SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN

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

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, 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, 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 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. 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. 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, 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 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 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 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, 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, 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 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 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 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? 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 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 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. 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 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 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 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 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 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.

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 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 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, 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. 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? 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, 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, 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, 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 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 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 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 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 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

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 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 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 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 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, 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 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, 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. 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 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 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 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 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, 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. 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 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? 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, 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 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

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 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, 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, 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? 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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

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 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, 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 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 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 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. 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, 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 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 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? 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

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 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 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. 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 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 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, 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 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 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 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. 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. 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 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, 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, 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 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 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.

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 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 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 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. 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 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. 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, 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 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, 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. 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 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 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? 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 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.

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 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 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 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, 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

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 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, 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, 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 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, 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 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 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. 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 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 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, 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, 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 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, 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 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. 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. 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 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,

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 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, 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 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, 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

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. 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 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 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 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 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

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, 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