Women's Motorsports Network Podcast & Let's Talk Racing LIVE
Women's Motorsports Network Podcast shares the stories of women involved in motorsports from around the world. The first episode was in 2018 and new episodes are added each week. Feel free to suggest potential guests to Melinda at melinda@wmnnation.com.
Let's Talk Racing LIVE airs on Wednesdays at 7pm EASTERN TIME on the Women's Motorsports Network-A Media Company Facebook Page.
https://www.facebook.com/womensmotorsportsnetworkandpodcast
Melinda Russell
Women's Motorsports Network Podcast & Let's Talk Racing LIVE
Let's Talk Racing LIVE: The Van Avery Family Story
The heart and soul of local racing lies in its family legacies, and few families embody this spirit more than the Van Averys. In this candid and heartfelt conversation, Jesse Van Avery Sr. and his son Jesse Jr. open up about their multi-generational racing journey at Galesburg Speedway and beyond.
Jesse Sr. shares how he practically grew up at the track, watching his father race before eventually sliding behind the wheel himself in the mid-90s. Now competing in Street Stocks after years in Late Models, he's currently leading the points championship – a first in his decades-long career. Meanwhile, Jesse Jr. recounts his introduction to racing at 15 when a local racer let him hot lap a front-wheel drive, sparking a passion that has now spanned nearly a decade across multiple racing classes.
The conversation takes a poignant turn as they discuss the recent loss of Adam Van Avery – Jesse's brother and Little Jesse's uncle – a talented driver beloved throughout the Michigan racing community. With gentle humor, they share how Adam was nicknamed "Jeff Gordon" at their race shop because he'd simply "show up on Saturday, put on a helmet, and drive the wheels off the car" while everyone else handled the wrenching. In tribute, all the Van Avery cars now sport purple paint schemes and the number 2, creating a unified "Purple Deuce" team identity.
This weekend features the Adam Van Avery Memorial Race at Galesburg Speedway, offering $2,222 to win plus a mystery position $1,000 bonus from Snyder's Lawn Care. Coinciding with the track's autograph night and backpack giveaway, the event promises to celebrate Adam's memory with the racing community that has embraced the Van Averys as family.
Join us trackside this Saturday as we honor a racing legacy while creating new memories in the sport that binds generations together. The Van Avery story reminds us that in racing, the trophies may collect dust, but the family bonds forged in the pits and on the track last forever.
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/womensmotorsportsnetworkandpodcast
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/womensmotorsportsnetwork/
LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melindarussell/
TIKTOK: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melindarussell/
X: https://x.com/IWMANation
FACEBOOK Personal Page: https://www.facebook.com/melinda.ann.russell
Hello everybody. We are live. We are a couple minutes late. You know how technology goes. It never goes as good as you think it's going to. But I've got my guests on that, I can hear them, they can hear me, so that's all great. My guests tonight are Jesse Sr and Jesse Jr. That you know. I don't ever call him Jesse Jr, I call him little Jesse, but I don't know if he really likes that or not, because he's pretty little, but anyway, these guys are family to me.
Speaker 1:Jesse's going to be or already is really a grandchild. He's marrying my granddaughter and that makes his dad family as well. So welcome to the show family. We're going to talk to these guys tonight about their racing careers, about how they got started in racing. We're going to touch a little bit on Adam Jesse's brother, little Jesse's uncle, that we lost in the spring, and they're having a memorial race for him at Galesburg on Saturday. So we're going to touch on all of those things tonight. And so, guys, I want to welcome you to the show and I appreciate that you were willing to come on and and talk to me about your racing career and how you got started. So, jesse, senior, I know you started before little Jesse did, so why don't we start with you? I know you started before little Jesse did, so why don't we start with you? Tell me how did you get involved in motorsports and and who got you started? And then, why did you pass it down to little Jesse?
Speaker 3:Well, I pretty much grew up at Galesburg. Ever since I was born I pretty much there with my dad. No-transcript work, but it's time with family, it's the most. I mean you got one big family at the racetrack. Everyone gets along. I mean you have your ups and downs, but and then I, jesse, got into it and he's always wanted to learn how to do it and I just help him as much as I can with what we have yeah, so your dad was really the one that got all of you started then he was the first generation in your family that raced yeah, actually the Richter side.
Speaker 3:Might it had been my dad's uncle, uncle don richter. He started way back and that's the first one I know that was in the family that started okay, and so then your dad started, and he drove a front wheel drive to start no, actually he drove a rear-wheel drive road warriors back in the day.
Speaker 1:Okay, everything's changed, hasn't it? You know the names and the kind of cars, and and so yeah, it's. It's that's why I like to tell the stories, because people see you at the track week after week and and you guys are known, your name is known in the racing circles, and yet we don't really know how did you get there? And I love telling the story, so that's, you know. That's one reason I wanted to have you guys on tonight, so tell me what you're racing now now I'm racing the street stock.
Speaker 3:Hey, we had a running late model and it just a lot of work to keep up with those cars and a lot of time in the shop and stuff. But we moved down down a class. That's a lot more competitive, a lot more fun and it's something I like doing. I like to race with cars all together. I hate racing single file. I do not like it at all. It's boring and it's no fun and then you're just there just to show up it's not worth it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and really the street stocks are one of my favorite classes because they're always competitive yeah, we're all so close in time and it's no one's twice as fast as anybody else, and it's all, we're all together yeah, and you normally race at galesburg, but do you ever go anywhere else to race, or is that where you pretty much want to stick to? Well?
Speaker 3:this year I'm sticking there just because of what happened to my brother in the spring. I've raised since 95. I've never won a track championship and right now I'm leading it. I don't want to go anywhere and you know, you never know what's gonna happen in a car or it's track. I mean, my dad told me I got a backup car, but I don't. I want to do it my own. I do. I like going to kalamazoo. I've been to m40. I've been to bobville springport. I have raced um at corrigan when it was spartan speedway before. I've never been anywhere else other than them. I've been up to ottawa. I have been up there and raced up north. Yeah.
Speaker 1:But if you want to win a championship, the best thing to do is stick at the track Because, like you said, you could go to Kalamazoo for one of their big special races or something, and who knows what would happen, and then that blows your chances at Galesburg. And so you know a lot of people that race for championships or going for points stick at their track. They rarely go anywhere else. And so I saw you were leading points and and that's good. So what's your favorite thing about the racing? Why, you know it's expensive, it's time consuming, it's it's hot. In fact, you know I have a different background tonight, guys, because actually in arizona, at one of my daughters and it's only 108 here right now and it's, you know, four o'clock in the afternoon- so that's why my background's a little different.
Speaker 1:But um, you know, it's been hot in kalamazoo too, so why do you keep going back week after week?
Speaker 3:it's something I enjoy. I mean it's a lot of family time it's. I get to do it with my dad. I've always done it with my dad since I've started. I've always been there for him and now I got my kids into it and we're all there together. It's something we get to do together and spend all day together doing something that we like to do?
Speaker 1:yeah, exactly, and you got a lot of fans in the stands too.
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah, yeah yeah, there's a lot of them that walk up to me and talk to me and I don't even know who they are. Yeah, and then I can walk by them and they call me. It really hurts me when they call me by adam.
Speaker 1:Just they don't know the difference, so they they'll say adam, but I'll answer, just just because but yeah, yeah and and it's hard because, you know, maybe there's some people that don't follow racing as closely as we all do and they don't really know that he's not with us anymore, and so they see a van avery and a racer, and you did look a lot alike, and so it's understandable that there could be some confusion. Now your dad's racing again this year too yep, he's actually driving adam's car first time.
Speaker 3:I want to say seven years, I think he's been out seven or eight years he hasn't raced, and that was once that happened. He said he was driving adam's car this year. I don't know if he's going to keep going or he's just doing it for a memorial thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and how old is your dad, do you know? 67. Okay, so he's younger than I am. So he's still young, and he can be driving a car for a while yet.
Speaker 3:Yeah, with the seven years he took off. He always says after the races he's out of shape. But yeah, once you ain't doing it, no more it gets to you.
Speaker 1:Well, and you know, it's just like anything you do If you don't do it for a while, you lose your muscle memory and you lose all the little tricks and tips that you remember doing when you raced before. So you got to kind of get all that back.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's taken him a while. He's getting there, but he's still wore out after every weekend. But it's something he loves to do, so he's going to stay out there and keep doing it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it's great to see him out there driving that car. It really is so little jesse, we're gonna, we're gonna put you on the spot here now. So come on, tell me, do you like little jesse, or, or what? What do you really like? Because I'm going to be your mama.
Speaker 2:I want to call you the right thing uh, I don't, I don't know, I don't think it really matters. A lot of people come, a lot of different things, so I guess I kind of just roll with what feels good off your tongue. So okay whatever all right?
Speaker 1:well, normally I don't have both of you in the same room at the same time, so it's not a problem, but so I'm I'm gonna try to post the comments as they come up so you guys can see them and so you can see who's watching, and just so you know, a lot of times we have a lot of people that watch later, but we'll put the comments up as they come in. So, jesse, how old were you when you started racing?
Speaker 2:I want to say maybe 15, 16-ish when I first drove a race car, dave Yale, actually let me hot lap one of his front-wheel drives that he had. I think he had like seven or eight at the time.
Speaker 2:He let me hot lap one of them, and he felt I was good enough, I guess, to race it, so he let me race him a couple nights here and there. He felt I was good enough, I guess, to race it, so he let me race him a couple nights here and there. And then one eventful night over the I believe it was springtime, me and my buddy, billy, had rolled his Dodge Neon on ML and my dad first thing he said to me was does it still run? So I was like oh, I think, so I can ask him. So we ended up buying that and then turned that into a race car. I believe within a week had it completely stripped out and then cage in it, race ready. And then I don't think I've really missed punch racing since then, maybe minus of a year or two, I think so since I since I was 15, 16, I'd say- and how old are you now?
Speaker 2:24. 24. 25 in December.
Speaker 1:Yep. Yeah, so almost 10 years, eight, 10 years you've been racing, yep. And you started in that kind of car? What other series of cars have you driven, or?
Speaker 2:have you driven In 2020, well, 2019, that neon blew up and then it just those cars with all the wiring and computers. We don't know much about them. So we just decided to scrap that idea and had ended up starting to build a street stock over the winter of 2019, and then the whole COVID and everything happened and whatnot, and that street stock that I had partially built, me and grandpa put together, turns out to be adam's car that he's racing now so. But we ended up buying al johnson street stock, the professor. Uh, I believe it was still 2020. We bought that and I had raced it at Montville a couple times and ran for points down there, finished fourth, and then the year after that we just changed the body on it, did a couple updates and I think I raced that one more year, I'm pretty sure. And then we moved up to a template, I believe three years ago, and then kind of just been there and then I hopped into Street Stock a couple times, just here and there, but mainly just been in the template recently.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you drove Maddie's Street Stock. I think one time yeah.
Speaker 2:I actually drove Maddie's Street Stock a couple times. That trophy right there is with Maddie's Street Stock. I believe that one is with Al Johnson's Street Stock. I believe that one is with al johnson street stock. That's my favorite one, just because I uh, I like to say I beat brock ganas for that one, so I take pride in that one okay yep, and then I I drove, uh, my dad's street stock one night this year or last year.
Speaker 1:So yeah, I kind of bouncing around, yeah, but mostly, mostly, you're in the, the late model, yeah, yeah, and so you guys have. You know, adam was number two and that's still the number on the car that that grandpa drives. Um, you guys were different numbers, um 38 I know little jesse was and jesse, what was your number? Mine was 38 too. That's what I was thinking, but I didn't want to say it wrong. But this year everybody's number two and you want to share, jesse Sr, why you changed your numbers.
Speaker 3:Well, we were debating on doing it and we did it for Adam him passing away and then everybody wanted to know what I was doing. I wasn't sure and everybody asked me what I wanted in my car and we ended up getting a picture of the old Dodge Challenger that I haven't owned and Kevin England did the rap on it and I picked that car. I said that's what I want to go with. It's just something everybody liked. It stuck out, everybody loved it and we just everybody said once it all happened it was going to be the purple deuce coming out of the Vanity Race garage every car that we had.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it just was so fitting that that's what you did, for sure and then little Jesse, you changed your number as well oh yeah, I originally was going to change it anyways this year. It was going to be kind of a thing I was going to do. I was going to drop down to 19, just because it was kind of, you know, the 38 divided by 2, 19. And I thought it was going to be cool to roll with it. But then obviously change of plans, so yeah, I kind of had just come up with that one on my lunch break, I believe one day, and sent it to matt elsie to get it all made up and kind of dabbled back and forth with the design, and then finally I kind of liked it. So we stuck with it and then of course we had to go with the flung crazy purple.
Speaker 2:So yeah, yeah I thought it would really look good, really really good really good looking cars, for sure, both of them, you know they are.
Speaker 1:So I'm talking about your car. Your dad's car is different, but it's also very good looking car. So for those who maybe don't know about adam, let's just share a little bit about don't know about Adam. Let's just share a little bit about. You know why you're paying so much tribute to him? Because he was a well-known racer. He was known near and far and he was a great race car driver. So, jesse Senior, why don't we start with you what you know? Tell me a little bit about Adam and his history with racing.
Speaker 3:Well, his history with racing. As everybody knows, I mean as it knows us Adam goes by Jeff Gordon at our race shop. He shows up on Saturday, puts on a helmet and goes, drive the wheels off the car me, my dad and whoever else is the shop. We, we do all the work on the cars. Pretty much they'll show up and hand a wrench or tool. But other than that adam was jeff gordon. We call him. Every time he pulled in. He'd show up in the shop at three o'clock on a saturday and ask if he was ready to go. But that that's how he was. But I mean he could drive a car. Everybody loved him. He was a stand-up guy. He got along with everybody. He was was just somebody that you know very, very kid-friendly Great guy.
Speaker 3:I loved him. I just don't know.
Speaker 1:Well, I know you did, Not just because he was your brother, but because of the person that he was. I know that you did love him and he just. You know you could go to galesburg on any weekend and and think for sure, one of those van avery guys is going to be near the front or at the front, and adam was one of those that was at the front quite a lot yeah, like my dad always said, he was one of the luckiest, luckiest drivers out there.
Speaker 3:He I don't know what it is. I mean one night we went green down the back stretch at the green flag and he went three wide and passed half the field with no problem. I tried it one night. I blew a tire. I just ain't as lucky as he was when he drove Big shows. He always won big shows. I've never won a big show. I always end up breaking or something. But he's got the luck on his side or something. I don't know what it was.
Speaker 1:I have to laugh about the Jeff Gordon thing because, um, you know, there's not, there's, there's not a lot of guys that race that don't work on their cars. Really, most of them do. But every so often, you know, I come across somebody and I I interview mostly women and there's a lot of them that do work on their cars. But, um, you know, and I interview mostly women and there's a lot of them that do work on their cars, but you know the fact that he just showed up and he knew you were going to have his car ready for him, didn't he? He didn't question that at all.
Speaker 3:No, he'd come down at 3 o'clock Half the time. He'd forget his stuff at home and have to go back home and we'd all have to wait for him down here before we go to the racetrack. He never had nothing ready. He was always running late Anytime anybody's late. Now we just say we're running on Adam's time. It's how we all do it around here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and as hard as it is to lose somebody you know I lost my son, I get it. I get how hard that is and you go to the racetrack and you turn around and you think you're seeing I mean I've had that happen and then you look again and so I understand that maybe more so than some about how hard it is to go to the racetrack after you've lost somebody that you spent so much time with at the racetrack. Yeah, but the fact that you're there and you're, you're continuing on, you're showing your love and support of him even though he's gone, says a lot about you and your family for sure. So, uh, little jesse, tell me about you and your relationship with Adam.
Speaker 2:Oh, boy, I don't know. I think growing up he was of course always Uncle Adam and everything. But I think he was I was oldest. I never really had a bigger brother. I think he kind of took that role quite a bit. You know, he took me always to do the cool things, always bought me the cool presents on my birthday and everything. So that was always cool. But racing it was uh, I don't know, dad was more of a move get out of the way I'll, I'll just do it myself. Or you know he doesn't. He's more of a just kind of show me by failure than anything adam would just. You know, he kind of just shot it to me straight like hey, kid you gotta, you gotta do it like this, you know. So, uh, he was big, big in that part. I lived with him for quite a bit, so I got really close with him and everything. But uh, yeah, you know, yeah yeah, it's, it's hard.
Speaker 1:I know it's hard to talk about him too, some some. But you know, sometimes when it's not the dad, it's easier to teach the kid. Kids don't always think the parents know anything, even if it's about racing, and so for adam to be able to share and teach you was probably easier, because you know parents can't always be the teacher in that respect, right, jesse? Yeah, they don't think we, they don't think the parents know anything. So you know, that's how that goes, for sure so yeah, tell me now about the race this weekend.
Speaker 1:Um, tell me when it is, where it is, what you know about it and all the things, because I want a lot of people to come and show support this weekend at galesburg for that race we're having a memorial race for adam.
Speaker 3:For it everybody always says it's about the twos. It's for 2222 to win and then schneider's long carous threw in a thousand dollars for a mystery spot. It's probably drawn at the end of the night. Um, galesburg, it's something that we've always wanted to do. We're doing it. We had my dad do it all together. He tried to do it a different way and get lap sponsors and stuff. It just came up so quick and we haven't had time to do much. But my dad's got a trophy everything done he had made for it. Um, I got, I got a plan going. I'm gonna do something for his two kids there saturday night and see how that goes, and autograph night too.
Speaker 1:So yeah, hoping it goes good yeah, yeah, I wanted to mention this autograph night as well, and so that you know that always brings out a bigger crowd, you know for sure. And and the weather's looking beautiful in michigan for this weekend in the 70s and, and nice weather, which is something we haven't had a lot of this summer, so, um, it should be a really good crowd for sure. You know how. How have the other racers at Galesburg you know reached out to you, or whatever? You know, let's be honest, we're not always buddies at Galesburg when we're racing right and and yet, once the, the skirmishes in the pits are over and everybody goes home, the next week we're all back and we're friends again. So that you know, that's how it goes. But but how have the other racers you know reached out to you, and what has that meant to you guys? Jesse senior, let's start with you they.
Speaker 3:They've reached out in many, many ways all the help we could get that they've offered whatever we've needed. I mean it's a lot of family. I mean nobody knows Adam from Eve. I mean everybody shows up at Galesburg, no matter if you're there for the very first time. It's everybody turns into family in one night. You have problems. You come back the next day or you call them the next day and you're over switching out parts and it's just a big thing that everybody has jumped on board. For us, adam was a big, big part of racing in galesburg and got along with just about everybody there, always helping. We're always helping out people. Now we've got it in return.
Speaker 1:I mean it's not the way we wanted it, but it it's a lot of help it is, and there's no better family than the race family. We all know that I mean. You talk to anybody that they'll tell you race family is better than our own family at times yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 3:when we had adam's uh memorial walk at the hospital for his stuff, we actually had nurses coming out and telling us if they were going to have to move it, because they had never seen anybody or that big of a crowd at a hospital for a memorial walk. I said here's a big part. Everybody knew who he was and we're all together.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and people came. I think it had to be like 400 plus, I think there was a lot of people in there.
Speaker 2:I would say yeah, and people came. People came I think be like 400 plus I think there was. Yeah, there was a lot of people in there, I think I would.
Speaker 1:I would say yeah, and people came from quite a ways to come to be there, people that knew him, because you know, that was, uh, that was a chance for them, in that way, to to honor him and what he was doing. You know, he was donating organs and so he was, you know, going to save someone else, and that's kind of who Adam was. He thought about other people, not always himself, would you say, that's right? Mm-hmm, yeah, 100%, yeah, 100%. Little Jesse, do you have anything to add to that?
Speaker 2:I mean, I don't know Growing up.
Speaker 2:I was always in the pits and everything, so I got to see, you know, both sides. Along with that, you know there's going to be some fighting, there's going to be some beating and banging and there's going to be some nights that everybody goes home a little more pissed off than normal. But yeah, it has always been a cool thing to see, like uh just sitting there and you know you're waiting on your race to come up and you know four or five guys walk in the trailer to ask, hey, you guys got this, hey, you guys got that. But you know it's always we don't ever ask anybody else, but it's. It's definitely shows that you, everybody is there for the support and everybody is there to you know hard on the sleep type of thing.
Speaker 2:So yeah. Batch on. You know what you want at Galesburg, but I would say that they are. They're all a big family there. They all tend to do help each other, regardless of what happens week in, week out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'd have to agree with that, and a lot of times those smaller race tracks, like galesburg and, and those tend to be a little bit more close than you know. The bigger the track maybe, the less they're all family, but it's. It's a little different when you go to a a bigger track than it is, you know, like galesburg. So, um, what are you guys racing this weekend?
Speaker 3:I'm gonna be racing street stock, uh, my dad being his street stock. Uh, we was gonna talk about getting the other street stock together, but a lot of time is too hot this week to try to get it done. So junior could be in the race, but he'll have the late model. So, like my dad said, he adam drove in every class. So I mean, if we had a four-cylinder, we'd have somebody out there in a two-car and a four-cylinder.
Speaker 1:Right, yeah, yeah, for sure. So tell me, is there anything that we haven't talked about, about your racing, about your family, about Adam? Anything, galesburg, anything that I haven't asked you about that you really want to share? Jesse, senior, we'll start with you again.
Speaker 3:No, not really. I mean other than all the support we've gotten. I appreciate it from everybody. Actually, just I don't know if anybody's seen it on Facebook, but Bill Luck lost his dad and two weeks ago when I won the feature, they actually he dumped his ass just down the backstreet.
Speaker 3:I was very surprised. I wasn't sure what they were doing. I asked everybody because I didn't know. Just the other day he offered to buy my dad two brand new tires for the racetrack for this weekend for Adam's show. It's the first time Bill's been back to the racetrack in 10, 11 years to Gillsburg, other than when he used to come with Toby Montgomery and race. But I mean, like I said, everyone stepped up to help my dad out. There's a lot of people that sponsored it have come on board. There's people from I think it was Florida that sent him money. They used to watch him back when he started racing, Sent him money up to buy tires just to put in memory of Adam on the race car. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:That's, you know. Those are the things that a lot of times we don't know. We don't know you guys know, because it happens, but you know, and sharing, you know sharing the ashes at the racetrack for them. That was, you know. We did that, um, as well, and so that's, that's a way to know that every time I go to kalamazoo, um ben's ashes are somewhere there yeah so it makes you feel better for some reason.
Speaker 3:I can't explain it yeah, like I have one of the small urns, it's dip tied in my race car of Adam that I've had in there, I think, since like the third or fourth night, I mean he's with me every day right, right.
Speaker 1:And, like I said, there's times you'll turn around or something will happen on the track or off the track and you'll be like, oh, how did that happen? How did that not happen? That's more, more like it. How did I not wreck in this situation? And then you'll be like somebody's watching over me, for sure, mm-hmm, yeah, yeah, that's the best part about it, isn't it? Knowing that he's, he's looking over, yeah. So well, little jesse, is there anything else you want to share about yourself?
Speaker 2:and who's your?
Speaker 1:big buddy back there that is both.
Speaker 2:That is mine and kenneth's first dog. He's a great guy, yeah, yeah, you've got three dogs and some chickens at your house oh yeah, it's a pet zoo over here. It's great yeah yeah.
Speaker 1:So besides the race cars, they're, they're starting a farm, look out, yeah, yeah. So anything else you want to share, little jesse?
Speaker 2:Oh boy, I don't know there's a lot, but, who knows, never enough time. Um, I do want to say, uh, I do appreciate, uh, not a lot of people see all the help we get. It's not always just us at the times. You know Greg and Keith and their significant others that let them spend, you know, hours per week with us in the shop and everything, and you know it's not always the easiest spending all the miles in the shop and whatnot. So we do appreciate them. Teagan, he's pretty awesome. You know the guys that show up just on Saturdays, tim, he hauls the car every week for my grandpa and everything.
Speaker 2:So you know we greatly appreciate all that stuff and you know it's greatly appreciated, just know that do you have everybody always sees the, the little guys that are, you know, the hands-on people behind the scenes, so it's good to get them out there. And uh, yeah, uh, we had roll up ice cream and tea there on the car. Um, I just picked up. Uh, kid, I went to high school with my good buddy, brandon babin, and his dad just started a plumbing business. So if you have any plumbing needs, any of that stuff I think they just redid a bathtub. It looks absolutely immaculate. Give them a call. Those are good people, 100%. Sabrina Beebe, I believe, has her Pirate's Cove storage unit. I believe is on there as well. We got Zach Bone at Splashmasters. We got them across the deck. So, any power washing, home, maintenance, outdoor. I believe he does flooring too. I think I see it on his Facebook. So, yeah, we know a couple guys that know a guy that know a guy.
Speaker 1:Isn't that the truth? Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2:I know a guy, that know a guy.
Speaker 1:Isn't that the truth? Yeah, oh, yeah, for sure. I know a guy that can help you, for sure. Yeah, so any last words, guys, before I let you go.
Speaker 3:Other than everybody show up Saturday and let's celebrate something for Adam. Everybody knows him, everybody was a good friend with him.
Speaker 1:Let's show him some love. Yeah, absolutely. I hate that I'm going to. I love that I'm in Arizona and I hate that I'm in Arizona because you know I have a girl that's racing at 131 Motorsports Park this weekend that I interviewed and you know it never fails. I'm home all summer and there's really nothing that special that you know is happening, and then as soon as I leave, this race is coming up and then she's racing at 131. So that's the way it goes. But I'll be. I'll be watching and watching race monitor and and all those places to see how it's going and and keep track. Um, so I wish you the best of luck this weekend, guys. I always do, and hope you have a lot of people to support adam yeah, hopefully it.
Speaker 2:Uh, everything's good, so it'll be shining, supposed to be nice and cool. So, yeah, hopefully we'll give out a bunch of candy, a bunch of kids will show up and hopefully, yeah, go, yeah and the night one piece.
Speaker 1:That's always the goal, yeah, and the night happy. And, and I always told Ben, if your car goes home in one piece, you've been a success. So take your car home in one piece as well.
Speaker 1:So oh yeah, yeah, all right. Well, tina says she's gonna close out. Good luck, gentlemen. Tina Lewis, you know she's a, she's a good supporter of you guys too, being on, I really appreciate it. Yeah, and I'll let you go and and just, are you, you can hang out or I can let you go. I'm just gonna go over some results from last week. So if you want to hang out and correct me or make any comments, you're welcome to, and if you want to, if you want to go and hang up, you can. So either way, it's fine.
Speaker 2:All right.
Speaker 1:All right, thanks. So I'm going to start with Russell's M40 Speedway, august 5th. I want you to know that they're going to have a national night out, so this is um, not a race. It's vendors, food trucks, touch a truck, fire trucks, fingerprinting for kids, vendor booths are available. It's just going to be another way for a race to use their facility for the community, and so I wanted to mention that. So it's aug. August 5th, from 5 to 8 o'clock at Russell's M40 Speedway. So you know, you don't have to take your car down there, you can just drive down there and check out what they're doing, and that's all good. And then this weekend they're going to be running, I think, mostly their main classes the Mottville Stocks, the Factory Floors, the Road Warriors, the Extreme Stocks, the Street Stocks, the Michiana Vintage Outlaws and the Vintage Modifieds. And then the breakables are going to be the Michiana Vintage Racers and Tractor Racing.
Speaker 1:Now, I could get into tractor racing, jesse, because I drove a tractor. My dad was a farmer and I drove a tractor, so I don't know. I always thought lawnmower racing would be fun and I don't think I'd be scared to do that and I could probably race a tractor. I don't know. So I'm not going to be there, unfortunately, but that is something that sounds like a lot of fun is tractor racing.
Speaker 2:That's funny, keith Reed, that works on our race cars. Him and his wife actually used to race lawnmowers, so that's kind of funny.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's kind of cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So Kalamazoo Speedway last week they had some big shows and you know that track, just like a lot of the rest of our tracks, have rained out. But the late models models had a big feature last week. Um, billy shannon won the race from playing. Well, he's a kalamazoo guy through and through. Second place was mark shook, third was chris shannon, fourth was rick seneca and fifth was hunter jack. Kenny head came up sixth.
Speaker 1:Another uh, well-known name at kalamazoo, Mr Smooth, we call him. So the Outlaw Limited Late Models. The A feature was won by Bryce Bozell. I'm sorry, guys, but he's near and dear to my heart because I interviewed him and he's the nicest kid and he's just really a good race car driver and I can't wait to see what he's going to do the rest of his career because he's not very a good race car driver, and I can't wait to see what he's going to do the rest of his career because he's not very old. And so he won the outlaw limited late model race, followed by logan delray delray I think I'm terrible at these names third was jared blanchard, fourth was lewis miller and fifth was noah dubay, d-u-b-e-a.
Speaker 1:So that was at Kalamazoo Street Stocks. I think that was a really competitive race, because I know the Street Stocks at Kalamazoo can get pretty wild. For sure, colin Bozell ended up winning that race Number 11, that's a famous Bozell number and so Colin took the race, took the race win. Logan Maynard was right behind him, andrew rutherford was third, jeffrey town was fourth and that brock danis guy that you mentioned earlier, jesse, he was fifth. And so that was the street stocks at kalamazoo last week. And then the hornets, the b feature. They have so many of these cars there. I think I saw 78 different cars in these like Hornets. It's crazy.
Speaker 1:So first place was Caleb Harrison, second was Steve Thompson, third was Brittany Bennett. Yay for the girls. She got third. Fourth was Kyle Shannon and fifth was Bree Brady. So good racing there Again. If you don't go to your local track, you can go to kalamazoo on friday and galesburg on saturday, you can go to berlin, you can go to hartford m40. There are so many opportunities for us in this kalamazoo area to go to the racetrack. I talk to two girls and women all the time that drive two hours or more every weekend just to race, and we're so spoiled because you guys probably drive 20 minutes to go to Galesburg, if that yeah.
Speaker 3:So we're so spoiled yeah.
Speaker 1:So, the front wheel drive Warrior A feature. Matt Elsie Sr won that race Between he and his son. They win pretty much every week One of them does. Second place was Brian Gates. Third was Christina Rance, another part of that Elsie group. Fourth was Scott Elsie and fifth was James McDonald. So that was the results from Kalamazoo and they're racing this weekend and for some reason I can't find what they're having there. But anyway, go out to the racetrack. Racing starts on Friday night at like seven, 15 or so. So Galesburg Speedway we have covered this a lot, but, um, it's autograph night and it's a backpack giveaway, so it's one of the biggest nights at the racetrack, in addition to the Adam Van Avery Memorial race $2,222 to win the street stocks and a thousand dollar bonus from snyder's lawn care to a mystery spot. We didn't really cover that. Jesse, do you want to tell one of you what that means about the mystery spot? How does that work?
Speaker 2:um, I'm pretty, I'm pretty sure that it is uh, that it is a position will be picked upon arrival at the track, I'm pretty sure, around then. That way there's no predetermination on. You know who qualified where it's going to be. Before all of that, I'm pretty sure. And then, yeah, it'll just be one lucky guy from first to who knows however many cars show up. We'll get a nice little extra bonus on their checks at the end of the night, I guess.
Speaker 1:So I wonder if, like what, if you get wrecked out of the race, Are you still going to be eligible for that? I wonder. Yeah, I'm pretty sure. I imagine at this part, your number's probably in the pot.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm pretty sure. As long as you start the feature, I would think you know. Yeah, I would pretty sure. As long as you start the feature, I would think you know it's racing.
Speaker 1:So you know things are going to happen. Yeah, so I would think so too. So that's a big bonus for somebody, and what fun that'll be to just pull that name out of the hat. That'll be exciting for sure. So Saturday, the gates open at 3, practices at 4, racing's at 645. Get there early. It's probably going to be a packed night because there's so much going on and it's really good racing at Galesburg. Go and support my Van Avery family people there that are going to be there. So Berlin, go ahead.
Speaker 2:Bob had just commented from Snyder's Lawn Care that it will be. You have to finish the race.
Speaker 1:Oh, you have to finish the race.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm not sure how that works at your position and you know you wreck out if your position was called.
Speaker 1:But okay, interesting, you have to finish the race, okay, all right. So drive smart and drive well, so that you are finishing the race and then you have an option for that. That's great. Thank you, bob.
Speaker 1:So I follow Berlin because I have some friends that race up there and that, and so I like to share what they're doing. And then this week, the National Compact Touring Series, presented by Rebex, which is ran and owned by my friend, drew Jack. He was on the show last week. So this week is the Mental Health Awareness Night, and I love that they're doing this, and you know it's a big deal. We always say that part of racing is up here, it's not here. You know what's going on in your head has a lot to do with how you finish on the track. And so National Health Awareness Night at Berlin, saturday August 2nd, and the National Compact Touring Series will be back for another important night on and off the track. They're the ones sponsoring the Mental Health Awareness Night. So I'm just going to read what they posted, or what they sent.
Speaker 1:So what are we doing on this special event? It's simple we're asking every driver, team member, fan, official and staff member to be kind. Oh my gosh, kindness at a racetrack. What are they thinking? Kindness costs nothing, but it can mean everything. A small gesture, a supportive word or just treating others with respect can completely change someone's day, and that matters. Everyone struggles sometimes. Everyone has needed a mental health day. That's why we create a positive, welcoming environment and it's so important in racing and in life. Let's show what this community is made of. Let's lift each other up. Let's race with purpose. See you at the track. I really loved that post. That's why I wanted to share it, because we should be kind all the time, and it's hard, and sometimes at the racetrack it's even harder, and that's where we have to be purposeful about being kind and realizing that everybody we don't know what everybody's going through behind the scenes or before they got to the track, and so we need to make sure that we're kind and thinking about other people for sure.
Speaker 1:And then my last one that I'm going to share tonight is 131 Motorsports Park. Like I said, I just interviewed Mackenzie Hogan. She was actually in the motor home on her way to Martin, michigan, from North Carolina. She's going to be racing there this weekend. She's 16 years old, she runs a 2023 junior dragster, and so I'm just going to share what's going on up there because everybody's not a circle track buddy.
Speaker 1:You know I don't get it, because I love circle track racing and and I'll admit, I'm not a huge dragster fan, but I think it's because I didn't grow up with it. I grew up near Quincy, illinois, and it was dirt track and it was circle track. And then Benji raced in Macomb, illinois, and it was dirt and it was circle track. So I didn't grow up with drag racing, which I think makes a big difference. But I want to share it because I interview so many women that are involved in drag racing.
Speaker 1:So us 131 motorsports park we all know where it is. It's right up, the right up 131, from kalamazoo and it's the northern nationals presented by the gun lake casino resort. And it's saturday, august 2nd. Back for 2025 will be the pdra racing professional drag racing league and the baddest pro mod show in the country. You can go to their facebook page and get your tickets in advance, which will save you some money, and don't miss your chance to get discounted tickets to at the gun lake casino resort. So if you like going to the casino and you like racing, then you can get some um tickets cheaper at gun lake if you didn't lose all your money gambling. So so there you go, expect jaw-dropping nitro.
Speaker 2:This sounds like a lot of ways to lose a lot of money racing in the casino. Yeah, exactly I've had it, I've had it.
Speaker 1:Expect jaw-dropping, nitro drag racing and the fastest American-made machines on Earth. Tag your crew, share the excitement and get ready for the ultimate nitro showdown. Tag your crew, share the excitement and get ready for the ultimate Nitro showdown. So let me tell you if you don't have a place to go this weekend, there's no excuse not to be at a racetrack. 131, m40, galesburg, kalamazoo.
Speaker 1:Gingerman's got something going on over there this weekend. Hartford's coming up with something in another week or so. There's tracks all around us. There's no excuse not to be at a racetrack and support these local businesses, because they've had a lot of rain outs this summer and when there's a rain out they make no money, but they're still paying a loan payment, probably on their property, or a rental or whatever they might be paying, and so we have to support our tracks or we're going to lose them. There's tracks closing all over the country. So get out to Galesburg on Saturday, support that, take your bag so you can get it filled with candy and all kinds of goodies for autograph night, backpack giveaway, and there's just a lot of really, really cool stuff going on this weekend. So, um, I'm gonna miss it all. I'm gonna be in the 110 degree heat in arizona. But um, I'll be back next wednesday and um we'll. We'll just watch race monitor and all that to keep track of all you guys. So any last words from any of you, either one of you.
Speaker 2:No, nope, other than if you're not at Galesburg Saturday, I'm going to say you're probably going to be missing some good racing. I will say they do have really good autograph nights, always, always shows out, always a good showing for that, yeah it's all about the deuces. It is all about two grand on the line. So, yeah, yeah, you're not there. You're gonna be missing out, I think so yeah, absolutely well.
Speaker 1:Thanks again, guys, for being on. I really appreciate it. You know, sometimes the hardest things to talk about are the ones that make us feel the best when we're done. Hopefully this has been good for you to share about Adam. I'm glad we're going to have a great weekend that we can honor his memory. Go out and win that race. Jesse, you win yours.
Speaker 2:It'll be an all-around great weekend, yeah hopefully, hopefully, we can put a whooping on them.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:All right.
Speaker 1:Well, thanks again. Good night, everybody. I'll see you next Wednesday, yeah thanks, deuces.