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Speaker 1: this Sean McDonald. You're listening to Money Making Conversations. It's

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Speaker 1: time for our next guest. She is the CEO of W. M.

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Speaker 1: Stone Enterprises and the first African American woman licensed to

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Speaker 1: solely own a developmental and multicultural NASCAR team. Please welcome

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Speaker 1: to Money Making Conversation. Melissa Harville Lebron. Good morning, Good morning.

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Speaker 1: You're talking about you were nervous, but listen, how you

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Speaker 1: doing that? Miss nervous? I am fine, I am Now

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Speaker 1: we're becoming snow end up here in New York once again.

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Speaker 1: I know it. It's like the fourth major snowstorm. Correct

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Speaker 1: now this is number five one off. I was there

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Speaker 1: last week, so I'm glad I missed it. Now I

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Speaker 1: want to I want to bring up a quote right now.

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Speaker 1: Is that right now you have the NASCAR. You have

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Speaker 1: a NASCAR team which is a Wheeland All American Series

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Speaker 1: that runs in the Wheeland All American Series Series Division one.

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Speaker 1: I read your goal is to impact all forms of

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Speaker 1: motor sports worldwide. Right now, your NASCAR, that's a big want,

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Speaker 1: why do you want to do that? That is true?

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Speaker 1: That is true, but we've we've advanced since then. We

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Speaker 1: also are on camping low Truck Series or in the

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Speaker 1: nationals now. Okay, see nobody updated my my information. So

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Speaker 1: all I know is that you're a NASCAR Now you're

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Speaker 1: in a truck series. So I'm just because this is

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Speaker 1: the very expensive sport that you're adoring, Melissa. So now

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Speaker 1: you started in NASCAR, what made you want to go

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Speaker 1: into the truck series? Going into the Truck Series is

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Speaker 1: it's like, um, the beginning stages the nationals Um, it's um,

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Speaker 1: you know, that's where you start to stretch your legs

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Speaker 1: and really start to feel the impact of how expensive

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Speaker 1: the sport is but also how lucrative the sport is

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Speaker 1: as well. Um. You know, we can only elevate from there,

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Speaker 1: which is going into the Exfinity Series and then up

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Speaker 1: to you know, the grand echelon of UM launch the

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Speaker 1: Energy Series. I'm sorry, right, you know, it's been amazing

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Speaker 1: because I because when I when I went you got

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Speaker 1: booked to the show, I immediately just started doing my

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Speaker 1: homework because you know, all because there's so many levels

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Speaker 1: of Nascar, you know, the dal arn Hard and the

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Speaker 1: Jimmy Johns. That's NASCAR Cup. And uh. And so now

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Speaker 1: you're in the Division one series. Like you said, you know,

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Speaker 1: learning the process, getting everything right, but still very very expensive.

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Speaker 1: I want to break everybody. And if you so, you

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Speaker 1: if you elevate your game so much, I'm gonna just

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Speaker 1: talk about the NASCAR team that I was aware of

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Speaker 1: that you started with. Let me see if it's changed. Okay,

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Speaker 1: you start your original NASCAR racing team is the first

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Speaker 1: ever to consists of two brothers from two different ethnicities

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Speaker 1: and minority classes, healing from Northeast and under the age

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Speaker 1: of one. Correct. That is correct? Well, now there's yeah,

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Speaker 1: get a little behind in time. I've never been behind

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Speaker 1: the time. I'm I'm book. I'm gonna get on them. Now.

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Speaker 1: Now your your your crew team. You have an active

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Speaker 1: duty marine who's a pit crew has active and disabled veterans.

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Speaker 1: The great thing about that was that when I say

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Speaker 1: about the disabilities, and you know, you really want to

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Speaker 1: give everybody a shot of getting recognized that they can

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Speaker 1: do the job too. And that's important to your brand. Correct,

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Speaker 1: very much so. And uh and then you have you

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Speaker 1: have a you have a first experience and celebrated driver,

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Speaker 1: like I said, with a disability. You're currently developing two

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Speaker 1: female drivers for the developmental series. Okay, why is that important?

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Speaker 1: Female drivers? I know Danna Kapatrick. Well, you know you

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Speaker 1: don't see any female drivers in that so we had anaka. Um,

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Speaker 1: you know I shouldn't say any. You see very few

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Speaker 1: like you do not see any women of color behind me.

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Speaker 1: And I'm in a very unique position where able to

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Speaker 1: nurture and develop the careers of young women who want

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Speaker 1: to race this as much as everybody else, but they

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Speaker 1: don't know how to get started. So I have been,

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Speaker 1: oh my god, overwhelmed with so many phones and you know,

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Speaker 1: just you know, I've always dreams of racing how it

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Speaker 1: gets started? Um, you know, people thought I was crazy

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Speaker 1: and then I see you and you affirm my beliefs

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Speaker 1: that you know, I can do it as well. So

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Speaker 1: we are looking to develop new talent and bring new

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Speaker 1: talent to to the track. And you know, if I'm

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Speaker 1: the Segway, I'm the Segway. You know, God put me

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Speaker 1: on this path for a reason. You know. The interesting

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Speaker 1: thing about you know, when they make a mistake, that's

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Speaker 1: a crash. So you know that's that's a that's a

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Speaker 1: difficult part of bringing people along and making because it's

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Speaker 1: about expenses, about skill set, How do you recruit, how

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Speaker 1: do you look at new talent? How does that work

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Speaker 1: in your world? Um, we we're meticulous and and who

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Speaker 1: we align ourselves with. Um. I've had a couple of suggestions, Um, right,

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Speaker 1: should say, recommendations from Nascar, Um that would you know

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Speaker 1: make our team well? Round it. They were very talented

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Speaker 1: drivers that did not have the opportunity. More so, I

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Speaker 1: believe it was because they didn't truly know how to

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Speaker 1: market them and as you can see, they're they're having

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Speaker 1: some marketing issues now. Um, we're trying to relate to

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Speaker 1: our culture. UM. You know, it's just it's it's unfortunate

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Speaker 1: for them, but it is wonderful for us because we

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Speaker 1: can communicate to our demographics and you know, usher them

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Speaker 1: into the sport easily because you know, we are a

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Speaker 1: true reflection of our communities that we represent. You know,

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Speaker 1: it's really interesting because I've been I'm a big fan

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Speaker 1: of Nascar. I've been you know, Jeff Gordon, all time

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Speaker 1: fan of Jeff Gordon, and I've been to I've been

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Speaker 1: to the tracks, and I know there has been a

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Speaker 1: pressing need because I'm based in Atlanta, so I know

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Speaker 1: it's always gonna been a pressing need, a desire to

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Speaker 1: get more African Americans, more minorities to attend these events.

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Speaker 1: And and what what how do you help that out?

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Speaker 1: How do you how do you communicate like this is

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Speaker 1: a this is a great form. I'm an African American

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Speaker 1: of my audience is predominantly African American, so people are

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Speaker 1: hearing about your brand, and I want them to get excited.

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Speaker 1: I want them to go to the sport going there

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Speaker 1: other than just to see you, Why would individuals want

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Speaker 1: to attend the sport? Oh my gosh, Nascar is the

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Speaker 1: most physically exhilarating sport um ever. I tell people all

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Speaker 1: the time, I said, if you don't, They're like, oh,

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Speaker 1: it's just going them around. They have an occasional crack

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Speaker 1: every time those and that whish goes by with that draft.

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Speaker 1: I said, you feel it it rather, you know, you

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Speaker 1: know it's exciting, you know, you really are waiting there

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Speaker 1: with bated breath, waiting for the next, the next go

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Speaker 1: around to feel the war thosengines, I said, you know

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Speaker 1: and everybody's there for the exact same purpose. It's unity. Absolutely,

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Speaker 1: it's really because you know, it's really interesting because if

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Speaker 1: you just look and look at one spot and just

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Speaker 1: watch those cars just come in front of your eyesight

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Speaker 1: and leave your eyesight, it's really a blur. It's really

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Speaker 1: a blur. It's like, you know, it's amazing. You know.

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Speaker 1: You know, we drive around in the streets, you know,

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Speaker 1: thirty five miles and hour, it might get up to

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Speaker 1: seventy five miles. And now they have no clue to

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Speaker 1: how fast these people are going and they have to

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Speaker 1: and they got other people right next to them, in

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Speaker 1: front of them, right behind them. That's a skill set

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Speaker 1: that is amazing to me. Right, that's right. You know

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Speaker 1: you're looking at you know, anywhere from a hundred and

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Speaker 1: eighty five to two hundred miles per hour, and I

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Speaker 1: mean it's about the the space of a hair. Sometimes

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Speaker 1: they're right on top of each other. But it is,

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Speaker 1: I mean it, Oh, it's an amazing Here's the funny

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Speaker 1: thing about it. It's the funny because I'm doing my

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Speaker 1: little research you know about NASCAR. Now, NASCAR tires don't

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Speaker 1: have treads on them. No, but but but you know

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Speaker 1: in the streets they tell us we gotta have treads

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Speaker 1: on our tips. And if they said that we're not

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Speaker 1: having treads causes the car to grip better. Right, I'm

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Speaker 1: trying to figure out, okay, now, why I don't have

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Speaker 1: my time to go ball. I gotta change them in

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Speaker 1: the NASCAR. Yes, that you want your times to be

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Speaker 1: as gummy as possible. That's why you see them exagg

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Speaker 1: and they wore those sizes up because they need to

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Speaker 1: be able to grip. You know, there's the physics and

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Speaker 1: the aero dynamics are going to keeping that that car,

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Speaker 1: that race car at that rate of speed on the track,

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Speaker 1: on the ground and it's not going airborne. Right now,

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Speaker 1: here's the thing, okay now, because I think you know

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Speaker 1: we we were getting in the groove now, Melissa, Okay,

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Speaker 1: your first experience, your first sponsor to the race was

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Speaker 1: February walking through the whole process a little bit here

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Speaker 1: and the listeners about, you know, getting the team there.

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Speaker 1: Where were you already emotionally and I exhausting? Was you

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Speaker 1: at the end of the event? Okay? So we have

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Speaker 1: been preparing for this for since the year before last,

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Speaker 1: So it was really just amount of activation. It was

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Speaker 1: sixteen days literally from the time I, you know, I

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Speaker 1: met the team that would run my race for me,

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Speaker 1: will run my race with me, to the time we

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Speaker 1: got on the track, it was six days. So we

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Speaker 1: were prepared to no end. I told I was telling people,

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Speaker 1: I said, I feel like I'm getting married again, where

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Speaker 1: I didn't get a chance to enjoy the wedding. I

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Speaker 1: was so glad the first one over and done with

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Speaker 1: because there was so much preparation and it is emotionally

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Speaker 1: and physically taxing on you, you know, because people are watching.

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Speaker 1: And even though we didn't do a lot of press

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Speaker 1: for it, but people that knew that we were coming,

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Speaker 1: and even myself, I said, you know, I don't want

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Speaker 1: to publicize it and then we have mistake. I said,

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Speaker 1: so if we're gonna make any mistakes, you know, let's

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Speaker 1: do it kind of you know, you know, without all

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Speaker 1: the eyes on us, and you know, with troubleshooting. Troubleshoot

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Speaker 1: and then go back to it and then really hit

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Speaker 1: it and and publicize it. You know. But it was

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Speaker 1: a lot. It was from getting the uniforms, getting the

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Speaker 1: driver's seat done, getting the driver, the logistics of it all.

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Speaker 1: It was a lot. It was a lot. When I

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Speaker 1: tell you, I was exhausted. Pray. All I could do

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Speaker 1: was played. All I could do was pray. But let

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Speaker 1: me ask you this, Melissa, how did you get involved?

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Speaker 1: I gotta ask that question because you know, you know,

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Speaker 1: this is a NASCAR This is not NBA, NFL, Baseball,

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Speaker 1: this is NASCAR, predominantly White's attended sport. How did you

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Speaker 1: get excited about it? How did you get engaged overall

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Speaker 1: or just for the race day, just just trying to

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Speaker 1: get the NASCAR team just I want to I want

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Speaker 1: to end. I want to I want to convent my money.

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Speaker 1: My original background is in music industry. I've always been um.

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Speaker 1: I've always had some type of involvement, from being an

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Speaker 1: intern to actually working for a music label. My job

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Speaker 1: was artist development. I came to NASCAR through literally an

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Speaker 1: artist development deal. I was act to work with project

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Speaker 1: for an aspiring driving. I adducing an anthem tracks for

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Speaker 1: this inspiring driver. Unbeknownst to me, the driver was having

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Speaker 1: some marketing issues with NASCAR and they needed some assistance.

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Speaker 1: We developed a marketing plan that was presented to NASCAR

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Speaker 1: at an executive board meeting. So you know that was

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Speaker 1: straight to the top um and it really broke down

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Speaker 1: the value of of having this driver. It broke down

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Speaker 1: how to approach a demographic that NASCAR is is um

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Speaker 1: not represented in at all, and also being able to

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Speaker 1: sustain this new demographic with creating initiatives within NASCAR and

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Speaker 1: with this driver in mind. Unfortunately, we weren't able to

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Speaker 1: continue with the driver, but it did little boy my

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Speaker 1: relationship with NASCAR. Can we listen to all that thought?

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Speaker 1: We're gonna come right back with more information about Melissa

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Speaker 1: and the first African American woman licensed to solely own

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Speaker 1: a the Elopment and multicultural NASCAR team. Hi. This Rashan McDonald.

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Speaker 1: I'm on the phone with this snow then Melissa harviel Lebrod,

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Speaker 1: first female African American female owner a NASCAR development on

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Speaker 1: a multicultural team. Melissa, how are you doing in that

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Speaker 1: snow country called New York. It's frazing and the snow

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Speaker 1: it is truly piling up again. We're good, We're good.

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Speaker 1: You know, here's the thing you you was breaking down

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Speaker 1: how you got engaged into the process of NASCAR, and

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Speaker 1: they saw a tremendous opportunity in creating this relationship with

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Speaker 1: you and now you're in. Now let's talk about your background.

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Speaker 1: You you you hit it only a little bit about

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Speaker 1: your music background and you CEO of W M. Stone Enterprises,

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Speaker 1: tell us about that so we can now let's let's

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Speaker 1: let's find out about Melissa a little bit. I talked

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Speaker 1: about this groundbreaking NASCAR team that you have. Let's learn,

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Speaker 1: let's learn, let people know about your journey. Well, my

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Speaker 1: journey Stone is my grandmother's name, and I swear to

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Speaker 1: my business did not turned around until I gave my

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Speaker 1: grandmother full acknowledgement of her teaching me to be a

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Speaker 1: business woman, to be an entrepreneur and to think outside

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Speaker 1: of the box. So that's w M Stone represents that.

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Speaker 1: W M Stone is the holding company for all of

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Speaker 1: my businesses. Can you mention your businesses? I own, of course,

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Speaker 1: the racing team each Northeast Money Sports, and I have

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Speaker 1: Culture Music Group, which is a boutique musically, well, not

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Speaker 1: to launch boutique anymore. We've grown tremendously. So we have

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Speaker 1: distribution with Bungalow Universal that was very proud of. UM.

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Speaker 1: We have a number of thank you, thank you. We

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Speaker 1: have a number of wonderful relationships. UM. The fifth Ward

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Speaker 1: TV show, UM an executive producer for the soundtrack. So

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Speaker 1: I was aware because you guys would on the screening

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Speaker 1: in Las Vegas that you that you're gonna be a

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Speaker 1: part of because one of my best friends, Jaylen Mack,

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Speaker 1: and the director, I know both of them. So I

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Speaker 1: knew you, Melissa fo you knew me. Okay, that's wonderful

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Speaker 1: as wonderful, yes, and so so entertainment plays a major

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Speaker 1: role in what you're doing in your life and what

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Speaker 1: you've done your life, and so so you you you

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Speaker 1: mentioned that I heard some little kids in the background,

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Speaker 1: So I know you have three biological kids, and then

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Speaker 1: you have four additional kids that you you've taken a

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Speaker 1: gardenership off. That's seven on top of the top of

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Speaker 1: your NASCAR world, on top of your your your booming

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Speaker 1: filth or TV world, on top of your record music

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Speaker 1: label world. Okay, now really, really, I'm tired talking to Melissa.

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Speaker 1: I had one child and I couldn't I and I

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Speaker 1: did me Here you got seven up, and I saw

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Speaker 1: some I was some young bosses in the background over

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Speaker 1: there too. Oh yeah, the youngest one is three and

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Speaker 1: he's been locked out the room. And but yes, amazing.

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Speaker 1: I'm raising my sisters, three little boys, and my baby

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Speaker 1: brother's daughter. Thank you. You gotta step up, you know

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Speaker 1: you gotta step up. I let's make you part of

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Speaker 1: what I'm doing, money making conversations just to finde information

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Speaker 1: and step up. And it's it's free information that in fact,

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Speaker 1: in fact, I can take the information I give and

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Speaker 1: be successful and then we all win. And that's all

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Speaker 1: you're doing with these three little boys. You said, look,

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Speaker 1: if I don't step up, then somebody else is gonna

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Speaker 1: raise him. That was one of those classic moments in

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Speaker 1: the movie Black Panther, you know when he then when

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Speaker 1: he left that boy at the beginning of that movie

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Speaker 1: and then you saw who you turned out to be.

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Speaker 1: That shows you do not allow somebody else to raise

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Speaker 1: your child, another community with your child, because I can

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Speaker 1: create negative influence. So I applaud you for that moment

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Speaker 1: in life. Now let's get back to this expensive nas cough.

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Speaker 1: The tire is the fuel, you know, when you have

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Speaker 1: a wreck, the engine, you gotta pay for the food,

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Speaker 1: the travel. You know, you know what I know that

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Speaker 1: sounds like, sounds like some more kids, sounds like you

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Speaker 1: have another family over there. I'd say all the magic

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Speaker 1: words food. It's the only kid that pays you back,

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Speaker 1: goes you go for the sport. That means you talk

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Speaker 1: about sponsorship, How do you get some sponsorship and what

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Speaker 1: are the responsibilities of you to your team, to the

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Speaker 1: people that sponsor your team. Well, we have UM, some

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Speaker 1: managers that go out they have just a business relationship

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Speaker 1: UM Nascar. You know, it's a very unique opportunity. It

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Speaker 1: provides the greatest r O I for for a sponsor,

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Speaker 1: for an advertiser, UM utilizing our team because of its composition,

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Speaker 1: it's a marketing marketing Platform's a huge marketing platform for

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Speaker 1: a sponsor. UM. NASCAR is the largest sports entertainment venue

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Speaker 1: in the Western Hemisphere, so out influence on the demographics

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Speaker 1: that are needed to be brought into NASCAR is huge.

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Speaker 1: So combining that and with the opportunity I mean is

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Speaker 1: there's the one wring situation across the board. But it's

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Speaker 1: very important. Sponsorship keeps the teams on the track and

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Speaker 1: we all are experiencing, UM, you know, this heavy push

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Speaker 1: to bring in a new sponsor that hasn't been to

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Speaker 1: the sport. UM. You know, without social media and the

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Speaker 1: fact that we have this huge UM network, We have

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Speaker 1: television UM. NASCAR has Fortune one thousand companies that they

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Speaker 1: do business the business with, So it's a huge opportunity

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Speaker 1: for are people that are looking to create new for

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Speaker 1: companies that are looking to create new business and also

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Speaker 1: utilize the platform, the marketing monster that is behind NASCAR. Now,

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Speaker 1: it's really interesting when you really when you're on the

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Speaker 1: outside looking at In fin instance, during my research, I

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Speaker 1: found out that the tires when you get to the race,

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Speaker 1: the tires, you don't have to worry about tires. They're

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Speaker 1: provided by Goodyear. Correct. Oh no, we have to pay

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Speaker 1: for our tire. That is a contingency contract, you know,

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Speaker 1: to pay for your time. You play no role in

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Speaker 1: uh and and leasting. Not your tires to you are

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Speaker 1: Oh no, no, we have to pay for They don't

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Speaker 1: give them to us nothing. It's a NASCAR. Okay. How

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Speaker 1: about the fuel, it's the fuel for free or a

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Speaker 1: NASCAR we paid for everything. You need a sponsor, Yes,

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Speaker 1: I need lots and lots of so because you know so,

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Speaker 1: because it's really really because when because I was reading

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Speaker 1: in my research, which is obviously bad research, because I'm

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Speaker 1: talking to the truth here. Because you don't have me.

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Speaker 1: The truth is that you have this amazing platform for

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Speaker 1: marketing because it's, like you said, it's the largest in

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Speaker 1: the Western hanningfere. It brings the biggest eyeballs, and you

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Speaker 1: have a team that goes out and tells people about

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Speaker 1: your brand. Your brand is unique. So the thing about

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Speaker 1: it is, I want to ask this question, So can

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Speaker 1: you bring like, for instance, can you bring an African

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Speaker 1: American brand as a sponsor into a NASCAR car logo? Okay?

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Speaker 1: And what benefit would that be for them? If their

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Speaker 1: audience is African American and you know that NASCAR is

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Speaker 1: predominantly white. We are we represent our culture. We are

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Speaker 1: a relatable image about culture. So that communication is there already,

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Speaker 1: but it's a plant. It's it's an opportunity that they

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Speaker 1: might not ever get with being involved with NASCAR unfortunately marketing,

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Speaker 1: So some some teams don't understand the value that our

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Speaker 1: dollar has. We understand that we know the power that has.

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Speaker 1: Look at the black Pants the movie. It's nice to

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Speaker 1: have him on your car. That'd been nice to have

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Speaker 1: had him on your car February that February race. Have

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Speaker 1: you going around with the black path on that front hood.

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Speaker 1: That's Okay, we can. That's a nice thing. We can

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Speaker 1: recreate the wheel and NASCAR, so we can give that

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Speaker 1: opportunity to the next movie coming up. You come out

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Speaker 1: blue right now and gonna come out on blue ray.

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Speaker 1: Let's get on over that now, Rwanda. Ever one on

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Speaker 1: that door, Ricondo on that door. Recond on that door, Rwanda.

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Speaker 1: I really, I really went from fantasy to reality there.

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Speaker 1: And that's so. That's so. Now each part of the

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Speaker 1: car has value to each each logo that goes over there, right,

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Speaker 1: it does. Okay, where is the most expensive? This is

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Speaker 1: really good? Cool? And if who's the most explicit part

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Speaker 1: of the car that you can buy a sponsorship on

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Speaker 1: the hood? The television panel and the real bumper, the

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Speaker 1: real yeah, because they always show it always for that

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Speaker 1: real bumper. Yes, and the interior as well because they're

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Speaker 1: in car cameras. Okay, So so now so now with

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Speaker 1: that being said, now you said television panel, what was that?

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Speaker 1: Where was that? We're television pencils on the side of

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Speaker 1: the vehicle. Okay, cool, So you so you know you

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Speaker 1: can't you know, I don't know anything, Melissa, You're just

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Speaker 1: going out information. Don't thank you very much, you know,

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Speaker 1: helped me out, will help me walk through your stell

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Speaker 1: trying to educate people to buy. Na's called you the

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Speaker 1: first African American female job out there. You know, we

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Speaker 1: don't know nothing. No, that's not truly brilliant. There you go,

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Speaker 1: there you go. Now say that being said family role,

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Speaker 1: how does the family support you in all this? Oh? Well,

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Speaker 1: it's a family owned business. You know. Two of my

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Speaker 1: sons were my motivation for even going into NASCAR. UM,

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Speaker 1: my son's Erica and Niko. That's what E two stands.

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Speaker 1: Forward's actually each squared, but you know people who really

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Speaker 1: get the squared but it represents my my two sons

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Speaker 1: first initials. Um. But you know it, it's each one

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Speaker 1: to each one. You know. My role was to help

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Speaker 1: my sons fuel their dreams, feel that passion. And I

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Speaker 1: just I just kind of happened to wander into this

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Speaker 1: opportunity by wanting to push my children to think outside

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Speaker 1: the box and really you know, make an investment in yourself.

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Speaker 1: That's amazing. I want to thank you. Can you come

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Speaker 1: back on my show? Oh just you're motivating. You know

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00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:47,720
Speaker 1: that already because you're a groundbreaker and you keep and

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Speaker 1: when you get gig out of that snow. I want

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Speaker 1: you to text me so we can talk off that

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Speaker 1: because you're brilliant, fantastic keeping with it. But listen, money

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Speaker 1: making conversation loves you. You need to check out the

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