He Drives 200 MPH. What Scares Him? with NASCAR Star Carson Hocevar

Summary

---

Podcast Summary: Smart Girl Dumb Questions

Episode: "He Drives 200 MPH. What Scares Him? with NASCAR Star Carson Hocevar"

Host: Nayeema Raza
Guest: Carson Hocevar – 23-year-old NASCAR driver
Date: July 28, 2026

---

Episode Overview

Nayeema Raza sits down with Carson Hocevar, a rising star in the NASCAR circuit known for his aggressive driving style, unconventional personality, and willingness to break (or bend) the rules. The episode dives into the world of NASCAR for beginners, the differences between NASCAR and F1, the culture of racing, social media, rivalries, and what, if anything, actually scares someone who spends their life driving at 200 mph.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. NASCAR Basics & Culture

• Nayeema admits her NASCAR knowledge is minimal, comparing it mostly to exposure from F1 and movies. Carson walks her through the basics, including the weight of NASCAR cars (about 3,500 pounds) and the culture of contact in the sport.
  • On the difference between NASCAR and F1:
    "We make contact a lot more than F1 cars … NASCAR's a little bit more rough and tumble, you know, just from its background." – Carson (03:33)
• Emphasis on driver over machine:
  • "In F1…who could build the best car, where in NASCAR we all have spec cars, so … more so to match the driver." – Carson (04:31)

2. Aggression on the Track

• Dale Earnhardt comparisons: Carson is frequently compared to the iconic Earnhardt for his aggressiveness but takes it as a compliment.
  • “They're mainly comparing me on the style and aggression that he had and the don't really care attitude, I guess, to the other competitors.” – Carson (01:17)
• Aggression as a brand:
  NASCAR, unlike F1, welcomes a more aggressive style:
  "No, they like it. They're able to promote it on Mondays and for TV promos and stuff." – Carson (04:18)
• The unwritten rules of racing: There are limits, but the environment is more chaotic and competitive than F1.

3. Team Dynamics & Rivalries

• On contact between teammates:
  • "You race each other really hard, but you don't want to hit each other because … you have to walk in the building with, you know, 200 employees that are…making their salary off of how we do." – Carson (07:16)
• Team favoritism: The favorite driver may be forgiven for incidents; others, not so much.
• Rivalries are real: Carson recounts a one-sided spat with fellow driver Zane Smith, where mutual attempts at wrecking each other ended with Smith doing more damage to his own car.
  • "He tried to wreck me and missed … I just thought it was funny...I was laughing." – Carson (34:00, 36:11)
• On handling haters:
  • “I like that people are either on one side or the other… I enjoy getting under people's skin a lot.” – Carson (31:32)

4. Personality, Social Media & Authenticity

• Carson’s use of social media sets him apart.
  • “I grew up around YouTube, I grew up around streaming and all that stuff and just basically have fun for a living.” (40:18)
  • “You have to work hard to be a fan in NASCAR...You gotta have, you gotta push through of liking the sport without a favorite driver and then … find a favorite driver.” (39:31)
• Fan engagement requires effort: Unlike other sports, NASCAR fans have to research their favorite drivers, making the fan experience unique.

5. Carson’s Journey & Personal Life

• Early start in racing:
  • “Quarter midget racing … basically a go kart with a roll cage and seat belts. My mom rode dirt bikes and snowmobiles and…broke a lot of bones.” (02:10)
• Mentorship:
  • Brian Clausen and his father were pivotal mentors in Carson’s rise through the ranks. (20:04)
• Met Gala attendance: A viral post-race celebration after winning Talladega unexpectedly got him an invite to the Met Gala.
  • “It was like a rush to just go find a suit, basically.” – Carson (13:13)

6. On Fear, Risk, and Confidence

• Real dangers of racing: While the sport has become safer, Carson waves off fear as a daily factor.
  • "The safety has, you know, grown so much… NASCAR itself, those cars are super safe right now." (43:58)
• Actual fear:
  • "Heights. Heights are scary to me… that's about it." – Carson (44:25)
• Confidence roots:
  • “Delusion TV.” (28:28)
  • “Apparently, if you just know how to talk to people, sometimes it's just like, oh, you're so confident. It's just like, do people not talk anymore?” (28:43)
• On breaking rules:
  • “If the risk … is lower than the potential of…what you're trying to achieve, then…do it every time. If the prize is well worth the amount of risk, then… just an easy gamble.” – Carson (25:45)

7. Racing Rituals & Quirks

• Pre-race ritual:
  • “My only superstition. I have to get a coffee before [a race].” (27:37)
• Doesn’t rewatch tape, trusts instinct:
  • “I like to just kind of go in blind because it allows me to be present…just adapt to whatever I get that day.” (27:00)

8. Memorable Moments & Quotes

Comparing NASCAR and F1

• "NASCAR's a little bit more rough and tumble… In F1, if you block somebody and don't even really make contact, that like, could be like a penalty. So it’s just a lot more stricter officiating…NASCAR, they don’t really care." – Carson (03:58)

Racing Mentality

• "The ultimate rule in racing, especially nascar, is you cannot wreck yourself." – Carson (09:21)
• "You can’t. Like when you try to wreck somebody and you basically miss and wreck yourself. Ooh, that's a bad look." (09:21)

Confidence and Rule-Breaking

• "I don't really am good with like, following rules and I feel like flying a plane, you need to be a definite rule follower." – Carson (24:09)
• "Delusion tv." [on where his confidence comes from] (28:28)

On Social Media Brand

• "They probably hate it … I can get under their skin, but…anything they do doesn’t faze me. I’m just unbothered." – Carson (37:28)

On Height & Sabrina Carpenter

• “In short, I’m 64 and 3 quarters. I’m so close.” – Carson (41:41)
• “Every guy has to add 3/4 to their height because I’m so close.” (41:45)
• On Sabrina Carpenter: "I have a friend." [On current relationship status] (42:38)

On What Scares Him

• "Heights. Heights are scary to me, but that's about it." (44:25)

Notable Comic Exchange

• The "unlimited bacon but no games, or unlimited games but no games" dumb question – a recurring inside joke Carson enjoys with friends and confounds Nayeema (45:49–47:17).

---

Notable Timestamps

• 00:44: Introduction to Carson Hocevar and the basics of NASCAR
• 03:00–05:00: Differences between NASCAR and F1
• 07:48–09:21: "Rubbing is racing" – contact, aggression, and rookie hazing
• 13:03: Met Gala invite and post-Talladega win
• 15:50–16:33: “Fuck, Marry, Kill” of race tracks
• 17:16: Victory celebrations and unique post-win antics
• 20:04: Mentor Brian Clausen and his family's influence
• 25:45: Risk-reward in rule-breaking
• 27:37: Carson’s pre-race coffee ritual
• 34:00–35:20: Rivalry drama with Zane Smith
• 37:28: Carson on social media and stirring the pot
• 41:41–42:22: Measuring his height & Sabrina Carpenter joking
• 43:58: Actual dangers and fears (heights)
• 45:49–47:17: The legendary "unlimited bacon / games" dumb question

---

Tone & Style

• The conversation is fast, fun, and irreverent, with Nayeema playing the self-deprecating “dumb” questioner and Carson the affable, sometimes cheeky, young pro unafraid of admitting what he doesn’t know—or doesn’t want to do.
• Carson’s approach to racing and to life is relaxed, rule-bending, and grounded in instinct, not endless study: "I fake it…I pretend to know things I don’t know.” (48:16)

---

Conclusion

This episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at the mindset of an emerging NASCAR star. Carson Hocevar stands out not only for his driving skill and aggressive style, but also for his refusal to take life—or racing—too seriously. It’s a must-listen for newcomers curious about NASCAR culture, longtime fans interested in the next personality to shake up the sport, or anyone who’s ever wondered what truly scares someone who laughs in the face of 200 mph.

---

Notable closing answer (Carson’s dumb question):
"Would you rather have unlimited bacon but no games, or unlimited games but no games?" (45:49)
— an answerless riddle that beautifully encapsulates the playful, confounding spirit of the episode.

---

Find Carson Hocevar:
IG/TikTok: @carsonhocevar
Contact the show: [e-mail]

---

Transcript

[A]

Hey, it's Christy from Lululemon and I'm here at the office checking out the Shake it out shorts. These have been my go tos and I kind of think of them as a middle ground between a true run short and a more playful, athletic, sporty short. They have all the performance you want for running, so a comfy liner, our lightweight swift fabric, even a pocket for your keys. But what I really like is the flowy fit and layered hem. It gives it a little bit of volume, a little bit of fun, so they feel as good on a run as they do just at coffee afterwards. You can find the Shake it out shorts in store now or [e-mail] Would you be afraid of dying at 200 miles per hour? I'm Neymar Raza, this is Smart Girl, Dumb questions and today I'm here with Carson Hosavar, the 6 foot 4, 23 year old NASCAR star who drives a 700 horsepower missile for a living.

[B]

Pretty much, yeah.

[A]

How much do they weigh?

[B]

About 3,500 pounds.

[A]

I know nothing about NASCAR. The only thing I know is about this one driver called, you know who

[B]

I'm going to say Ricky Bobby.

[A]

Smart Girl, Dumb questions. No. Is that more famous? Dale Earnhardt?

[B]

Yeah. Dale Earnhardt is probably the most famous for sure.

[A]

Dale Earnhardt Sr. Who famously, like lived and died dangerously. He died at the age of 49 on the track and you are often compared to him. Is that a compliment or like a bad omen?

[B]

I'd say it's a compliment. I don't think they're comparing me at all by the achievements. They're mainly comparing me on the style and aggression that he had and the don't really care attitude, I guess, to the other competitors. So I take it as a compliment.

[A]

What does it mean, not care? Because you obviously care about winning and.

[B]

Yeah, well, it's just not caring about the other drivers. You know, there's like always like the respect and, you know, unwritten rules and everything, you know, and sometimes people want to take advantage of the unwritten rules because they're not rules. And you know, that's probably where I, I fall into that.

[A]

You got into racing at a very young age when I was 7. And they call it midget racing.

[B]

Yeah, quarter midget racing. So it's a midget car, but a quarter the size for kids. It's basically a go kart with a roll cage and seat belts. My mom raced dirt bikes and your

[A]

mom raised dirt bikes.

[B]

I mean she rode dirt bikes, I should say. And Snowmobiles and everything. And she broke a lot of bones in her body. And so she knew that I was probably gonna do the same, especially if I rode dirt bikes or did anything. Quarter midgets had roll cage and seat belts to plug a 7 year old in and race.

[A]

Quarter midget. Like, I feel like now we' to call that little person, but it's not very PC.

[B]

Nah, we're fine.

[A]

We're good. Okay, I want to get into your story, but first I need you to educate me on all things nascar, because obviously I know nothing about this sport. My limited understanding of racing comes from having gone to a few F1 races and having watched the movie where Brad Pitt looks really hot while racing against his younger teammate. So what is the difference between NASCAR and F1? Is it like American football versus, like, real football? Soccer? Is it like American football versus rugby?

[B]

Sure, sure. I mean, yeah, kind of. I mean, still go around the track and still have cars and everything. I mean, a lot of the F1 plot is really, really close to a NASCAR movie from the 80s or 90s, but it was with Tom Cruise, Cold Trickle, Days of Thunder. A lot of it matches. Like, it's crazy. It's hilarious how the scenes line up and everything. We make contact a lot more than F1 cars. There's, you know, rules and regulations of how they race in F1, NASCAR, they don't. They don't really care. There's probably like a little bit of a line that we probably can't cross for drivers, but, you know, we can't like, turn around backwards and run into each other. That's probably not allowed. But everything else, you pretty much go ahead. But, you know, in F1, if you, like, block somebody and don't even really make contact, that like, could be like a penalty. So it's just a lot more stricter officiating because the cars are more expensive and a little bit more dangerous. NASCAR's a little bit more rough and tumble and, you know, just from its background.

[A]

So you're probably in the right lane at NASCAR vs. F1 if you have a more aggressive style.

[B]

Yeah, I'm definitely where I would belong. I would get ran out at F1 very, very quickly. Even if I was fast enough to

[A]

be in it and ran out means, like, you would have gotten in trouble.

[B]

Yeah, they would have just kicked me out. I would have been banned probably.

[A]

Will they ever ban you from nascar? Would you ever get kicked out for your aggressive style?

[B]

No, they like it. They're able to promote it on like, Mondays and For TV promos and stuff.

[A]

This makes sen. Regular driving seems so boring.

[B]

It is.

[A]

I saw somewhere it's like F1, it's more about the machine, the car, and NASCAR, it's more about the driver.

[B]

Yeah, I would say that's accurate. There's. There's just so much money in F1. So F1, they build the cars like they build everything from scratch, basically. They develop it all, do everything. They develop the motors. They're obviously trying to get the best drivers, but it's. Who could build the best car where in NASCAR we all have spec cars, so it's realistically, who could just put the rat trap together the best, but not to make it really go the fastest, but more so to match the driver they can get.

[A]

I like the rat trap.

[B]

Yeah, just. We all get the same rat trap, but we might all build it differently.

[A]

Did you watch the movie after that?

[B]

Yes, I did.

[A]

So this is a scene where the older hot driver, Brad Pitt is racing against his teammate, the young driver, Danson Idris. And they're on the same team and they're competing for last place, I think. Let's see this scene.

[B]

Round the final corner, it's Claudia. Both they make contact.

[A]

Both Apex GP cars into the gravel and Pierce hits the barrier. Would that ever happen? Like where two people on the same team would actually go up against each other so competitively?

[B]

Yeah. No. And ask where that and what happens.

[A]

Like if that happens on a Sunday, what's the Monday morning meeting like? I'm sure.

[B]

Well, normally, normally you'd get in trouble in that case just because you guys were last and wrecked. But if you were up front, it's. It's really just. It's really just a balance of honestly, just obviously a lot of bias of like where you are in points where. Where the guy that got wrecked was at points. What was he racing for? Was he slowing down and holding the guy up? Did he make him mad earlier and it was retaliation. So realistically it just kind of turns into who's the favorite at the team. And so if you wreck the favorite at the team, you're probably going to be able to be the new favorite. No, no, no. You'll probably get in trouble.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

If you the favorite and do the wrecking, you might be okay.

[A]

Are you the favorite?

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

Cause you're on the Squire Motorsports team.

[B]

Yes, Yes, I am.

[A]

You don't know which one?

[B]

I'm definitely the youngest. I don't know. I think I'm just like the one that they laugh At. And they just expect some. You know.

[A]

Come on, Carson. You can't say that and say you don't know who the favorite is.

[B]

They're probably watching.

[A]

I'm trying to be polite, but you are the favorite. Yeah. Okay.

[B]

Luckily, none of my teammates and I have ever wrecked, but they're on other teams. It's definitely happened.

[A]

If you could wreck a team member, who would it be?

[B]

Wreck a team member? I mean, I would just want to wreck anybody else.

[A]

Not your team?

[B]

Yeah, because I love my boss, and my boss reminds me just to act like he's the one driving, so I would not wreck my boss. So it works out. It's a smart.

[A]

That's the coaching that you got?

[B]

Yeah, it's a smart psychologist.

[A]

So your boss is like the head of the team? The team, yeah.

[B]

He's a car owner. You know, team owner.

[A]

What's his name?

[B]

Jeff Dickerson.

[A]

So you could be aggressive, but not too aggressive?

[B]

Basically, yeah, pretty much. You know, you race each other really hard, but you don't want to hit each other because realistically, you have to walk in the building with, you know, 200 employees that are, you know, making their salary off of how we do.

[A]

But you famously don't care. But you care about your boss.

[B]

I care about my boss.

[A]

Okay. So this film was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and as you mentioned, there are a lot of references to that. I think it's 1990 film with Tom Cruise. So let's watch a clip from that. Which of the movies is better, by the way? Have you seen that one Days and Under? Really? Yeah, because it's nascar. Because why?

[B]

It just looks cooler in my. I just like the nostalgia of it. The old shots and everything new movies get, they. They almost, like, look too clear.

[A]

I know. I think something about, like, the movies from the 90s look the best. Okay, we're going to watch this. It's very nicely shot. 1990 is film, Cole.

[B]

You're wandering all over the track. Yeah, well, the son of a bitch just slammed into me. No, he didn't slam you.

[A]

He didn't bump you.

[B]

He didn't nudge you. He rubbed you. And Rubin's son is racist.

[A]

In that clip, Tom Cruise is driving, being talked to by somebody, I guess the crew chief.

[B]

Crew chief.

[A]

The crew chief. Okay. And he says, robin is Racin's son. Is that true?

[B]

No, it's 100% true. Sometimes you just bump into people just to, you know, frustrate them or rattle them and whatnot. And so that's all they're doing. He was a rookie in that movie, in that scene. And they're just trying to rattle him to get him off his game, make mistakes or get frustrated. And so the second he hit him, he then just hit the wall and started tearing up his car because he was getting rattled.

[A]

Oh, interesting.

[B]

So wait, rubbing means like rubbing the two cars? Like. Yes.

[A]

Rubbing the cars or the tires?

[B]

Well, I mean just everything. Just like rubbing the cars, like making contact with the cars that rub against each other, whether it's the tires or the sheet metal or the front bumper or the back bumper.

[A]

And when you're a rookie, they do it more to you because they.

[B]

Most of the time. Yeah, yeah. They just see what you. They just push you over. They just try to see what they can get away with.

[A]

This is like bumper cars, but like

[B]

very aggressive, strategic bumper cars.

[A]

Strategic because how. Like is there a way to rub where you're.

[B]

Yeah. You're trying not to 100% like wreck them or wreck yourself. The ultimate rule in racing, especially nascar, is you cannot wreck yourself. If you try to wreck somebody, you cannot wreck yourself. Like you can't. Like, like when you try to wreck somebody and you basically miss and wreck yourself. Ooh, that's a bad. That's a bad.

[A]

Look, has that ever happened to you?

[B]

Somebody tried to do it to me and he wrecked himself, which is really funny.

[A]

Okay, do I name that person?

[B]

Nah. Okay, I forget his name.

[A]

Is that guy Zane or whatever? No.

[B]

Yeah, something like that.

[A]

Oh, no, you're gonna pretend I'm gonna ask you about him later. Okay. Because they're apparently some rivalry, I guess one sided. It's like I know nothing about NASCAR except the five things I could find when I was digging around. We'll be right back after the break, guys. Today's sponsor Dumb Question is from me. I'm going to take the next minute to tell you a little bit about smart girl dumb questions and to ask you for your help in continuing to make independent, fact based and curious journalism. No, I'm not going to ask you for money. Here's what I need. I would love you to tell 10 of your friends about the show or 100, I don't know, blast that reunion group that you muted and definitely tell your mom and tell your mom to tell her friends too. Even if you don't like the show and you're just like, hate watching it or listening to it. Tell 10 of your friends to hate watch it too. Numbers are numbers, people. Priceline negotiator.

[B]

It's me, the Priceline Negotiator. We don't need the jingle twice. What about a third time? Stop it. This is about vacation inflation and how Priceline negotiates amazing deals on hotels, flights, and rental cars. Seems like we decided. Yeah, but I didn't mention that you can save up to 60% off hotels in the Priceline app. Time to read the deadline.

[A]

Fine.

[B]

No one deals more deals than. Please stop. Touche.

[A]

Priceline. Priceline. At Sockdoc, we know being a healthy adult is like living in a video game. Every day has side quests, taxes, laundry, birthdays. And just when you're leveling up, you have to book a doctor. The insurance portal crashes, they put you on hold. Your doctor doesn't take your plan. Game over. We see you. So we made booking a doctor easy. Download ZocDoc, search by specialty, insurance and availability. Book instantly, no cheat codes required. Find a doctor you love with Zocdoc. So F1, everyone knows Lewis Hamilton in NASCAR. Would we ever have a driver that's that famous globally the way, like, Lewis Hamilton is?

[B]

I mean, realistically, probably. Dale Earnhardt. Was it current gen? No, not really. Or, you know, I think it's possible, but. But right now. Right now, no. In F1, though, the thing is, like, everybody's. Some from certain countries, you kind of get to bandwagon whoever the driver is. Right. When the Knicks won here in New York, you know, everybody from New York was instantly involved. I'm from Michigan, so I never really cared about football because the Lions always sucked. But the second they started being good, all of a sudden, you know, the tickets are selling out, and it's tough to get seats at Lion Stadium and everything. Same deal where an F1, if, you know, there could be a driver from a country that hasn't been winning a lot.

[A]

Right.

[B]

All of a sudden, that whole country bandwagons because it's international. So that's the thing when NASCAR is, like, there. There's not really ever gonna be, like, a bandwagon.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

For that. Realistically, it's just really tough to have that just because we're all from, you know, certain states or a lot of them are even just from North Carolina.

[A]

And you guys also have, like, the problem football players have with the helmets. Except with the helmets. You have, like, helmets. And then cars, you're, like, inside of a lot of things. So people don't necessarily.

[B]

Yeah, they don't get attracted to the drivers. It's really tough. And the cars don't look the same, like, even to, like, F1, they have, you know, there's just Ferrari fans or Mercedes fans or McLaren fans. Like, people are fans of the cars, and the cars are international, too.

[A]

I did see that you went to the Met Gala.

[B]

I did.

[A]

Which feels like more F1 than NASCAR fair.

[B]

I'd agree.

[A]

Who did you wear?

[B]

Dior.

[A]

Dior. Why didn't you wear, like, a fire suit? It would have been so avant garde.

[B]

They invited me about three days in advance.

[A]

Really?

[B]

Yeah. Super quick. Well, I won Talladega.

[A]

You're a B list, Mac.

[B]

Well, so I won the. I won Talladega, the NASCAR race and everything, the week before. And.

[A]

And that was your first.

[B]

That was my first NASCAR wind. And. And, you know, the celebration, you know, kind of made its way on the Internet a lot. And so they just invited me right. Right after it. It was like a rush to just go find a suit, basically.

[A]

Yeah. Next year you're gonna wear, like, a fire suit.

[B]

That would be cool. We were joking that it would just be funny to wear, like. Like a Power Rangers uniform, like, completely just off the wall.

[A]

You could be like, you know, in Times Square, they have the people. You could be like a Chili's. You could be like a big Chili's.

[B]

That would be cool. Yeah, it would look good, at least. Hopefully I have a year to think about it.

[A]

Hopefully you get reinvited.

[B]

I know.

[A]

It's like. It's very.

[B]

It's tough.

[A]

It's tough. Some people, like, they make it once, they never come back. But I have high hopes for you because your career is, like, very much on the up and up. It must be so exciting to be very.

[B]

Well, it's fun. No, it's been very cool.

[A]

You've raced at a bunch of tracks. Are they different? Like, you know, in tennis, at Roland Garros in Paris, they have clay, they have grass. At Wimbledon, they have hard courts at the U.S. open and Flushing Meadows. Are the tracks different in NASA?

[B]

Yeah, all the tracks are different. So they're different shapes, different sizes, and different materials. Sometimes they have stuff grinded into them to age the asphalt or concrete more. And sometimes they stay really new for a long time. And then sometimes bumps develop because of, like, tunnels under the track and everything. So the track ages very weirdly, and it just changes the whole characteristics of the track.

[A]

So, like in tennis, it, like, changes how you bounce the ball. It changes how you have to move because of, like, grass versus clay versus hard court. How does it work?

[B]

Like, in nascar, it changes how we race each other because sometimes the lanes might be, you know, one lane might have an Advantage to the other changes how we set up the cars, changes how you drive and, like, your driving style. You know, elevations, uphill, downhill, sometimes more banking, less banking. Literally every track's different. You can't run the same setup at one track versus the other. You change it every track.

[A]

But you have the same car because you're using the same car. Basically.

[B]

Similar. Similar cars. So we have about seven cars that we kind of have on a RO. So like F1. They use the same car every week. Every week they race. Unless they completely crash it and total it.

[A]

Like, each driver has his own car.

[B]

They have their own car, but they only have one for their whole season. Basically is their goal is for. For us, we have seven that we can use because we race 38 times a year. So I'll race a car one week, and I might race that car again four or five weeks later. Because basically you're just kind of on a. Every three weeks you're getting. You're just alternating cars. No.

[A]

Do you have a favorite one? No, I guess.

[B]

No, not really. Just because you. You can't keep up cars. What?

[A]

Okay, we'll do a fuck, marry, kill racetrack. So Bristol Motor Speedway, Chicago street course, or the Talladega Super Speedway where you won your cup?

[B]

I'd probably marry Talladega. I'd probably. Probably kill Chicago street course and bang Bristol.

[A]

Bang Bristol. Because it's alliterative. Why would you kill Chicago street course? And what's the difference?

[B]

Just because you name two of the greatest ovals we have. Like, I like the street courses, but, like, you know, eventually there needs to be like a third on the totem pole here.

[A]

And street courses are like. They're actually streets that people in Chicago drive all the time. And they just close them off for the day.

[B]

Yeah, they just close them off, put walls in them, and race between the walls.

[A]

This is like Taylor Swift's wedding in Manhattan.

[B]

Pretty much.

[A]

We would be so mad in New York.

[B]

Yeah. That's why we don't do it in New York.

[A]

You couldn't do it. You wouldn't want to do it.

[B]

But Chicago, I mean, they still get mad.

[A]

I think you won your first cup there at Talladega, and we have a little video of it. This is what got you invited, I guess, to the Met Gala.

[B]

Met Gala, yeah. Which is o. Odd. Just. You never think anybody from Talladega would get, you know, have any sort of correlation to the Met gal, but where is Talladega? In Alabama.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

I've never been in the middle of Alabama.

[A]

Okay. Okay. So this is a. You've won. And then after you win, you guys do this, like, victory.

[B]

Yeah, we did. You. You just do whatever. Normally people just do little burnouts and everything, but in this ice, I sat on the door of my car, rode the car in front of the fans so they could see me, hear me, and like, I could wave and do everything. And then I drove the car while I was sitting on the do into the wall and did the burnout that we normally do inside the car. Just. I did it on the door.

[A]

And a burnout is like, literally you, like, burn out.

[B]

Yeah, you just hold the car wide open and spin the tires and you're just seeing the smoke. So you just try to burn out all the rubber.

[A]

Well, we'll watch like a little bit. We cut this down. But this is you. So you're like literally outside and you're a very tall, lucky human and you're outside of the car window, like, and you're somehow. Your foot is still on the clock.

[B]

Yeah, I'm putting my foot on the. On the gas and just mod, you know, just moving it.

[A]

Okay, let's play,

[B]

uh.

[A]

Oh,

[B]

and a burnout.

[A]

So you wanted to crash into that wall?

[B]

Yeah, I wanted to hit it against the wall and then do the burnout right there. That's. That's a common burnout we. That people do is just do a burnout right against the wall that holds against it to just make all the tire smoke that you see.

[A]

Was that in your mind that, like, the first time you win a cop, you're going to do that and has any done that before?

[B]

No one's ever done that. Dale Earnhardt did it, but not for like a win. His. He. He had mud on the car or on the front windshield, and so he rode on the door and rolled down the straightaway and he cleared and he got out and cleaned the front windshield himself and then got back in. But nobody's ever like, rode on the door, like, just. Just driving down a straightaway and you

[A]

know, and it's still Earnhardt Senior because

[B]

he had a. Dale Eart Senior. Yeah. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Who also raced. Yep.

[A]

But now has a podcast.

[B]

Now has a podcast and is retired.

[A]

Yeah. And he really likes you.

[B]

He does.

[A]

You're his favorite, too. Are you everyone's favorite?

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

Are you used to being. Are you one of those people that's like a teacher's pat and everyone's favorite and like your grandparents favorite?

[B]

I guess. I don't know. But it was cool. It's cool for me because Dale Jr. When I was a kid, he was my favorite driver.

[A]

There's a moment before you win where the. How do you call those people? Correspondents, Sports. The commentators.

[B]

Yes, yes.

[A]

The commentators are talking about. You're saying thank you to some people and they say, oh, he sounds emotional. Emotional. Were you emotional?

[B]

Yeah, I was super excited. Just super like relieved of like, just weighed all, you know, just super light in the car and, you know, just all the emotions just kind of came in.

[A]

Did you cry?

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

I was super excited.

[A]

Yeah. Do you often cry when you're. When you win?

[B]

No, not. Not normally, but this one was just. Just super big.

[A]

Famously, you've had a great mentor in your career, as well as your boss currently. Yeah, but someone named Brian Clausen, right?

[B]

Yeah. Brian Clauson.

[A]

Yeah, tell Brian Claussen.

[B]

Yeah, so he helped me when I was quarter midget racing a lot. And Tim Clawson, his dad. Him. Him and his dad. So they helped me throughout, you know, kind of quarter minutes for a while and everything, you know. And then just a few years after he pat passed away in a racing accident. But, you know, I still talk to Tim all the time and how this all kind of ties together, which is super cool for me, is Jeff Dickerson used to be an agent. He used to be Brian's agent when he raced nascar because Brian raced NASCAR for a while. So Tim and Jeff have a great relationship. Brian's dad, just because Jeff was Brian's agent. So Tim owns a sprint car team, which is what Brian raced. And Spire now has a partnership with that. So we get to kind of collectively all. I get to be a fan of their sprint car team. Spire gets to have a sprint car team that's partnered with Tim and it's kind of all with its own family, so it's kind of cool.

[A]

Did you imagine that your life would get here when you were like a quarter midget? And you also used to do these stop motion animations on YouTube?

[B]

No, not. I mean, I always thought that it was possible and I always dreamt it was gonna happen. But realistically now it's just wild the fact that I had that confidence then.

[A]

What's up with these stop motion animations? There's this Gen Z YouTuber to NASCAR pipeline, you, Roger Carruth, just on YouTube,

[B]

you would just search up NASCAR stuff and just people were doing them. I never even thought about doing them.

[A]

You.

[B]

You get these NASCAR diecasts and with a kid, you always wanted to race

[A]

like these little tiny cars.

[B]

Yes. You always Want to. To race them as a kid and pretend you had your own races. And people thought, well, you know, I can make this video where it's stop motion and it kind of brings it to life and it looks real because you don't see hands moving around and everything. And they used to commentate it and make it look like it was a real race.

[A]

Josevar, Kenny, save it on.

[B]

One lap remaining for Carson Hosvar. Started at the back of the field today. I always just thought that was super cool, so I did it. And you know, everybody that's now growing up and, you know, getting towards NASCAR and stuff, that was around that time frame that YouTube was around when there was a kid. Yeah, they all, they all did it. Like, all my friends, that race quarter missions, we all compared our stop motions to each other of who had the best one or who won theirs and stuff. So.

[A]

Sorry, there's a siren right now. When's the last time you've been pulled over? Regular driving?

[B]

Covid time? 2022.

[A]

Speeding?

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Yeah, but it wasn't bad. I was like 8 over, so I thought that was a little cheap.

[A]

Did you get a ticket?

[B]

I did. That's the only ticket I've ever gotten.

[A]

Okay. How does it feel like you drive at 200 miles per hour with no speed limit, no speed bumps, no stop signs for a living. How does feel for you when you're just like in a regular car just driving down, you know, a street in North Carolina or in Michigan?

[B]

It's underwhelming for sure. It's just like, you know, well, just. You see all, like. I just like, see like, corners and like, want to like, cut them and run fast through them and think about, like, oh, like if. Especially if, like, all my buddies are, you know, we're driving somewhere. It's like, ah, I wish we could just like, race there just because you have that thought. But it's not like you'd like, like really good. Like, it's not like you ever forget, oh, my God, I'm on the road. Oops.

[A]

Yeah, I don't think you're gonna be

[B]

like, you don't like that? Don't forget.

[A]

How does traffic feel for you? You must hate it.

[B]

I do hate it. I'm not. Not a fan.

[A]

Yeah, not a fan.

[B]

I try to avoid downtowns as much as possible, like back roads and everything, just to avoid traffic.

[A]

What does road rage look like for you?

[B]

I'm. I'm actually not. I'm actually pretty good about it. I'm just not. I'M never in a hurry to be anywhere. I'm bad at being on time. But so with that, I. I just don't. I don't get, like, frustrated at anything. Most time I laugh at people that do dumb things on the road.

[A]

Me too. I'm also bad at being on time. And I'm also everyone's favorite. I think those things are correlated. Like, if people like you, you get forgiven.

[B]

Perfect. Yeah. You probably take advantage of it too.

[A]

Do you think that because you drive a car, you could fly a plane?

[B]

No, I think opposite, because I don't really am good with like, following rules and I feel like flying a plane. You need to be a definite rule follower if you want to fly a plane for a long time.

[A]

Why do you think you're so bad at rules? Falling rules?

[B]

I don't know. Childhood, maybe.

[A]

When did you know that about yourself? Childhood probably like when you remember a particular time or school.

[B]

Just sitting in school and trying to figure out how I can get out of tests and homework and being there. I'm just trying to figure out ways I can, like, smooth talk the receptionist to get them distracted and, like, find times that they would be distracted so I could walk out school and, like, trying to figure out ways I can, you know, turn in tests that don't have anything on them and pretend I was not there that day.

[A]

Are there any rules that you like?

[B]

No.

[A]

No. Do you like lines?

[B]

Lines?

[A]

Like, you ever wait in lines?

[B]

No, I hate lines. I doordash everything just because of that.

[A]

But then being on a team, you have to do some of these things, right? Like.

[B]

Yeah, you do.

[A]

When your boss, who you love.

[B]

Yes, I do love him.

[A]

Or when Tim asks you to follow a rule, you probably do it.

[B]

No, you try to. Well, I mean, that's not really like, rules. That's just like, I guess it's. I guess rules, but it's more just like meetings and stuff that, like, that's fine, but specific rules, they kind of let me do whatever.

[A]

What have you learned about, like, aggression or rule following or rule breaking? Like, what's your relationship between, like, rewards and rules?

[B]

Just, you know, it really depends what you're. What you're risking. If the risk, you know, definitely is lower than the potential of, you know, what you're trying to achieve, then, you know, just do it every time. If the prize is well worth the amount of risk that you're risking, then, you know it's just an easy gamble.

[A]

Even if it's low probability. But high return, high reward.

[B]

Yeah, high reward, low Probability you still high reward.

[A]

Do you feel yourself like calculating those things? When you see a corner, you see something. Is it just intuitive for you when you're driving?

[B]

Yeah, I've just done it for so long. A lot of it's instinctual. Like a lot of it. It's a blur to me. Yeah, it's hard for me to be like. Yeah, I remember exactly. I was thinking this, like most time in the race last week, I was singing because a song was stuck in my head. It's just a lot of instinctual. It's very similar to the analogy of you drove to work, but you don't remember the drive.

[A]

I recently was with Christian McCaffrey, the 49ers running back, running back, tight end, running back, football player. And we were both speaking at something in San Francisco and he was talking about how much tape he watches, like how much tape he watches of himself play football. It's like there's such a routine. Do you watch tape of yourself racing? No, never?

[B]

No, not normally. Unless it's like a cool highlight or anything. Yeah, no, I don't watch any tape. Honestly, I'm pretty bad at that, that. But I like to. I like to just kind of go in blind because it's all instinctual anyway. So I like to. I like to kind of go in blind to races and stuff just because it allows me to be present, you know, because the day, the track, the car is all going to be different that day. So I just like to be adapt to whatever, you know, I get that day.

[A]

Do you have a ritual, like, do you call your mom and tell her you love her before you get in the car?

[B]

No, but I get a coffee before the race. That's it.

[A]

It's basically the same thing.

[B]

Basically the same thing.

[A]

Basically sipping. But I'm sure, you know, your mom is.

[B]

That's my only superstition. I have to get a coffee before I.

[A]

Which kind of coffee?

[B]

Any kind. It doesn't matter.

[A]

You just have to have a coffee.

[B]

I don't even have to drink it. I just have to get one.

[A]

Okay. Have you ever gone and not gotten one and done well in a race still?

[B]

I mean. Yeah, I'm sure, but.

[A]

So there's one rule. You like the coffee roll? That's just.

[B]

No, that's not a coffee rule. It's a superstition. It's not a rule.

[A]

Okay, interesting. Have you ever broken a rule and then regretted it?

[B]

Probably none come to mind yet.

[A]

Think about it for a little longer.

[B]

I don't know. I feel like I feel like I don't have a lot of regrets. Yeah. I got to do the mistakes to learn to. You know, if they were even a mistake.

[A]

You have a ton of confidence. Like, do you think that's getting. Are you getting more confidence?

[B]

Everybody says that. I don't know.

[A]

Yeah. But I think it's good. I also have a ton of confidence, I imagine. Where do you think you got it from?

[B]

Delusion tv.

[A]

Delusion tv. Your parents, maybe. Sure. Maybe being everyone's favorite.

[B]

Yeah. Maybe that's just built over time. They just get away with a lot of things.

[A]

Do you think you're getting more confident as you get older or less confident?

[B]

Probably, yeah. No, I definitely feel like that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I don't know. I just, like, apparently, if you just know how to talk to people, sometimes it's just like, oh, you're so confident. It's just like, do people not talk anymore? Who.

[A]

Who makes you feel least confident in your life confident?

[B]

I don't know. Nobody.

[A]

When's the last time you felt insecure? Or someone who dressed you down like a girlfriend, you know, who's like, not in that kind of dress down, but the other kind of, like, I don't know.

[B]

I don't. I don't get nervous. I don't know. Confident? I don't know. Honestly, probably, like, I was probably the most nervous. I. I guess the least confident I've ever been was at the Met Gal. Yeah. But just because I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know what. I didn't know what I was walking into. I guess if I don't know what to expect, I'm not confident, at least until I'm in the environment.

[A]

And did you have a date at the Met Gala or did you go solo?

[B]

No, I actually brought one of my best friends just because his mom, like, that was her. That's her Super Bowl. So we both got to, like, you know, I got to bring my best friend, and both of our moms were, like, on cloud nine.

[A]

You didn't want to invite your best friend's mom? I guess it's not a good luck.

[B]

That's weird.

[A]

Yeah, it's a bit strange.

[B]

It's weird.

[A]

But you felt comfortable within.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah, because we just both were like, we're so lost. And, like, our moms are, like, texting us, like, how big of a deal this is. Oh, my God, we're on tv. This is cool. And then it's just like, okay, I don't understand this world, but I'm learning it.

[A]

Do you ever have imposter syndrome? Do you know what that is?

[B]

No.

[A]

Have you heard that term?

[B]

I've heard of it. I've heard of it.

[A]

Do you know what it is?

[B]

Explain.

[A]

It's like, when you feel like things are going so well and you're like, maybe, you know, you're sitting there and you're, like, interviewing the president, and you're like, why am I doing this? Or, you know, it's my. My corollary to that. But do you ever feel like you're in these? Like, I don't know, is there a better. Is there a better definition of imposter syndrome? Anyone?

[B]

Don't speak at once. I think you shouldn't be there because, like, other. Like, other people deserve it more than you or something.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Someone else's shoes or.

[A]

Yeah, you're not quite, like, you're not qualified to be doing what you're doing. How did I get here? This should be me. You feel like a fraud.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Okay. So.

[B]

No, I don't know. I don't. I don't think I've ever. I don't know. I. I think it's more so shocking at times of like. Like, I get it all the time of, like, I can't believe, like, a NASCAR driver's doing this. Less about I'm doing, if that makes sense. Like, going to the Met gal, I was just like, I can't believe. Just, like, winning a NASCAR race like, allowed me to, like, come here and stuff like that. So I guess, kind of. But, like, not like, I can't believe I am doing this over another NASCAR driver. Like, it's just. Just NASCAR in general.

[A]

I'm sure you're like, if any NASCAR driver is doing it, it should probably be me.

[B]

Yeah, I kind of have that kind of thought.

[A]

Do you have a lot of haters?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Do you like them?

[B]

Yeah, I mean, I like. I like that there's. You people are either on one side or the other side.

[A]

What's your relationship like with your haters? Are they motivating? Are they annoying? Are they, like.

[B]

No, I just think it's funny. No, I just think it's really funny, and I get to enjoy it. And I like getting under people's skin a lot.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So, no, I. I enjoy it. I enjoy, like, we have, you know, NASCAR fans are probably super passionate, and, you know, compared to a lot of other sports, they probably rank really high on, you know, passionate for their guy. So it's cool, like, how loud they get or, you know, how, you know, many boos you might get. So it's. It's cool to see the opposite side.

[A]

Can you hear them when you're in the car? You can hear boos and stuff?

[B]

Not. Not quite. Luckily I haven't gotten a lot of booze lately. But the spotter, sometimes when he's talking. Who's the spotter? So the spotter is the guy that will say like inside, outside.

[A]

The referee kind of person.

[B]

No. So it's similar to. During that clip.

[A]

Oh yeah, the clip.

[B]

The Dale days of Thunder when they were playing that. Similar to that. Sometimes when they're talking, if like I make a move for the lead sometimes you'll hear the crowd, like because he'll be standing near the crowd.

[A]

And you have like a one to one spotter relationship. Like you have a spotter that's with you all the time?

[B]

Yep. Yeah. Like in the race and stuff? Yep.

[A]

And that's like a good relationship?

[B]

Yeah, super good.

[A]

Yeah. You guys have a shorthand and stuff. Like when you're at it, when you're going wild, what does he say to you?

[B]

We have like code words and stuff that like just that way he know like I know of like if I'm going off the rails or something.

[A]

Do you have like a safe word like avocado or something?

[B]

Superman.

[A]

Superman. And what does that mean?

[B]

Stop talking. Relax like you're fine.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Like if, like if I get like frustrated or something like Superman's like the safe word.

[A]

He says Superman too.

[B]

He says Superman to like chill out.

[A]

I like it. There's one guy, Zane, help me with his last name.

[B]

Smith.

[A]

Zane Smith.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Who's a fellow NASCAR driver and I saw a video of you and he was asked if he likes you. He's kind of like, I don't like him. He doesn't like me. This is four days ago. What happened? What's the drama in the NASCAR world? Tell me the tea.

[B]

I don't even know. It's very one sided to me. He seemed very frustrated or mad about something. He tried to wreck me last year. I spun him out and wrecked him by accident and so he tried to wreck me and missed.

[A]

You did it by accident?

[B]

Yeah, I hit like a bump and like got loose and like I almost wrecked like if he wasn't to my outside, I was gonna spin myself. He just happened to be my outside. He like took a swipe at me but like I saw it coming so I just moved over and he missed. And then last week was like the first time I've ever really seen him. I was in Front of him. And he went into the corner, like wide open, like holding the throttle down. Like gonna miss the corner completely. Completely. Like, I don't know what any of this means.

[A]

Can you.

[B]

So as if there was a. As if you're road raging on a guy and there's a stoplight, the guy stops for the stoplight. The guy behind that's road raging does not stop for the stoplight. So he can run into the guy as hard as he can to destroy his car. But the problem is because you do that, you also destroy your own car.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So he didn't do a very good job at like trying to wreck me.

[A]

So he did that to you?

[B]

He did that to me. Most of the time the car gets hit in the back is not as damaged as the car that gets hit in the front in street accidents. That's pretty much the same in nascar. So he destroyed his own car more than his own. He wrecked himself. Then he went on a podcast and played tough guy. I guess we had like a little NASCAR hauler meeting because they wanted it to like, like squash the rivalry.

[A]

Oh, NASCAR hauler meeting.

[B]

So like a NASCAR hauler meetings. As if you're with going H O L L E R. Yeah, like, so like a trailer like where they, where they bring. Like it's basically their conference room. It's just a traveling. Because it's a traveling series. And so they brought us in there because they, they told me that they just, they didn't even know what was going on. They just saw what he did and thought there was a lot more to the story.

[A]

So you got pulled into the principal's office.

[B]

Got pulled in the principal's office. So they brought us into the principal's office and they're like, you know, they're like talking of like, we need to chill out. You guys need to learn how to race each other. And I was like, I don't, I don't care. Like, I don't. I don't even know what this is about. You know, wreck me again, you're over two. Try it again. I don't care. My crew chief told them they're not a factor to us. We don't care what they do. So it's very one sided.

[A]

So did you like this?

[B]

I just thought it was funny. I was laughing. Like, I got to talk to the NASCAR officials after. And we were, we were all laughing.

[A]

Is he 6 foot 4? The same? Is he as fast as you?

[B]

No.

[A]

Poor Zane. Okay, we have this video. It was in a NASCAR analyst show. Eric Estep. Yep. And. And this is him kind of, I

[B]

think, talking about analyzing it. Yeah, he's like. He's like our. So probably NASCAR's Stephen A. I guess, or I don't know. Yeah, NASCAR news guy.

[A]

He's the guy.

[B]

I've always wondered how other drivers feel about Carson Hos of our social media presence, because as a fan, as a commenter, I love them. I think they're funny, charming. I think they're witty, usually. But I've always wondered, drivers who may be on the receiving end of a host of our hurricane, how do they feel about those social media posts? Do they get a. Do they get a chuckle out of them as well? Do they roll their eyes and move on, or does it drive them crazy?

[A]

They're showing some memes of your social media, one of which is Leonardo DiCaprio. Yeah. Yeah. And it says. What does it say on it?

[B]

I think it said, I will succeed because I'm insane. Yeah, that was funny.

[A]

Okay, so how does it feel to be on the other side of a host of our hurricane? How do you think, empathize with these people on the receiving end? Answer Eric's question or what I think

[B]

the other guys think. Oh, I think they probably hate it.

[A]

It.

[B]

They're probably just annoyed because, like, it doesn't, like. Like, I can get under their skin, but, like, anything they do doesn't faze me. Like, I'm. I'm just unbothered. But, you know, similar to, like, the Zayn thing. Like, says, like, I'm, I guess, like a coward for talking on social media, but I said to his face, I don't care. Yeah, like, I was sitting right there.

[A]

Is it all motivating for you?

[B]

I mean, it's not really motivating. It's actually, like, almost embarrassing when the guy that's, like, 23rd in points is, like, getting compared as your rival. Like, I think he's, you know, good and talented. His car is just not super fast and whatever. But, like, I'm just like, ah, damn.

[A]

What are you in points?

[B]

Eighth.

[A]

Eighth.

[B]

So we're okay.

[A]

Okay, we'll fight with number seven or nine.

[B]

Yeah, we'd much rather be with them or at least someone, like, his comebacks are lame and, like, I really couldn't, like, bother to, like. Like, there's some guys that, like, I have gotten, like, run ins with and, like, it's funny to, like, mess with them or, like, funny, like. Or sometimes they'll, like, clap back and, like, I love it. Like, I think it's funny and I enjoy it but like his is just kind of lame and, and like I wasn't entertained. I more so left the like when I was seeing it online. Like everything he was saying and stuff, I was just like, does anybody even like gonna care about this or like even think this is entertaining?

[A]

Like Eric Estab cares.

[B]

Yeah, but he didn't even name Zayn.

[A]

He did name Zayn.

[B]

There's a whole thing.

[A]

He showed the quote. It was all like a quote card. We just didn't want to, we didn't want to play that guy's podcast for long.

[B]

But. No, it's funny.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But I, I just, there's sometimes where I'm just like, I just don't even want to bother with this guy or this guy or this guy. So. Yeah, I much rather like being run ins with that. But you know, if it's going to be one sided, whatever, it could be 23rd in points or 30th in points. I don't, I don't care.

[A]

Does all this stuff like you getting outside of the window? I mean we're talking about how NASCAR is different to F1 was. It's really hard to. That it's, it's harder to have like a brand or a bandwagon in nascar right inside the car, inside the helmet.

[B]

It's tough to give. It's. You have to work hard to be a fan in nascar realistically like it, it's tough to, it's tough to get drawn to a driver. You got to like really do. You gotta do your homework basically. You gotta do your research. You gotta have, you gotta push through, you know, of, of liking the sport without a favorite driver and then, and then find a favorite driver. A lot of sports, it's kind of the opposite. A lot of sports you get, you know, you see a cool storyline or you see something that has a relation to you, whether it's a city or a country, you're already given the reason to start watching.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Nascar, you know, it works backwards, which is really difficult.

[A]

So all this stuff that you do, like getting out the window, being seen,

[B]

it makes it a little easier to bandwagon.

[A]

Yeah. Your social media. Yeah. And are you thinking about that? Is that strategy? Because earlier you said like, you know, rubbing.

[B]

Yeah. I mean all that's just for competitive advantage. But truthfully I just enjoy doing all that stuff. You know, I grew up around YouTube, I grew up around streaming and all that stuff and just basically have fun for a living. So a lot of my friends are able to do that and I Just get to be a part of it and enjoy it and have fun and, you know, do what I enjoyed watching as a kid. So I know YouTube. It makes sense to me, you know?

[A]

Do you still consider yourself like, a YouTuber and a social media creator? Content creator? You think everyone has to be that?

[B]

Yeah, I mean, everybody pretty much has to be that.

[A]

Do you think Dale Earnhardt, when he was there, would he have been. Would he.

[B]

I think he'd be hilarious on Twitter. Or not. I mean, I think. No, I think Instagram would be hilarious. I think he would be the guy that. There's a professional sports player that used to be super good. I forget his name. I'm not. But all he does is just weird selfies, and it's hilarious. It's. I forget who it is, but I just saw the other day, and they're just like, yeah, looking good, you know, looking good, pal. Like, one of the. The greatest in sports. And I forget his name.

[A]

Okay. If you think of it, well, you can text us and we'll put it in. So one of my favorite things I've seen on your social media is that you created, like, a fanfic of you and Sabrina Carpenter. She was on snl, and she's kind of saying, like, she's talking about a guy, and it's like, he's 6 5. And they're like, what's. You know, what does he do? And she's like, it doesn't matter. He's 6 5. And they're like, what's his name? And she's like, doesn't matter. He's 6 5. And then you showed yourself one.

[B]

In short, I'm 64 and 3 quarters. I'm so close.

[A]

Oh, my God. Everybody, Every guy has to add 3/4

[B]

to their height because I'm so close.

[A]

Are you serious?

[B]

I'm still serious.

[A]

Do we have a tape measure here, guys? Okay, let's see, let's see.

[B]

I'm pretty sure I'm six four, three, four.

[A]

Pretty sure. It went from certainty to sure. Let's see. You have to take off your shoes. Okay. Okay, let's see. Six, four is recorded. That would be desa. Can you check? Because you're tall. Like, we're the ioc, the Olympic committee. Yeah.

[B]

I'd say six, four and a half, maybe from the top of its head.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Oh, so I'm a quarter off.

[A]

A quarter off. Not bad. Okay, I'm gonna put this away. So you six, four and a half.

[B]

So that would be rounding up if. And grading on a curve.

[A]

Okay. You still have a crush in Sabrina Carpenter?

[B]

I mean, who doesn't?

[A]

But you got a girl now, right?

[B]

I have a friend.

[A]

You have a friend?

[B]

I have a friend.

[A]

Tell us about your friend, can you?

[B]

Yeah, I have a friend.

[A]

Does your friend have a name?

[B]

Yeah, Tabitha.

[A]

Tabitha, yes. And does your friend get scared when you raise?

[B]

Yeah, she does. I don't know why, but yeah, she just gets nervous and. Yeah.

[A]

So she gets nervous when you take off?

[B]

She gets. Well, she says she gets nervous for like all her friends and stuff like of like, you know, a lot of them like perform or whatever and she just gets nervous for them, so.

[A]

That's sweet. Does that make you like her more that she gets nervous for you? Yeah. Do your parents worry?

[B]

My mom doesn't. My dad used to. He's gotten over it. I've just been racing for so long now.

[A]

Yeah, we started talking, we started the interview talking about Dale Earnhardt and kind of his like amazing racing career, but also tragic dad path on a track. I mean, are you scared of that? Are you scared of.

[B]

No. I mean the safety has, you know, grown so much and since 2001 especially, so. No, no, I'm super. Yeah. Totally different car though. Those, those cars are still super dangerous. Midgets, they're open wheels, super small, everything but NASCAR itself, those cars are super safe right now.

[A]

So you don't feel it's dangerous, but you seem like someone who like lives on the edge a little bit. Like you like a thrill.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Do you know Alex Honnold, the climber? It's kind of weird. When I watched that movie Free Solo, I was like, this guy's just not afraid of like, he just has that part of him turned off.

[B]

That's unbelievable. Yeah. No, I've just always just been super comfortable in a car and never really been scared of it.

[A]

Are you scared of anything?

[B]

Tights?

[A]

Heights?

[B]

Yeah. Yes, heights. Heights are scary to me, but that's about it.

[A]

Even at six? Four and a half.

[B]

Yes. Yeah. I mean, I don't know, just tall being at the top of super tall buildings or just. I mean it's just a lot, especially looking down and everything. And being on edge is just. Just difficult for me.

[A]

Yeah. Mark Cuban was my first guest and he too is afraid of heights.

[B]

Really?

[A]

Yeah. And he tall too. He's like. I think he's like six. He's gonna get mad at me if I say not. I think he's six' three. We fact checked your height.

[B]

I know. I mean that I don't. Have you ever done that before?

[A]

No.

[B]

So I'm a first.

[A]

You're first. You're the first. I end every episode.

[B]

This episode is supported by FX's the Shards, a seductive drama from executive producer Ryan Murphy. Set in 1980s Los Angeles, the series follows a group of glamorous, deeply entangled high school seniors drawn into a life of wealth, beauty, parties and excess. At its center is Brett, whose reality begin unravel when the arrival of a new student coincides with a series of mysterious murders. FX's the Shards premieres August 5th on FX and Hulu.

[A]

Out of Smart girl Dumb questions. Asking my guests, who is so knowledgeable in their sphere, what they are dumb about. What is a dumb question that you have that you don't know the answer to?

[B]

Just on anything.

[A]

On anything.

[B]

On anything. Literally.

[A]

You can also, like, pull out your phone. You can look through, like, some things you've asked your phone recently that you think are embarrassing.

[B]

We have a question that we ask all our friends. I didn't come up with it. Would you rather have unlimited bacon but no games, no games in the world, or unlimited games? Like games. Unlimited games, but no games, but no bacon? No bacon, but no games.

[A]

Wait, what? I don't understand. Wait, so you can have unlimited bacon?

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Like bacon the food.

[B]

Bacon the food.

[A]

And no games.

[B]

And no games.

[A]

Or you can have unlimited games.

[B]

Unlimited games but no bacon, but no games.

[A]

But no games.

[B]

But no games.

[A]

Am I not getting this?

[B]

I'm being crystal clear. Hold on, I'll say it one more time. Unlimited bacon. Yeah, but no games. Or games. Unlimited games.

[A]

Oh, but no game. No game. No meat. No game.

[B]

No, but games. No games.

[A]

Does anyone else understand what's happening here? Like video games or like.

[B]

No, just games?

[A]

I don't get it. Is it both?

[B]

Yeah. Or both.

[A]

Unlimited games but no games.

[B]

Right. Crystal clear.

[A]

Are you high?

[B]

No.

[A]

I don't understand what.

[B]

No.

[A]

What's your answer to the question?

[B]

You wanted a dumb question.

[A]

What's your answer to the question?

[B]

No, that's the thing. You can't tell anybody else your answer. You just have to answer. What would your answer be?

[A]

I don't eat bacon. So I guess I have to live in the paradox of the second choice.

[B]

So you just get unlimited games but no games. Crystal clear.

[A]

Do you ever worry the fire suits are carcinogenic?

[B]

What does that mean?

[A]

Cancer causing.

[B]

I just have smarter people that worry about that stuff. Yeah, they just hand me a suit and I'm just like, cool, I'll wear that.

[A]

Okay. You don't wanna tell me the games Trick?

[B]

No, there's no trick. You just answer one or the other.

[A]

And your friends and you guys ask each other this question all the time.

[B]

All the time.

[A]

And nobody can tell each other to answer correct?

[B]

No, we hear the answer of the new person.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

But they don't know our answers.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

It's like an initiation. Yep.

[A]

Okay. And this is. Okay, great. I think we should end there. I'm gonna have to go ask ChatGPT about this.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And see if it has an answer. Can you ask ChatGPT actually pull out your phone.

[B]

I don't have ChatGPT on my phone.

[A]

What do you have?

[B]

I don't use AI.

[A]

You don't use AI?

[B]

No.

[A]

Cause you're so Gen Z. I don't know.

[B]

I just.

[A]

Do you hate AI?

[B]

No, I just don't. I just don't normally use it.

[A]

How do you find things out? Google?

[B]

I fake it.

[A]

You fake it. You pretend to know things you don't know.

[B]

You pretend to things. Yep.

[A]

That's what this show is all about. Not doing.

[B]

Oh, really?

[A]

Yeah. Smart girl. Dumb questions like be confident enough to be curious. You're confident, Carson, you can do it.

[B]

No, no. Just normally. It's just fun. You just make up stories.

[A]

So your hall passes. Sabrina Carpenter.

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

Does your friend have the hall pass?

[B]

No, but I don't give out the hall pass to myself.

[A]

No, but you ASU and your friend

[B]

haven't established that's not how that works.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

It's Dumb Question.

[A]

That's the show. All right. Thank you for being here, Carson. This is a lot of fun. Okay, I'm gonna start measuring all my guests now. I'm not sure if Desta at Wonder Studios was just giving Carson a little extra inch there. I don't know. But did seem I. It was. I was too short to see, but he was a lot of fun. I KNEW Nothing about NASCAR. Now I know more about NASCAR. But what a wild thing to be doing at 23. And I just enjoyed his personality and that he was kind of game for the whole thing. Anyways, if you know the answer, please drop me a DM smart girl dumb questions or aimarazzo. Or just email me naimarazzo101.mail.com you can also call us at 1-855-MY-UMB QUESTIONS with your dumb questions, but try to make them less dumb than Carson's dumb question. Also, you can find Carson on at nascar. I guess you can find him outside of the window of his car and you can find him at Carson House of our on Instagram or Tik Tok or all the places. I think you can find his friend Tabitha there too. She's a big time tiktoker from what I can understand. That's it for this episode of Smart Girl Dumb Questions. I hope it was a fun one for you as it was for me. And I hope that you don't too are as tall as Carson Hosvar. This episode was produced with Sanjay Nigam and Melissa Lee Gibson. It was engineered by Jamie Van Corf, edited by Davy Chin. It was shot with Dustin Wonder AD at Wonder Studios, this amazing place where I film out in Manhattan. And I'm your host, Naeem Marraza. I'll see you next week for an all new Smart Girl Dumb Questions.

[B]

Sam.