All Episodes

June 21, 2022 57 mins

IndyCar racer Scott McLaughlin joins the studio to share how he made it
from New Zealand to the states. Tune in to hear what he’s learned about American
racing, culture, and— thanks to Steve— dry-snitching.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is cut to It with Steve Smith Senior at
production of The Black Effect and I Heart Radio. I'm
Steve Smith Senior and I'm a little John and this
is cut to it. Good do it, Good do it.
Let's get down to do it. Good do it. We
asked the questions you always want to know, but no

(00:22):
one ever asked, let's cut to it. You ain't heard
about it, then we're about to let you. Now it's
all what's going on Steve Smith? Here, we are minus
a co host today, Um gee had some things going on,

(00:46):
so he he asked me to fill in. So Scott,
I'm sorry, um you're only getting half of cut to it.
Hopefully that will be okay with you. None what happened,
I guess exactly what it was. So I guess it
was like not the want to borrow him and I
appreciate me, no, but man, we love to have you
on there. You. Um, I don't really know how to

(01:08):
say it because here in Nascar. Yeah, we're in NASCAR
country and you are a indie car driver and we'll
we'll we'll get into that to decipher the difference, right,
because um, I just uh, you know you guys, I
believe do a little bit better job. You guys, don't
really you go right in left first, just turning left. Yeah, well,

(01:30):
I definitely think that's that we do a better job
with that for sure. So we got Scott McLoughlin. Yea.
Also just just turned twenty eight years old. Yea, So
I'm h yeah, getting get getting on, I guess you
could say. But now I'm probably this is probably for
me as a race driver, is probably my peak, you know,

(01:52):
like you sort of thirty two thirty four is sort
of where we're sort of peking um. But our careers
can sort of go to forty mid forties sometimes, So
it just depends on really how good you are. And
you know, if you can sponsorship is a big thing,
you know, And if you can talk to the sponsors
and market yourself to a point where you can have

(02:13):
great brand sponsoring you and and keeping your racing and
they want you still in the car, that's a big help.
And I don't know if you've heard of a guy
from Alio cash Nevis. He's one of the any five
hundred four times, but he's forty five years old now,
I think, and he's still in the game still and
Dancing with the Stars. Yeah, that's what I mean. Like
he's got such a yeah fine wine, yeah, fine wine.

(02:37):
Yeah yeah, wheels are good. Well, hey, welcome to cut
to a podcast. Man, Thank you, thank you for taking
a time. Um, we're gonna get right into it. Yeah
we got we got some got some random stupid please
random questions. Just just I'm just gonna grab him from it.

(02:58):
I love it. If for color, why hold on? Hold on?
What color blue? Like like like like a like like
this blue. This is you know, it's an audio audio podcast.
We don't have cameras. We do, but not everybody is watching.
So what what color blue? Like a navy blue? Navy Yeah, okay,

(03:19):
that's more of like a midnight Yeah you reckon this one. Yeah,
I guess you could say that. Yeah yeah, navy blue.
Let's just say that navy blue. Okay, so let's go backwards. Okay,
your favorite color is navy blue, not the midnight that
you're wearing that you reference to your ships. I just
throw out I saw the nearest blue I had, and

(03:40):
I just went boom. Okay, that's it. So do you
usually um get nervous when you're asked the question you're
unprepared for because here in the States they call that
dry snitching. Yeah, to be honest, I'd rather I'd rather

(04:00):
draws niche because I hate being prepared for a bloody
question because I feel like I overthink it. So like
sometimes the press releases and stuff will go out and
we might have like a media to it going on,
and if I want to, like, they'll go, oh, do
you want to know the question before you get asked?
It's like no, because I feel like you get a
truer answer as you're finding out right now if I'm

(04:23):
just hanging out, so so you are. So you're saying
that you you want to be known as a draf No,
because I don't know what that means. Thank you something, honest,
I don't know what that means. So here's here's what
a draw niches is just a random like you just
tell on yourself. Right, So, my mom, like a teacher's pet. No, no,

(04:43):
no, no no. A teacher's pet and a snitch is two different. Okay,
let me let me show you the difference. Okay, my
daughter who's twenty, she will be twenty one September. She
was she was young and just like most siblings, she
she told on her simply her older brother. And so
my mom was over for the holidays. Um, and I
know this is probably a surprising My mom is African American, right, um, right,

(05:11):
so growing up in l A. And so she goes,
she tells my eight year old daughter. My daughters eight
at the time. She tells her. My daughter goes in
tail and I said, my daughter, Bailey, are you are
you telling? Are you telling? Telling? And my mother, my
mother says to my her granddaughter who's eight, Hey, Bailey

(05:34):
snitches gets stitches and just ripped into it that I
love that straight to the right. A year olds She's like,
I'm gonna get stitches, right yeah, so exactly, so so
that that's what a snitch is. So just you, just

(05:56):
a dry snitch is basically saying you openly, we'll tell
on yourself. Okay, no, I'll take that back, all right,
But like I said, I will happily take an unpression
because I feel like I'm more authentic. Son, hit me more.
Let's go. Okay, well we'll talk. I don't want to

(06:17):
hit you. I don't want that either. I like this guy,
So let's get to it. Man. I always I love
asking each guests. This um where you from in a
place you call your hometown cross Church, New Zealand. One
more time, christ Church, New Zealand. Where is that in?

(06:37):
In proximiarly of Sydney or Melbourne. So it's it's north South,
but Melbourne's Australia, New Zealand. And then cross Church is
the bottom of New Zealand. It's basically one of the
closest towns to Antarctica. If that's a yeah, it's probably
one of the Yeah, so I'm assuming. Yeah, it's a
little chilly. It's called all the time. Yeah for the

(07:01):
most part. Like a hot day is like a seventy
seventy seventy five, and then you get a cold cold
days like freezing below freezing not not not like my
not like um Fahrenheart. I'm still learning it, but I
mean doing in celis like minus it's not a minus
ten or anything like that, but it's it'll get down
to like, you know, twenty what at mid twenties. No

(07:24):
in in Fahrenhet. Yeah, but now I'm all mixed stuff.
I'm going I'm talking celsis and Fahrenheitt. I've got crap
gun on everywhere and then be careful. Yeah, I'm good.
I'm just I'm starting, I'm getting ready to go. I'm podcasting.
What are some of the experiences you had living in
New Zealand. Um, I've I've been. I've traveled pretty extensively.

(07:47):
I've had not gotten an opportunity to go to New Zealand. Um,
but I hear is beautiful. It is beautiful. You know
what What were your experiences growing up in New Zealand.
A lot of a lot of rugby. Um grew up
initially when I was sort of five years old playing rugby. Um.
So you either in New Zealand, it's either you pick
up a rugby ball, which most do, or you go

(08:10):
and get yourself a car, maybe go out to a
race track. Yeah. Motor sport is very prominent in New
Zealand and like a lot of club races like, um,
you know people that just have their own cars. I
go out and just drive the tracks or whatever that,
you know, on the road circuits. But I explain a road,
so that's left and rights. Yeah, so you just so

(08:33):
you can't get a driver's license. However you can go
and just drive on a Yeah. Well there's a go
karting as well, so like I could. So I started
gocarting when I was six years old. Um, and that's
when I So you were a six years old you
were gocarting but still wearing a pull up at Yep.
Yeah the most but yep and surprised. Yeah, that that's

(08:56):
where my parents were at. They just said, you know,
get in there and have a But you know, when
you're six years old, you try anything, right, Like I was, like,
I don't know what it was, and you know what,
you know, it turned a hobby like has now turned
into a profession. You know. At the time, like that
was like a a family affair, like we had so
much fun for from when I was six years old

(09:18):
to you know when I sort of was probably just
before my teens, before I got noticed scouted brought onto
bigger teams. But yeah, for the most part in New Zealand,
like you know, growing up there, it was pretty simple.
You had a couple of earthquakes, you know, the Cross
is pretty known for its earthquakes. Um. You know, there
was a couple of volcano eruptions like crazy stuff. When

(09:39):
you think when even when I talk about it now,
like thinking looking back at it, like New Zealand is
a pretty simple place, but sometimes like the natural things
that can happen down there, it's a pretty the natural
things are happening to you at a young age. Yeah,
I guess like earthquakes. Earthquakes, Remember like the volcano ash
like covering our car and really yeah, like stuff like that.

(10:00):
That and we were probably five hours away from like
the volcano that erupted kind of thing. But um, yeah,
I remember that My dad was a truck driver, so
he was always like away. Um, so I hung out
with my mom alike my sister who's two years younger
than me. Um, pretty close knit family, small family. Um

(10:21):
you know, well I only met my nana and my
grand both my pops sort of passed away before I
was sort of born. So um, you know, it's very
tight knit. Not many cousins, um yeah, and just pretty
simple life. And then eventually, you know, I went to

(10:41):
a car show with my dad, going back to the
Go Cut story, I went to a car show and
there was a go Cut stand there and you know,
Dad's like, oh, you know, I've I've raised these a
couple of times. You know, would you ever want to go?
And like I said, when you're six years old, you'd
let you try anything, and the next day was actually
a go cut have a go day at the local
go cart track. And the next day I went out,

(11:04):
loved it, bought a cart and haven't looked back since.
It's Yeah, it's just how it's happening. So what did
your sister do? Because you said only in New Zealand
the only two things to do is rugby, yeah, and
motor sports. So I'm I'm being ignorant to the fact
and believing everything. Hanging on every word yeah, because that's that.

(11:27):
That's your world, you're living in it, and I don't
you know, you're giving us. You're giving us a visual
and audio tour of you growing up in New Zealand. Yeah,
well so I grew up. There's another part of the story.
So when I was ten, my mom and dad moved
us to Australia and they started a new business there.
And that's where did you move to? To Melbourne, Victoria?

(11:50):
So you're talking about really good spot, um. And we
were in Australia to be honest, from that point until
I left to come here in America. So that's not
Australia effective become my home in some ways, although I
always I'm always a key. We always go for the
all blacks. But it's it's one of those deals where
you know, I am you know really uh. You know,

(12:11):
our family went through a whole heap of staff with
my dad's truck business. They start mom and dad started that,
and my sister was you know, we went to school
and a pretty small school, um in Melbourne. Um, and
now you know, cutting the long story short, she went
to Uni. She decided she tried go karting. She like,
did a couple of races, did bits and pieces, but
it was too it was too hot for at the time,

(12:33):
she was like, oh it's too hot. I don't I
don't really like having the helmet iron and all that
sort of stuff. So and then um and yeah and
we and then now she's actually my she looks after
all my press down in Australia. She she works for
a management company in Australia. She went to she's very smart.
She went to a really good university down Australia and
got a degree in and marketing and and um, you know,

(12:57):
it's it's been awesome to have her on sort of
my team now and working together as a family it's
it's cool. It's pretty cool. Yeah, Melbourne gets pretty hot. Yea,
our winners is are you guys a summer and you
guys summers? Yeah, so that was another thing I had
to get used to here. It was like Christmas, it's
cold and I'm used to being on the lake, you
know over Christmas. It's so different, you know, and just

(13:19):
yeah having having like my my birthdays is June and
you know, having um, you know, having that as normally
cold and here it's hot and it's kind of weird
to make it all happen. But it's cool. Wow. Yeah,
Melbourne is pretty cool place. Yeah you've been there? Yeah yeah?
What did you go there for? Just like to hang
out holiday? For the Australian Open? Oh cool? Yeah you're

(13:43):
into your tennis? Yeah yeah, I like tennis too. I
went to I went to that. I was open a
few times. Yeah. Yeah, I love that playing that with
my wife and we have a lot of fun doing that.
It's nice. Is busy, Yeah, it's hot. Yeah. Yeah. Did
you go like the main stadium there like Rod Labor
and I took, I took, I took the whole time.
Two weeks man, let's just jump right into explain to

(14:07):
me indie car racing because I thought it was. You know,
this weekend I was watching a little F one and
I didn't see Scott was looking. I was like, I
don't see him. And then I looked it up and
I was like, oh yeah, I look at my notes

(14:28):
and it says, um, indie stupid. So that really answered
the question for me. So what is the difference? Yes,
as and and I'm I'm I'm throwing myself. I'm the
sacrificial lamb. I don't know the difference, right, I don't
sports has There's so many sports, there's so many different

(14:51):
elements to it, right, Just like you know, there are
some people that who are naive enough to say, oh, basketball, football,
what's the difference if you don't watch it, if you
don't really understand it. And I think I believe what's
going on right now currently with the lesser financial sports
in the F one, soccer, hockey, they're doing such a

(15:16):
good job of explaining things. I think the biggest thing
that has helped me is that not that uh uh,
Netflix Formula one kind of showing it's made people that
it's it's dumbed it down to people can actually understand
that there's a method to the madness. I think there's

(15:36):
another good, good, good movie. I don't know if you're
saying it, Rush highly recommend that I've seen the movie.
It came out of several years ago, right, but but
but it was something about F one that I'm kind
of yeah, yeah, but it's still something now I can
go back and go watch it because I can start

(15:59):
to put it in respective. So dumbed down the difference
between F one and Indie well, like I'm using the
word dumbed down. Well, yeah, but the best thing, like
what you've just said though, like with Former One's popularity rising,
not many people know the difference between the two. So
that'sally great for IndyCar because if you see like IndyCar
on TV, you're like, oh, their funds, you know what

(16:20):
I mean. And it's kind of it's been a good,
you know, good thing. You know, there's like a little
battle going on between Former one and IndyCar about popularity
and where they're at in America, but for the most part,
like it's I think it's been good for both parties,
especially in America because traditionally America has been probably more
so Nascar NASCAR. Everyone knows Nascar. It's just so every

(16:42):
Sunday it's on, you know, Charlotte, the whole deal. You know.
Um So the difference between Former one and in one.
Formula one goes on just road and street circuits, so
they just turn left and right. They do um races
all over the world, like Monaco, they got some Belgium
of China. I want a Long Beach. Yeah, I know,

(17:03):
that's us. I'd seen these different Have you been to
that one? No, I just know around that time, you
don't go to Long Beach. That's what I remember. And
I was a kid. Yeah there's other guy that blocks
the roads. Yeah, yeah, yeah, no that see, I didn't know.
I just I just knew every year it was something

(17:24):
huge in Long Beach when I was a kid that
that you knew around this time. Oh, you can't do
the racers are down there. Formerly one used to be there.
I think, like way back in the day. I don't know.
I'm ohhead, yeah, that's damn. I said forty one. I
said forty one. I was being nice. I didn't say
damn like in a bad way, but I was just thinking,

(17:46):
I mean, I'm not look good for forty three yes
year old. So for all right, former one n car,
any car, So going back to a rotor street course,
just Formula one. The difference between what any car does.

(18:06):
We actually go on ovals too, like what we go
on ovals as well. Circles, yeah we do, we do
those like you know to forty mile um World were
all that sort of stuff. So that's the only probably
the difference until the cars. You know, there's probably there's
more constructors. So in Formula one you've got to have

(18:27):
a team has got to be a constructor, so you've
got to build your own car. You've got to build,
you know, like Ferrari's got a Ferrari engine at their
own chassis, like gearbox they do everything. Where Indy car is,
everyone's on the same chassis. You've either got a Honda
or a Chef Chevy engine um, and it's that's where

(18:49):
it's a little different because it's a little bit more speck,
a little bit more. Everyone's got the same equipment. It's
just who does the best with you know what they've got.
What does the difference between a hunder engine and a
Chevy Not much. It's the same principles. They've got to
meet the requirements that any requirements like two point was

(19:11):
it two point two leader to the driver, But I
just drive it together if I'm being honest there Steve honestly,
But no, it's you've got to like the Honda and
the Chevy is is you've got to meet these technical
requirements asked by Indy Car. Where Formula one it's like,
you can you build the fastest engine you can. There's
a couple of technical requirements and a few different electronic

(19:33):
things that you can do. But if you can build
a car that's you know, way faster on a straight
line or whatever like, that's up to them because their constructors.
Where we've got parameters that we've got to stay within.
But for the most part, any car and former one
are very similar. Um, you know, you've seen there's a
lot of crossover. Sometimes any car drivers go to Formula one,

(19:53):
you know, sometimes Formal one drivers come back to come
to any car and racing America before you finish, which
is harder. Well, I personally I think you can ask yeah,
there's no one actually asking yet. No, Yeah, I should
get that. No, I think Indy Car because I believe it.

(20:15):
Because of the there's less chance, less parameters to go through,
so everyone's got the same equipment. It really comes down
to the driver in some ways, driver and the team
and pit stops, and there's a lot of variables that
can happen where you're seeing F one. You've got the Mercedes,
the Ferrari, got the same guys at the front of

(20:35):
the time. I love cut to It and I love
it even more when you download us and subscribe, and
you can follow us on social media too, Smithie Where
where at at? Cut to it? On Instagram? What about twitter? At?
Cut to it? Facebook? Cut to It? Featuring Steve Smith Sr?

(20:59):
What about all? And you can follow louis that cut
to It podcast dot com where you can buy merch
and you can subscribe to this wherever you listen to podcasts.
I got all my answers questions. Um, I got all
my questions answered. That's what I'm here for, a brother,
cut to a podcast dot com. When you start a race,

(21:21):
how many miles or laps can a set of tires
get you? Well, normally it's dictated by fuel, So how
excuse me? Fuel by fuel? So again, Indy car fuels
up at their pit stops. F one don't F one
is dictated by the They fuel up for the whole

(21:43):
race and then it's just up to hell on the
tires do and typically f one laps IndyCar like say
it at Indianapolis, we try and get thirty three to
thirty five laps out of a fuel tank, and it's
about how you save and the more laps you do,
the better off you're going to be come the end
of the race because you've got more fuel and less

(22:04):
station and his time in the pit stop. So how
many laps is a mile? Was it two and a half?
I have no idea again the driver, Yeah, I drive
the car. They tell me, all right, last lap and
I just get out there we go. I was right,
I said two point five, but you said it with
no conviction and no, no, no, I don't absolutely terrible

(22:28):
like you said it like maybe yeah, maybe maybe not
throwing it out there. I'm rowing a number. I believe
this is. I don't know if it is, because I
was thinking, I was like, all right, well I know
and track four laps equal a mile. Yeah, But if
I knew that question beforehand, I would have said two
point five straight away, and you guys were thought, I'm genius. No,
I wouldn't say genius, but I took the dry snitch. No,

(22:53):
that's not dry sta. Still I'm still trying to figure
that out. Just remove snitching and dry out of your
vocab blaria. Just stop, don't say it again. Done, I
will never do that. You don't need to be walking
around to schnood. Yeah. Oh man, all right, So you know,

(23:14):
what are some of the things that you've You've come
over from Australia. How the hell did you pick Charlotte? Yeah, well,
my team's here. So initially I met a guy named
have you ever heard of Roger Penskey? I've never heard
of a guy in my life. Have you seen the
Penske trucks? Never seen one of those? What is it like?

(23:35):
It's like the yellow trucks. I was like, come on,
everyone's seeing those bad boys. They're always holding up to see.
How that was conviction? Yeah you really thought I did?
That was impressive. I'll give you that, Okay, appreciate got
you your way better than me. I just wanted to
see how he's going to describe, as you see, like

(23:55):
a yellow Yeah. But anyway, so yeah, old Navy exactly
a bit of white in midnight exactly now, I, so
I met Roger. Um I found out that Roger was
coming to the series that I was in Australia, which
was the h Supercar Series. That's basically Australia's NASCAR. So
that's what I was racing in Australia. Before. You're driving

(24:18):
a regular NASCAR regular. Yeah, like it's like a like
a sedan, you know, that's basically what I was driving. Anyway,
stock car, stock car, Yes, you see that. That's a
very conviction four four NASCAR or car drivers, and I
finally got it a big stock Even I don't say

(24:40):
stock car. I always say NASCAR, so that's impressive. I'm
always getting that wrong. But anyway, so I Roger was
coming to the series, and I got word that he
was coming to the series. So I reached out to
his team manager and said, Hey, this is my name,
you know my details. If you ever need a driver,
I'd love to drive for you. About a week later,
I got a response back from them saying, one, why

(25:03):
didn't you come over to North Carolina to Charlotte and
meet with us in Moresville and you see the team
and see what's all about. And so they got to
know me and Anyway, two years went by and then
they contact me again and asked me to sign a
contract with them in Australia when they two years later, Yeah,
so they joined the series and so I contacted them
in they joined the series, they already had a driver

(25:26):
at that point, and then they contact me about driving
for their team for the seventeen season. In those two
years was what was going through your mind? Well, I
was at another team already, so I was like actively
when they came in and I didn't hear from them,
I'm like, oh, I already want to beat these guys now,
like you know, so I looked like that, you know,
I was like, you want, I want to prove that

(25:47):
I can be one day a Penske driver. Um. But
along the way I met Roger and I like he
was always really like approach and great, really nice, and
you know, we might have a spot for you right now,
but um, just by your time. And then eventually man in.
In the American sports that's called tampering. Tampering, Yeah, because
you can't approach you were on the car. Yeah, well

(26:10):
yeah it was that would be right now. That's cool.
We will not edit that up. I will never say
that word again because you told me, yeah, I know
what it means. But then I eventually saw an ideal
and I always said to them, I want to come
to America because I think it's the big leagues like

(26:31):
for me, and as a racing driver, it's a little
bit like more money than than Australia. There's more opportunity
to racing, like the biggest races in the world, um,
the Indianapolis five hundred for instance. And you know, I
was like, all right, you know, if there was an opportunity,
I'd love to have it. But they said, you know,
it's like a one step at a time. Let's win
a championship down Under and then there's a there's a

(26:54):
racedown under called the bath As one thousand. So that's
our Daytona five. That's one thousand kilometers. Okay, so that's
what I'm not even how many no conviction, I have
no idea. I appreciate you, but a thousand kilometer cool
rice sounds like a long it's a long as. It's
a long race anyway, So you yetally, how many times

(27:16):
in a thousand kilometers? How many times have you paid
on yourself in that race? Never peated myself ever in
my career. Where to god, you've never tinkled on yourself.
I've been close, but never have Like how close it
was real close, Like when you got out and no
matter where you finish, you went straight to the bathroom. Understand,
yeah you got something on your leg going to the
bathroom or no. No, it was close. Yeah, it was

(27:41):
very close, but close, but never never, never have pissed myself.
You thought about it, Oh, yeah, for sure. To the point,
take us through that conversation with yourself on how do
you how do you stop yourself or or convince yourself
on you. Well, so we have an electronic drink bottle
in our car, right, so you just keep sort of

(28:01):
drinking and keeping yourself hydrated. Well, when you get to
the point where you're like, okay, that's enough, Like you've
reached your tether, your tether, You've reached your your tether,
your tether, you've reached your limit, your limit, Like that's
you just stop drinking. So you start sweating it out
and it brings it back. But there's definitely a period

(28:23):
of like ten minutes ague Scar, you're talking to yourself.
Take us to that tinkle moment. Well, the problem is
I don't want the guys to clean up by mess.
But I know they won't because they'll make me do it.
So I don't want to do it. I don't want
to clean it up. I just think it's just it's tough. Well,

(28:43):
it's a dialogue in which you have to decide is
it worth it? Yeah? And I have never done it.
Has have you heard of any nestcar driver or stock
car drivers have done it? They say that they've done it. Yeah,
I would love to find out. I'd have to find out.
But no, I can tell you one guy I thinks

(29:05):
he's tinkled on himself bubble. Yeah, that makes sense. He
he looks like that, ty I doesn't care. Yeah, he's like, yeah,
I'll actually speak to him about that. Um yeah so
no never never so um but yeah. Then I met
Roger and he said, yeah, can we you win the

(29:26):
championship and you win us about this one thousand and
we can talk. Then we can and then we can
talk about bringing you over. And then when I won
the bat one thousand, because I had won the championship,
he said, all right, now, time to go to America.
Before you tell us about going to America, what is
different about Australia that makes you want to come to

(29:48):
the to the States. I think looking down the road
for my kids eventually, no kids, just for me opportunity. Well,
I mean I've been in Australia. I put it like this,
I've traveled enough around the world. I've been all seven continents.
De sisn't of my culture, he say, it's like flex.

(30:09):
It's not about flex, It's just more about understanding. I
used to believe the world was that as Americans, we
who we are and all that stuff. But I also
believe the world is so huge and individually we are
so small, and being in Australia, there are places and
how things look that I could see the difference. Right,

(30:35):
Australia is a place that's so isolated so far, yeah,
so beautiful. Right. It has some things that the States doesn't.
The States have things that they don't. There are times
in COVID that was one of the things that was challenging,
not being able to go and see and do um.
And so I wanted to know for you, like what

(30:56):
were you what was your personal experience and Australia to
the point of, you know, beyond the money, beyond all
other stuff, but just it just just a Scott like
why why and what was Australia for you and what
were you leaving behind? I think generally, I think from

(31:18):
a perspective of you know, you look, you see it's
pretty political, but the gun violence and stuff like that, Like,
you know, growing up in Australia, we never like worried
about any of that. But it was never a point
where I never went to school and went, you know,
something could happen here or whatever. Um is a little simpler, yeah,
definitely a lot simpler. But is that good or bad?

(31:42):
It's simple, but it's good. But the problem is we
are also in Australia. It's very rule driven. So I
feel like we we grow up in Australia not having
the same freedom is what I felt here in terms
of you know, you know what you want to say.
You know, you know, sometimes that's bad, sometimes it's good.
But having the choice to do one or the other

(32:03):
where which sometimes is a detriment for America. But I
think Australia I grew up such so drilled by rules
and regulations, yeah, and not having the opportunity to like, okay,
maybe like I can choose to do this I can
choose to do that. You know, it's for me. That's

(32:25):
what I've really loved about here in America. I feel
like there's that root that like that free freedom, that
freedom of you know, not to say or do what
you want. But it's it's just yeah, I don't know,
it feels a little looser. I feel like you you
would grow up a little harder here in America. Not
not saying like how to say it right, but it's

(32:47):
it's just a true way. It's not it's not about listen,
don't worry about um how it sounds, just just trying
to get it out, like I know exactly what I'm
trying to say. But it's just like you grow up
in a earlier very restricted I guess that's in some
ways because you are so far away from everyone. You're
so far away from the world. It's so hard to
get to Europe. It's a thirty hour flight to Europe.

(33:09):
It's a twenty four hour flights of America. It's you know,
it's fourteen and a half hours to Los Angeles. Yes,
So you grow up and you have these rules and
stuff and you're like, well, like I can't go anywhere else,
like it's like I've either got here on the land,
you know where America You've got the world's your oyster,
like you can you can go to South America, you

(33:30):
can go up to Canada, you can go to across
the Europe like quite easily. You know, it's it's a lot.
I just feel like it's a little bit closer. But
you know, it's it's funny as I hear you say
that and you're searching for a way to describe it. Yeah,
there are people here as you live in Charlotte, North Carolina,
there are people have never never been, never been to
South Carolina. My wife was like that when so she

(33:52):
she was from my wife from New York. She had
never been to California before she had met me. And
the only reason she went to California it was because
she was flying back to Australia like to be with me,
and we flew back together. So what was that like
for you guys? It was cool, like we it's pretty well, sorry,
we met in Vegas out of all places. Yeah, that's fine,

(34:12):
there's no dramas, but we uh through mutual friends and
I went over. I went over like it was yeah,
single lad, and you know, I wanted to have a
bit of fun boys weekend, just hanging out, and then
I ended up just hanging out with Carli for four
days and just yeah, I met her the first night
through Smitten, pretty smitten. Yeah, and you're like, I used

(34:35):
one of those worris. Yeah that was pretty very good.
Thank you. I appreciate. I pat myself on no worries
a little far away. Um, but no, so you met
So you met your wife in Vegas? Yeah, yeah, and
so you guys depart. Yeah, And I remember ringing her
and I was like, I have to see you again.
And her response was She's like yeah, absolutely, Like and

(34:56):
what was she doing at the time that you met her?
So she was running a restaurant in New York, okay,
and you were driving. But I hadn't told her in Vegas?
What what did you do? What you told her was
a mechanic, a mechanic. But yet your fingers were not dirty. Huh. Yeah,
most mechanics they have a little bit of they had

(35:17):
a little bit of they have a little bit of
black residue. Yeah, I'm looking at your hands. You have
no looks manicure steps. Anyway, I bought them, trust me. Um, no,
So you told her you're a mechanic. She believed it,
Yeah she did. She's not trying. I'm not trying to
talk about you, but I'm looking at you that thing.

(35:39):
I'm a mechanic. Nothing about you says mechanic. So you
told us you're you're a mechanic. She bought it for
how long? Until she followed me on social after Yeah,
I didn't have that many fault, but I had a
good Yeah it's like weird flex but okay, but yeah,
no I you yeah, yeah, I know, real weird flax.

(36:03):
Um no. But then she's like, oh, what are youctually doing?
She obviously must have scrolled through. And then I said
and then I said, yeah, um, I race cars for
a living. And what did she say? She's like, oh,
I don't really know what that is about. She had
no idea. She's kind of like yourself, like I didn't
really know much about motor sport, like her family had
no idea. And then um, and so how long? That

(36:24):
was November November? So you met in November November, you
met her in Vegas. You told her you a mechanic.
You guys go separate ways. You exchange numbers, right, so
you you you call her up and your chitchat and
pillow talking FaceTime the whole dal. Oh you were really smitten.
Oh yeah that was yeah. Continue and then and then um,

(36:53):
I said, when you come down under for years and
like said, you know, I'll fly down like come hanging out.
He said, hey, come on, then I'll fly you down
and down under. Okay, hold on, before you finish your story,
I have to ask you, as a fellow athlete myself,

(37:15):
first class of coach? What first class coach will not
show up? Well? That this is that, this is this
is where the story gets good. So her parents wouldn't
who I love on the door now that they're awesome,
but they wouldn't let it go, of course, not which

(37:38):
I got some due from Australia that says he's a
candy and now he's a nasty he's a driver. I'll
fly to New York for Christmas, and I'll spend Christmas
with your family. I'll be the Vegas kid, and then
we'll fly home together if they're good with well, not
if they're good with it. If yeah, like I had

(37:59):
booked the tickets already, but there ain't no way I
was flying to Usa, not like, ain't no way, ain't
no way. Boy. I was like I was in the
middle of the season. I was still racing. I was like,
now talking about sacrifice. Yeah, and there were you better recognize. No,
I sound like I know, I sound like a douche
bag like that, but but I was like, it was
it was investment. It was an investment. I don't gonna stop.

(38:23):
Here's what you're saying is that you are Hey, you
all in? Yeah? Yeah, And I wanted to prove to
appearance like they didn't know about the flights, but I
just wanted to be there and to show to show
that their concern was valid. Yeah, and our too. You
have one and something from Australia. I'm gonna fly you

(38:46):
the first thing I'm saying, Yeah, that's cool, We're gonna fly. Yeah,
I don't mind we go. She gave me like the
false sense of security as well. She's like, yeah, I'll
come down under. Oh, make it happen. It wasn't falls, Yeah,
it was. She had it act like that. Her mom
and dad were good from with it. From the stop

(39:07):
they were until you actually followed through the Vegas all
this guy's actually coming or this guy's actually taking me back.
That's not happening exactly. Yeah, so that's what because she's
still smitten on the phoda we flew back after after
first class quantus what what? You just love it? Do

(39:37):
you know why? Because I am I'd like to travel.
So what you're saying, when I've been to Dubai flew
immers right out of New York, Emmers Airport is amazing. Yes,
Emmers Airport, it's crazy. Emmers Airport in Dubai and New
New York. When you're in first class when you go
to their their lounge. You bought the plane from Emmeress lounge.

(40:03):
Like it's a hallway and you're walking and generally you
can see some of those people when you're driving to
be dropped off. That's the Emmeress. It's glass, it's bananas.
That's huge. I'm talking about bananas. It's it's it's so worth.
I also booked it because it was really that was
I was end of November. That's really all that was

(40:24):
left to get to New York. There wasn't many flights
left from you. No risk it. I just like, bang,
let's like, let's get a dancer on the card. No
risk it. No biscuit risk. Yeah, yeah, that's very good.
That's another that's a good. Um, that's a murder racing term,
to risk it for the biscuit. That's that's another term.
So it was that's uh, you know, I bestly I've done.

(40:49):
And she come back. She was here till the end
of how long did she stay January? She stayed. Yeah,
she stayed for a while. So so you I don't
know the story, but I'm assuming you had a return.
She enjoyed it. She wanted to see more of who
you are actually what I'm talking. Yeah, I was like, well,

(41:10):
let's move the flies comes to come see my own
race team, like come hanging out like you know, I was.
I was actually in the midst of like obviously, it
was my first year of Penskey, so it was a
pretty important time. So I had to go up to
I was going to the race team a lot, and
she was really cool with that, and especially when she
had no idea about it. Um. But then she went
back January and into January, and we did long distance

(41:33):
too around April, and then she flew back out again
for a race and that was the first time she
had seen me race or being a part of it,
and it's sort of like blew her mind a bit. Good,
good good, let's getting down to do good. Hey Gerard,
why did you get that T shirt? You mean this thing? Oh? Yes,

(41:55):
I got it from cut to a podcast dot com
where we have exclusive merchandise out to our guys a
seven or four shot. But yeah, you can go on
buy you a T shirt subscribed to us wherever you
listen to podcasts. So are you a US citizen? No,
I'm a Green card holder? But what is what is
a permit residency? I've got every I'm basically a citizen.

(42:17):
I just can't vote basically, So I'm not gonna say
what I was thinking. Yeah, but that's basically where I'm at.
So like I've got, um, you know, basically every privilege. Um,
and I'm so grateful for it, man, I love it,
Like it's such amazing. Would being a Green card holder

(42:39):
when you go to Australia is their process? Which line
do you get in? Because I've got a New Zealand
passport I can go into like the Australia and New
zel On line where my wife still has to go
through the US citizen line. But we haven't done that
since we've been here because when we moved from Australia
and we haven't been back since, which sucks because whole

(43:00):
COVID thing happened when I got the opportunity to come here. Right,
I haven't seen Mom dad for like two enough years.
I'm gonna see them next week. It's got me awesome
just because I'm so excited. I thought it was amazing.
It was the first time we went to Italy for
Christmas over the over the break giving me all the time. No,
but it was that was amazing. But which part Italy Florence?

(43:23):
Rome been there? I like like it was like Como
and stuff like that. That was what went to like
Como and things really nice. Yeah, really Florence. I would
love to go there and something so here. Let me
ask you, what do you think it was better Florence
A Rome. I like Rome. I know you know what

(43:43):
I was about to say, Well, I feel like you're
just gonna rip me like Florence is beautiful because it's small,
and I wasn't. I'm just going to ask you why
you're looking at me like you're blowing me up. No,
I was looking at you like why because I've been
to Florence, Rome. I like Florence. Florence seemed there were
more to do. Rome seems outside of the regular stuff.

(44:04):
It was kind of dead. And I liked Roome because
I felt like when you walked like through like little
alleyways and stuff, it was like little pockets of like
a cool little pizza store, piece of store. Yeah, like
or like a you know, just a little bar like
I speak easy or something like that. And where Florence
felt a bit more like you had to do a
bit more digging, like you couldn't just walk over it

(44:26):
was a regular city. Yeah it was. It was a
little bit bigger. Yeah, yeah, I mean I I that
was awesome. We want to go back in the summer
for sure. Yeah. I just love to see what it's
like like just swimming that water and hanging out. And
but anyway, we went there and I couldn't believe when
you come back like that, all the facial recognition now,
like to get back and it's just like they didn't

(44:47):
even check my passport. They're just like, hey, Scott Hay
Carli boom through like welcome back. I'm like, that's it's different, crazy, right,
until you get face recognized or something else. M that
could be drama, that could be right. So man, that's
pretty cool. So what you know, what are some of
your aspirations in Indy car that you that you you

(45:10):
want to do. I want to win the five hundred
A yeah, that's that's for me, Like that's my next
if I won that, like that, that is just what
you win. That what happens. It's just it changes your life,
Like yeah, it's just I don't know. It's the biggest
one of the it's the top three probably biggest races
in the world. So Indie, what else You've probably got Monaco,

(45:31):
which is the Monaco F one race. Um, I guess
you could. There's a lot of different opinions on like
the main we only care about the Crown. We only
care about your opinion. Love it all right? So Triple
Crown is Indie, Monaco and a race called Lamon, which
is a twenty four hour race in France. So you

(45:52):
you race for twenty four hours, different drivers. You have
like normally three or four drivers and it's like a
team and I mean, I mean lame, I don't I
don't know. It changes. It depends how fast your car
or is if it rains like you do less if
you like you know, it's just twenty four hours, just
around the clock. Really, yeah, that's it's it's a very

(46:13):
very special race. Actually Rogers doing it for the first time.
Soon he's not for the first time. He so what
Roger has done, which is amazing. He's competed in F
one Indy car now sports car, He's been in super
cars in Australia. He's won so many big races. He's
never one Lamon and I think and that's what he's
trying to do. He's trying to win it. So it's, um,

(46:34):
it's pretty cool. He's done doing it like a collab
with Porsche, like him and Porsche are working now and
working together. It's going to be it's pretty exciting. But
that's effectively that's the triple crown, the three biggest. I'm
pretty aware of the triple crown because I was a
triple crown winning a foot and football. There is but no,
it's not a worth flex was a super flex. Hey, look,

(47:01):
I just show up man. Sometimes you give me materials.
Sometimes I do some magical things. I like it. I
like it. So what what personal um, what personal goals
do you have? You know? You're obviously being married. Um
you know, yeah outside of racing. I mean you're awesome racer,
but yeah, I want to know more about you. I

(47:22):
love you know, wife and the future. Want to have
some kids? Boy, girl, would you prefer stop lying? No, Lily,
all right, I'll be honest. I would love a boy
first because then they're the big brother. What's what's something
I love being a big brother? What's some of the
names for a boy? Like, just get him out now,

(47:42):
like with a c RK, Like the wife she's gonna
want to go with the K? Here you reckon? Yeah,
we talked about that. You've already talked about it. What
you see her? Okay, it's like summers a good. So
let me tell you I'm gonna go with the K. Yeah. Yeah,
he can change, you know, you can change it if
you want to or change. Yeah. So what's some of

(48:06):
the other boy names? Actually? Like, I don't know, this
is a this is another this is really good question,
straight up the spot. I don't know. Um, so how
about throw some names out and then you tell me
what you like? All right? So you know, I got
three boys, So I got a Peyton. I like the name.
I like that name would you like? Would you spell

(48:26):
it with A or E E? So you got I
got yeah, all right, Boston like the city, okay, yeah,
I like that. Yeah, you want to like cruise Actually
that's cruise. I like cruise to cruise with a Z
on the end. Excuse me, like a sorry, Yeah, that's okay.

(48:48):
I got one. I got one for you. Is the
zebra or zebra? That literally tell you that it's a zebra?
Why is the zebra? Because ze bro? Thank you? Yeah boom. Yeah.
My wife is home school on our youngest, so we
talked about this. It's not zebra zebra. Yeah. I like

(49:09):
Debra zebra zebra zeb alright, that's a I like Boston Boston. Yeah,
that's cool. Um, A buddy of mine's cruise as as cruise. Um,
I like four boy or a girl. But Brooklyn I
love that for a girl's name. For me. I think

(49:29):
Brooklyn's that's a nice name. All right, So boys names
one of the names I love. If we would have
another one, I would go with bishop bishop. Yeah, yeah,
I like that. That's a strong bishop leg yeah, and
we had a bishop the bishop. Um, I don't know,

(49:57):
there's I'm not like I like the non conventional names.
I like the difference spelling. Oh, I mean I'm for
me my brother, so you know, we do a lot
of unconvinced. I was just saying, like, for a girl,
like I like summer. I think I guess that's conventional
you say it all the time, but like it's like
a nice, nice name. M Autumn. Yeah like Autumn. Yeah,

(50:21):
that's a that's a nice name. Um, we got Kylie
online one. What have I said? Wind Star? She said winter.
We got callings here we love but yeah, it's definitely
like I'm a bit I love kids. I love one

(50:42):
of the last ones. So yeah, four female, London, London. Yeah,
I like that, Like it's yeah, they're nice names. I
like it. Yep, there's a name that's literally on the
top of my head. That mean, Carlie have been talking about.
I forgot man. Here's one that I went to that
my kids make fun of me. My daughter's name Bailey. Um,

(51:05):
I wanted to name it Basil. She was like, no, no,
you said that, old lady. Did you name your babies
before they came out of the womb? Oh yeah we did.
Did you do it? When? So what we did is
we we got a book, like cool name, Cool name books.
And then she wrote down some names. I wrote down

(51:27):
some names, and then we kind of voted on the name.
So yeah, just yeah, I mean it was it was
just like that. So we so we wrote down five names.
She wrote down five names, and then we kind of
the same. I think we had one of the same.

(51:48):
So we combined them and we had our top five
and we would go through them and so we would,
you know, go through and walk through the house sometimes.
And one of the names, so ball Austin, one of
the names that we wanted. I love that name, right.
One of the names we wanted was uh Jonah yep.

(52:10):
But then we bought a car and our salesman name
was Jonah. M hmmm. Not didn't want to buy but no,
just Jonah just said, well the salesman Jonah. You say
it like Jonah Smith. We did that, but just we
didn't like Jonah the car salesman. So that just we
just nope, just mark that dude. I like. I like

(52:33):
names that you can have an easy nickname with. Yeah.
So so in a black community, nickname comes first, right, okay,
so uh, and there's a debate on nicknames, like what's
your nickname, Um so in black. Uh uh, that's interested smitty. Um,

(52:56):
well did your wife call you by Steve? Well, uh, babe.
But generally I really go by my birth name, which
is Steven. So a lot of people are actually calling
me my nickname Steve because my dad's name is Stephen,
and I don't want to be little Stevie. I don't
want to be Stevie. Yeah, I don't want to be

(53:18):
Steven and they would butcher my real name, so I
just go with Steve. So people actually are calling me
my nickname every day of my life that they don't
even know. Yeah, yeah, I mean I just thought your
name is I think that you might have been like
Steven or Steven. So Steve is that stev o n E? Yeah,

(53:38):
that's a that's you need you want to know. My
brother's name is Von rave Ray Von Steven Rayvon the
same spelling, just R a apostrophe capital V. Oh that's
no e. Yes, you could look on your face says

(54:00):
it all. Man. I'm yeah, you're blown away. I'll tell
how I was going to spell it R A V
O N straight out and I'm way off chooper off. Yeah,
you want to rave V. Yeah, I can see where
the aposter comes. And you want to know what his
middle name is, Terrell, Terrell, You want to know my
middle name is Latreille's the thing here. I can feel it, terrible,

(54:29):
terrible thing. Gosh. I like, I don't, I don't mind it.
I do. So my middle name is Thomas, and it
was actually my my mother's name made a name is Scott.
So my granddad his name is Thomas. So his name

(54:50):
was Thomas Scott, and I'm Scott Thomas. It was the way, like,
I like that, keep it. And so Boston's middle name
is Gene, which is my life's father's middle name, which
was with a jet jam with a g g e
any because that was great grandfather's first name, grandfather's middle name.

(55:11):
Boston's middle name like it, Yeah, roll back with a
few names. Yeah. So you don't want me to say Latrell.
Yeah no, no, don't do that. Get rid of that.
Yeah that that it hurt you. I'm just saying for
that latreal that I just don't do it. That it
hurt you. Like I'm just telling you, as a person

(55:32):
that's lived with that, don't do it. I appreciate the advice.
Yea tape that take that. Just think about it. Latreial
like yell at Latrell right now for not doing something,
la Trial. What are you doing dude? Like stop, that's
that's kind of hard. Yeah, I cain't. Yeah, it's kind
of hard. Yet, no one right now. And it's love

(55:53):
l A and then a capital team. That's the whole thing.
It's a whole it's a whole thing. We appreciate your time.
This is a good lucky in your next race. You
hope you get that triple crown. Hope you get that opportunity. Man,
that'd be great. And um, you know, keep it. Let's
keep in touching. Uh me back you. Yeah, let's go

(56:17):
socker game my treat. Yeah, I'll take you up on it.
I'd love to do that. And you can meet my
wife and you can really ask the real story. Yeah.
You are a unique person. You are well worth it.
You are competent and most of all, your lovable. I'm
Steve Smith Singer, I'm Little John and this is cut

(56:39):
to It cut to It with Steve Smith Senior. That
Is Me is a production of Cut to It, LLC,
Baltoe Creative Media, The Black Effect and I Heart Radio.
For more podcast from I Heart Radio, visit the I
Heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to

(57:02):
your favorite shows. From Cut to It, Executive producer Steve Smith,
singer co host Gerard little John, talent and booking manager
Joe Fusci, social media teamer Wesley Robinson, and John Show
from Balto Creative Media. Cut to It is produced by
Brian Baltaschevic and Meredith Carter, with production assistance by Alex Lebrec,

(57:26):
Production coordinator Taylor Robinson, Theme music by Alex Johnson, lyrics
and vocals by Anthony Hamilton. If you ain't heard am
about it, then we're about to let you know. It's
all
Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

1. On Purpose with Jay Shetty

1. On Purpose with Jay Shetty

I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!

2. 24/7 News: The Latest

2. 24/7 News: The Latest

Today’s Latest News In 4 Minutes. Updated Hourly.

3. The Joe Rogan Experience

3. The Joe Rogan Experience

The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2024 iHeartMedia, Inc.