WEBVTT - Aric Almirola 0:00:03.600 --> 0:00:06.240 Welcome to the Sports Bubble, a production of iHeart Radio 0:00:06.400 --> 0:00:14.760 Entry Fort Media. My name is Jensen Carbon. You know 0:00:14.800 --> 0:00:18.319 what f this. I'm recording this intro on Monday, July, 0:00:19.640 --> 0:00:22.520 hours after the recent announcement that over a dozen Marlin's 0:00:22.560 --> 0:00:25.120 players and staff have tested positive during the first weekend 0:00:25.120 --> 0:00:28.200 of official games. They're canceling matchups. The Phillies now have 0:00:28.280 --> 0:00:31.400 to quarantine because they were exposed. The dominoes have begun 0:00:31.480 --> 0:00:33.760 to fall, and not like the good dominoes where house 0:00:33.760 --> 0:00:36.800 the highlights posted on their Instagram. It's like dominoes where 0:00:36.800 --> 0:00:38.879 they all fall at once and there's no bucket of 0:00:38.880 --> 0:00:41.120 water at the end. I'm nowhere near I told you 0:00:41.159 --> 0:00:43.400 so yet, but I hope everyone in professional sports is 0:00:43.440 --> 0:00:46.279 taking this serious because even though the NBA is pretending 0:00:46.320 --> 0:00:48.199 to be in a bubble, shouts to Lou Williams and 0:00:48.280 --> 0:00:51.400 rapper Jack Harlow, it's not working. And I want everyone 0:00:51.400 --> 0:00:52.640 to be safe more than I want to see a 0:00:52.680 --> 0:00:54.920 cutout of a dog sitting front row at Great America. 0:00:55.160 --> 0:00:57.320 And if baseball is to end this week, please name 0:00:57.440 --> 0:01:00.280 Jackie Bradley Jr. M VP. He went six thirty six 0:01:00.320 --> 0:01:02.960 over the weekend. Anyway, I'm still talking to athletes and 0:01:03.000 --> 0:01:05.520 industry professionals to see what they're doing during this very 0:01:05.560 --> 0:01:08.440 weird time, because someone has to. This is the sports 0:01:08.440 --> 0:01:14.880 bubble with Jensen Cart. Even with baseball's future in jeopardy, 0:01:14.959 --> 0:01:17.480 NASCAR has been driving at full speed. Sure, they had 0:01:17.520 --> 0:01:19.600 a positive test once and had been at the forefront 0:01:19.600 --> 0:01:22.720 of racial tension, but they're still competing, taking advantage of 0:01:22.720 --> 0:01:25.800 the natural social distancing their events allow for drivers. And 0:01:25.840 --> 0:01:27.800 no one has taken advantage of these times more than 0:01:27.920 --> 0:01:30.320 Eric Almola. While most of us have been staring out 0:01:30.360 --> 0:01:33.120 the window, paranoid and gaining weight during the pandemic, this 0:01:33.200 --> 0:01:35.840 dude has been streaking, putting together the most successful run 0:01:35.840 --> 0:01:38.400 of his career. Eric is currently eighth overall in the 0:01:39.120 --> 0:01:42.319 NASCAR Cup Series, his career best position, and in his 0:01:42.400 --> 0:01:45.240 nineteen starts this season, he has eleven top ten finishes, 0:01:45.440 --> 0:01:47.600 five top five, and is the only driver in the 0:01:47.600 --> 0:01:49.640 field who have been inside the top ten at every 0:01:49.720 --> 0:01:52.640 checkered flag, even cross the finish line backwards at the 0:01:52.640 --> 0:01:56.320 Geico five hundred in third place. That's insane. The Cuban 0:01:56.320 --> 0:01:58.400 missile is taking advantage of a predicament where most of 0:01:58.520 --> 0:02:01.120 us feel our physical worst, yet he's one of the 0:02:01.120 --> 0:02:03.080 few in sports having the time of his life, and 0:02:03.160 --> 0:02:04.920 this weekend at Foxwoods, he will attempt to keep the 0:02:04.920 --> 0:02:07.640 streak alive, maybe even with the w he's so intimately 0:02:07.680 --> 0:02:10.560 flirting with. We'll talk about why he's thriving in these times, 0:02:10.720 --> 0:02:12.560 why he sent a text to Bubba Wallace even though 0:02:12.600 --> 0:02:15.280 they aren't quote unquote friends. And we get into bacon, 0:02:15.440 --> 0:02:18.359 which I'm sure you saw coming. Let's ride shotgun into 0:02:18.400 --> 0:02:33.320 the sports bubble from Eric down rolla to accept press one. 0:02:34.680 --> 0:02:37.760 Hello Eric, Hey, how's it going. I'm well man. Thanks 0:02:37.760 --> 0:02:40.400 for doing this, Yeah, you got it. Thanks for having me. 0:02:40.680 --> 0:02:43.080 First off, I know you have a lot of work 0:02:43.080 --> 0:02:45.360 on your mind nowadays, but for a very long time 0:02:45.440 --> 0:02:48.800 you were home schooling and keeping preteens busy. That was 0:02:48.840 --> 0:02:51.560 your entire schedule. So first let's start with where you 0:02:51.600 --> 0:02:56.240 were quarantining and how you survived. So we started the 0:02:56.320 --> 0:03:01.160 quarantine at home here in Mooresville, North A Lina with 0:03:01.639 --> 0:03:04.079 a seven and six year old seven year old boy 0:03:04.480 --> 0:03:07.400 um and a six year old daughter. So we we 0:03:07.480 --> 0:03:10.080 spent a couple of weeks here and found it to 0:03:10.120 --> 0:03:15.120 be extremely challenging to keep our kids from you know, 0:03:15.200 --> 0:03:18.200 wanting to play with the neighbor kids out in Culda 0:03:18.320 --> 0:03:20.440 back and um, you know, in the street. And so 0:03:20.840 --> 0:03:23.320 we really took it seriously in the beginning, like we 0:03:23.320 --> 0:03:26.720 were like, no, we're staying home, We're staying indoors. And 0:03:26.840 --> 0:03:30.320 we found that to be an extreme challenge, especially when 0:03:30.360 --> 0:03:32.360 they were done with their school work by you know, 0:03:32.480 --> 0:03:35.880 after lunch one two o'clock. So we loaded up our 0:03:36.080 --> 0:03:41.080 r V and drove from North Carolina to Florida, you know, 0:03:41.160 --> 0:03:43.080 And it was nice to have the RV. We didn't 0:03:43.120 --> 0:03:47.680 have to go inside any public restrooms or anything like that. 0:03:47.760 --> 0:03:51.119 We could have sandwiches and all that while we traveled. 0:03:51.520 --> 0:03:54.160 And we went down to Florida. My in laws lived 0:03:54.160 --> 0:03:58.080 down near the Naples area in Florida, and so we 0:03:58.240 --> 0:04:02.720 parked our RV next to their house and basically quarantine 0:04:02.760 --> 0:04:05.880 there for about three weeks. And yeah, it was nice. 0:04:05.960 --> 0:04:09.120 We we could manage who we came in contact with 0:04:09.280 --> 0:04:12.000 way better there, especially with the kids. And we could 0:04:12.040 --> 0:04:14.160 swim in the pool and go out on the boat 0:04:14.240 --> 0:04:16.520 and go in the ocean, and it was there was 0:04:16.520 --> 0:04:20.000 a lot more entertainment there without coming in contact with 0:04:20.000 --> 0:04:22.040 a lot of other people. I don't blame you. You 0:04:22.080 --> 0:04:23.560 have a seven and eight year old. Those are both 0:04:23.640 --> 0:04:26.880 very high maintenance age. I mean, I I those You 0:04:26.920 --> 0:04:28.680 can't just tell them to sit on their hands. That 0:04:28.800 --> 0:04:31.640 is way too hard. Yeah, trying to get them to 0:04:31.680 --> 0:04:34.080 do their school work was hard enough. And by the 0:04:34.120 --> 0:04:36.039 time we got done with their school work, you know, 0:04:36.120 --> 0:04:39.040 at two o'clock the afternoon, the last thing we wanted 0:04:39.080 --> 0:04:41.800 to do is continue to have to to govern their 0:04:41.839 --> 0:04:44.560 every move. So it was nice to be down there 0:04:44.600 --> 0:04:47.000 and we could swim int the pool and goof off 0:04:47.120 --> 0:04:49.839 and and have fun and and actually just be outside. 0:04:50.120 --> 0:04:52.359 I think for us that was the hard part about 0:04:52.360 --> 0:04:55.359 being at home in North Carolina at that time, in 0:04:55.440 --> 0:04:59.120 early March and early April, the weather was terrible. It 0:04:59.240 --> 0:05:02.680 was just rain after rain after rain, and just cloudy, 0:05:02.720 --> 0:05:05.320 gray days. So going to Florida and being in the 0:05:05.800 --> 0:05:10.400 nice sunshine and being outdoors, um certainly helped our sanity. Sure, 0:05:10.640 --> 0:05:13.159 we'll normally be traveling around a ton for work during 0:05:13.200 --> 0:05:16.400 that time. You were grounded recently. So what I want 0:05:16.440 --> 0:05:18.320 to know what's harder is it? Is it competing in 0:05:18.400 --> 0:05:26.120 NASCAR or homeschooling kids. Homeschooling kids down Yeah, that was 0:05:26.160 --> 0:05:29.359 the greatest eye opener for my wife and I. We 0:05:29.960 --> 0:05:32.800 drop our kids off at school and and quite honestly, 0:05:33.160 --> 0:05:35.880 don't really think about it. You you appreciate, you know, 0:05:36.040 --> 0:05:39.040 school and the teachers. But it's normal, right, It's what 0:05:39.080 --> 0:05:41.960 we all do anybody that has kids. But you drop 0:05:42.000 --> 0:05:44.080 your kids off at school, you take for granted that 0:05:44.160 --> 0:05:46.920 they're you know, cared for and that they're learning something, 0:05:46.960 --> 0:05:49.520 and then you pick them up after school, and you 0:05:49.560 --> 0:05:51.719 don't really pay a whole lot of attention to what 0:05:51.800 --> 0:05:54.640 goes on in between. But when you are the one 0:05:55.040 --> 0:05:58.279 that's teaching them, you have a whole new appreciation for 0:05:58.400 --> 0:06:00.880 the teachers in the school. And I know that was 0:06:00.960 --> 0:06:03.560 the case for us. Just I know, my wife and 0:06:03.600 --> 0:06:07.480 I are very very meticulous, and we have very high 0:06:07.480 --> 0:06:11.800 expectations of our children trying to teach them, and not 0:06:12.760 --> 0:06:15.720 having the patients that we probably need to be good 0:06:15.720 --> 0:06:18.719 teachers was was something that we learned. We had to 0:06:18.800 --> 0:06:22.320 navigate that because, uh, you know, we wanted them to 0:06:22.400 --> 0:06:25.680 just get it, come on, like understand like what's so 0:06:25.760 --> 0:06:29.560 hard about this? Like and then just we know our 0:06:29.640 --> 0:06:32.680 kids better than anybody else, so we know when they're 0:06:32.680 --> 0:06:35.520 trying to scape by or when they're giving their best efforts. 0:06:35.600 --> 0:06:38.880 So we're probably even way harder on our own children 0:06:38.960 --> 0:06:41.479 than the teacher would be because we, you know, we 0:06:41.520 --> 0:06:43.880 have such high expectations out of them. Yeah, well they 0:06:43.920 --> 0:06:46.520 are saints, those teachers. I it's always shocking when they're 0:06:46.520 --> 0:06:49.479 not millionaires. You're like, this job deserves more than I make, 0:06:49.560 --> 0:06:53.080 for sure. Obviously a lot of people who just know 0:06:53.200 --> 0:06:56.440 NASCAR from Afar assume you wake up and then go drive, 0:06:56.480 --> 0:06:58.080 which we all know is not the case. It takes 0:06:58.080 --> 0:07:00.920 a ton of endurance training, working outside obviously involved. So 0:07:01.080 --> 0:07:02.640 how do you do that when you're in in RV 0:07:02.920 --> 0:07:05.040 and going to the in laws? How did you how 0:07:05.040 --> 0:07:08.080 did you use quarantine to stay in driving mode? Well, Um, 0:07:08.279 --> 0:07:12.640 fortunately for me, I enjoy a lot of outdoor activity 0:07:12.760 --> 0:07:15.600 for for my training. It's something that I enjoy. And 0:07:15.640 --> 0:07:18.880 so I found that if I enjoy working out, it 0:07:18.920 --> 0:07:23.760 doesn't really feel like working out. So um, so I 0:07:24.280 --> 0:07:27.920 enjoy running, and I really really enjoy cycling, and so 0:07:28.040 --> 0:07:31.000 I took you know, I took obviously running shoes with me, 0:07:31.080 --> 0:07:33.040 and I took a bike with me, and so I 0:07:33.080 --> 0:07:36.480 did a tremendous amount of cycling while I was down there, 0:07:36.520 --> 0:07:39.160 which was nice. I probably rode my bike four to 0:07:39.280 --> 0:07:42.160 five days a week and probably ran, you know, three 0:07:42.240 --> 0:07:44.200 or four days a week. Some days, you know, i'd 0:07:44.200 --> 0:07:46.880 get up in the morning and run super early while 0:07:46.920 --> 0:07:49.640 it was still not that hot it out, uh, and 0:07:49.680 --> 0:07:52.440 then I would take off in the afternoon and go 0:07:52.600 --> 0:07:55.000 ride my bike for thirty or forty miles for a 0:07:55.000 --> 0:07:57.560 couple of hours in the heat of the day, which 0:07:57.600 --> 0:07:59.560 I felt like was going to really help me when 0:07:59.600 --> 0:08:01.760 I got back in the race car, because you know 0:08:01.800 --> 0:08:04.800 that heat training and endurance training at the same time 0:08:05.400 --> 0:08:07.960 is essentially what we're doing in the race car. Our 0:08:08.040 --> 0:08:11.360 heart rates through on average of what a marathon runners 0:08:11.480 --> 0:08:14.080 is for about the same amount of time, maybe a 0:08:14.160 --> 0:08:17.440 little longer. But the inside temperature of our race cars 0:08:17.480 --> 0:08:20.400 is about a hundred and thirty degrees, So it's hard 0:08:20.520 --> 0:08:24.960 to train for that anywhere else but outside in the elements. 0:08:25.280 --> 0:08:27.040 That's right. Yeah. I mean, people who hear you say 0:08:27.080 --> 0:08:29.240 that you love running, I mean, what what what I mean? 0:08:29.240 --> 0:08:31.240 They're probably like rolling their eyes, But what how do 0:08:31.320 --> 0:08:34.560 you make running enjoyable for you? So I make running 0:08:34.640 --> 0:08:37.720 enjoyable for me by the fact that I don't you know, 0:08:37.840 --> 0:08:40.800 I'm not trying to set land speed records. So I'll 0:08:40.800 --> 0:08:43.920 go out and I'll run. I'll go run three to 0:08:44.040 --> 0:08:46.520 five miles. I don't run any more than that. I'm 0:08:46.520 --> 0:08:50.320 not trying to run a marathon or you know, an 0:08:50.360 --> 0:08:53.600 iron Man. Yet maybe I have aspirations of doing that 0:08:53.679 --> 0:08:57.200 when I'm not racing anymore, because it's gonna take a 0:08:57.200 --> 0:09:00.640 lot of you know, time and sacrifice to do that, 0:09:00.679 --> 0:09:03.360 and I don't have the time right now. But for me, 0:09:03.440 --> 0:09:05.640 I love to run. I go go run three to 0:09:05.760 --> 0:09:09.600 five miles and I can start out at a you know, 0:09:10.040 --> 0:09:13.240 ten minute pace, which is relatively slow for me, and 0:09:13.240 --> 0:09:15.959 then I can run one or two miles like that, 0:09:16.040 --> 0:09:18.560 and then I can you know, try and run eight 0:09:18.600 --> 0:09:22.120 minute or seven thirty pace mile and then flow it 0:09:22.160 --> 0:09:25.680 back down for another nine minute mile to close it out. 0:09:25.800 --> 0:09:29.320 And it feels good, it doesn't hurt, and it's uh, 0:09:29.480 --> 0:09:31.760 it's a great way to get a good workout in 0:09:31.800 --> 0:09:35.920 to start your day. Well, I wanted to kick this 0:09:36.000 --> 0:09:38.400 off with you know, saying you're my first driver on 0:09:38.440 --> 0:09:41.439 the podcast. I've been so impressed with NASCAR. We had 0:09:41.440 --> 0:09:44.200 on Brianna Daniels, who was incredible and and after a 0:09:44.240 --> 0:09:46.400 stop down in March, you you're now back in your 0:09:46.440 --> 0:09:48.959 car's racing. I think the sport itself is done a 0:09:49.000 --> 0:09:52.600 good job with with getting you back into action. And 0:09:52.760 --> 0:09:55.240 I guess what are the biggest difference you see in 0:09:55.320 --> 0:09:57.840 the sport now because of COVID nineteen. What are the 0:09:57.920 --> 0:10:01.000 changes that that affect you the most? For me personally, 0:10:01.240 --> 0:10:04.959 the biggest change that that has affected me is just 0:10:05.040 --> 0:10:09.760 the lack of human connectivity. You know, I am very 0:10:09.880 --> 0:10:14.080 much a hands on person just with the race car, 0:10:14.160 --> 0:10:18.520 but especially with people. I enjoy shaking people's hands, I 0:10:18.640 --> 0:10:21.319 enjoy patent you know, my team members on the back. 0:10:21.840 --> 0:10:25.760 I enjoy talking face to face with my you know, 0:10:25.840 --> 0:10:28.679 with my crew guys and my team members and smiling 0:10:28.760 --> 0:10:33.000 and laughing and joking and having that human interaction. And 0:10:33.120 --> 0:10:36.520 for me that has been the most challenging part is 0:10:37.160 --> 0:10:40.520 you know, flying to the race tracks alone, getting to 0:10:40.559 --> 0:10:44.360 the race track and being in my RV alone, and 0:10:44.400 --> 0:10:46.440 then when it's time to race, walk out to the 0:10:46.520 --> 0:10:49.960 race car alone, uh, stand next for my race car 0:10:50.120 --> 0:10:53.400 for the national anthem alone, and then getting my racetrack 0:10:53.480 --> 0:10:56.080 to go race alone. And you know, all of my 0:10:56.200 --> 0:11:00.880 human interaction is through a telephone or a video screen 0:11:01.080 --> 0:11:04.160 or a computer, and it's just not it's not the same. 0:11:04.240 --> 0:11:09.600 I'm very very much a person that enjoys being around people, 0:11:09.840 --> 0:11:14.640 and especially my team. I love that camaraderie. And you 0:11:14.640 --> 0:11:17.720 know I missed that. Yeah, and you know, dumb question, 0:11:17.840 --> 0:11:20.520 but do you notice the fans in the car? Like 0:11:20.600 --> 0:11:22.880 it's a totally empty and quite stadium right now. NASCAR's 0:11:22.920 --> 0:11:24.920 hinted to bringing some people back down the road, But 0:11:25.320 --> 0:11:28.320 do you notice any noise or anything when you're in 0:11:28.320 --> 0:11:30.280 the car. Is that sort of the same. You know, 0:11:30.559 --> 0:11:34.880 you you notice the lack of fans when you walk out, 0:11:35.120 --> 0:11:37.959 you know, to your car to start the race. There's 0:11:38.040 --> 0:11:43.199 just that lack of energy, that lack of electricity because 0:11:43.760 --> 0:11:46.880 you don't have you know, a hundred thousand fans and 0:11:46.960 --> 0:11:50.120 the sands and yelling or cheering or booing or any 0:11:50.160 --> 0:11:54.600 of those things. Um, you're not walking through crowds to 0:11:54.720 --> 0:11:59.280 get to drive introductions and you're not signing autograph and 0:11:59.320 --> 0:12:01.439 all those things on pit road before the start of 0:12:01.480 --> 0:12:05.000 the race. So that is that's very awkward. But once 0:12:05.040 --> 0:12:08.120 you strapped in the race card to start the race, 0:12:08.400 --> 0:12:11.320 you don't really notice the lack of fans anymore. You know, 0:12:11.400 --> 0:12:13.240 when I'm when we're all in the race car. We're 0:12:13.240 --> 0:12:16.880 so focused and concentrating on the competition around us on 0:12:16.880 --> 0:12:20.040 the racetrack, and then you know, just focused on the mark, 0:12:20.160 --> 0:12:24.280 hitting your marks and racing the race track that you 0:12:24.320 --> 0:12:27.920 don't really notice that there's no fans in the stands. 0:12:28.280 --> 0:12:31.319 You know, the race cars are so loud inside, um 0:12:31.360 --> 0:12:34.760 you can't really hear even when fans are there, you 0:12:34.800 --> 0:12:37.800 can't hear them. But then when the race is over, 0:12:38.640 --> 0:12:41.280 that's the next awkward part. You know that there's no 0:12:41.840 --> 0:12:45.240 there's no fans cheering or booing or any of those 0:12:45.280 --> 0:12:48.280 things when you know when the race is over, and 0:12:48.400 --> 0:12:52.320 it just there's just the overall lack of energy, you know, 0:12:52.400 --> 0:12:55.120 with without the fans. And you know, I know that 0:12:55.200 --> 0:12:57.560 they have sort of really drastically cut the number of 0:12:57.600 --> 0:13:00.160 personnel that's allowed on site during the race weekends. Like 0:13:00.200 --> 0:13:02.520 you said, you can't really stand next to your pit 0:13:02.640 --> 0:13:05.520 and your crew. I mean, have those configurations and guidelines 0:13:05.600 --> 0:13:08.679 negatively affected the job itself other than just maybe your 0:13:09.040 --> 0:13:12.720 psyche about about working. No, you know, I I think 0:13:12.760 --> 0:13:15.200 for us. I can't speak for everybody, but I can 0:13:15.240 --> 0:13:20.160 only speak for myself. I grew up racing as a hobby. 0:13:20.360 --> 0:13:23.319 It was something that I did because I loved it, right, 0:13:23.440 --> 0:13:26.400 that's what That's how everybody becomes a professional athlete, Like 0:13:26.440 --> 0:13:28.760 they all started as a hobby. It doesn't matter if 0:13:28.760 --> 0:13:31.520 you're a baseball player or football player or whatever. You 0:13:31.640 --> 0:13:35.840 do it for for hobby, for sports, and then all 0:13:35.920 --> 0:13:39.520 of a sudden you get good enough, and then you 0:13:39.600 --> 0:13:41.360 grow up and then next thing you know, you've become 0:13:41.400 --> 0:13:43.480 a professional and you start getting paid to do it. 0:13:43.840 --> 0:13:47.800 So that is, you know, essentially my story. And so 0:13:48.040 --> 0:13:50.160 I never did it for the fame. I never did 0:13:50.160 --> 0:13:52.640 it for the money. I've always done it just because 0:13:52.679 --> 0:13:56.800 I love to drive fast things. Um, whether it's a 0:13:56.840 --> 0:13:59.720 go cart or a race car or whatever it is. 0:14:00.080 --> 0:14:03.959 I love to race and compete against other people in 0:14:04.280 --> 0:14:07.120 machines and I like to try and go faster than 0:14:07.160 --> 0:14:10.640 them and to pass them into race with them. And 0:14:10.679 --> 0:14:14.160 so I missed that so much when we weren't racing 0:14:14.160 --> 0:14:17.600 while we were shut down because of the pandemic. Uh. 0:14:17.640 --> 0:14:19.800 That that was the one thing that I realized that 0:14:19.840 --> 0:14:22.400 I really miss. Like I don't miss the money, I 0:14:22.440 --> 0:14:24.760 don't miss the same I don't miss any of those things, 0:14:24.800 --> 0:14:28.480 but I missed that adrenaline rush of driving the race 0:14:28.520 --> 0:14:31.000 car and competing. Yeah, and how were you able to 0:14:31.040 --> 0:14:32.760 keep in touch with your crew? It was it just 0:14:32.840 --> 0:14:35.000 zoom calls and stuff like that, because they're so crucial 0:14:35.040 --> 0:14:39.040 to your prep and success. Yeah, we used zoom and 0:14:39.080 --> 0:14:45.280 there's other forms of meeting teams and spacetime and depending 0:14:45.280 --> 0:14:47.520 on how many people were on the meeting. And we 0:14:47.600 --> 0:14:50.520 used every resource and still to this day or continuing 0:14:50.560 --> 0:14:55.400 to use every resource available just to constantly stay engaged 0:14:55.440 --> 0:14:58.080 with each other. And I asked this purely for one 0:14:58.080 --> 0:15:01.200 big reason, which is that you have somehow been able 0:15:01.240 --> 0:15:04.200 to take coronavirus and COVID and the stopdown and all 0:15:04.240 --> 0:15:06.880 these all these changes to your sport, and you're having 0:15:06.920 --> 0:15:10.520 the best run of your career. Very odd time in 0:15:10.600 --> 0:15:12.760 history to decide to do that. But top five finishes 0:15:12.800 --> 0:15:16.000 in your last five races, eight consecutive top ten's, while 0:15:16.040 --> 0:15:18.120 most people have felt rusty and out of sorts, you 0:15:18.120 --> 0:15:22.200 are killing it. Why is that? Um? I just attested 0:15:22.240 --> 0:15:25.240 always to people, you know, I think, UM, that's the 0:15:25.280 --> 0:15:29.360 one thing that I think it's overlooked about most sports, UM, 0:15:29.440 --> 0:15:33.760 but especially about ours when you look on TV or 0:15:34.040 --> 0:15:36.120 if we can ever have fans back and you can 0:15:36.160 --> 0:15:38.440 look at the race track and you look at the cars. 0:15:38.680 --> 0:15:40.960 They all look very similar. You know, obviously they have 0:15:41.040 --> 0:15:44.080 different paint jobs and stuff like that. From the in 0:15:44.120 --> 0:15:47.320 the grand scheme of things, they all look relatively the same, right, 0:15:47.360 --> 0:15:51.080 And we have rules that govern us to be equal, 0:15:51.560 --> 0:15:54.760 but they're not equal. And what makes the difference is 0:15:54.840 --> 0:15:58.280 the people. The people that put the cars together, the 0:15:58.320 --> 0:16:01.440 attention to detail that they put into their specific job, 0:16:02.200 --> 0:16:05.720 those are what makes the biggest difference. And so you know, 0:16:05.760 --> 0:16:10.120 I've just been so fortunate and blessed to be with 0:16:10.240 --> 0:16:13.480 a great group of people, and you know, they make 0:16:13.520 --> 0:16:16.320 me look good. Yeah, And and I mean, even through 0:16:16.320 --> 0:16:18.560 these sort of challenging times, it's been awesome to see. 0:16:18.600 --> 0:16:21.480 And and I guess too with the way the sport 0:16:21.600 --> 0:16:24.640 is going with Jimmy Johnson testing positive for coronavirus last 0:16:24.640 --> 0:16:27.000 week and the NASCAR announced just a few days ago 0:16:27.040 --> 0:16:29.360 the two negative tests will be back racing. I listen, 0:16:29.400 --> 0:16:31.280 I'm not one to bust anyone here, but that hasn't 0:16:31.320 --> 0:16:33.720 sad right with me. It's only two tests a couple 0:16:33.720 --> 0:16:35.960 of days. I assumed he had to quarantine. I thought 0:16:35.960 --> 0:16:38.520 it was for two weeks. Do you know what NASCAR's 0:16:38.640 --> 0:16:40.760 rules are for that when there's a positive test, and 0:16:41.000 --> 0:16:43.920 how often are you guys being tested? Yeah, so we 0:16:44.040 --> 0:16:47.960 are being tested to enter the racetrack, They've run us 0:16:47.960 --> 0:16:52.080 through a testing station, and then we are we are 0:16:52.120 --> 0:16:56.880 admitted um into the infields to our our motor homes 0:16:56.880 --> 0:16:59.600 and campers, and then we're you know, we're we're ready 0:16:59.720 --> 0:17:02.840 for the race weekend or the race that weekend, and 0:17:02.880 --> 0:17:05.000 then if we do test positive, we have to go 0:17:05.119 --> 0:17:10.400 to a secondary screening station to further evaluate what's going on. 0:17:10.880 --> 0:17:13.800 He uh, he had a positive test, and then so 0:17:13.960 --> 0:17:16.520 they they've told him that he's got to have a 0:17:16.600 --> 0:17:21.159 negative test, two negative tests within twenty four hours of 0:17:21.240 --> 0:17:24.639 each other, and so I guess, uh, he tested positive 0:17:24.680 --> 0:17:28.560 early of a week ago, and then this Monday he 0:17:28.560 --> 0:17:31.520 had a negative test, and then Tuesday he also had 0:17:31.520 --> 0:17:34.440 a negative test. So you know, the doctors and CDC 0:17:34.600 --> 0:17:38.160 and state health officials all agree and and that SCARS 0:17:38.280 --> 0:17:41.639 reinstated him. So I'm glad. I don't I don't I 0:17:41.720 --> 0:17:44.720 think uh, I think that's probably the way it should be. Personally, 0:17:45.640 --> 0:17:49.080 I think it's extremely detrimental to a guy that you know, 0:17:49.160 --> 0:17:53.359 would have no symptoms and have a positive test, and 0:17:53.680 --> 0:17:56.720 Lord only knows if it's a false positive. There's no 0:17:56.800 --> 0:18:01.480 way to prove that. But you jeopardize not only somebody's season, 0:18:01.960 --> 0:18:04.520 but you jeopardize their career. I mean, you talk about 0:18:04.560 --> 0:18:08.040 missing fourteen days. If you test positive the day before 0:18:08.320 --> 0:18:11.360 an event and it's a week where we're gonna run 0:18:11.359 --> 0:18:14.000 a double header race and a Wednesday race and a 0:18:14.040 --> 0:18:16.040 double head of the next week like we're gonna have 0:18:16.160 --> 0:18:20.280 coming up pretty soon, you could potentially miss five races, 0:18:20.440 --> 0:18:22.600 four or five races, and if if you miss four 0:18:22.680 --> 0:18:25.800 or five races, your season is over. And then once 0:18:25.840 --> 0:18:29.680 the playoffs start, if you miss one, your season's over. 0:18:29.960 --> 0:18:32.840 And so not only does that have an effect on 0:18:32.840 --> 0:18:35.600 on your season, it has an effect on your career 0:18:36.119 --> 0:18:39.159 um and it has effect on you financially. So I 0:18:39.200 --> 0:18:42.080 think that, you know, I think that NASCAR has gotta 0:18:42.640 --> 0:18:44.920 gotta do the best job that they can to navigate 0:18:44.920 --> 0:18:47.480 all that. Yeah, especially with it possibly being Jimmy's final 0:18:47.520 --> 0:18:51.160 season as well. Uh and because of the stop down 0:18:51.359 --> 0:18:53.520 in NASCAR, the schedule has been adjusted, like you said, 0:18:53.560 --> 0:18:55.720 ton of doubleheaders things like that, and one big thing, 0:18:56.080 --> 0:18:57.600 and I know we're all voting for Bacon to make 0:18:57.640 --> 0:18:59.240 it happen, which we'll get to a little bit later. 0:18:59.320 --> 0:19:02.200 Is the July fifteenth All Star Race. They're letting in 0:19:02.440 --> 0:19:05.080 thirty thousand fans. Obviously, they're going day by day to 0:19:05.119 --> 0:19:08.160 figure out if this is even humanly possible. But are 0:19:08.320 --> 0:19:11.240 you tep it? I'll be honest, I'm I'm going to 0:19:11.280 --> 0:19:13.720 be your most pessimistic interview wher. I think we should 0:19:13.720 --> 0:19:16.280 be overly careful. I know a lot of you've seen 0:19:16.359 --> 0:19:18.960 that way as well, but thirty thousand fans to me 0:19:19.000 --> 0:19:21.800 sounds still like a lot of people, and and I'm 0:19:21.840 --> 0:19:25.600 still nervous with with numbers raising. Yeah, I I don't 0:19:25.640 --> 0:19:28.160 make the rules, man, I just I just go show 0:19:28.240 --> 0:19:30.800 up and go drive the race cars. So to be honest, 0:19:30.880 --> 0:19:33.600 I'm I'm not even really going to comment on that 0:19:33.680 --> 0:19:35.879 because I don't have a dog in the sight. Like 0:19:35.920 --> 0:19:38.360 I'm they're not going to come in contact with me. 0:19:38.440 --> 0:19:42.920 I'm not doing any engagement. I'm not going out shaking hands, 0:19:42.920 --> 0:19:47.280 they're signing autographs or kissing any babies. Um. From that point. 0:19:47.480 --> 0:19:49.720 From that standpoint, I'm gonna do everything I can to 0:19:49.760 --> 0:19:52.440 make sure that I stay safe. And that's really all 0:19:52.480 --> 0:19:55.280 I can worry about. After this more with NASCAR driver 0:19:55.480 --> 0:20:03.320 Eric al Marola. Right now, Feeding America is working tirelessly 0:20:03.400 --> 0:20:06.320 to ensure our most vulnerable populations, like students who are 0:20:06.320 --> 0:20:09.680 out of school, the elderly individuals whose jobs are impacted, 0:20:09.720 --> 0:20:12.560 and low income families continue to have access to food 0:20:12.720 --> 0:20:16.040 and other needed resources during the COVID nineteen pandemic. The 0:20:16.080 --> 0:20:19.080 Feeding America Food Bank Network is committed to serving communities 0:20:19.080 --> 0:20:21.840 and people facing hunger in America, and their greatest need 0:20:21.960 --> 0:20:25.320 is donations and support of local food banks. This podcast 0:20:25.359 --> 0:20:27.560 is committed to donating a portion of the proceeds from 0:20:27.560 --> 0:20:29.879 the show to Feeding America, and we hope that you 0:20:29.880 --> 0:20:32.159 can join us in this effort to find out how 0:20:32.200 --> 0:20:35.640 you can help Feeding America dot org. Backslash COVID nineteen 0:20:42.080 --> 0:20:44.560 and now the rest of my conversation with Stuart Hoss 0:20:44.680 --> 0:20:48.119 racings Eric al Marola. Luckily, like I said, you've been 0:20:48.160 --> 0:20:50.280 on a streak and you had a wild finish at 0:20:50.280 --> 0:20:54.000 the Geico five hundred third place. You you basically finished, 0:20:54.040 --> 0:20:56.879 spun around backwards. You were like a real ricky Bobby. 0:20:57.000 --> 0:20:59.000 Has that ever happened to you? And you have you 0:20:59.040 --> 0:21:03.840 ever had to practice at No, I've never practiced that, 0:21:04.000 --> 0:21:07.080 but when I got home, my kid did tell me 0:21:07.160 --> 0:21:09.439 that I was like to Mader from the movie Cars 0:21:09.560 --> 0:21:11.600 and that on the World best back in the Driver. 0:21:11.800 --> 0:21:16.040 So you did kill it. I mean it truly was remarkable. 0:21:16.480 --> 0:21:18.800 You know, it made mainstream news, hit pop culture even 0:21:18.800 --> 0:21:22.960