September 21, 2020 • 32 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
You're listening to the Skinny with Rico Wilmore, founder and
CEO of Fatheads eye Wear. The undisputed leader in oversized
eye wear is Fatheads. Welcome to the Skinny. I'm sitting
here today with r J Johnson. You sacked stand out
open wheel racer. R J. How's it going. I'm good.
(00:23):
Thanks for having me today. Absolutely, So tell me how
did you get started in this crazy world of racing.
I think I was more or less born into it.
My my dad did it my whole life. So I
started quarter midgets when I six and ran nose heels fourteen,
and then went to the dirt world. I went to
the dark side. I went to the darks, the dirty side.
(00:44):
I guess you could say dirty side, right. So we
were talking off air. You were talking about getting emancipate
to talk about that, how that all went down, and
now what you had to do and why you had
to do it. Well, I I ran at that point.
I was fifteen, and I ran Spirit Courage of midgets already,
but I wanted to start running four tens. So, uh,
(01:06):
I couldn't run four tens. I was too young. So
we called Raleigh Helming and he uh, got me emancipated
back here. But the stupid part I did is I
went ditch school that week, so I didn't even get
to run the race house planning the race sou So
there was a little bit of your not going to race.
My dad was not very happy because it costs about
three or four bucks to get me back here and
(01:26):
get me in front of a judge and all that done.
And uh, yeah, I didn't even get to do it.
So I had to wait a whole another year to
race Usack. Wow. Yeah, Raleigh. Uh, Raleigh's a good friend
and uh works with the State of Indiana now and
the motor Sports efforts and is doing a is doing
a great job with it, and we're lucky to have him.
(01:47):
And it's actually a uh you know, when he left Usack,
I was wondering what was gonna happen, and you know, I,
you know, I started talking with Kevin Miller a little
bit more, and you know, course, you know, I've known
Jason forever and Levi and all those guys, and you know,
so it's it's uh, you know, it feels it feels good.
(02:08):
It feels like it's maybe on the right track and
coming back. I think there was you know, like anything
in business, especially with us, I mean it's trial and
are you know sometimes you uh, sometimes you do something
and you're like, listen, man, this is the greatest thing ever.
And you know what, it's awful. It's awful. I mean
I've designed frames before, back when I was the one
(02:29):
in the middle of doing that, you know, I've designed frames.
I thought, man, these are the best frames ever. This
is gonna kick ass. This has like a this has
like a disappearing hinge. And it was the worst. It
was the absolute worst, like to never got rid of him.
So you know, sometimes your opinion isn't worth a lot,
but you know you try, but uh but no, So
(02:51):
you know, our involvement with you, I think we God,
we got started three four years ago. It's not longer
that we've been together quite a while here, Yeah, And
you know, one thing about you know, one thing about
r J was, you know, he always always had our
decal on his car, and a lot of times had
our decal on his car. And we weren't able to
(03:11):
give a lot because at the time we were you know,
definitely in some growing pains and uh and moving moving
in a lot of different directions, and you know, it's
it's it's guys like you that have stuck with us, Uh,
you know yourself, John stambro uh, Shane Coddle, Dave Darling,
you know, different people like that, you know that have
(03:33):
been with us kind of since the beginning when there
wasn't anything to be had, and uh, you know, I
want to thank you for that because it's, uh, it's
you know, there's there's a lot of loyal people in racing,
as in fans, and uh, you know, if if you
can get it down where they keep seeing your name,
they're gonna start wondering, Okay, who is this? What is
(03:54):
this one? Yeah, right, exactly. Sometimes they wander where they're
out in general, but you know that's usually in the night.
That's usually me at the track. So I get it.
But uh, but no, it's uh, it's it's been good.
And then I know we we did a couple of
racing suits for you. And then I think the first
time I met you, you were here for p R
(04:16):
I maybe is that right, came in and uh outfitted
you and your wife and I think some of the
other crew guys that were with you and uh and
as as you were discussing or we were discussing. Your
wife has worn the same frame since And you know
what I gotta tell you, I'm I'm pretty impressed because
(04:36):
that doesn't work like that. Okay. I've got one one
particular individual that that we have sponsored for a long time.
It seems like a call every other week. I'm like, Bud,
you gotta keep these on. Okay, just put a strap
on them, tie them to your head. I don't know
what you gotta do, but I love you. I want
(04:57):
to give you frames. I want you to wear them,
I want you to be seen them. But is there
any way you can keep them for a little bit
longer than a week? So I think that I think
the last period I got was been a year now,
So yeah, that's impressive for me. Normally, by the time
I get to the racetrack and you get going, they
get set on a counter. You can't find them. So
a year's worth is pretty good for me. Yeah. Yeah,
And that's and that is and I mean, it's uh,
(05:20):
it is crazy and it's uh and it's a good
and bad thing for us. Because people lose glasses, we
get more business, and that's that's the good thing. But
the bad thing is we sponsor people and give them glasses,
and they lose glasses and we have to give them more.
So I'm just trying to stay on Yeah, I'll try
to stay on top of it. But so you were
here this week for Midget week. Tell me about that. Yeah,
(05:43):
I came out to run the all the sprint car
side of Indiana Midget Week there in the rhine Bolt
Underwood nineteen car. Uh, definitely an up and down week.
Learned a lot, very humbling. You know. We we ran
a race back home before we came out here is
kind of a tune up, and we literally just k
their ass. It was. It was a cool deal. Then
you come back here and we went to Montpellier first
(06:04):
and we end up second, which confidence is rolling pretty high.
And then we go to Putnamville and uh, the humbling started.
You know. The the two ft tall curb that we
don't even get maybe six inches at home was one
that bit me so got upside down there. Went back
to Hunter Shernberg shop. He was kind enough to let
(06:26):
us work there all week. I got it all fixed up,
went to Bloomington to just get reined out. And then uh,
I remember we went from we went to Lawrenceburg and
uh just struggled there. That's a whole different, well different
joint than I've ever been to, which is what that
is the most badass place ever. When they redid that,
(06:47):
I guess it's probably been I don't know, eight years
ago maybe, Uh you know before it was far a
far cry from that. It was like a race track
at a fair at a fair ground. Yeah, it didn't
look very no, and uh, you know they've they've done
an unbelievable job. Rutis all right, and that right Dave
(07:09):
Ruti Sell I think is his name, But they've done
a great job. You know. The town of Lawrenceburg is
behind it too. And that's the cool part. You know,
Uh Mario Todd, which is you know, none other than JR. Todd,
the NHR eight uh drag racers father. You know, Mario
(07:29):
Mario had a great deal to do with that, as
well as bringing the casino there that's right across the streets.
So I've got a great Lawrenceburg story I'll share quickly.
But so we're down there and we're racing midget week
and I gotta think that this is back and this
has got to be back in two thousand, two thousand
(07:50):
fourteen maybe, and it's my car. We've got an unbelievable
Toyota power plant. That's that that we're running. And Hunter's
driving at Uh, Anthony, one of our guys is uh
doing the doing the work on it. And I'm telling you,
he goes around the first lap and I think Clawson
(08:11):
was on the pole at this point. He goes around
the first lap and he's within a tenth or something
from him. He's on his way around the second lap,
and he's gonna set a track record. I mean he's
hauling the mail now right, blow up the engine. So
the bad thing about that casino being across the street,
(08:32):
and and and I gotta give you a little bit
of preview of going there because us getting there, it
was me and six other people in our in our
party van okay, and uh, for some reason I was
driving that day, which I never I never drive. I'm
usually the guy in the pastor's seat. Havan a couple
(08:53):
of drinks. So uh, but you know I'm driving down
through there and we're on Route one. Did you down
Route one when you went down there? Not a good road?
I mean it's it's way better than it ever was,
but it's not a good road. Yes, very scenic, a
little little uh a little different. But uh. So we're
(09:14):
driving down through there and as we get off of
seventy four, I said to Anthony or you know the mechanic,
I said, Anthony, it feels like it feels like something's
downa wiggling in the back end a little bit. And
uh and Anthony says, and I don't feel anything. And
he was setting right over the rear axle. So I'm like, well, hell,
he's setting like there. He surely feel it, if you know. So. Anyhow,
(09:36):
I keep on driving. We go down Route one. We're
going down through there, and we come around a big
sweeper to the right and we lose the left rear wheel.
Lose the wheel, not the tired the wheel. The wheel
is now bouncing past us and is going past us
out into this ditch. It busts the brake lines. I've
(09:58):
got my foot through to the floor on the emergency brake,
jam the gear down into low to try to kill that,
to try to slow it down. How fast were you going, jeezus?
You know, I mean we were trying to get to
the race tracks, so you know, and I'm a sort
of an impatient type of person, so I just try
to get there. But anyhow, so we get it stopped
(10:22):
and we pull in this driveway. Now we're on three wheels,
so it's pretty jacked pull in this driveway and it's
way down in this down this hill, and I'm calling everybody.
I'm calling Neil Armstrong, I'm calling Craig Armstrong. I'm like,
and I was thinking about everybody to be going down
Route one, that I could get everybody in the van
(10:43):
a ride to the track. So I get everybody a
right there. Arms truck stops and picks up three or
four and you know, so anyhow we get everybody there. Well,
the only people that are left is me and Andrew,
a guy that used to work with us, and and
Lance and we're standing there and we're drinking beer in
the Sky's driveway, okay. And I go up to the
(11:03):
door and I said to the guy, said, hey, listen, man,
I'll give you a hundred bucks of you just take
us to the track. I said, I'm leaving the van.
A record will come get it. I don't even I
don't even care about it. And he says, he says,
oh that that jeep ain't ran in in in years.
I'm like, okay, well, you know whatever. So he goes,
but I got some tools down in the basement if
(11:23):
you want them. And I'm telling you, it kind of
made me feel like, uh, kind of made me feel
like Hannibal Lecter, you know. And I thought there may
be a pit down there on this kid. And I
was not going in this basement, right, I said, you
know what, we're good. We're just gonna wait for a ride.
We don't we don't need anything. So then we're looking
(11:45):
at you know, we're standing there drinking. There's pretty much
nothing to see other cars going by, but there's a
remember those little Toyota um or Nissan campers. Remember it's
like the little pick up front end dual. Really well,
so anyhow, we're looking across the street and there's one
for sale and these guys have pulled up. These guys
(12:06):
get out and they're wearing these very odd clothes and
I'm thinking myself, you know, having a bear and I'm
looking at something. What the hell are these guys doing?
This is strange. So these guys have on LARPing outfits
and there and they have their LARPing swords that. We
got a couple of LARPers over there, some live action
role play guys you know that, are gonna be doing
(12:28):
some some battle And I thought, man, I don't want
to know what they're gonna do with that that RV.
This is not good. So shortly after that the police
showed up. This is about an hour after the wheel
flew off. So thank god, nobody who's dad or dying? Uh?
But the police show up and said, we heard there
was a wreck down here. Well, no, not really, not
(12:49):
a wreck. Have a wheel that flew off, if that's
what you're talking about. Well, have you guys been drinking? Well,
hell yeah, we've been drinking. We've been standing out here
drinking for an hour or you when it happened. Well, no,
we weren't drinking when it happened. Well, how do I know?
I said, Well, I don't know. I guess you're gonna
have to take our word for it. You know, what
else do you do when you lose a wheel? Drive
(13:09):
down the highway? All right, you got a cooler full
of beer? You just sit there and sob about it. No,
you're gonna have a couple of beers to think about it.
You know. So anyhow, get to the track, hunters on fire.
He's doing great, running fast, you know, and practice and
everything out there qualifying. You know, I'm feeling good. All right,
here's a high spot of the day, you know, of
(13:29):
a of a of a hellish day that we've had.
Blows the engine on the second lap of qualifying. I
walk over to the casino. Probably a mistake because by
this time I was by this time, I was painless,
I'll put it at that sid slightly inebriated, and uh. Anyhow,
(13:51):
so we had fun at the casino and then we
rode back in Barber's r V that somehown't know. I
can't remember their old r V when they pulled the
trailer because Chase was running two at the time. That
their old RV when it pulled the trailer, something was
wrong with one of the gears and it would go
about thirty five mile an hour up a hill. So
we're on the Interstate going up the hill at thirty
(14:13):
five mile an hour, just waiting to get wiped out
by a SETMI going eighty up the same hill. So
it was that's why Lawrence borg Tell and uh, I'm
I'm happy that it doesn't happened. It hasn't happened to
me in a while. So you know, I could say
there's one thing I've learned today. We've been here about
an hour now. You lose a lot of tires, Yeah,
tires axles with it's pretty impressive. You gotta have a record.
(14:39):
That's gonna be a Guinness thing. Yeah, I know, And
I'm gonna have to stop. That's why I'm that's why
I'm no longer pulling trailers to events, ripping the cat
ripping the tops off of them and uh from the wind.
And but no, it's uh, it's a it's a wild ride.
I mean it's a wild ride for us. And you
know what, we're on the other side of it. We're
just you know, sponsoring a trying to help guys get
(15:01):
down the road. And you know, I could only imagine
what it is for for you guys. I mean, how
many nights a week do you race or what's your schedule? Yeah,
back home, we only really get to run Saturday nights.
I mean, we don't have nothing like back here. So
coming back here and it and we're supposed to run
six nights, but got four in was pretty incredible to
do so. And I know because I watched you know,
(15:23):
on your Facebook or you know social media. If you will.
I mean, you you race, you know the Arizona areas.
Sometimes you go out to California. I mean, do you
try to pick up as many races as you can
out west or how does that? How does that play out?
I pretty much try to race every weekend something some
form somehow, um and if I could get multiple nights
(15:46):
in that, we'll do it somehow or another. You know,
this year has kind of been a different year. I
started driving for Dwight Cheney and the use x here
a deal, so uh it picked up yeah, yeah, all
through calif WARNTA and it picked up the schedule quite
a bit, you know because prior to that had really
only been running Paris in California. So now I'm running
(16:07):
the full deal, which has been an experience. Uh, you know,
a couple of different tracks ain't ran in a long
time where we're abouts where at what are the tracks? Well,
you got Paris, Ventura. We gonna end up in Hanford
to Larry you know. Then we end up in uh
we go to California Sprint Week, which will be Calistoga, Chico,
(16:28):
um Santa Maria stuff like that. It's awesome. Um So
any any thoughts are coming back here and running more.
I'd love to come back here and run more. It's awesome. Uh.
You know, like I said, I came back here this
week with the rain Bowl Underwood guys, and uh, give
me a great opportunity. As of right now, we are
(16:50):
coming back for the SmackDown, so we'll be here for
that and uh trying to kiss up a little bit
and trying to come back for Sprint week for sure.
So when a Sprint week I saw they announced it,
it wasn't it's like July one is when it starts
close enough. Something like that was a day off. That's
pretty impressive because they looked at his schedule. That's good. Well,
(17:15):
maybe need to find out what what he's what his
interest level is, you know, and see I see if
there's something. I mean, I have a passion for it.
I love it, you know what I mean. And like
I said that the people that have helped us along
the way, we're we're we're interested in trying to help
as much as we can along our way. So you know,
it's uh, it's it's a difficult thing because you'd love
(17:36):
to help everyone. But the other side, you know, the
other side of it is is we help the people
that have been with us and that have that have
put in the time, you know, and uh, that have
put in the time and have have ran you know,
as as crazy as it sounds, you know, have run
our decals, have done our things like that, have worked
(17:56):
with us on social media to to get the word out.
I mean, we have a great social media department. You know. Um,
if we get the information from you and we understand
what's going on, you'll you'll, you'll get a lot of
pr from us, you know, pushing out on our side.
So you know, keep that in mind and uh and
(18:17):
keep working that and then you know, we've got we've
got a great racing a great racing program going here.
And did I understand that right that they are opening
Sprint Week at the speedway at the Indianapolis? Was that
next year? I don't know what's going on there. For
the rumor was that that's where they're opening up at.
(18:39):
And then now it's not, um, they're supposed to be
this year. It was supposed to be Plymouth because because
they they had talked I had talked to somebody and
I thought I had thought that that's where they said
that they were going to do it at the at
(18:59):
the speed Way, and uh, which I thought was very cool.
But how would that have been a big show like that?
They're yeah, and that's uh, that's our home track three
miles down the road here from us so we uh,
I just couldn't imagine the atmosphere it would have for
the opening night of Sprint. We could have been amazing.
And you know, the cool part of it be is
(19:20):
if they could get some of the guys that came
from Usack, you know, some of the old timers that
ran through Usack, you know, a j if you could
get him back to be there, you know. And I
think that's part of what we were missing with it
right now, is you don't have any of those guys
coming back. If you could somehow incorporate something like that
would be cool. I think even racetrack wise, get back
(19:41):
to some of the fairground, you know, even if they
didn't have the miles, that's fine, but try to get
in front of the original grandstand. I think it brings
all those guys back to like in the mile tracks.
I mean, I remember probably my I remember probably one
of my first experiences at a mile track had to
be it had to be maybe eight eight or something
(20:04):
like that, maybe maybe even ninety, I can't remember now,
but it was a it was somewhat of a four
crown deal that was running at the Indiana State Fairgrounds
and they were running wingsprint cars, you know, so outlaws.
The outlaws were running, uh, they were running dirt late models,
(20:27):
they were running modified and they were running, um there
was something else that they were running. It I'm midgets
and midgets on that. Yeah, I don't think it was midgets.
It was something else and it will come to me
in a minute. Maybe Silver Crown. I think it was
Silver Crown Cars. Actually I know it was now. But anyhow,
I'm I'm setting at the back gate and you know,
I'm you know, I'm I'm a fan, you know, and
(20:49):
I'm still a fan. And I'm sitting at the back
gate and uh, and then pulse Ken Schrader and I'm
like and I'm like, I'm like, uh, like what are
you doing here? Like I'm kind of naive to it,
you know, at the point of you know, how much
he runs and what and I want to tell you something.
He sat there and talked to me and talk to
(21:11):
me and talk to me, and and I was an
instant fan. I was an instant fan. I'm even watching
him because I'm telling you he you know, he was
a rare He was a rare bird, like the Bobby
Unts or like the A. J. Floyd you know, as
the Tony Steward is today and guys that can get
in about anything and just take off. And I just
(21:32):
have so much respect for the fact that he made
it to the big time and never forgot. Yeah. Yeah,
I mean he just ran a Crown car a few
weeks ago, and you don't have those guys do that anymore.
He ran a little exactly, That's what I mean. You
don't see that. It's that's neat to be especially his age.
It's not like he's four years old and out there.
He's not a spring check. And I will say that
(21:54):
and still getting it done. Yeah, and he uh, you know,
so later later in life, you know, I'm answering Dakote
Armstrong in the Arcis series and he's running Kenny's car.
Kenny and I pick up the conversation, you know, and
we start talking and I and I tell him the
story and you know he was. He was as excited
(22:15):
about the story as I was telling it, you know.
And uh, and that's him, you know. And Kenny Wallace
is another one. Kenny Wallace is back running, you know,
back running the stuff like that. The cool thing about
Kenny too, is he is active on social media, always
hyping up I mean, grant he don't run spirk her midget,
but I'm a fan myself of all forms racing, and
(22:36):
he hypes up dirt racing all the time. I mean
that to be is And that's the thing that I
said about the Speedway, you know, like I said, we're
three miles from there. I said, they could be running
pigs around that track, and I'd say, all right, guys,
load the golf carts up. We gotta get down there.
They've gotta race. You know, it's any reasoning who don't
want to watch, any reason to go to a race track, right. So,
(23:00):
but you know it's, uh, you know, the cool the
cool part of it is is you're you're exactly right.
And you know Tony Stewart, you know, which is a
good friend. You know, he's racing NonStop now and and
he's having a ball. He's having a great time, and
you know what, he gets to show up and he
gets to run, you know with the all stars, you know,
(23:21):
which is his deal now and uh, you know and
and uh, I don't believe that he's running the outlaw
shows now from what I understand, he won't. Yeah, yeah,
discrepancy there somewhere. Yeah, yeah, that's what it sounded like.
So but you know, at the end of the day,
you know, all of them need each other, you know,
whether it's the you know, the the modified that gets
(23:45):
out there and after the modified, the big shows, the
spread cars, you know, or it's the or it's the
you know, the as as I said, I mean, did
you say Kocomo rained out? We were at Cocomo. So
did they run any of the thunder cars or any
of that stuff. No, it was just sprint cars. So
if you say that the fastest show I've ever been
(24:07):
to in my life. Yeah, we started at like six
and we're done by nine. And they did not screw around.
It was well the O'Connors definitely is it Connors or
no O'Connor, that's right, Yeah, they did. That's an awesome place.
They do a great job, probably the best, probably the
best in the state. I mean, try states unbelievable too.
(24:29):
With Tom Helfork, I think he still has it. But anyhow,
the thing of it is is, you know those those
uh those thunder cars, you know what, there's people there
to watch them. There's people there to watch the lake.
It's kind of like that video Buckley had on the
website at that time about how do you the sprint
car guy? But how cool we thought it was to
(24:49):
see the stock car rolling around there at three wheels. Dude,
we were what we were at. Buckley and I were
at Paragon. We were at Paragon and I and I
kid you not, there was an S ten I think
it's yeah, I know, it was an S ten S
ten pick up and that was the car. I mean,
this is kind of like I think Paragne was kind
of like a run what you brought type of ship.
(25:09):
You know, it's like whatever, right, But there was an
S ten pick up there, and uh, this dude was
carrying the left front. He was carrying the left front
on this S ten mashing it around there, right. So
we're setting up at the stands and we're like, this
is badass. I mean, this is crazy, right, So you
know he's carrying it. He gets to the turn on
(25:30):
entry and it kind of kind of dips the car down. Well,
this dude, and then we kind of start seeing that
it looks like the hood's moving. This guy has broken
the motor mount in this in this car and this ten.
He snapped the motor mount on it, right, because this
engine is torqued up as hell, right, stabs the motor mount.
(25:52):
So then we recognize that the cars on that the
that the s tens on fire five flight or the
guy finally stops, I mean literally he's going around the
track and they're not stopping him. They're not stopping him
at all. This is like, I'm like, it's this part
of the show. But anyhow, you know, but we always joked,
(26:14):
h you know, JR. Todd and all of us, we
all joked that we wanted to get uh, we wanted
to get one of those dirt dirt thunder cars or
whatever for for Kocomo and just cheat it up, cheat
it up. I mean we used to talk about that,
just a homeless stuff you want to get. You always
want to get the cheapest car, and you want to
go out there cheat it up, cheat it up. And
(26:37):
when they when they go to tech. He just pulled
on the trailer. Just leave, just don't even stop on
the front street. Away, just drive it right off, drive
out of the parking. They just want to keep going.
You know. Have a guy through the license plate, the magnetum,
back of the lights back on, you're gonna go. So
(26:58):
he's a guy. I remember when I first started racing midgets,
we had bombers and this guy would show up and
like it was like a crown vic. He was a
security guard on a Saturday night for the crossover gate
a Manzanita. But he never got to race. He would
choke to the racetrack and prize windows out, like do
his air pressure roll around practice all night long because
(27:20):
I had practiced every Tuesday, and at the end of
the night lay his windows back in. I don't know
how he got to steal the work. They drive on
home and that's what he did for fun. It was
the funniest thing to watch his and he was probably
sixty years old having a blast. No cares this poor wife.
When he got home. I had to be wondering where
the hell mud came down, where all the mud came from,
(27:41):
and why there's muddy. Yeah inside because all the windows
were down. Everything run. They used to do that. That's
a bad deal they used to have. They called it
the Bomber and Darrow. It was fifty or hundred fifty laps.
You'd run seventy one the other and they would soak
the track and you never the race didn't stop, no yellows.
So if you're dead in the race track, you drove
(28:01):
around that car and there'd be people show up with
radios on and we ran it. When you're I didn't
run it, but we were going to Paris and we
got rained out and I was actually teammates with Jesse
Hawkeett and the Massy deal, and we look at each other, well,
what are we gonna do now? My dad goes, well, hey,
there's a bomber durall night. We could all just go
up there and hang out and watch. Massey looks as
(28:23):
he goes the funk that where do we find a car?
So we find a car and we drive it to
Massey shop. The funny part is this is when Jesse
was Jesse and Daniel was still alive. Daniel drives a
car to the shop and he was like, you guys,
can't you can't do this this car. He's like, back home,
this is gold. Like this thing is beautiful, radio works,
everything drives nice and massy walks over the center. Punch
(28:46):
just start sknocking windows out of it. We're going racing boys.
It was the coolest night of our lives and the
most fun I've ever had with Jesse Hawkeett in my life.
We we had we had a race track where I
grew up, and really that's where it came from with me.
My uncle at the time was married to my aunt Bobby,
and his his uh, his last name was Duncan, and
(29:10):
he raced it. He raced it. Uh. He raced at
at at Mount Long Speedway and Mount Lawn. If you've
never been there, uh, Mount Lawn, you gotta be pretty good.
It's kind of like racing the speed room. If you
can like get really good there, you can be really
good at a lot of places. Well, Mount Lawn was
the same way because it was it was designed like
(29:33):
a baseball diamond. There was home plate, there was the
right side, there was the first base line, then you
went around the outfield and then he came back down
third base to home and then you turn left again.
I mean, so this was it was a different track
by all means. But you know, four or five years old,
I was there watching the races, right, I mean, similar
(29:54):
to what you were talking about. You you doing it
and uh but anyhow I remember, you know, one thing
I remember when I was a kid is you know,
they had log chains. They were whipping the hell out
at each other in the pits with it. I mean,
this was some real ship. There was no cops. There
was no cops stopping anything. It was like if you
if you had wrong somebody on the track, you were
(30:15):
going to get right when you got back in the
in the in the you know, in the fits. So
but that was one one memory of it. But another
memory of it was was when the after the race
was over, you know, you drove over this this this
rickety ass bridge. I mean, I think they put a
new bridge in since because you know, they used to
(30:37):
run some regional midget stuff out there, and you know
there's some pretty big trucks that would come in there,
you know, and so anyhow, you you'd go across this bridge. Well, hell,
there were people driving the cars out of the place
and driving down the road, I mean, and in as black,
black as night, and they're driving these cars down the road,
and I'm just thinking to myself and hell as I
(30:59):
got older, know I'm sixteen, I'm out there, you know,
and next thing you know, there's one of them passing
me on the on the highway. I'm like, holy ship,
this is such a bad idea. So but anyhow, listen,
I know you guys are getting ready to head back
head back west. So I appreciate you, appreciate you coming out.
(31:20):
I appreciate your support, you know, and supporting the brand,
and and uh we'll continue supporting you and try to
support you more. So yeah, thanks for having me, and
thanks for your support. I mean, been together a long time.
It's been cool, a lot of fun. Uh you know,
hopefully get back your more and get the rates a
little more and uh having fun. See if we can
(31:40):
figure that out. You've been listening to the Skinny with
Rico Elmore, founder and CEO of Fatheads I Wear. For
more information about Rico, visit his personal page and Rico
Elmore dot com, and be sure to check out all
of our great products at fatheads dot com. The undisputed
lead an oversized eye wear is fat headsm
You're listening to the Skinny with Rico Wilmore, founder and
CEO of Fatheads eye Wear. The undisputed leader in oversized
eye wear is Fatheads. Welcome to the Skinny. I'm sitting
here today with r J Johnson. You sacked stand out
open wheel racer. R J. How's it going. I'm good.
(00:23):
Thanks for having me today. Absolutely, So tell me how
did you get started in this crazy world of racing.
I think I was more or less born into it.
My my dad did it my whole life. So I
started quarter midgets when I six and ran nose heels fourteen,
and then went to the dirt world. I went to
the dark side. I went to the darks, the dirty side.
(00:44):
I guess you could say dirty side, right. So we
were talking off air. You were talking about getting emancipate
to talk about that, how that all went down, and
now what you had to do and why you had
to do it. Well, I I ran at that point.
I was fifteen, and I ran Spirit Courage of midgets already,
but I wanted to start running four tens. So, uh,
(01:06):
I couldn't run four tens. I was too young. So
we called Raleigh Helming and he uh, got me emancipated
back here. But the stupid part I did is I
went ditch school that week, so I didn't even get
to run the race house planning the race sou So
there was a little bit of your not going to race.
My dad was not very happy because it costs about
three or four bucks to get me back here and
(01:26):
get me in front of a judge and all that done.
And uh, yeah, I didn't even get to do it.
So I had to wait a whole another year to
race Usack. Wow. Yeah, Raleigh. Uh, Raleigh's a good friend
and uh works with the State of Indiana now and
the motor Sports efforts and is doing a is doing
a great job with it, and we're lucky to have him.
(01:47):
And it's actually a uh you know, when he left Usack,
I was wondering what was gonna happen, and you know, I,
you know, I started talking with Kevin Miller a little
bit more, and you know, course, you know, I've known
Jason forever and Levi and all those guys, and you know,
so it's it's uh, you know, it feels it feels good.
(02:08):
It feels like it's maybe on the right track and
coming back. I think there was you know, like anything
in business, especially with us, I mean it's trial and
are you know sometimes you uh, sometimes you do something
and you're like, listen, man, this is the greatest thing ever.
And you know what, it's awful. It's awful. I mean
I've designed frames before, back when I was the one
(02:29):
in the middle of doing that, you know, I've designed frames.
I thought, man, these are the best frames ever. This
is gonna kick ass. This has like a this has
like a disappearing hinge. And it was the worst. It
was the absolute worst, like to never got rid of him.
So you know, sometimes your opinion isn't worth a lot,
but you know you try, but uh but no, So
(02:51):
you know, our involvement with you, I think we God,
we got started three four years ago. It's not longer
that we've been together quite a while here, Yeah, And
you know, one thing about you know, one thing about
r J was, you know, he always always had our
decal on his car, and a lot of times had
our decal on his car. And we weren't able to
(03:11):
give a lot because at the time we were you know,
definitely in some growing pains and uh and moving moving
in a lot of different directions, and you know, it's
it's it's guys like you that have stuck with us, Uh,
you know yourself, John stambro uh, Shane Coddle, Dave Darling,
you know, different people like that, you know that have
(03:33):
been with us kind of since the beginning when there
wasn't anything to be had, and uh, you know, I
want to thank you for that because it's, uh, it's
you know, there's there's a lot of loyal people in racing,
as in fans, and uh, you know, if if you
can get it down where they keep seeing your name,
they're gonna start wondering, Okay, who is this? What is
(03:54):
this one? Yeah, right, exactly. Sometimes they wander where they're
out in general, but you know that's usually in the night.
That's usually me at the track. So I get it.
But uh, but no, it's uh, it's it's been good.
And then I know we we did a couple of
racing suits for you. And then I think the first
time I met you, you were here for p R
(04:16):
I maybe is that right, came in and uh outfitted
you and your wife and I think some of the
other crew guys that were with you and uh and
as as you were discussing or we were discussing. Your
wife has worn the same frame since And you know
what I gotta tell you, I'm I'm pretty impressed because
(04:36):
that doesn't work like that. Okay. I've got one one
particular individual that that we have sponsored for a long time.
It seems like a call every other week. I'm like, Bud,
you gotta keep these on. Okay, just put a strap
on them, tie them to your head. I don't know
what you gotta do, but I love you. I want
(04:57):
to give you frames. I want you to wear them,
I want you to be seen them. But is there
any way you can keep them for a little bit
longer than a week? So I think that I think
the last period I got was been a year now,
So yeah, that's impressive for me. Normally, by the time
I get to the racetrack and you get going, they
get set on a counter. You can't find them. So
a year's worth is pretty good for me. Yeah. Yeah,
And that's and that is and I mean, it's uh,
(05:20):
it is crazy and it's uh and it's a good
and bad thing for us. Because people lose glasses, we
get more business, and that's that's the good thing. But
the bad thing is we sponsor people and give them glasses,
and they lose glasses and we have to give them more.
So I'm just trying to stay on Yeah, I'll try
to stay on top of it. But so you were
here this week for Midget week. Tell me about that. Yeah,
(05:43):
I came out to run the all the sprint car
side of Indiana Midget Week there in the rhine Bolt
Underwood nineteen car. Uh, definitely an up and down week.
Learned a lot, very humbling. You know. We we ran
a race back home before we came out here is
kind of a tune up, and we literally just k
their ass. It was. It was a cool deal. Then
you come back here and we went to Montpellier first
(06:04):
and we end up second, which confidence is rolling pretty high.
And then we go to Putnamville and uh, the humbling started.
You know. The the two ft tall curb that we
don't even get maybe six inches at home was one
that bit me so got upside down there. Went back
to Hunter Shernberg shop. He was kind enough to let
(06:26):
us work there all week. I got it all fixed up,
went to Bloomington to just get reined out. And then uh,
I remember we went from we went to Lawrenceburg and
uh just struggled there. That's a whole different, well different
joint than I've ever been to, which is what that
is the most badass place ever. When they redid that,
(06:47):
I guess it's probably been I don't know, eight years
ago maybe, Uh you know before it was far a
far cry from that. It was like a race track
at a fair at a fair ground. Yeah, it didn't
look very no, and uh, you know they've they've done
an unbelievable job. Rutis all right, and that right Dave
(07:09):
Ruti Sell I think is his name, But they've done
a great job. You know. The town of Lawrenceburg is
behind it too. And that's the cool part. You know,
Uh Mario Todd, which is you know, none other than JR. Todd,
the NHR eight uh drag racers father. You know, Mario
(07:29):
Mario had a great deal to do with that, as
well as bringing the casino there that's right across the streets.
So I've got a great Lawrenceburg story I'll share quickly.
But so we're down there and we're racing midget week
and I gotta think that this is back and this
has got to be back in two thousand, two thousand
(07:50):
fourteen maybe, and it's my car. We've got an unbelievable
Toyota power plant. That's that that we're running. And Hunter's
driving at Uh, Anthony, one of our guys is uh
doing the doing the work on it. And I'm telling you,
he goes around the first lap and I think Clawson
(08:11):
was on the pole at this point. He goes around
the first lap and he's within a tenth or something
from him. He's on his way around the second lap,
and he's gonna set a track record. I mean he's
hauling the mail now right, blow up the engine. So
the bad thing about that casino being across the street,
(08:32):
and and and I gotta give you a little bit
of preview of going there because us getting there, it
was me and six other people in our in our
party van okay, and uh, for some reason I was
driving that day, which I never I never drive. I'm
usually the guy in the pastor's seat. Havan a couple
(08:53):
of drinks. So uh, but you know I'm driving down
through there and we're on Route one. Did you down
Route one when you went down there? Not a good road?
I mean it's it's way better than it ever was,
but it's not a good road. Yes, very scenic, a
little little uh a little different. But uh. So we're
(09:14):
driving down through there and as we get off of
seventy four, I said to Anthony or you know the mechanic,
I said, Anthony, it feels like it feels like something's
downa wiggling in the back end a little bit. And
uh and Anthony says, and I don't feel anything. And
he was setting right over the rear axle. So I'm like, well, hell,
he's setting like there. He surely feel it, if you know. So. Anyhow,
(09:36):
I keep on driving. We go down Route one. We're
going down through there, and we come around a big
sweeper to the right and we lose the left rear wheel.
Lose the wheel, not the tired the wheel. The wheel
is now bouncing past us and is going past us
out into this ditch. It busts the brake lines. I've
(09:58):
got my foot through to the floor on the emergency brake,
jam the gear down into low to try to kill that,
to try to slow it down. How fast were you going, jeezus?
You know, I mean we were trying to get to
the race tracks, so you know, and I'm a sort
of an impatient type of person, so I just try
to get there. But anyhow, so we get it stopped
(10:22):
and we pull in this driveway. Now we're on three wheels,
so it's pretty jacked pull in this driveway and it's
way down in this down this hill, and I'm calling everybody.
I'm calling Neil Armstrong, I'm calling Craig Armstrong. I'm like,
and I was thinking about everybody to be going down
Route one, that I could get everybody in the van
(10:43):
a ride to the track. So I get everybody a
right there. Arms truck stops and picks up three or
four and you know, so anyhow we get everybody there. Well,
the only people that are left is me and Andrew,
a guy that used to work with us, and and
Lance and we're standing there and we're drinking beer in
the Sky's driveway, okay. And I go up to the
(11:03):
door and I said to the guy, said, hey, listen, man,
I'll give you a hundred bucks of you just take
us to the track. I said, I'm leaving the van.
A record will come get it. I don't even I
don't even care about it. And he says, he says,
oh that that jeep ain't ran in in in years.
I'm like, okay, well, you know whatever. So he goes,
but I got some tools down in the basement if
(11:23):
you want them. And I'm telling you, it kind of
made me feel like, uh, kind of made me feel
like Hannibal Lecter, you know. And I thought there may
be a pit down there on this kid. And I
was not going in this basement, right, I said, you
know what, we're good. We're just gonna wait for a ride.
We don't we don't need anything. So then we're looking
(11:45):
at you know, we're standing there drinking. There's pretty much
nothing to see other cars going by, but there's a
remember those little Toyota um or Nissan campers. Remember it's
like the little pick up front end dual. Really well,
so anyhow, we're looking across the street and there's one
for sale and these guys have pulled up. These guys
(12:06):
get out and they're wearing these very odd clothes and
I'm thinking myself, you know, having a bear and I'm
looking at something. What the hell are these guys doing?
This is strange. So these guys have on LARPing outfits
and there and they have their LARPing swords that. We
got a couple of LARPers over there, some live action
role play guys you know that, are gonna be doing
(12:28):
some some battle And I thought, man, I don't want
to know what they're gonna do with that that RV.
This is not good. So shortly after that the police
showed up. This is about an hour after the wheel
flew off. So thank god, nobody who's dad or dying? Uh?
But the police show up and said, we heard there
was a wreck down here. Well, no, not really, not
(12:49):
a wreck. Have a wheel that flew off, if that's
what you're talking about. Well, have you guys been drinking? Well,
hell yeah, we've been drinking. We've been standing out here
drinking for an hour or you when it happened. Well, no,
we weren't drinking when it happened. Well, how do I know?
I said, Well, I don't know. I guess you're gonna
have to take our word for it. You know, what
else do you do when you lose a wheel? Drive
(13:09):
down the highway? All right, you got a cooler full
of beer? You just sit there and sob about it. No,
you're gonna have a couple of beers to think about it.
You know. So anyhow, get to the track, hunters on fire.
He's doing great, running fast, you know, and practice and
everything out there qualifying. You know, I'm feeling good. All right,
here's a high spot of the day, you know, of
(13:29):
a of a of a hellish day that we've had.
Blows the engine on the second lap of qualifying. I
walk over to the casino. Probably a mistake because by
this time I was by this time, I was painless,
I'll put it at that sid slightly inebriated, and uh. Anyhow,
(13:51):
so we had fun at the casino and then we
rode back in Barber's r V that somehown't know. I
can't remember their old r V when they pulled the
trailer because Chase was running two at the time. That
their old RV when it pulled the trailer, something was
wrong with one of the gears and it would go
about thirty five mile an hour up a hill. So
we're on the Interstate going up the hill at thirty
(14:13):
five mile an hour, just waiting to get wiped out
by a SETMI going eighty up the same hill. So
it was that's why Lawrence borg Tell and uh, I'm
I'm happy that it doesn't happened. It hasn't happened to
me in a while. So you know, I could say
there's one thing I've learned today. We've been here about
an hour now. You lose a lot of tires, Yeah,
tires axles with it's pretty impressive. You gotta have a record.
(14:39):
That's gonna be a Guinness thing. Yeah, I know, And
I'm gonna have to stop. That's why I'm that's why
I'm no longer pulling trailers to events, ripping the cat
ripping the tops off of them and uh from the wind.
And but no, it's uh, it's a it's a wild ride.
I mean it's a wild ride for us. And you
know what, we're on the other side of it. We're
just you know, sponsoring a trying to help guys get
(15:01):
down the road. And you know, I could only imagine
what it is for for you guys. I mean, how
many nights a week do you race or what's your schedule? Yeah,
back home, we only really get to run Saturday nights.
I mean, we don't have nothing like back here. So
coming back here and it and we're supposed to run
six nights, but got four in was pretty incredible to
do so. And I know because I watched you know,
(15:23):
on your Facebook or you know social media. If you will.
I mean, you you race, you know the Arizona areas.
Sometimes you go out to California. I mean, do you
try to pick up as many races as you can
out west or how does that? How does that play out?
I pretty much try to race every weekend something some
form somehow, um and if I could get multiple nights
(15:46):
in that, we'll do it somehow or another. You know,
this year has kind of been a different year. I
started driving for Dwight Cheney and the use x here
a deal, so uh it picked up yeah, yeah, all
through calif WARNTA and it picked up the schedule quite
a bit, you know because prior to that had really
only been running Paris in California. So now I'm running
(16:07):
the full deal, which has been an experience. Uh, you know,
a couple of different tracks ain't ran in a long
time where we're abouts where at what are the tracks? Well,
you got Paris, Ventura. We gonna end up in Hanford
to Larry you know. Then we end up in uh
we go to California Sprint Week, which will be Calistoga, Chico,
(16:28):
um Santa Maria stuff like that. It's awesome. Um So
any any thoughts are coming back here and running more.
I'd love to come back here and run more. It's awesome. Uh.
You know, like I said, I came back here this
week with the rain Bowl Underwood guys, and uh, give
me a great opportunity. As of right now, we are
(16:50):
coming back for the SmackDown, so we'll be here for
that and uh trying to kiss up a little bit
and trying to come back for Sprint week for sure.
So when a Sprint week I saw they announced it,
it wasn't it's like July one is when it starts
close enough. Something like that was a day off. That's
pretty impressive because they looked at his schedule. That's good. Well,
(17:15):
maybe need to find out what what he's what his
interest level is, you know, and see I see if
there's something. I mean, I have a passion for it.
I love it, you know what I mean. And like
I said that the people that have helped us along
the way, we're we're we're interested in trying to help
as much as we can along our way. So you know,
it's uh, it's it's a difficult thing because you'd love
(17:36):
to help everyone. But the other side, you know, the
other side of it is is we help the people
that have been with us and that have that have
put in the time, you know, and uh, that have
put in the time and have have ran you know,
as as crazy as it sounds, you know, have run
our decals, have done our things like that, have worked
(17:56):
with us on social media to to get the word out.
I mean, we have a great social media department. You know. Um,
if we get the information from you and we understand
what's going on, you'll you'll, you'll get a lot of
pr from us, you know, pushing out on our side.
So you know, keep that in mind and uh and
(18:17):
keep working that and then you know, we've got we've
got a great racing a great racing program going here.
And did I understand that right that they are opening
Sprint Week at the speedway at the Indianapolis? Was that
next year? I don't know what's going on there. For
the rumor was that that's where they're opening up at.
(18:39):
And then now it's not, um, they're supposed to be
this year. It was supposed to be Plymouth because because
they they had talked I had talked to somebody and
I thought I had thought that that's where they said
that they were going to do it at the at
(18:59):
the speed Way, and uh, which I thought was very cool.
But how would that have been a big show like that?
They're yeah, and that's uh, that's our home track three
miles down the road here from us so we uh,
I just couldn't imagine the atmosphere it would have for
the opening night of Sprint. We could have been amazing.
And you know, the cool part of it be is
(19:20):
if they could get some of the guys that came
from Usack, you know, some of the old timers that
ran through Usack, you know, a j if you could
get him back to be there, you know. And I
think that's part of what we were missing with it
right now, is you don't have any of those guys
coming back. If you could somehow incorporate something like that
would be cool. I think even racetrack wise, get back
(19:41):
to some of the fairground, you know, even if they
didn't have the miles, that's fine, but try to get
in front of the original grandstand. I think it brings
all those guys back to like in the mile tracks.
I mean, I remember probably my I remember probably one
of my first experiences at a mile track had to
be it had to be maybe eight eight or something
(20:04):
like that, maybe maybe even ninety, I can't remember now,
but it was a it was somewhat of a four
crown deal that was running at the Indiana State Fairgrounds
and they were running wingsprint cars, you know, so outlaws.
The outlaws were running, uh, they were running dirt late models,
(20:27):
they were running modified and they were running, um there
was something else that they were running. It I'm midgets
and midgets on that. Yeah, I don't think it was midgets.
It was something else and it will come to me
in a minute. Maybe Silver Crown. I think it was
Silver Crown Cars. Actually I know it was now. But anyhow,
I'm I'm setting at the back gate and you know,
I'm you know, I'm I'm a fan, you know, and
(20:49):
I'm still a fan. And I'm sitting at the back
gate and uh, and then pulse Ken Schrader and I'm
like and I'm like, I'm like, uh, like what are
you doing here? Like I'm kind of naive to it,
you know, at the point of you know, how much
he runs and what and I want to tell you something.
He sat there and talked to me and talk to
(21:11):
me and talk to me, and and I was an
instant fan. I was an instant fan. I'm even watching
him because I'm telling you he you know, he was
a rare He was a rare bird, like the Bobby
Unts or like the A. J. Floyd you know, as
the Tony Steward is today and guys that can get
in about anything and just take off. And I just
(21:32):
have so much respect for the fact that he made
it to the big time and never forgot. Yeah. Yeah,
I mean he just ran a Crown car a few
weeks ago, and you don't have those guys do that anymore.
He ran a little exactly, That's what I mean. You
don't see that. It's that's neat to be especially his age.
It's not like he's four years old and out there.
He's not a spring check. And I will say that
(21:54):
and still getting it done. Yeah, and he uh, you know,
so later later in life, you know, I'm answering Dakote
Armstrong in the Arcis series and he's running Kenny's car.
Kenny and I pick up the conversation, you know, and
we start talking and I and I tell him the
story and you know he was. He was as excited
(22:15):
about the story as I was telling it, you know.
And uh, and that's him, you know. And Kenny Wallace
is another one. Kenny Wallace is back running, you know,
back running the stuff like that. The cool thing about
Kenny too, is he is active on social media, always
hyping up I mean, grant he don't run spirk her midget,
but I'm a fan myself of all forms racing, and
(22:36):
he hypes up dirt racing all the time. I mean
that to be is And that's the thing that I
said about the Speedway, you know, like I said, we're
three miles from there. I said, they could be running
pigs around that track, and I'd say, all right, guys,
load the golf carts up. We gotta get down there.
They've gotta race. You know, it's any reasoning who don't
want to watch, any reason to go to a race track, right. So,
(23:00):
but you know it's, uh, you know, the cool the
cool part of it is is you're you're exactly right.
And you know Tony Stewart, you know, which is a
good friend. You know, he's racing NonStop now and and
he's having a ball. He's having a great time, and
you know what, he gets to show up and he
gets to run, you know with the all stars, you know,
(23:21):
which is his deal now and uh, you know and
and uh, I don't believe that he's running the outlaw
shows now from what I understand, he won't. Yeah, yeah,
discrepancy there somewhere. Yeah, yeah, that's what it sounded like.
So but you know, at the end of the day,
you know, all of them need each other, you know,
whether it's the you know, the the modified that gets
(23:45):
out there and after the modified, the big shows, the
spread cars, you know, or it's the or it's the
you know, the as as I said, I mean, did
you say Kocomo rained out? We were at Cocomo. So
did they run any of the thunder cars or any
of that stuff. No, it was just sprint cars. So
if you say that the fastest show I've ever been
(24:07):
to in my life. Yeah, we started at like six
and we're done by nine. And they did not screw around.
It was well the O'Connors definitely is it Connors or
no O'Connor, that's right, Yeah, they did. That's an awesome place.
They do a great job, probably the best, probably the
best in the state. I mean, try states unbelievable too.
(24:29):
With Tom Helfork, I think he still has it. But anyhow,
the thing of it is is, you know those those
uh those thunder cars, you know what, there's people there
to watch them. There's people there to watch the lake.
It's kind of like that video Buckley had on the
website at that time about how do you the sprint
car guy? But how cool we thought it was to
(24:49):
see the stock car rolling around there at three wheels. Dude,
we were what we were at. Buckley and I were
at Paragon. We were at Paragon and I and I
kid you not, there was an S ten I think
it's yeah, I know, it was an S ten S
ten pick up and that was the car. I mean,
this is kind of like I think Paragne was kind
of like a run what you brought type of ship.
(25:09):
You know, it's like whatever, right, But there was an
S ten pick up there, and uh, this dude was
carrying the left front. He was carrying the left front
on this S ten mashing it around there, right. So
we're setting up at the stands and we're like, this
is badass. I mean, this is crazy, right, So you
know he's carrying it. He gets to the turn on
(25:30):
entry and it kind of kind of dips the car down. Well,
this dude, and then we kind of start seeing that
it looks like the hood's moving. This guy has broken
the motor mount in this in this car and this ten.
He snapped the motor mount on it, right, because this
engine is torqued up as hell, right, stabs the motor mount.
(25:52):
So then we recognize that the cars on that the
that the s tens on fire five flight or the
guy finally stops, I mean literally he's going around the
track and they're not stopping him. They're not stopping him
at all. This is like, I'm like, it's this part
of the show. But anyhow, you know, but we always joked,
(26:14):
h you know, JR. Todd and all of us, we
all joked that we wanted to get uh, we wanted
to get one of those dirt dirt thunder cars or
whatever for for Kocomo and just cheat it up, cheat
it up. I mean we used to talk about that,
just a homeless stuff you want to get. You always
want to get the cheapest car, and you want to
go out there cheat it up, cheat it up. And
(26:37):
when they when they go to tech. He just pulled
on the trailer. Just leave, just don't even stop on
the front street. Away, just drive it right off, drive
out of the parking. They just want to keep going.
You know. Have a guy through the license plate, the magnetum,
back of the lights back on, you're gonna go. So
(26:58):
he's a guy. I remember when I first started racing midgets,
we had bombers and this guy would show up and
like it was like a crown vic. He was a
security guard on a Saturday night for the crossover gate
a Manzanita. But he never got to race. He would
choke to the racetrack and prize windows out, like do
his air pressure roll around practice all night long because
(27:20):
I had practiced every Tuesday, and at the end of
the night lay his windows back in. I don't know
how he got to steal the work. They drive on
home and that's what he did for fun. It was
the funniest thing to watch his and he was probably
sixty years old having a blast. No cares this poor wife.
When he got home. I had to be wondering where
the hell mud came down, where all the mud came from,
(27:41):
and why there's muddy. Yeah inside because all the windows
were down. Everything run. They used to do that. That's
a bad deal they used to have. They called it
the Bomber and Darrow. It was fifty or hundred fifty laps.
You'd run seventy one the other and they would soak
the track and you never the race didn't stop, no yellows.
So if you're dead in the race track, you drove
(28:01):
around that car and there'd be people show up with
radios on and we ran it. When you're I didn't
run it, but we were going to Paris and we
got rained out and I was actually teammates with Jesse
Hawkeett and the Massy deal, and we look at each other, well,
what are we gonna do now? My dad goes, well, hey,
there's a bomber durall night. We could all just go
up there and hang out and watch. Massey looks as
(28:23):
he goes the funk that where do we find a car?
So we find a car and we drive it to
Massey shop. The funny part is this is when Jesse
was Jesse and Daniel was still alive. Daniel drives a
car to the shop and he was like, you guys,
can't you can't do this this car. He's like, back home,
this is gold. Like this thing is beautiful, radio works,
everything drives nice and massy walks over the center. Punch
(28:46):
just start sknocking windows out of it. We're going racing boys.
It was the coolest night of our lives and the
most fun I've ever had with Jesse Hawkeett in my life.
We we had we had a race track where I
grew up, and really that's where it came from with me.
My uncle at the time was married to my aunt Bobby,
and his his uh, his last name was Duncan, and
(29:10):
he raced it. He raced it. Uh. He raced at
at at Mount Long Speedway and Mount Lawn. If you've
never been there, uh, Mount Lawn, you gotta be pretty good.
It's kind of like racing the speed room. If you
can like get really good there, you can be really
good at a lot of places. Well, Mount Lawn was
the same way because it was it was designed like
(29:33):
a baseball diamond. There was home plate, there was the
right side, there was the first base line, then you
went around the outfield and then he came back down
third base to home and then you turn left again.
I mean, so this was it was a different track
by all means. But you know, four or five years old,
I was there watching the races, right, I mean, similar
(29:54):
to what you were talking about. You you doing it
and uh but anyhow I remember, you know, one thing
I remember when I was a kid is you know,
they had log chains. They were whipping the hell out
at each other in the pits with it. I mean,
this was some real ship. There was no cops. There
was no cops stopping anything. It was like if you
if you had wrong somebody on the track, you were
(30:15):
going to get right when you got back in the
in the in the you know, in the fits. So
but that was one one memory of it. But another
memory of it was was when the after the race
was over, you know, you drove over this this this
rickety ass bridge. I mean, I think they put a
new bridge in since because you know, they used to
(30:37):
run some regional midget stuff out there, and you know
there's some pretty big trucks that would come in there,
you know, and so anyhow, you you'd go across this bridge. Well, hell,
there were people driving the cars out of the place
and driving down the road, I mean, and in as black,
black as night, and they're driving these cars down the road,
and I'm just thinking to myself and hell as I
(30:59):
got older, know I'm sixteen, I'm out there, you know,
and next thing you know, there's one of them passing
me on the on the highway. I'm like, holy ship,
this is such a bad idea. So but anyhow, listen,
I know you guys are getting ready to head back
head back west. So I appreciate you, appreciate you coming out.
(31:20):
I appreciate your support, you know, and supporting the brand,
and and uh we'll continue supporting you and try to
support you more. So yeah, thanks for having me, and
thanks for your support. I mean, been together a long time.
It's been cool, a lot of fun. Uh you know,
hopefully get back your more and get the rates a
little more and uh having fun. See if we can
(31:40):
figure that out. You've been listening to the Skinny with
Rico Elmore, founder and CEO of Fatheads I Wear. For
more information about Rico, visit his personal page and Rico
Elmore dot com, and be sure to check out all
of our great products at fatheads dot com. The undisputed
lead an oversized eye wear is fat headsm
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