The Dale Jr. Download

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398 - Jimmy Blewett: Racing for Acceptance Sep 07, 2022

Show notes

Dealing with the adversity that comes from being a race car driver requires resilience and nerves of steel. For Jimmy Blewett, it was a mentality he was born with, following in the footsteps of his hard-nosed grandfather, father, and older brother. On The Dale Jr. Download, Blewett joins Dale Earnhardt Jr. and co-host Mike Davis to discuss growing up in a tough household, racing in the modified ranks, and losing a loved one in motorsports.

Hailing from Howell, New Jersey, the Blewetts have long been known for their rough and tumble nature. Jimmy recounts stories of his grandfather John dealing with unruly customers at the yard. He also shares episodes from his childhood following his father John Jr.’s racing career, where they were “banned for life” from many of the east coast’s finest race establishments due to pit melees.

Jimmy shares that initially his grandfather purchased a racecar for his uncle to drive, hoping that it would keep him out of trouble. But his father was so fascinated with the car that he ended up racing and became quite good. He would be a mainstay in the eastern modified ranks for decades, before retiring in the early 90s. About that time, Jimmy’s older brother John III was beginning his own impressive chapter of Blewett family racing history, and it would help pave the way for Jimmy to get on track as well.

After getting into go-kart racing at the age of 14, he eventually wanted to build a street stock to run at his home track, Wall Stadium. But Grandpa Blewett disapproved, claiming that his running a street stock would embarrass the family, and one night the car disappeared from the shop, a mystery still unsolved. Through his brother’s help, Jimmy got the opportunity to test someone else’s car, and he was hooked.

The story of how Jimmy came to get his first modified is epic, involving a failed effort to get a loan, having to bring his grandfather on as a co-signer, and winning a car show without an engine. Once he was able to scrape together a functioning race car, his challenges were far from over. His grandfather wanted him to start at the back of every race to gain on-track experience. This helped develop his driving ability, and before long Jimmy was a modified race winner. In fact, in his first two full seasons in modified competition at Wall Stadium, he brought home back-to-back season championships.

Jimmy speaks candidly about his relationship with his grandfather and father, and how he felt he spent a lot of his career seeking their approval. He also speaks about the mentorship he received from his older brother John III, and how he helped raise Jimmy in the aftermath of his parent’s divorce. The two developed a healthy on-track rivalry, always racing each other for bragging rights of the highest placing Blewett. But as time would tell, no amount of conditioning or hardship could prepare the Blewett family for the loss on the horizon.

In August 2007, the Blewett brothers were in competition at Thompson Speedway in Connecticut when Jimmy’s right-front tire was punctured, causing a head-on collision with the wall. Mayhem behind him ensued, and John and several other cars piled into Jimmy’s wrecked modified. Jimmy was knocked unconscious from the impact of the crash, but upon coming to he heard his brother’s screams and jumped out to try and save him. Unfortunately, John’s injuries would prove too critical and he passed away that evening at the age of 33. Suddenly, Jimmy’s entire life had changed and he had an insurmountable tragedy to deal with.

DIRTY AIR

Before Jimmy joins the show, Dale, Mike, Alex, and Hannah chat about:

Isla and Nicole’s first day of school
A weekend magnet fishing excursion
Dale’s late model race at North Wilkesboro
The exciting NASCAR weekend at Darlington

ASKJR presented by Xfinity

This week the fans asked questions about:

If Dale has a love for pixie sticks like Mike Davis
Staying focused in loud environments
Favorite dishes for grilling out

Check out Dirty Mo Media on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DirtyMoMedia

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Bonus: Wednesday Q&A Session Live at North Wilkesboro Sep 02, 2022

Show notes

On today’s episode of the Dale Jr. Download, we have a special bonus episode live from North Wilkesboro Speedway. On Wednesday, August 31st, Dale Jr. hosted a Q&A session with 7 late model drivers.

Brandon Pierce (3:30)

Hayden Swank (16:46)

Kaden Honeycutt (23:41)

Carter Langley (33:00)

Dylon Wilson (41:!5)

Stefan Parsons (52:28)

Katie Hettinger (1:06:24)

Brandon Pierce just sounds like a race car driver's name, doesn’t it? Maybe that’s why one of the greatest late model drivers of all time, Lee Pulliam tabbed Pierce to drive for him. Pierce and Dale Jr. talk about turning their first laps at North Wilkesboro and how they plan to set their cars up for the race. Plus Brandon lays a friendly wager on Dale…and Dale does him one better.

Hayden Swank is from Woodstock, GA. To some racing fans is relatively unknown but you better start paying attention. Swank grew up racing with up-and-coming Truck Series winners, Corey Heim and Chandler Smith.

Kaden Honeycutt is from Texas but many fans in North Carolina may know him as the occasional from in the NASCAR Truck Series for On Point Motorsports. Kaden’s dream is to move up the ladder and race in the Cup Series no matter what car it is. His passion is racing but his hidden talent is that he can get Dale to spill the beans on his future racing plans.

Carter Langley is a newcomer to the CARS Tour. He grew up racing Go-Karts for Elliott and Hermie Sadler and is a true late model historian. He and Dale talked about all the old-school local track heroes and how they’re still idolized today. Plus Carter shares his future aspirations if driving doesn’t pan out.

Dylon Wilson is Landon Huffman’s, right-hand man. Well in the content game that is. Wilson has a knack for content as well and his personality makes it natural for him. Wilson’s family roots are deep at North Wilkesboro Speedway, his great grandfather helped build the place. Dylon jokes he’s probably ridden more laps around this place on a bicycle than anyone. He had lived outside turn 3 for most of his life.

Stefan Parsons is a name most of you will recognize. His Dad is Phil Parson and his uncle is Benny Parsons. Stefon and Dale talk about that upbringing as Phil’s son and trying to follow the footsteps his dad and uncle carved out. Plus Stefon shares a story of a short track fight Phil got into during one of Stefon’s races.

Katie Hettinger was the last driver to take the stage but she was certainly not the least. In fact, she’s the winningest female driver in Hickory Motor Speedway history. Katie is still in high school where she is on the varsity volleyball and basketball…in Michigan. That’s right she and her family travel from Michigan every weekend to compete in the southeast. She’s a name to watch in the next coming years for sure.

Check out Dirty Mo Media on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DirtyMoMedia

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Bonus: Tuesday Q&A Session Live from North Wilkesboro Sep 01, 2022

Show notes

On today’s episode of the Dale Jr. Download, we have a special bonus episode live from North Wilkesboro Speedway. On Tuesday, August 30th, Dale Jr. hosted a Q&A session with 6 late model drivers.

Brenden Queen (2:46)

Bobby McCarty (11:47)

Connor Hall (20:44)

Brian Obiedzenski (30:43)

Chad McCumbee (40:08)

Landon Huffman (52:28)

Brenden Queen hails from the Virginia Beach area. You can catch him racing weekly at Langley Speedway driving the #03 car with Mario characters painted all over it. Dale and Brenden discussed the car and its unique font style, making Brenden a favorite amongst the younger generation of race fans. They also discussed his famous nickname “Butterbean.”

Bobby McCarty is just 29 years old but considers himself the old guy on the CARS tour. Before hopping on stage with Dale Jr., Bobby was hard at work making sure his car was ready for practice, showing the true grassroots of the CARS tour. Bobby attempted to qualify for his first Xfinity Series race earlier this year in New Hampshire. He talked about how that deal came about and what future plans he might have to try the series again.

Connor Hall is Elliott Sadler’s favorite race car driver. The multiple-time Cup series winner and former JR Motorsports driver has high praise for Connor and believes his talent is real. Dale Jr and Connor talked about Connor's knack for finding sponsors, his journey from a small family team to racing for Chad Bryant, and how to make it all work on a small family-sized budget.

Brian Obiedzenski may have a difficult name to pronounce, but his personality is hard to forget. Dale and Brian first connected over Twitter DMing back and forth about car parts. Brian is a limited late model driver, but by trade, he’s been a Cadillac service technician for 20 years. Dale and Brian shared stories from their days as service techs and talked about why Brian uses the #29 because of Kevin Harvick.

Chad McCumbee is possibly one of the more interesting stories on the CARS Tour. Not only did Chad portray Dale Jr. in the ESPN movie “3”. But Chad drove cars as a stunt driver in the film “Talladega Nights.” That’s right Chad McCumbee was the real-life Ricky Bobby and Cal Naughton Jr. In addition, Chad talked about his transition to an ownership role in Sports Car on the IMSA circuit and how his journey through the ranks have NASCAR has prepared him to be an owner.

Landon Huffman’s content game is second to none in asphalt racing. The third-generation driver has the personality to stand out and attract fans and sponsors like no other. Maybe that’s the reason Dale Jr. approached Landon to sponsor his Limited Late Model with High Rock Vodka colors. The two talked about how that deal came together, plus Landon’s impending track championship at Hickory Motor Speedway.

Check out Dirty Mo Media on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DirtyMoMedia

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397 - Conor Daly: Man of the People Aug 30, 2022

Show notes

As drivers follow their trajectory through motorsports, they are often faced with potentially life-changing decisions. On episode 397 of the Dale Jr. Download, Indycar talent Conor Daly joins Dale Earnhardt Jr. and co-host Mike Davis to discuss a crossroads he faced and how his choice affected his career path. After winning the Star Mazda Championship in 2010 and securing a hefty scholarship fund to invest in his future racing endeavors, Daly had to make the selection of a lifetime: pursue Formula One or Indycar?

Son of former Formula One driver Derek Daly and Indianapolis Motor Speedway employee Beth Boles, Conor was no stranger to auto racing. In fact, he begins by saying that he has hardly any early-life memories that don’t involve racing. He recalled his time spent at the Racing Babies childcare facility at IMS and his early infatuation with the sport. He also spoke of his father’s racing career, which ended when he was born in 1991, and how he has been able to uncover more of his accomplishments through the digital age.

Up to that point in 2010, Conor had rapidly progressed up the opening rungs of the motorsports ladder. From his first time behind the wheel of a go-kart at age 10 to winning the 2006 World Karting Association Grand Nationals, he and his father Derek worked tirelessly on his burgeoning career. From karts, he took on car racing through the Skip Barber National Championship, which he won in his first year in 2008. Then came the Star Mazda circuit, which of course brings the story to that crossroads at the end of the 2010 season.

A stipulation of Conor’s scholarship and the Road to Indy program was that while he could take part of the money and pursue GP3 racing in Europe, he still needed to enter a handful of Indy Lights events. After the first three events of the schedule, competing for Sam Schmidt Motorsports, Conor found himself with a 2nd place finish and a victory and leading the season points. His prospects in the world of Indycar were so high, that he revealed he actually got a call from Graham Rahal as he was about to depart for Europe, asking him, “are you sure you want to do this?”

Ultimately, Conor left the United States and departed for England, where he’d stay with Rahal’s stepfather Chris Berry and set up a home base for his time spent racing in GP3. Daly explained that in his debut GP3 race he qualified 29th and was immediately hit with the regret of his decision. In his absence in the Indy Lights series, Josef Newgarden would go on to win the championship and sign a three-year contract with Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing. And while Daly would wind up inking a deal with the Force India Formula One team that would have him serve as a test and reserve driver, his time overseas would prove unfruitful, and he returned home to pursue a path in Indycar.

Conor and Dale Jr. discuss Europe’s perspective on American racers and theorize as to why it is difficult for them to break into the Formula racing ladder. After returning home, Daly did whatever he could to be at the tracks on race weekends, even at one point driving the Indycar two-seater for fan experiences. His perseverance would eventually win out, as he rose from filling in for injured drivers to racing part-time and now full-time for Ed Carpenter Racing.

Daly took time to speak on the ascension from spending his childhood at IMS to racing in the Indianapolis 500. Just this past May in the 106th running of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”, the hometown hero brought home his best finish to date, sixth place.

DIRTY AIR

Before Conor joins the show, Dale, Mike, Alex, and Hannah chat about:

Kelley’s birthday bash
Long weekend in Daytona
The great Cup race rain debacle
Kurt Busch’s injury progress

ASKJR presented by Xfinity

This week the fans asked questions about:

Strangest excuse to explain a crash
Feelings on Greg Ives’ leaving as crew chief
Updates on his ongoing car projects
Championship Four predictions

Check out Dirty Mo Media on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DirtyMoMedia

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Bonus: Speed Street w/ special guest Callum Ilott Aug 26, 2022

Show notes

Conor Daly and Joey Mulinaro return for another episode of Speed Street to recap the rain-delayed Gateway race. The guys talk about Conor’s mechanical issues that plagued his top-10 finish, Felix Rosenqvist’s potentially jumped start, and the race’s TV ratings on USA Network, then, they bring on former F2 competitor and driver of the No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing car, Callum Ilott, to discuss his transition to IndyCar, developing a new team as a rookie, his top three likes and dislikes of living in America since moving from the UK, and Joey’s new merch idea for the lad, finally, the duo talks about Kimi Raikkonen’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen and the drama between Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson.

Follow @SpeedStreetpod and @Dirtymomedia on Instagram and Twitter.

Check out Dirty Mo Media on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DirtyMoMedia

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396 - Freddie Query: Hometown Hero Aug 23, 2022

Show notes

On this week’s episode of The Dale Jr. Download, Query sits down with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and co-host Mike Davis to talk about that racing landscape and how he rose to prominence there.

Dale prefaced the interview by describing Freddie as someone he both looked up to and was intimidated by while growing up at the Carolina short tracks. Query’s reputation as a hard racer and champion preceded him for many years. But like most short-track racers, he came from humble, quiet beginnings in Kannapolis. In fact, Freddie explained that he shared a first-grade classroom with another Kannapolis racing legend, Dale Earnhardt Sr. himself. The two even ran go-karts together in their pre-teen years on a crude dirt track a neighbor had carved out on his property. Ultimately, the two drivers had vastly different life trajectories, and their connection remained pleasant but distant.

While finishing high school, Freddie had ambitions to attend college to be an engineer, but after getting married during his senior year his life changed direction. He began attending a tech school and taking trade programs, and when the local school district wanted to begin implementing trade classes on a high school level, Query found himself in a teaching position, one he would hold for 20 years.

The go-kart he raced at age 10 was built from a bed frame rail and propelled by his father’s lawn mower engine. His mechanical wonder carried on to his teenage years when he began “borrowing” the family car to enter street races, unbeknownst to his parents. But his path in racing would have stalled out on the streets of Kannapolis, had he not started attending local races at the recommendation of a neighbor.

After buying a new house as a teacher, he became acquainted with the folks next store, who were avid racing fans attending events multiple nights a week. He took a trip to Hickory Speedway with them and was hooked from the get-go, deciding then he wanted to be a part of the sport. The neighbor was one step ahead, installing a race shop in his backyard, and soon Freddie was out there with him every night of the week. The two built a street stock and took it to Metrolina on a Friday night, with the neighbor hopping in the driver’s seat. But the following evening, when they had planned to try Hickory, the neighbor was too tired from the previous night’s action and turned the driving duties over to Freddie. And while he ended up flipping due to an aggressive move to pass, the racing bug had bit him, and the course for his next 30 years was set.

In the early 1980s he was a dominant force in the six-cylinder division, before moving up to super late models in '85. Freddie was recognized by his red No.6 hot rod which he drove to countless victories. When Concord received the blacktop treatment towards the end of the '86 season, Freddie was prepared to say goodbye to the track he had so much success at, but when Coors threatened to reduce their sponsorship, he decided to give the asphalt another go. Hence would begin the most dominant period in the track’s history.

From 1988 to 1992, Freddie brought home 4 out of 5 track championships, while battling it out with the likes of Jack Sprague, Rich Bickle and Robbie Faggart. His success in the high-paying Big-10 Series helped propel him to bigger events, and in '93 he began running with the NASCAR All-Pro tour. He brought home major victories in the Myrtle Beach 400 and All-American 400, as well as the '98 All-Pro season championship before settling into a car builder/mentor role. He went on to assist the likes of Hank Parker Jr., Johanna Long, Harrison Burton and many more before retiring from competitive racing. Today, Freddie still dabbles in go-kart racing and car repair but basks in the glory of his storied career and the acclaim that comes with it.

Check out Dirty Mo Media on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DirtyMoMedia

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The Sunshine Place from C13Originals Aug 18, 2022

Show notes

Once called “the miracle on the beach,” Synanon began in the 1960s as an experimental rehab facility in Santa Monica, California with a radical claim: It could cure heroin addiction. Before long, it would make an even bolder claim: It could cure any of your problems. All you had to do was move in. What started in a house on the beach, soon spread to compounds across the country. The man who made the miracle happen, Charles E. Dederich, aka “Chuck,” would be the one to destroy it all, along with the lives of many of his followers and millions of dollars in assets. The Sunshine Place tells the mind-blowing, true story of Synanon - one of America’s most cutting-edge social experiments, turned into one of its most dangerous and violent cults - as it’s never been told before: by the people who lived it. Executive Produced by Robert Downey Jr., Susan Downey, and Emily Barclay Ford for Team Downey and C13Originals, together with Josh McLaughlin for Wink Pictures, and written, produced, and directed by Peabody-nominated C13Originals, a Cadence13 Studio.

Check out Dirty Mo Media on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DirtyMoMedia

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395 - Michael "Fatback" McSwain: Racing is Sacred Aug 16, 2022

Show notes

At the end of the 2007 NASCAR Cup season, Michael “Fatback” McSwain suddenly departed from the garage scene, leaving a void once filled by one of the most colorful personalities in the modern stock car era. On this week’s Dale Jr. Download, McSwain joins Dale Earnhardt Jr. and co-host Mike Davis to discuss the decision to leave the sport, as well as the path he traveled to get to the top.

Coming from the humble home of a phone company worker, McSwain did not grow from racing roots. After graduating from high school with no real direction, he decided to travel to Nashville to attend a diesel mechanic’s college. It was during this time that he became familiar with racing and upon returning back to North Carolina, he wanted to give it a shot himself. He and his father built a demolition derby car for the Cleveland County Fair, and had so much fun in the process that they embarked on six-cylinder racing at Cherokee Speedway.

But the further they got into the racing, the more expensive it got, and soon McSwain was left to find solutions to subsidize his own on-track endeavors. He began working on other people’s race cars, ultimately finding a spot in the Robert Gee garage where a local racer was working on a NASCAR Sportsman Division ride. McSwain explained that working under Gee was very influential and taught him a lot in a short amount of time. It also helped him realize that he wanted to work in auto racing full-time.

McSwain recalled driving to many different race shops and turning in applications before finally getting a call from Lake Speed’s racing operation to come and work as a fabricator. This would be his first experience working on a Cup car, and over the next few seasons he would bounce from operation to operation, spending time working under legends such as Harry Hyde and Cale Yarborough before finally ending up with Ricky Rudd at Rudd Racing Enterprises.

In 2000, Rudd inked a deal to race with Yates Racing, and McSwain assumed he was once again on the job hunt. However, a few days before his honeymoon he received a call of a lifetime from Robert Yates offering him the crew chief position. McSwain explains he cut his honeymoon a few days short because he was excited to get to work in a real, full-time race shop.

The Rudd/McSwain duo delivered “Fatback'' his first Cup victory in June 2001 at Pocono Raceway. McSwain shares a story of how the car came together after a mad scramble the week of the race, and the result was a completely dominant performance. He also shares a hilarious encounter with Kevin Harvick during the waning laps of the September Richmond race that same season, a situation that may have landed him in serious hot water had it come to fruition.

When the decision was made to release Rudd and bring in Elliott Sadler, McSwain jumped ship and headed to Joe Gibbs Racing to man the pit box for Bobby Labonte. All was far from well though, and rising turmoil amongst the team would leave McSwain without a job. The conversation deals a lot with driver/crew chief relationships and dialogue, and McSwain offers up stories of disagreements he had with Rudd and Bobby Labonte over the years. He explains that driver attitudes over the radio during a race can affect a whole team, and when the situation reached a breaking point he felt inclined to intervene.

Finally, the interview covers McSwain’s seemingly abrupt departure from the NASCAR garage scene following the 2007 season. He explains that having growing children at home influenced his decision, but now that they’re older he is open to a return to the racing world.

DIRTY AIR

Before Michael joins the show, Dale, Mike, Alex and Hannah discuss:

• Magnet fishing

• Wild world of TikTok

• Chris(topher) Buescher

• Roots & Revival

ASKJR presented by Xfinity:

• Racing on dirt

• Are drivers retiring earlier?

• What FOX scheduled race would you like to call?

• Bingeable television shows

Check out Dirty Mo Media on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DirtyMoMedia

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394 - Ty Gibbs: Growing Up Gibbs Aug 09, 2022

Show notes

In just a few short seasons, Ty Gibbs went from winning in the periphery of the stock car world to becoming one of the most polarizing characters in the NASCAR garage. On this week’s episode of The Dale Jr. Download, Ty joins Dale Earnhardt Jr. and co-host Mike Davis in the Bojangles Studio to discuss his meteoric rise to becoming a focal point in motorsports.

Gibbs stunned onlookers when he won the February 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series event at the Daytona Road Course, in what was his first attempt in the division. After starting deep in the pack on a late restart, Gibbs put on a driving display that saw him pass several cars and even drive through the grass to take the point, holding off accomplished road racer Austin Cindric in the process. The victory would make history, as it made Gibbs the first driver in the modern NASCAR era to win a national series event in his first attempt.

While Ty has come off as soft-spoken in many of his public interviews, he gives The Download listeners a rare look into his home life, filling Dale and Mike in about his siblings and new townhouse. After Kurt Busch’s recent hard crash at Pocono, Ty received the call to fill in at the last moment, minutes after finishing second in the Saturday afternoon Xfinity event. He explained that to best prepare for the challenge of driving a car he had zero experience in, he retreated home to run laps on his sim racing setup and sleep in his own bed before returning to Pocono early the next morning for the Cup race.

The interview covers Ty’s early years in racing, from competing in shifter karts at venues like the GoPro Motorplex to running late model stock cars on the prestigious CARS tour. He recalls the moment he knew he wanted to pursue a career in racing came after his grandfather Joe, whom he affectionately refers to as “Coach”, took him and his cousin to test a go-kart at Millbridge Speedway. When Mike asked if he has ever struggled with getting acclimated to any type of race vehicle, Ty explained the challenge in transitioning from karts to late models and how it took a couple of years to get comfortable. At one point, he was racing his kart full-time while testing a late model at Hickory Speedway during the week.

Dale and Ty dig into the challenge of dealing with the public perception of coming from an established racing family. Ty gave some insight into how he tunes out the criticism he faces, finding that focusing on his love for motorsports keeps him motivated to move forward. Many young racers are forced to grow up in the public eye, and Gibbs talks about his ongoing maturation in dealing with conflicts both on the track and off.

Ty’s future has been a hot topic of discussion as he continues to find success in the Xfinity Series and now filling in at 23XI Racing in Kurt Busch’s absence. He explains he ultimately wants to race in many different types of cars, mirroring the career path of Kyle Larson, whom he looks up to in many regards. They also discuss the future of Joe Gibbs Racing and what roles Ty may see himself in as the years roll on.

This year in the Xfinity Series, one of the main storylines to watch has been JR Motorsports versus Ty Gibbs. And while usually, you’d never invite your competition into your very race shop, Dale Jr. recognizes that Ty is going to be a part of motorsports for many years to come and is choosing to embrace him.

DIRTY AIR

Before Ty joins the show, Dale, Mike, Alex and Hannah discuss:

New Kyle Petty shirts available on the DirtyMoMedia.com
Dale’s play-by-play commentary at Michigan
Bubba Wallace’s passionate post-race interview
The modified race opener at North Wilkesboro

ASKJR presented by Xfinity

This week the fans asked about:

The future’s perspective on today’s NASCAR world
Racing left-handed
Dale’s most prized vintage t-shirt
Applying Mike Joy’s commentary advice

Check out Dirty Mo Media on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DirtyMoMedia

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393 - Randy Lanier (Part Two): On The Run Aug 04, 2022

Show notes

What do you get when you combine a drug smuggling enterprise straight out of an episode of Miami Vice with the high-dollar sports car racing world of the 1980s? You get the story of Randy Lanier, and on this week’s episode he joins Dale Earnhardt Jr. and co-host Mike Davis to tell it.

At one time a top prospect in American motorsports, Lanier made headlines when he was indicted in 1986 for operating a multi-million dollar drug distribution effort responsible for bringing over 300 tons of marijuana to the United States from Columbia. Just a handful of months before he was Rookie of the Year in the 70th running of the Indianapolis 500.

Originally born in rural Lynchburg, Virginia, Lanier and his family of seven moved to Hollywood, Florida when he was 13. The sunny beach lifestyle was captivating for young Randy, and was soon introduced to the thriving marijuana subculture of the 1960s. His father, who worked as a draftsman, was concerned about his seemingly wayward lifestyle and got him a job in construction. But, due to his longhaired appearance, fellow construction workers began asking Randy if he knew where to buy marijuana, and his stint in drug dealing began.

Randy shares a frightening story of getting robbed at gun-point during a sale, which temporarily took him away from Florida to Colorado. It was there he met a guru, who invited him to an ashram in Boulder where he learned the art of meditation, which proved to be a big part of his survival in prison as well as a cornerstone of his life today. Upon returning to Florida, Randy continued on his new path until tragically losing his brother Glen in a motorcycle accident. The event was catastrophic for the Lanier family, and Randy explains it spun him out, back into the familiarity of selling marijuana.

While he may not have realized it at the time, Lanier’s eventual career in motorsports was implanted in the back of his mind, thanks in part to listening to the Indianapolis 500 broadcast on the radio when he was a young boy at his family farm in Virginia. Randy recalls a story from the late 1970s when he was attending a car show at the Miami Beach Convention Center and noticed a SCCA-sponsored booth. He picked up a pamphlet and eventually made the call to inquire about becoming a licensed driver. Soon after, he purchased his first race car: a 1957 Porsche 256. After renting out a small warehouse to be his shop and preparing the car for racing action, he entered his first amateur contest at West Palm Beach Speedway in 1980. As legend would have it, he won.

From there he rapidly progressed through the sports car ranks, arriving at the headlining IMSA GT circuit. After spending a few seasons in borrowed rides with minimal results, he decided to take matters into his own hands and form his own racing team. But, to win on a consistent basis required a large bank roll, and so the two roads of Lanier’s life intersected.

At this point, he had some experience with off-shore drug smuggling. At age 19 he used some of his dealing profits to purchase a 27-foot speed boat, initially intended to be a frivolous expenditure for thrill-seeking. He soon began traveling to the Bahamas to bring in loads of marijuana from awaiting motherships. In order to fund his newly formed Blue Thunder Racing team, Lanier expanded from speed boats to fishing boats, then tug boats and finally a full-on barge. The results were instant, and in 1984 he won the IMSA Championship. The next year, he took on CART racing with the intention of heading to Indianapolis. The transition proved difficult, and although he had a successful debut in 1986 in the 500, a devastating crash at Michigan a few weeks later effectively ended his racing career. As it turns out, his drug smuggling efforts caught up with him and soon after he was indicted.

Check out Dirty Mo Media on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DirtyMoMedia

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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