Is Hocevar & Heim NASCAR's Next Great Rivalry?

Summary

The Dale Jr. Download

Episode Title: Is Hocevar & Heim NASCAR's Next Great Rivalry?
Release Date: June 26, 2026
Host: Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Dirty Mo Media/SiriusXM)

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Dale Jr. Download explores the rapidly developing rivalry between NASCAR talents Carson Hocevar and Corey Heim. Through candid conversation and firsthand insight, Dale Jr. and his guests break down pivotal moments from recent races, discuss the nature of respectful competition, share behind-the-scenes perspectives, and reflect on what makes a great driver. The episode seamlessly blends humor, storytelling, and deep-dive analysis, offering fans both entertainment and education.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Rivalry: Hocevar vs. Heim

(Starts ~02:33)

• The show launches into a lively discussion about rising stars Carson Hocevar and Corey Heim, focusing on a recent incident during a restart where Heim spun out after contact with Hocevar.
• Dylan Hart sets the scene, recalling the tense moments after the race and asking Heim why he took so long to return to pit road.

Corey Heim:

"I just went really slow and I just enjoyed the views... I was, like, throttle whopping at fans and waving at home... just embracing it." (03:32)

• Heim shares how satisfied he was with his performance despite the setback, noting how he savored the moment and humorously fantasized about celebrating in unpredictable ways if he had won.

Memorable Heim Moment:

"If I do win, I tell you exactly what I’m doing. I’m going to roll over to turn seven... and I’m going to jump in the water and have a Navy guy come get me out." (04:40)

• The group reflects on the healthy respect and friendly competitiveness between Heim and Hocevar, suggesting the rivalry is genuine but sportsmanlike.

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2. Mutual Respect & Handling On-Track Incidents

(06:47 – 08:26)

• Heim admits he feels at peace with the incident, calling it "four years coming," indicating long-standing, heated competition rather than a one-off grudge.
• Dylan Hart inquires about any post-race communication between Heim and Hocevar, leading to banter about schedules and cell service. Heim jokes about the difficulty tracking down competitors for a chat.

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3. Direct Conversation with Carson Hocevar

(12:01 – 14:24)

• Special moment as Carson Hocevar calls in, joining the conversation in real time.
• The duo banter about street course racing versus ovals, sharing that both seem to excel on street circuits due to their defined boundaries and higher chaos tolerance.

Hocevar:

"Brother, I think I’d do good at a street course... these guys have perfected turning left, so I think I’d have a little bit more even." (12:31)

• Light-hearted exchanges about racing styles, pit stops, and upcoming race plans.

Hocevar:

"Next year we’ll find out what’s next. Vega, Talladega, you know, our track, our spot..." (13:57)

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4. Sportsmanship on the Track: The ‘Giving Back the Spot’ Debate

(17:52 – 19:56)

• The panel discusses Tyler Reddick’s decision to give back a spot after contact, analyzing whether this is admirable or detrimental.
• The consensus is that while most drivers would "just say I’ll apologize later," Reddick’s move is emblematic of his fair-racing character.

Race Analyst:

"If I have to give you my honest opinion, 99% of the field would just say, I’ll apologize later. But that’s who Tyler Reddick is and he wants to race fair." (18:12)

• The group acknowledges that such gestures are more likely when there’s a gap to the next car and no risk of losing multiple positions.

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5. Luck, Skill, and Unpredictability in NASCAR

(20:07 – 21:57)

• The panel reflects on how even the fastest drivers (e.g., SVG) sometimes fall victim to bad luck or unavoidable incidents, even if they are dominating on speed.
• Example: SVG in the garage after being taken out through no fault of his own, demonstrating the unpredictable chaos of NASCAR.

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6. Behind-the-Scenes: How NASCAR Diecast Cars Are Made

(21:57 – 28:09)

• Fascinating dive into the logistics and craftsmanship behind creating diecast models of race cars, from post-victory photography to meticulous approvals, modeling, and hand-applied decals.
• Reveals the four to six-month timeline for a new model to reach consumers and the challenges posed by factors like the Chinese New Year and factory peak seasons.

Diecast Expert:

"A 24 scale will have roughly 18 different parts and pieces... the body of the car is decorated by hand through these water slide decals." (24:56)

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7. Recognizing Talent: The Making of a Star Driver

(30:09 – 35:46)

• Deeply personal stories from racing veterans on how they recognized Jeff Gordon’s talent immediately—his rapid adaptation, mature car control, and unusual ability to describe car performance.
• Compares greats like Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart, highlighting their advanced "racing bandwidth" and communication skills.

Racing Veteran:

"The great champions have an ability to take describing the car to another level... when I go in the corner, I feel like the weight rolls over to here, and then it’s in right front…" (33:18)

• Industry wisdom such as Roger Penske’s comment that top drivers "look out of a bigger windshield."

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Highlight | |-----------|---------|----------------| | 03:32 | Corey Heim | "I just went really slow and I just enjoyed the views... just embracing it." | | 04:40 | Corey Heim | "If I do win, I tell you exactly what I'm doing... I'm going to go jump in the water and have a Navy guy come get me out." | | 12:31 | Carson Hocevar | "Brother, I think I’d do good at a street course... these guys have perfected turning left..." | | 18:12 | Race Analyst | "99% of the field would just say, I’ll apologize later. But that’s who Tyler Reddick is and he wants to race fair." | | 24:56 | Diecast Production Expert | "A 24 scale will have roughly 18 different parts and pieces... the body of the car is decorated by hand..." | | 33:18 | Racing Veteran | "The great champions have an ability to take describing the car to another level..." |

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:33 – Discussion kicks off with the Heim/Hocevar rivalry and race recap
• 03:32 – Corey Heim describes the post-race cool-down and emotions
• 04:40 – Heim shares humorous potential post-win celebrations
• 12:01 – Live call with Carson Hocevar
• 17:52 – Conversation about Tyler Reddick’s sportsmanship decision
• 21:57 – Diecast production process detailed
• 30:09 – Stories illustrating the early recognition of champion-caliber drivers

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Episode Takeaways

• The Hocevar-Heim rivalry is shaping up as one to watch, marked by mutual respect, contrasting personalities, and great on-track entertainment.
• Professionalism and sportsmanship remain valued in NASCAR, with incidents like Tyler Reddick’s showing that fair play sets some drivers apart.
• Luck is as much a factor in racing as skill, and even dominant drivers can be sidelined by unpredictable events.
• Making the legends’ diecast cars is an intricate and labor-intensive process, reflecting the detail and commitment of the industry.
• Spotting the next star is about more than speed—it’s about maturity, communication, and a higher mental bandwidth.

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Fans of NASCAR and motorsports will appreciate the blend of candid storytelling, behind-the-scenes revelations, and the joyfully competitive banter that defines this episode.

Transcript

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[Dale Jr.]

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[Corey Heim]

Is it time for the Winner segment?

[Dylan Hart]

Speaking Speaking of rivalries.

[Corey Heim]

Speaking of rivalries. That's a good transition.

[Dylan Hart]

Hang on, hang on Let me ask you one thing, okay? After the race. So leading into this 67 restart. Are we going to restart? Right? Leading 45 gets bias driving the chicane. 67 rolls the center a lot quicker than you do. Gets in the back heavy and spins out, right? You drive back to 19th after spinning out after the race. We're always on guard when stuff happens, right? Like, I'm on channel two. Like, Dan's our car chief, cj, all the guys. I mean, hey, be at the car because I don't know what's going to happen or, hey, watch this guy, because I'm not sure what's going to happen. I'm standing on the roof and I don't see you. And I don't see you, and I don't see you. There goes 67. So I'm like, okay, well, he didn't go by the 67. What took you so long to get back to the. To back to pit road after the race?

[Corey Heim]

So I, you know, I crossed the line. I like, kind of took my helmet off, took my gloves off and everything, and I just went really slow and I just enjoyed the views. Like, I was like, yeah, I was like, throttle whopping at, like, fans and waving at home and everything because, like, a lot of them were cheering and, like, they're probably like, yeah, first lead lap finish on a road course.

[Sponsor/Advertiser]

Congrats.

[Corey Heim]

I'm sure they do that. Yeah, they. But no, I was just, like, I was just growing super slow. Like, I was like, we're not gonna come back here or a good shot of not ever maybe experiencing this. And I was. I was just really happy with my performance and everything. I felt like we did a really, really good job on, like, the car and direction. And so, like, I was, like, really content with, like. And we, like, went back forward. Like, we ran down the pack and then passed some more cars to get some more spots. So I just went really slow and, like, got to, like, just embracing it. Embrace the. Brace it with fans and, you know, I look like a parade lap on a local night. Like, I was waiting and I was like, you know, they probably thought you won the race. No, seriously, I was like, yeah, I was joking. I was like, man, I was not robbed of victory. Yeah, but the, you know, the fans were. Yeah, you know, they were going to see the greatest celebration of all time. Because I was. Somebody asked me, they're like, ah, you know, what happens if you win? What are you going to do when you win? And I was like, number one. I was like, bro, of Course I'm not winning, but I was like, dude, if I do win, I tell you exactly what I'm doing. I'm going to roll over to turn seven and I know exactly where a gap is. I'm going to stop my car, I'm going to roll out, I'm going to run over towards the aircraft carrier, and I'm going to go jump in the water, and I'm going to have a Navy guy come get me out. And then I'm just going to just try to go find the aircraft carrier or I'll go try. And I wanted to go drive. I knew exactly where a gap was. I was like, man, what if I went into the center of the military base past the guys?

[Dylan Hart]

What they are.

[Corey Heim]

No, no, not past a damn. A.

[Race Analyst]

No, no.

[Corey Heim]

On turn seven, where you are now, turn five, you like where the buildings were. And you could turn. The bus was. No, you could turn left where the hangars were and stuff.

[Dylan Hart]

Okay.

[Corey Heim]

I was just wanting to turn left and just go see what was around there. And I was going to go do a burnout there. I was like, I'm just going to go do a burnout in a random spot on this racetrack that they wouldn't expect me to just go do a burnout. I was just going to do it right in the military, like right in the middle of the racetrack. Right route and it. And do it. I mean, I probably got like, they would have not been thrilled about me. They probably wouldn't even had cameras there, but somebody with an iPhone would have saw it. They would have been pumped. So that's where I was like, you know, that's why I just kept reminding stuff like, I was not robbed. Yeah, the industry was, but it was gonna be. But no, I was just really happy with my performance, how fast we were, everything that I was just like, you know, I. I kind of like had the talk pre restart 2 to myself of just like, I don't know, for whatever reason, like, I wasn't like. I was just like, you know, this is all gravy. This is all house money. You know, just, you know, whether, you know, late last restart of the day, we're leading the race at a road course.

[Dylan Hart]

Yeah.

[Corey Heim]

Not really on strategy. You know, a little bit on strategy, but we went, you know, the strategy got us from third to first.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[Corey Heim]

Like, all right, well, I'll call it not strategy.

[Dylan Hart]

Yeah, strategy plus a good car.

[Corey Heim]

Strategy plus good car, the whole deal. But no, I was. But that's why I was really slow as I, you know, I had my helmet off and everything, soaking it in. Do you think we're gonna fight?

[Dylan Hart]

Not necessarily. I mean, the way. The way you didn't say anything on the radio after it happened, I knew. You're okay.

[Corey Heim]

No, I mean, I felt like that was. I felt like that was four years coming. Ish.

[Dylan Hart]

Yeah.

[Corey Heim]

And I was like, all right, fair. Yeah.

[Dylan Hart]

Have you had a conversation with him at all?

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Sponsor/Advertiser]

Denny said you asked for his number.

[Corey Heim]

I did.

[Sponsor/Advertiser]

He didn't know what happened.

[Corey Heim]

I did. No, I was wondering that.

[Sponsor/Advertiser]

Yeah. He said on his show that he. He thought you were just like. Then he saw what happened. He's like, oh, I had no idea.

[Corey Heim]

Nah, nah, I'm. I mean, obviously he. He is very good and I'm looking forward to racing his ass off for, you know, 20 years. But, like, I don't know. I. I do enjoy racing him. Like, like on the truck side. Like, I remember Texas. I, like, looked down pit road to look at the Tricon trucks and like, I looked over and I was like, I wanted to see who was in the one this week. And I was like, ah, it's not him. I was like, okay, we'll win this week, no problem. You know, I think we can beat him, but like, it's just like it's, you know, it's going to be probably between me and him, or I think the Tricon trucks are probably the best trucks, but he's definitely by far the best at like, taking advantage of them.

[Race Commentator]

Yeah.

[Corey Heim]

And everything.

[Dylan Hart]

For sure.

[Corey Heim]

So. But no, I was. But also too, like, I probably would have been more like, damn it. You know, other places. But like, road course. I was like, I was just happy. I was fast. Like, I'm just. I was just happy. I was enjoying it and everything. And I was just in a good spot that week and everything. But I was. I was just pumped that we were fast. That was ultimately the goal.

[Dylan Hart]

Yeah. Good weekend on the 77?

[Corey Heim]

It was great. Yeah. I was happy about it. Yeah. We're fifth in practice, got stage points,

[Dylan Hart]

whole shebang, almost got SVG in qualifying.

[Corey Heim]

I know if I didn't miss that chicane. I overdrive the chicane.

[Guest Racer]

Yeah.

[Dylan Hart]

At least you both did it. Like, if you're so.

[Corey Heim]

He did it too. So that's what made me feel at least somewhat better too, is that he did it too. Like, he wasn't thrilled with his lap. So I was like, okay, well, like, I'm not thrilled with my lap, but neither is he.

[Sponsor/Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Corey Heim]

So if he is his best lap, it would have Been better than mine. So I'm like, I. Deserving second. Yeah, deserving second. But, I mean, it was good.

[Sponsor/Advertiser]

So you. You were going to talk to him today, but he's out west, so unavailable. So will you reach out to him or.

[Racing Veteran/Expert]

No?

[Corey Heim]

Well, I mean, I was excited to do the interview. I was excited. I was. Do the winter segment here, but, you know, they must not have cell service in California. Can't call in time zones. Time zone. Oh, time zones. Yeah. Nine o' clock there. It's early. I mean, I had. I had a good few questions. Yeah, I was ready to go. I was gonna ask him what his next cup race was. I was excited. Go racing?

[Sponsor/Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Corey Heim]

What?

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Corey Heim]

No, I just didn't know. I was like, I bet he's on. I wonder if he's on the entry list.

[Dylan Hart]

He might be in the truck race.

[Corey Heim]

He wasn't on the entry list. There is no truck race this week.

[Dylan Hart]

No Wilkesboro.

[Corey Heim]

Be the next one. When is his next cup race? Chicago.

[Sponsor/Advertiser]

Chicago. Two weeks.

[Corey Heim]

This is calling me now. Hold on. Hello, brother.

[Guest Racer]

Are you talking about right now?

[Corey Heim]

You're on the air right now. Because, like, I'm. We're recording right now.

[Guest Racer]

Oh, well, that's even better.

[Corey Heim]

Yeah.

[Guest Racer]

Or do I need to call Envy? The link.

[Corey Heim]

Hit the link. They're. They're saying hit. Hit the link so they can get, you know, they. They want to be able to put you in the thumbnail.

[Guest Racer]

All right, stand by. I'm coming.

[Corey Heim]

All right, pause. What a guy. Well, so he calls me on every podcast that he, like, does and everything and guest appearances. So he called me. Well, he does his podcast at like 7:00am so, like, Dale does his at like 8:30. 8:30, maybe.

[Dylan Hart]

It's a dad.

[Corey Heim]

Cletus does it at like 7 and whatever. And so legitimately, the Monday after Tall Day, he calls me and he's like, I don't know why I didn't answer. Like, bro, I'm like, I'm in bed. So then.

[Sponsor/Advertiser]

Because they're not active drivers. That's why.

[Corey Heim]

Well, I. I know, but like, so the next week he calls me and, like, it wakes me up. But like, I was. I look over and he's like, you know, I was like, Cletus McFarlane calling. And I was like, I didn't answer last week. I gotta answer. So I swipe and I go. I go, man. He's just like, what are you doing? I was like, I'm up, man. Or he's like, are you up? I'm up. What are you doing? And I, like, do this with my eyes. Like, as I'm waking up, I look around and I'm like, what am I doing? I don't know. I'm just up. And I died laughing, going back, but, like, I 100% just woke up. I had no idea. I had no idea that, like, I was in a daze. Cliffs, do you hear us?

[Guest Racer]

Yeah, I gotcha. You got me.

[Corey Heim]

Yeah, I got you. Well, so you call me all the time on the podcast, and I'm here. I got Tyler Green. He's filling in for TJ Majors. I'm Dale. Dale Jr. This week. I just figured I would call you. Did you watch San Diego?

[Guest Racer]

Absolutely.

[Corey Heim]

What do you think of the street courses? Would you be able to put. Would you be better at drifting around the street courses or driving a NASCAR around it?

[Guest Racer]

Brother, I think I'd do good at a street course. You know, it's a little more my style, so I. All these guys have perfected turning left, so I think I'd have a little bit more even.

[Corey Heim]

So I, weirdly enough, feel like I'm way better at the street courses than I am the regular road courses because I have defined limitations of where I gotta go. You can only go to the outside wall and the inside wall.

[Guest Racer]

Huh.

[Corey Heim]

I kind of see that basic plus chaos.

[Dylan Hart]

Less drive and chaos.

[Guest Racer]

Yeah, I mean, well, you're just a. You're a natural winner. You know, you're Carson freaking Host of our. So obviously, you know, here how much that. That makes a lot of sense, but I do agree. And, you know, I started out in road course racing versus, you know, this turning left in an oval situation turns out way more complicated than it looks. So I like the idea of just here's. Here's where you got to go. And I'm. I can hit an apex, you know, I can't necessarily run the groove in the perfect.

[Corey Heim]

Tell you what, I tell you what, there's less pit stops in. In road course racing.

[Dylan Hart]

Less.

[Corey Heim]

Less green flag entries for you.

[Guest Racer]

That could be very helpful in my case.

[Corey Heim]

That's so good. That's pretty much all I had for you, brother.

[Guest Racer]

I think next year we'll find out what's next. Vega Talladega, you know, our track, our spot. I'll be a dega in the. Nice truck.

[Corey Heim]

Oh, yeah, There you go. Nice truck. They almost had a shot to win that.

[Guest Racer]

I know. I was pumped, too. It's looking good.

[Corey Heim]

All right, brother. Well, thanks for jumping on real quick. That's all I have.

[Guest Racer]

Absolutely, brother. But you have a great.

[Corey Heim]

I had to Keep up the great work.

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

Thank you.

[Guest Racer]

Keep being a winner.

[Race Commentator]

I'm gonna try.

[Corey Heim]

I'm gonna keep it up.

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[Race Analyst]

I, I think it is a very Tyler Reddick move. I think he, that's his character in a nutshell. If I have to give you my honest opinion, 99% of the field would just say, I'll apologize later. But that's, I mean, that's who Tyler Redick is and he wants to race fair. And, you know, I think he, when, when Quarry was behind him and Quarry chose not to touch him, he felt the need to pay that back. And I think what he felt as though. And again, I'm trying to play psychologist here, but you know, what if, if I'm good enough to win, I'll just pass him back. You know, you got a rookie here that only got a few races. Surely if I can just put pressure on him, maybe he'll make a mistake and I'm just going to get him back eventually, so I'm gonna give it up. I, I, I, I I. He was ahead of me before I did him dirty. So I'm gonna put him back where he was, where he belonged. And you know, it's interesting, things like that happen throughout the Field all the time. The, the people don't know it and the TV doesn't tell the entire picture. Like Michael McDowell came over to me after the race. He's like God, man, I hate I put you in that bad spot. He's like, I hope you saw that two corners later gave me the spot right back. You know what I mean? So like. Which impeded his progress that he was making at the time. But he was like eh. I just, he's like, I just didn't feel good about it and he gave me the spot back. So that's, that's, that's the right way to race.

And, and this too, this was very much a race between Tyler and Corey at this time. The third place is 10 seconds back. So by Tyler letting him go, he's not affecting his, his, you know, positioning, falling to third, whatever it may be.

[Dale Jr.]

Yep.

[Race Analyst]

It's just those two guys, one on one, some other drivers in the field. We thought this was going to be an SVG day through and through, but he ends this one in the garage.

You know, this is kind of like this is, this is the. What the field needs to beat him is he's just going to have, let me just say this, if it's based off of speed and all that stuff, he's, he's, he would win every time. But in NASCAR sometimes you get unlucky and he got unlucky today and I've been frankly very surprised he's not been caught up in something in other races. But I think he's just been so damn fast at the other races. He's in control of it. He'll flip a stage and still be so fast that he makes it back into the top 10 field pits, he cycles back to the lead.

[Race Engineer/Mechanic]

So

[Race Analyst]

this is like the only way to beat him, you know. And it's not intentional. You know. Austin Hill overcooked. He overcooked turn one. You know, I kind of watched it, saw where he drove into, got on the brakes hard, got you know, just up the racetrack in the Conner. Talk about a nightmare year. By the way, freaking Connor. I sucks for him. I'm a big Connor fan but it's, he has just had just some luck and some learning curve year. It's just not been good all around. But you know, an SVG was just wrong place, wrong time and just you know, got bitten by the unlucky, wrong place, wrong time, NASCAR bug.

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

So you know, take me, take me from beginning to end in terms of either someone brings you a program that's going to happen or a car, the host of a win and the process and steps that that needs to happen

[Diecast Production Expert]

in that time frame, okay, they are, they are a little different. So when we're reacting truly to what's happening right. Right then, and then the car, it can be very, very planned out. So touch on the race win very briefly. So essentially we have a photographer that travels to every single race as a company that, that takes photos for others as well. Their job is once that car goes through victory, they take rotations of that car art and they send it to us by Sunday night. Typically, unless there's some uniqueness to the win, which we've had with Monster, we have some restrictions of what we can produce. So that that's a little bit different. But generally speaking, by Sunday night, that car is out and available for sale. We create item numbers depending on what happens, what track, what sponsor, what driver. We put that out to our customers. So when I say our customers, the NASCAR.coms of the world or the teams of the world, you know, the, the NASCAR hall of fame, anybody who sells Diecast. And then we also put it up on our site and we immediately begin accumulating orders. I'll pause there. On a normal car, what will happen is we will get car art from the team. The timing of that depends on what we've kind of touched on. Does the sponsor want to hold it back? Is, are they willing to work kind of in the background? When can we release the sales sheet? But essentially what happens is we get this, we get a piece of car. We then have to transfer that car art onto our template. Our template then wraps onto the wireframe which allows us to create a 3D, which is what you see on sale sheets or what you see online. We establish item numbers for it. It goes through approval process. So to make any car, we've got multiple licenses involved. We've got the team, which usually represents the driver, team, sponsor, although in historics and stuff like that, there, there could be multiple players in that space. We have a license with Goodyear that's an automatic. We have a license with NASCAR who has to approve it. And we have a license with whichever the OEM is. And so the OEMs typically have given us pre approval rights based on. Because they're really approving the marks on the car and the body of the car. NASCAR goes through and approves it, make sure everything, all their marks are in place. And then the team is obviously checking for the driver team and the sponsor side. So once the artwork is put on to our template and is put into that 3D rotate. That view that gets sent off, gets approved. Once we get approval, that gets uploaded to the factory. The factory then transfers it to essentially a decal supplier. So if you've ever done modeling, which we now have a whole category of models, There are the water slide decals. The kind of slimy little water slide decals. That's essentially how we decorate the majority of these cars. Um, and so a 24 scale will have roughly 18 different parts and pieces. So there's like the headlight area, there's the hood area, there's the roof flap. And somebody like the. The roof, when it gets put down, is entire decal. That somebody takes an x acto knife and traces the. Traces the flaps.

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

And that's on every single car.

[Diecast Production Expert]

On every single car.

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

So what part of these are automated or hand touched and done?

[Diecast Production Expert]

The deco is completely. I mean, it uses machines like it for. So for the marks on the windshields. That's a process we call tampa printing it. Basically, each station has a different color. So now they have multiple machines that do multiple colors. So, like, you can hit like, the black bar and then the white of the name on one machine.

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

Gotcha.

[Diecast Production Expert]

But somebody is taking that windshield, Putting it onto a piece. It slides down, hits multiple times, and then puts it into the finish tray and then takes the next one. And so, you know, but the. The body of the car is decorated by hand through these water slide decals. Primarily. There's. There's. There are exceptions. Certain colors are better to be done through tampo printing. The metallics have to be done as a separate decal. So if we have a metallic number car, which I think we've had over there. Yep. So that has to be done through a separate decal.

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

But.

[Diecast Production Expert]

But basically, after we've. We've put the sales sheet out, We've tabulated the orders, we've placed the P.O.S. the cars then get scheduled. So from P.O. to.

[Dylan Hart]

To.

[Diecast Production Expert]

To time, the ready to ship is eight to 10 weeks. It then goes in its package, which there's a whole other workflow for the package.

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

Yeah. For approvals of all that.

[Diecast Production Expert]

That has to come together at the time we have finished goods gets on a container already, gets loaded here.

[Sponsor/Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Diecast Production Expert]

And then we ship it out. So it's.

[Sponsor/Advertiser]

It is.

[Diecast Production Expert]

It is a very exhaustive process.

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

And so minimal. What can you do minimally in amount of time to make something happen?

[Diecast Production Expert]

Four months for a real production.

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

Like if you just had everyone's cooperation along the way.

[Diecast Production Expert]

And yeah, I Mean, you got at

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

least, of course you got to air freight or something.

[Diecast Production Expert]

But yeah, air, air freight would be in. So you're, you're at, I mean you're four.

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

Yeah, four, four months. And at. And in most cases where it's probably a six or eight month process.

[Diecast Production Expert]

Closer to six.

[Sponsor/Advertiser]

Yeah, six months.

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Diecast Production Expert]

There are windows. You know, the other thing we contend with is, and people have heard us talk about this Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year is a holiday that moves around.

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

Yes.

[Diecast Production Expert]

Because it's the lunar New year. And so it has about a three to four week impact on the factories. Workers start leaving early, they're gone for the holiday. Then they, they trickle back. So, you know, that affects things. And it, it falls right around our super bowl, which is Daytona. Right. So it always makes it really challenging.

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

Very challenging.

[Diecast Production Expert]

Yeah. You know, some, some years it's early, some years it's late. This year actually it was like almost right on Daytona, which was nice because you've got all that time to work up to the, the big race. So yeah, there's, there's all these factors that are kind of happening. Capacity, Peak season, we're at a toy factory. Right. So we're now entering peak season, which means there's a higher demand for workers. So we might have had a slightly better schedule going into this time of year. And now it's going to elongate by a week or two weeks for, for these things.

[Dale Jr.]

All right. Don't forget about stopping by the online merch store. We have some new stuff dropping called the Zero to Freedom line. Good clean on the front and on the back you got the American flag with a bunch of. Looks like some Gen 5 race cars. Check it out at shop.dirtymomedia.com A couple of those new shirts will be on there for you guys to enjoy.

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[Podcast Guest/Former Racer]

Ray when did you kind of know that Jeff Gordon was going to be somebody or be a star? Early on?

[Racing Veteran/Expert]

First time I ever saw him drive, right? So the first time I ever saw him drive live, I used to watch him on Thursday Night Thunder. I was like this kid is before

[Race Commentator]

you were born again.

[Race Engineer/Mechanic]

He was.

[Podcast Guest/Former Racer]

I know what it is though.

[Racing Veteran/Expert]

I was looking something I I'm actually gonna drive a midget indy tomorrow.

[Podcast Guest/Former Racer]

Really?

[Racing Veteran/Expert]

Bc39 advertisement thing but I got the fire suit out and I was like, my fire suits older than you? Yeah, you wait.

[Race Commentator]

It better be approved.

[Racing Veteran/Expert]

It's better have those. My old IROC fire suit, you know,

[Race Engineer/Mechanic]

I think it's like 10 years or something, right? That's allowed. Yeah.

[Racing Veteran/Expert]

Well yeah, this is from, from 1980.

[Podcast Guest/Former Racer]

Well if it's older than me, it's at least 25 years old.

[Racing Veteran/Expert]

This is 1987. So. So. Andy Petrie was doing a program at that time with Leo Jackson's son in law and they said hey Phil and Steve Barkdahl and they said will you come down and help us with this kid? Because I had left IROC and I was trying to run all my own stuff. I was building cars and trying to race and all that and we came down to Charlotte so that would have been 90, 1990 and we had one car, right. And it was a Buck Baker School Car, a Pontiac with a Chevrolet V6. And it. We didn't have the Buick powerful motor, eight tires and wheels had borrowed everything. And Chuck Bowne was there, and he was the reigning champion at that time. And we got at Charlotte, you know, they got to observe Jeff to, you know, say he's approved for the race. And I said, chuck, will you just check this car out? And so he goes out and drives around. He goes, no, that's okay. Good for the kid. You know, talk to him a little bit. And so Jeff gets in the car, and I don't think anything of it. I climb up on top of the hauler. The radio's on. He's sitting there. He's like, just sitting there. And I'm like. And his hand comes out the window, and he goes. He motions, you know, come down. I go down the ladder. I was like, what's up? He goes, how do you start this? So, you know, we go,

[Race Commentator]

what a. Whatever.

[Racing Veteran/Expert]

But he went out. I guess what I'm saying is he went out, and then I think it was less than five laps. Maybe it was more than five laps. I don't know. But regardless, he was running about a tenth of a second faster than what Chuck Bound had run with the car. And he got in the bumps. Remember, the bumps used to be low at Charlotte? Got in the bumps, gets completely sideways, Just straighten something out, keeps going. I said, hey, man, come on in here. Let's talk. And he comes in, I go, you all right? He goes, yeah, I'm all right. Are you all right? You know, I said, you can't keep doing that, you know, it'll be. You can't, you know, or you won't be all right, you know, and he just was so good all day long. But his, you know, talking about Corey Heim, Jeff's maturity inside the car was like a different person outside the car. He's breakdancing, playing with a Game Boy. He. I mean, he had. But inside the car, yeah, Game Boy, yeah. Yeah.

[Race Commentator]

But you don't even know.

[Podcast Guest/Former Racer]

I almost bought a Game Boy Lego set yesterday to make all this stuff from the 90s.

[Race Engineer/Mechanic]

90s is popular.

[Guest Racer]

Yeah, it's coming back.

[Podcast Guest/Former Racer]

I'm not bringing back low rise jeans, though.

[Racing Veteran/Expert]

He. Well, I'll. I'll tell you a story about. He used to tuck his shirt in those long jeans, too. So I still bust him about that. But his ability, you know, through my years at iroc, the one thing that I learned, the. The great champions have an ability to take describing the car to another level. And you've worked with people, you know what I'm talking about, right. And they. They go another level in description of what they're feeling or what the car's doing. And you're like, whoa, this kid is. I knew he was his ability to drive the car and then describe what it was doing. Like, things like, hey, when I go in the corner, I feel like the weight rolls over to here, and then it's in right front. And then as I'm getting to the gas, I feel honestly like the left rear is driving, has this thing got a locker in it, you know, stuff like that, you know, And I'm like, he's never run Charlotte before. And going probably faster than he's gone, you know, in that Midget. And boom, boom, boom.

[Race Commentator]

Tony Stewart was the same way when he first drove with me.

[Racing Veteran/Expert]

You're like, there's. It's just a different level. They've got a different dimension in what they feel.

[Race Commentator]

I watched a clip on Tony last night. I don't know what show it was on, but he described the. Some things. It's like, I wish all these kids would listen to this. I gotta go find it and post it. But it's a.

[Podcast Guest/Former Racer]

Post it on what?

[Race Commentator]

I don't know. I can tell my guy to post it. But, yeah, it's the. Again, the select few have that know all these things that can then pick these cars apart and do the things that need to be doing. I mean, Kyle Larson's.

[Racing Veteran/Expert]

Yeah, another one of those guys.

[Race Commentator]

Ones that fit. Fit in there. You know, it's.

[Racing Veteran/Expert]

Well, again, going back to that, slowing the game down, like a second to you and me is one thing. A second to them is much different. Yeah, much different. You know, like, I mean, I drove.

[Dale Jr.]

I don't know if you drove much, but.

[Racing Veteran/Expert]

But, you know, the point is, I'm driving around there and all I care about is not wrecking.

[Race Commentator]

Right.

[Race Engineer/Mechanic]

You know, like, mostly because it was

[Race Commentator]

your car and you didn't afford. You couldn't afford to put it back together in the beginning.

[Racing Veteran/Expert]

But the ability to do that and think and describe is that difference. And. And Roger Penske has a good saying about, hey, they look out of a bigger windshield. And that's really what it's about, you know, like, they're. You know, Jeff used to be able to think about positioning on the racetrack and. And getting ready to pit and. And saving fuel and doing all those things at the same time, leading those races.

[Race Commentator]

Yep.

[Race Engineer/Mechanic]

I. I call it higher mental bandwidth in sports car. I've gotten to Work with some gentlemen drivers and a lot of very high level pros and cons within the first five minutes on the radio. I can tell you who's who, even if you haven't anything about it. Just because they're so good at describing every little piece. And it goes back to your process discussion too. As a mechanic on pit lane, if I'm listening to a driver describing this, this, and this, I start thinking in my head already, all right, we're probably going to have to move the bar. We might have to get these springs or do.

[Podcast Guest/Former Racer]

Yeah, it kind of almost makes everybody better because you kind of already know

[Race Engineer/Mechanic]

what's coming up and makes your car faster. Yeah, you got to have those top level people to do do that.

[Podcast Guest/Former Racer]

Yeah, that's such an. Like, I. I'm just thinking about where we started with that and then where it ended and just the whole breakdown of how far into.

[Racing Veteran/Expert]

You're ready to go back racing.

[Podcast Guest/Former Racer]

No, I'm not. I'm saying, like, I'm genuinely interested in the breakdown of it all. Am I done racing?

[Racing Veteran/Expert]

You're done.

[Podcast Guest/Former Racer]

I. I guess I'm like Tom Brady retired is what I call it.

[Race Commentator]

You are not Tom Brady.

[Podcast Guest/Former Racer]

I'm semi retired.

[Dale Jr.]

You.

[Racing Veteran/Expert]

You want to go run a midget tomorrow?

[Podcast Guest/Former Racer]

Yeah.

[Race Engineer/Mechanic]

All right.

[Racing Veteran/Expert]

I. I'll call Doug Bowles and say

[Podcast Guest/Former Racer]

hey, tell him I'll do inset. Yeah, my fire suits. SFI approved too.

[Sponsor/Advertiser]

My.

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

Probably at this rate.

[Racing Veteran/Expert]

I think I just brought that out because I know if a spark hits, it'll just go poof.

[Race Commentator]

Oh, yeah, it'll disappear all right.

[Dale Jr.]

That was another episode of the Dirty 30 presented by Arby's new Meat in Three box. Get more meal for your money. At Arby's, we have the meat.

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[Podcast Guest/Former Racer]

Why have we asked our contractor we found on Angie.com to be our kid's legal guardian? Because he took such good care when redoing our basement that we knew we could trust him to care for our kids.

[Sponsor/Advertiser]

We only met a month ago. Angie, the one you trust to find

[Diecast Production Expert]

the ones you trust.

[Sponsor/Advertiser]

Find pros for all your home [e-mail].