240 --> 0:09:06.800 now he gets annoyed there in an arbor to lead 0:09:06.880 --> 0:09:10.040 that that program and that team as the defending champion. 0:09:11.600 --> 0:09:13.520 You look back at his time at Oklahoma State and 0:09:13.559 --> 0:09:15.600 there was nothing really great about that. But I just 0:09:15.600 --> 0:09:18.480 know what Dusty tells me, and he was a huge 0:09:18.600 --> 0:09:23.040 part of the success of that program while he was 0:09:23.200 --> 0:09:24.720 in an r. But but what do you think about the 0:09:24.720 --> 0:09:26.040 guidance there moving forward? 0:09:27.600 --> 0:09:27.800 Yeah? 0:09:27.800 --> 0:09:28.160 I do it. 0:09:28.240 --> 0:09:30.480 A good movie kept them, kept the roster together for 0:09:30.559 --> 0:09:34.240 next year, and we'll see. Think about Mike Boyton, he 0:09:34.280 --> 0:09:38.720 is is a tenure in Oklahoma State does not stand out. However, 0:09:39.360 --> 0:09:41.199 two of the years they were like banned from the 0:09:41.280 --> 0:09:44.199 nca Basketball Tournament. He's dealing with a lot of sanctions. 0:09:44.240 --> 0:09:51.120 That program has lost a lot of juice. I think 0:09:51.160 --> 0:09:53.720 the rise of the Oklahoma City Thunder has played a 0:09:53.800 --> 0:09:58.160 role in sort of the de emphasis of I wasn't 0:09:58.200 --> 0:10:00.400 a de emphasis, but the last there's just not the 0:10:00.520 --> 0:10:04.440 passion around Oklahoma State and Okahoma basketball that there once 0:10:04.720 --> 0:10:08.240 was when those were the those are the teams. That's 0:10:08.400 --> 0:10:11.440 that's where basketball fans had to turn. And now, okay, 0:10:11.480 --> 0:10:14.920 see is so good. He did coach Kate Cunningham, who 0:10:15.000 --> 0:10:17.160 happens to be the biggest star in the biggest city 0:10:17.200 --> 0:10:20.320 of the state of Michigan. So you know, he's an 0:10:20.360 --> 0:10:23.600 experienced guy, but he's young. So we'll see he's gonna 0:10:23.600 --> 0:10:25.560 have a great chance to win the job. It's a 0:10:25.559 --> 0:10:30.199 two year contract, which is basically a one year contract, 0:10:30.200 --> 0:10:33.960 but uh, you don't have to get asked, you know, 0:10:34.240 --> 0:10:36.520 in the middle of November if you win or lose 0:10:36.520 --> 0:10:38.640 a game, are you coming back or not. It's a 0:10:38.640 --> 0:10:42.520 pretty smart contract. So we'll see he's got a great 0:10:42.600 --> 0:10:45.760 chance because they he kept almost all of the roster 0:10:45.840 --> 0:10:47.920 together and it should be a pretty good roster. 0:10:49.320 --> 0:10:51.920 I get down here really soon, all right, Mat, It's 0:10:51.920 --> 0:10:53.560 always great to have you on. We're going to stay 0:10:53.600 --> 0:10:55.800 in touch as we get closer to the end of summer, 0:10:55.880 --> 0:10:57.960 end of the fall. But Dan, I appreciate you more 0:10:58.000 --> 0:10:58.640 than you know. Pal. 0:10:58.760 --> 0:11:00.839 Thank you, ooculator man. 0:11:03.360 --> 0:11:10.200 There's Speedway President Doug Bowles walking over here. I Doug 0:11:10.240 --> 0:11:12.640 bowls towards us. Everybody loves them right here. 0:11:13.240 --> 0:11:14.360 So what do you think of this place? 0:11:14.480 --> 0:11:16.920 This is pretty awesome. It's pretty cool. You come here 0:11:16.960 --> 0:11:18.199 twice a day, That's what I hear. 0:11:18.679 --> 0:11:20.640 Certainly first thing in the morning, right and I got 0:11:20.640 --> 0:11:22.280 to get my coffee, and it's you know, you can 0:11:22.360 --> 0:11:24.120 keep an eye on the place because it's right across 0:11:24.160 --> 0:11:24.520 the streets. 0:11:24.520 --> 0:11:26.079 So did you walk over here? 0:11:26.120 --> 0:11:26.360 I did. 0:11:27.120 --> 0:11:28.920 I walked over there and got this. I saw you. 0:11:29.000 --> 0:11:31.240 I was going west earlier today and I saw you 0:11:31.320 --> 0:11:32.040 walking across the street. 0:11:32.080 --> 0:11:34.320 I was walking across the street. Ye, and I let 0:11:34.400 --> 0:11:35.640 cars just go ahead and go. 0:11:35.880 --> 0:11:37.800 Yep, you know what I mean, better than getting hit. 0:11:37.960 --> 0:11:40.439 Yeah, I don't want to get here. I will say this, 0:11:41.000 --> 0:11:43.920 what they have done with its entire area and Speedway 0:11:43.960 --> 0:11:46.880 City garage is incredible, especially for those of us that 0:11:46.960 --> 0:11:49.000 know what it looked like guys back in the eighties, 0:11:49.000 --> 0:11:49.600 for example. 0:11:49.679 --> 0:11:52.160 Yep, No, this is a huge transition. I started working 0:11:52.200 --> 0:11:55.200 here in twenty ten and you had Dawson's and you 0:11:55.240 --> 0:11:57.880 had Charlie Brown's and that was really it. And just 0:11:58.160 --> 0:11:59.920 to see what the town of Speedway's really done with me, 0:12:00.040 --> 0:12:03.520 Street's fantastic. And you know, Jeff had Founders Grounds Coffee 0:12:03.640 --> 0:12:06.120 where I spent most of my mornings before he came here. 0:12:06.120 --> 0:12:07.959 And when he said I've got this idea, I think 0:12:07.960 --> 0:12:09.360 a lot of us are like, I don't do that. 0:12:09.400 --> 0:12:11.800 This is perfect because the way his coffee shop was 0:12:11.840 --> 0:12:16.040 before and this is the vision of this is pretty impressive. 0:12:16.080 --> 0:12:18.160 And we in the idea you get a beer at 0:12:18.240 --> 0:12:21.920 what's seven in the morning, seven thirty, seven thirty, it's. 0:12:21.760 --> 0:12:25.960 Like right up my alley right there. So now, would 0:12:26.040 --> 0:12:29.280 you come up, Jeff with this idea for the beer, 0:12:29.440 --> 0:12:33.400 the cocktails, the coffee, the food and all of it 0:12:34.080 --> 0:12:34.800 strutting early? 0:12:34.920 --> 0:12:37.079 Yeah, I mean it's one of those deals where it's 0:12:37.240 --> 0:12:39.640 it's not a new concept, it's just one that needed 0:12:39.640 --> 0:12:41.280 to be refined a little bit. 0:12:41.360 --> 0:12:42.880 So there's other places that do. 0:12:42.960 --> 0:12:46.480 Coffee and cocktails and beer, but not all day long. 0:12:46.600 --> 0:12:49.080 You know, they'll stop the service of coffee at a 0:12:49.120 --> 0:12:51.520 certain point of the day. But we also know that 0:12:51.559 --> 0:12:55.240 people like their lattes later on the afternoon, So it 0:12:55.320 --> 0:12:58.640 made sense for us to do this concept, and I 0:12:58.679 --> 0:12:59.680 think it's going to work out. 0:13:00.480 --> 0:13:03.720 Yeah, maybe it's been pretty good. So Beth, that's here, 0:13:03.800 --> 0:13:05.880 Connor's mom my wife, so she just said, I bet 0:13:05.920 --> 0:13:08.080 I lowed everybody. So she's drinking the coffee today. 0:13:08.240 --> 0:13:11.000 I go. So it's kind of running coming up here. 0:13:11.040 --> 0:13:13.600 He's running trucks tomorrow night. I saw Raceway Park and. 0:13:14.400 --> 0:13:16.240 Connor a little bit of love for that too, because 0:13:16.240 --> 0:13:18.280 I love the Truck Series race, you know what. 0:13:18.320 --> 0:13:20.600 And he's and he will he will drive anything. He's 0:13:20.640 --> 0:13:23.360 a racers racer, which is really cool. And the one 0:13:23.360 --> 0:13:25.240 thing I love about this week. You know, we have 0:13:25.320 --> 0:13:28.120 the sprint car race tonight at the Speedway. Tomorrow night, 0:13:28.240 --> 0:13:30.319 you have the trucks at Raceway Park. You had practice 0:13:30.320 --> 0:13:32.400 for both Cup and O'Reilly tomorrow, and then you got 0:13:32.400 --> 0:13:34.400 to know Riley Race on Saturday, and then on Sunday 0:13:34.440 --> 0:13:36.560 you've got the Cup race. So if you're a race fan, 0:13:36.760 --> 0:13:38.400 just the opportunity to see all the different kind of 0:13:38.480 --> 0:13:41.280 racing in just such a small area and short amount 0:13:41.280 --> 0:13:42.720 of time, is it's pretty cool for this. 0:13:42.920 --> 0:13:45.520 Does he feel comfortable and doing the trucks at O'Reilly. 0:13:45.840 --> 0:13:47.360 Yeah, he did it. He did it a couple of 0:13:47.440 --> 0:13:50.840 years ago and they actually they rolled him out for 0:13:50.880 --> 0:13:53.160 practice and the car, the truck broke so he couldn't qualify, 0:13:53.160 --> 0:13:54.680 so he started last. So we got some time just 0:13:54.720 --> 0:13:56.920 running around at the back. And so I think, I 0:13:56.920 --> 0:13:59.360 think it'd be good. He's looking forward to fun. He's 0:13:59.360 --> 0:14:02.120 doing some Ram deal. So Ram Trucks has been putting 0:14:02.120 --> 0:14:06.160 celebrities or non NASCAR drivers in the cars all year long, 0:14:06.200 --> 0:14:09.199 and like Tony Stewart was in it during the Daytona 0:14:09.240 --> 0:14:11.280 five hundred weekend, So it'll be fun for him. 0:14:11.280 --> 0:14:13.040 I think, what's this weekend mean for you? 0:14:13.800 --> 0:14:17.239 It's hard to believe that we're like our thirty third brickyard, 0:14:17.440 --> 0:14:21.040 right It's it still feels like it's so new, but 0:14:21.120 --> 0:14:23.200 it's become one of the traditions here. It's really important 0:14:23.200 --> 0:14:25.960 for us, I think from a just putting continuing to 0:14:25.960 --> 0:14:29.040 put the Indianapolimotor Speedway on on the pedestal that it 0:14:29.040 --> 0:14:31.960 belongs on. And this is a great weekend. You know, 0:14:32.000 --> 0:14:35.360 we continue to see that the ticket sales slowly creeping 0:14:35.440 --> 0:14:37.560 up as it relates to a brickyard. You know, to 0:14:37.560 --> 0:14:38.920 look it's never gonna be the Indy five hundred. We 0:14:38.960 --> 0:14:40.880 had three hundred and fifty thousand people here in May, 0:14:41.240 --> 0:14:43.600 and you'll have sixty five or seventy thousand people here 0:14:43.600 --> 0:14:46.320 on Sunday, and you know that's twenty percent of the venue. 0:14:46.320 --> 0:14:48.920 So it's pretty crazy how it looks. But it's a 0:14:48.920 --> 0:14:51.160 great event. And I love working with our friends in NASCAR. 0:14:51.200 --> 0:14:53.920 We got to race with them at Phoenix last year. 0:14:53.960 --> 0:14:55.880 We'll probably race with them at Phoenix again next year, 0:14:55.920 --> 0:14:57.560 so they've been pretty good partners for us, not just 0:14:57.560 --> 0:14:58.560 here but across the board. 0:14:58.640 --> 0:15:01.720 I love the fact too. You think about the growth 0:15:01.720 --> 0:15:04.880 of the five hundred too, and you know, selling out 0:15:04.960 --> 0:15:07.400 as much, and it seems like that we have never 0:15:07.560 --> 0:15:11.120 seen the enthusiasm for that race more than we see 0:15:11.120 --> 0:15:11.960 it right now. 0:15:12.000 --> 0:15:14.720 You know, people always say, well, why is it selling out? 0:15:14.800 --> 0:15:16.840 It's selling out because our fans. It has nothing to 0:15:16.840 --> 0:15:18.960 do with really us. Our fans have just embraced the 0:15:18.960 --> 0:15:21.160 Indy five hundred again, and there are people that continue 0:15:21.200 --> 0:15:22.760 to come back and not just come back, but they 0:15:22.800 --> 0:15:25.800 bring people with them, and you know that it has 0:15:25.880 --> 0:15:28.200 nothing to do with anything other than it starts right 0:15:28.240 --> 0:15:30.560 here in this community. If you in April in this 0:15:30.560 --> 0:15:33.760 community when it comes alive and the people decorate their porches, 0:15:33.760 --> 0:15:35.440 and then it goes out from the speedway into the 0:15:35.480 --> 0:15:38.480 city of Indianapolis and Central Indiana, and we just take 0:15:38.520 --> 0:15:40.800 an awful lot of pride as a community in events, 0:15:40.800 --> 0:15:42.720 but certainly the Indy five hundred, and that's really the 0:15:42.760 --> 0:15:44.800 secret sauce that makes it so special, the people that 0:15:45.000 --> 0:15:45.760 show up every year. 0:15:45.800 --> 0:15:47.520 I got an email a little bit earlier that said, 0:15:47.520 --> 0:15:50.840 plan ahead for this weekend. What does that mean? Plane ahead? 0:15:50.840 --> 0:15:53.120 Plan ahead? I never plan ahead, so I want to 0:15:53.160 --> 0:15:55.000 have to try. So I don't how did you get 0:15:55.040 --> 0:15:59.360 here from downtown? The sixteenth Street bridge? No, right, So 0:15:59.440 --> 0:16:01.400 that's one of the big things. So people don't know 0:16:01.440 --> 0:16:04.520 it came from Bargersville. So yeah, but a lot of 0:16:04.560 --> 0:16:06.280 people that are coming from downtown or do it the 0:16:06.280 --> 0:16:08.720 way they've always done Sixteenth Street bridge clothes. It's a 0:16:08.760 --> 0:16:10.800 pain on a regular day, let alone a day where 0:16:10.800 --> 0:16:12.880 we've got events going on. So just trying to make 0:16:12.920 --> 0:16:14.560 sure people know how they're getting here, where they're going 0:16:14.600 --> 0:16:16.400 to park, when things are going to happen, just makes 0:16:16.440 --> 0:16:18.920 it a lot easier. Oftentimes, you put something in your 0:16:19.120 --> 0:16:20.880 on your mobile device and it takes you to the 0:16:20.880 --> 0:16:23.680 wrong place. So just making sure people are making their 0:16:23.680 --> 0:16:25.080 plans before they come to Yeah. 0:16:24.920 --> 0:16:26.720 I saw that a little bit earlier too. So how's 0:16:26.800 --> 0:16:29.240 this gone compared to maybe the last five years? 0:16:30.440 --> 0:16:34.280 So I would say ten years ago, the Brickyard four 0:16:34.360 --> 0:16:36.920 hundred was on life support. It was really struggling. The 0:16:36.960 --> 0:16:39.120 racing product wasn't as good as we wanted it to be. 0:16:39.800 --> 0:16:42.360 It was hot in the summer. People were just sort 0:16:42.400 --> 0:16:44.960 of struggling with NASCAR in general. That was a problem. 0:16:45.000 --> 0:16:47.560 And then over the last few years we went to 0:16:47.600 --> 0:16:49.120 the road course, which gave us a little bit of 0:16:49.120 --> 0:16:50.840 bump the first year, and there I said, okay, that's 0:16:50.840 --> 0:16:52.600 a novelty and we did a couple more years. But 0:16:52.680 --> 0:16:55.000 just getting back to the oval has been good. The 0:16:55.080 --> 0:16:57.360 racing has been relatively decent. I think it continues to 0:16:57.400 --> 0:17:01.640 get better. So it's growing slowly, but it is going 0:17:01.640 --> 0:17:02.200 in the right direction. 0:17:02.440 --> 0:17:04.919 Was it close to not being here any longer? 0:17:05.000 --> 0:17:06.800 No? I think for the drivers it's still one of 0:17:06.840 --> 0:17:09.480 their crown jewels, especially when it's on the oval. The 0:17:09.560 --> 0:17:11.719 road course they struggled with. You know, unless you were 0:17:11.720 --> 0:17:14.879 Michael McDowell right, you wanted it on the you wanted 0:17:14.880 --> 0:17:16.840 it to be on the on the oval. So I 0:17:16.840 --> 0:17:20.000 don't think it was ever close to being taken away 0:17:20.000 --> 0:17:22.160 from here because it is a crown jewel. But we 0:17:22.200 --> 0:17:23.920 definitely need to get it off life support, and I 0:17:23.920 --> 0:17:25.119 think I think we've done that. 0:17:25.160 --> 0:17:27.399 What are some of the things you've done to create 0:17:27.440 --> 0:17:28.400 more enthusiasm? 0:17:28.520 --> 0:17:30.680 A lot A lot of what we've done is I think, 0:17:31.240 --> 0:17:33.919 you know, sometimes familiarity breeds contempt, right, and so the 0:17:33.960 --> 0:17:36.040 more we were familiar with the oval and the racing 0:17:36.040 --> 0:17:37.920 product and more frustrated we got with it. So when 0:17:37.960 --> 0:17:39.960 we went back to the road course and that was 0:17:40.000 --> 0:17:42.200 okay for a year, and then people were like, hang 0:17:42.240 --> 0:17:44.760 on a minute, if you race at the Indian Apposmotor Speedway, 0:17:44.760 --> 0:17:46.800 you want to win on the oval. And so I 0:17:46.840 --> 0:17:49.520 think that created some energy. Kyle Larson certainly helped the 0:17:49.520 --> 0:17:51.800 fact that Kyle was running the five hundred for the 0:17:51.800 --> 0:17:53.680 two years he did, and then doing the brick card 0:17:53.720 --> 0:17:56.439 here that was helpful. I think NASCAR's picked up some 0:17:56.520 --> 0:17:59.639 more star names, which is which has helped it. And 0:17:59.680 --> 0:18:01.440 then our one the thing I love the most about 0:18:01.480 --> 0:18:03.879 is we continue to be fifteen and under free with 0:18:03.960 --> 0:18:06.200 your flex ticket, you can actually get a grandstand ticket 0:18:06.240 --> 0:18:08.160 as an adult and bring fifteen and unders for free, 0:18:08.200 --> 0:18:10.520 and you can choose those grand stands. There's several grand 0:18:10.520 --> 0:18:12.320 stands you can do with that. So just trying to 0:18:12.320 --> 0:18:14.640 get creative how we make the customer experience better and 0:18:14.640 --> 0:18:15.480 and the value better. 0:18:15.640 --> 0:18:19.600 That is Speedway President Doug Bowles. The owner of Speedway 0:18:19.640 --> 0:18:22.440 City Garage is Jeff Matthews. You want a question for Doug. 0:18:22.440 --> 0:18:23.800 You got a question for Doug right here. 0:18:23.840 --> 0:18:25.680 You know, I talked to Doug almost every day. 0:18:25.720 --> 0:18:28.160 I'm sure you do. And Doug and I go back. 0:18:29.840 --> 0:18:32.000 We get him all, well, you know, we've actually got 0:18:32.000 --> 0:18:34.600 a drink named after him. So he comes in and 0:18:34.640 --> 0:18:36.720 he orders a certain drink, and so we got to 0:18:36.800 --> 0:18:38.840 a point where like, well we're just gonna name this 0:18:38.920 --> 0:18:41.760 drink after him. So we got the president and it's 0:18:41.840 --> 0:18:44.520 interesting and it's fun to watch and listen to the 0:18:44.560 --> 0:18:45.960 president order the president. 0:18:46.160 --> 0:18:48.399