“I’m a lot more careful where I stick it now,” Ken Schrader joked with Dale Jr.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has led countless fascinating, hilarious and insightful conversations on his weekly podcast, the Dale Jr. Download, and this week’s guest, Ken Schrader, did not disappoint.
The pair, along with podcast co-host Mike Davis, covered a wide variety of topics, many of which focused on Schrader’s extensive racing career. And at one point in an abrupt change in conversation, Earnhardt asked the 64-year-old racer to recall how he lost part of his thumb at the race track.
“I’m a lot more careful where I stick it now,” Schrader joked before diving into one of the most cringeworthy NASCAR stories.
A new @DaleJr Download – Ken Schrader: The Best Week Ever!
🤫Negotiations with a bouncer 🤬Damn Terry Labonte 🦌Dale Sr. & Bambi ✍️Note to Ken 🤏Little ass spoilers
He explained how, in 1995 at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington for a NASCAR Truck Series race, he was getting ready for practice. The hood of his truck was up, and to Schrader, the alternator belt in the engine appeared a little off. So he tried to fix it himself.
“So they just fired the truck up, I’m in my uniform, gonna warm it up, practice 15 minutes. It died. I reached down there — the belt looked loose — and when I reached down there, they fired it back up [and couldn’t see Schrader] because the hood was up. And [the thumb] went around between the belt and the pulley to the ear on the alternator.”
Schrader lost the top of his thumb and the first joint in the mishap. He continued:
“It was only bleeding in one place because it was all melded together, and I put a shop towel over it and started walking toward the ambulance and I told [crew chief] Timmy [Kohuth], I said, ‘Get my thumb and put it in a cup, and come over to the ambulance.'”
22 years ago today, Ken Schrader lost part of his thumb before for a Truck race @ Evergreen. pic.twitter.com/nc7l2Vtmlt
After a bit of confusion because the ambulance driver at the track was absent, he said he briefly went to the medical center before eventually going to the hospital. And he had specific instructions for the hospital staff.
“I said, ‘Make sure you cut a little extra out,'” Schrader recalled. “I’ve heard about people that cut a little extra bone out, so there’s enough meat on the end [to protect it] when you hit it.”
Back in 1995, Schrader told the Associated Press that losing the tip of his thumb didn’t impair his ability to drive, but “[i]t’s hard to tie your shoes.”
You can listen to the full Dale Jr. Download episode here.
But he said he’s eager to get back in the car “as soon as I possibly can.”
For the first time since the last-lap crash — when his car turned, hit the wall, was slammed into by another car, went airborne, landed upside down and slid off the Daytona International Speedway track — Newman was at the race track last weekend at Phoenix Raceway. He briefly spoke with reporters as he walked through the garage area Friday, and said “after looking at my car, it’s a miracle” to be alive. He also said he has no timeline for his return.
Wednesday in his first sit-down interview since the wreck, the TODAY Show‘s Craig Melvin asked the 42-year-old driver why he wouldn’t just call it a career with nearly two decades in the NASCAR Cup Series and after “cheating death” and surviving the crash.
“Why would you get back in the car (after such a horrifying crash)?” –@craigmelvin
“I love it. It’s been a little bit painful to be out of the race car and to not be doing what I’ve done for so many years.” –@RyanJNewmanpic.twitter.com/4J8xv71ISq
“Oh, I love it. I mean, ’cause I’m just 42, right? No, really, I love it. It’s been a little bit painful to be out of the race car and to not be doing what I’ve done for so many years. I started racing when I was four years old, four and a half years old, so it’s just kind of who I am.”
He also joked that this was his “I-should-have-won interview” because he was leading the Daytona 500 just before the crash.
Immediately following the wreck, an ambulance took him from the track to a nearby hospital, and in a statement from his team, Roush Fenway Racing, he was described as in “serious condition” with not life-threatening injuries.
On the TODAY Show, he described his head injury as a “bruised brain.” He also said he was “knocked out,” adding: “There was a point where I don’t remember a part of the race.”
“Just a miracle on so many levels.” It’s been less than a month since NASCAR driver @RyanJNewman survived a frightening wreck on the final lap of the Daytona 500.
Newman opened up Wednesday about his reaction to the crash and joked about how his daughters feel about it. He said he told them, “‘Daddy’s all right.'”
He said:
“It’s emotional, no doubt, and I think about the fact that I was that close but really in the end, I’m really humbled by the opportunity to experience, to continue my life, to be blessed by so many people’s prayers, to be sitting here and hopefully make something of it. Enjoy life with my daughters. …
“They seem to be completely fine with the fact that I’m still Daddy. I think it’d be totally different if something else would have happened, but I’m 100 percent who I was, which they were good with, so I’m fine.”
Following the crash, Ross Chastain has been filling in for Newman in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. NASCAR’s next race is Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
All you need to know about Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race.
The NASCAR Cup Series season will continue Sunday at Phoenix Raceway, where Kevin Harvick will try to win his 10th Cup Series race at the track. Harvick has the most Cup Series wins at Phoenix of any driver in history with nine, five more than the next closest driver (Jimmie Johnson).
Harvick narrowly missed winning the pole in Saturday’s qualifying session, and will start second behind Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott. So what time should you tune in?
The 2020 FanShield 500 will begin at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
You can stream the race online via Fox Sports Go, or listen to a radio broadcast via MRN.
You can see the full starting lineup for Sunday’s race by clicking below.
After looking at his destroyed race car, Ryan Newman said it’s a miracle he’s OK.
For the first time since his horrific Daytona 500 accident almost three weeks ago, NASCAR driver Ryan Newman was at the race track and spoke to the media briefly Friday at Phoenix Raceway.
“It’s great to be alive,” Newman said when asked what it means for him to be at the track. “After looking at my car, it’s a miracle.”
Newman is being treated for a head injury and said he has “no idea about” a possible timetable for his return to the race track. For the two races following the Daytona 500, Ross Chastain has filled in for Newman in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford, which he’ll also drive in Sunday’s FanShield 500 at the 1-mile Phoenix-area track.
"It's great to be alive."- @RyanJNewman at Phoenix
He said his reaction to seeing his destroyed race car was: “Just lucky.”
After Newman’s car was flipped over and he was removed, he was taken to a nearby Daytona Beach hospital and was in “serious condition” the night of the race. Amazingly, he was released less than 48 hours later.
Although the specifics about Newman’s injuries remain unknown, he did not suffer any other internal injuries.
“I feel fine. I look OK?” he joked with reporters Friday. “I’m here to spectate and have some fun.”
Here is the final lap of the Daytona 500 in which Ryan Newman's car was flipped at the line.
Newman said he wants to “take advantage of this crazy opportunity” to watch not only his No. 6 team during a race weekend but also see how the other Roush Fenway Racing team, Chris Buescher and the No. 17 Ford, operates.
He continued:
“I’m just really here to support the No. 6 team, stay integrated with what I can do with the team and have some fun, obviously. That’s what it’s all about.
“Want to see Ross do well, but I’d rather be in Ross’ seat. So just want to make sure we’re doing everything we possibly can for our sponsors and for myself to have a good weekend.”
Surprising his fellow drivers, Newman showed up at a Ford event at Arizona State’s Sun Devil Stadium pm Thursday night. Several drivers who previously spoke with Newman said they joked with him and his “jovial” sense of humor remained ever present, and that was also at the event.
“We had no idea that he was going to show up. We were having dinner and he walked in. That was great. That was the first time I have seen Ryan personally. I think the first time a lot of us had seen Ryan. That was really cool to see. We sat and talked, the whole Ford group, for an hour, hour-and-a-half once he got there. We talked about a lot of stuff. It was nice to see him.
“He is full Ryan Newman caliber, and it is great to see. It was cool to hear some of the process that he went through and some of the doctors that worked on him. They were very extensive with him, and he has been passing everything with flying colors, which is unheard of and great to hear. It was nice to see him and sit down and talk to him a lot about multiple things from how the process of what happened to where we can go in the future to keep improving the safety aspects of these things.”
Blaney’s fellow Team Penske driver, Joey Logano, had a similar reaction to Newman’s surprise visit and also called it a “miracle,” as did Alex Bowman, who won Sunday’s race at Auto Club Speedway.
About Newman, Logano told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, via NBC Sports:
“You look at that crash and it’s just like, ‘How is he even OK? He’s walking, he’s talking like nothing happened.’ He says his memory’s not foggy. Everything is there. It’s insane.”
Brian France is suing the person behind the parody Twitter account @DrunkBrianF.
Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. We here at For The Win write about a lot of ridiculous things in NASCAR, but this might just top them all.
Former NASCAR CEO Brian France — who took a leave of absence in 2018 after being arrested for driving while intoxicated and never returned to his post — recently filed a lawsuit against the man behind the Twitter parody account Drunken Brian France (@DrunkBrianF).
Seriously.
The suit, filed in Connecticut on February 28, argues that the operator of the parody account is using France’s name and likeness to mislead “his Twitter audience and the public at large to believe that [France] is the source of the highly offensive content.” And because of this, France is claiming he suffered “severe” emotional distress and is seeking damages in excess of $15,000.
France in 2012. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)
Even though suing someone over a parody Twitter account seems like an absurd waste of money and time, we’re here to break it down.
So, who exactly is Brian France?
The now-57-year-old former CEO and chairman, a Connecticut resident, is a member of NASCAR’s founding family. He’s the grandson of Bill France Sr., who founded NASCAR in 1948, and he took over for his father, Bill France Jr., as the head of the governing body in 2003. Forbes estimated that the France family was worth $5.7 billion in 2015 and ranked No. 53 among America’s richest families before dropping off the list in 2016.
Under France, NASCAR introduced a playoff system to determine the champion, which was formerly known as The Chase and replaced the season-long points system that previously crowned the champ. Though now referred to as simply the NASCAR playoffs, the concept still exists and is a 10-race postseason with periodic eliminations winding down to the title race.
However, toward the end of his tenure, some drivers, like Tony Stewart and Brad Keselowski, criticized him for not being visible at NASCAR races and being disconnected from teams and their concerns.
Brian France was arrested for DWI in the Hamptons in 2018
France’s tenure came to an abrupt end after he was arrested in August of 2018 for driving while intoxicated in Sag Harbor, New York. After he was pulled over for not stopping at a stop sign, police said they determined he was driving “in an intoxicated condition” with a blood alcohol level of 0.18, more than twice the legal limit in New York. His eyes were glassy and his speech slurred, USA TODAY Sports reported according to police.
He was also found in possession of five oxycodone pills and faced charges of aggravated driving while intoxicated and criminal possession of a controlled substance. He pleaded guilty in June of 2019 to DWI in exchange for a reduced sentence, which includes having the misdemeanor reduced to a non-criminal infraction if he completes the terms of the deal.
A day after his arrest, France took an indefinite leave of absence from his NASCAR post, and it eventually became permanent. His uncle, Jim France, replaced him and is the current CEO.
Since then, France has been largely absent from NASCAR events, but he was seen getting off Air Force One ahead of the 2020 Daytona 500, according to the White House pool report.
What’s the deal with @DrunkBrianF on Twitter?
Although the account occasionally dabbles in sharing NASCAR-related rumors and reports, it’s obviously a parody account, which makes this lawsuit absolutely comical.
So…does anyone know a good 1st Amendment lawyer who specializes in parody Twitter accounts?
Active since February 2014, the account had nearly 18,000 followers at the time of this post (but it had closer to 14,000 in February when the suit was filed, documents show). The account’s photo is France’s mugshot from his 2018 arrest, and the bio reads:
The quintessential drunk & oxyfied idiot destroying what my family spent 60+ years building in NASCAR. You can’t be this stupid sober (Parody)
The account tweeted this, which is cited in the lawsuit, the day after France was arrested:
As far as we can tell, the actual Brian France is not on Twitter.
And who’s the guy behind it who’s being sued?
According to the suit, a man named John L. Steele, a Tennessee resident, runs the account, and he “hijacked” France’s name and likeness without his consent. That seems pretty standard for parody accounts.
It also argues the purpose of the account is:
“to harass, demean, abuse, belittle, and disparage [France] while impersonating [him] in a manner that is intended – and in fact does – mislead, confuse, and deceive others to believe that [France] is responsible for the content and activity of @drunkbrianf.”
Sure.
Help Mrs. Drunk Brian and I settle this debate. When making a fried egg and cheese sandwich on toast, mayonnaise is:
First, it seems like a sizable waste of time and money and another way for the former NASCAR CEO to draw negative attention to himself by suing the person behind a popular Twitter account already making fun of him. Additionally, although you can sue someone for using your name or likeness without your permission, parodies generally are a huge exception to that. France is a public figure, and it seems awfully unlikely that the law will side with him against against a parody Twitter account.
The best part of all this?
France’s suit largely hinges on the fact that NASCAR fans and the general public would assume an account with his name and the words “Drunk” and “Drunken” ahead of it could credibly be seen as something he would create and run himself.
As Johnson visits most (or maybe all) of NASCAR’s tracks for the last time, the tributes and gifts are going to be rolling in all season. But at Atlanta Motor Speedway in a couple weekends, Johnson will actually be involved in the pre-race theatrics.
Johnson will serve as the grand marshal for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 on March 15 and will give the command, commonly described as the most famous words in motor sports, “Drivers, start your engines.”
But he’s obviously still competing in the race, so, according to the track, he’ll give the command from inside his No. 48 Chevrolet.
His five wins at Atlanta are the most among active drivers and put him in a four-way tie for fifth all time with Jeff Gordon, Bill Elliott and Bobby Allison.
At his home track, Auto Club Speedway, in southern California on Sunday, the 44-year-old Hendrick Motorsports driver’s family was similarly involved in the pre-race activities as the honorary starters. His wife, Chandra, waved the green flag to start the race while his daughters, Genevieve and Lydia, stood up on the stand with her.
Martin Truex Jr.’s radio audio from NASCAR’s race in southern California is a masterpiece.
Welcome to FTW’s NASCAR Feud of the Week, where we provide a detailed breakdown of the latest absurd, funny and sometimes legitimate controversies and issues within the racing world.
Having ample moments of road rage through the first three races of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season is pretty standard. But having highlights this incredible is not.
Martin Truex Jr. had a rough day at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday, lashing out multiple times throughout the Auto Club 400, including at his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates and his pit crew after a painfully slow stop. He also started the race last in 38th after his car failed pre-qualifying inspection three times, so that didn’t help.
And despite the 2017 champion working his way up to the front at one point, Truex finished 14th, which is actually his best finish so far in a disappointing opening.
The radio audio highlights from Sunday’s race, of course, featured some fiery comments from plenty of usual suspects, like Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer and Ryan Blaney.
But nothing tops Truex, who’s had some outrageous meltdowns early in past seasons. So here are some of his best road rage quotes from Auto Club Speedway’s 2020 Cup Series race.
Let’s start with this one that’s still circulating around NASCAR Twitter. In the first stage (60 laps) of the race, Truex was looking for a hand from his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, Denny Hamlin in the No. 11 Toyota and Erik Jones in the No. 20 Toyota. And he was pretty angry when he didn’t get it.
Truex: [Expletive] the 20 and [expletive] the 11! They can both kiss my [expletive]!
In a later conversation with his new crew chief, James Small, Truex explained a little more calmly what was going on. But they still criticized the other JGR teams.
Truex: Just got caught in a bad spot there in traffic. It [expletive] killed us. Killed my front tires too.
Small: Doesn’t help when our teammates race us like jackasses every week as well.
Truex: Yeah, I don’t understand why they can’t just help push me by the next guy and not push the next guy back past me. I just don’t understand that. It’s like, kind of stupid.
Truex has directed his road rage at lapped cars not getting out of the way of cars on the lead lap — he’s certainly not the only driver, either — and that was true at Auto Club Speedway as he moved through traffic, according to this radio quote per The Athletic‘s Jeff Gluck:
“These [expletive] guys have no idea where they’re at!”
The No. 19 Toyota driver also can’t seem to catch a break when it comes to pit stops. A disastrous one in November — his team accidentally swapped left- and right-side tires — arguably cost him a second championship. At the Daytona 500 in February, he slammed into a rogue fuel can from Chase Elliott’s team while driving down pit road before ultimately crashing out.
And then Sunday, a pit stop in the final stage of the race took significantly longer than it should have.
Truex: What the [expletive] is going on?!
Small: I’m not too sure right now. It’s something with the gun.
As it turns out, the team’s rear tire changer got a cramp in the middle of doing his job — these guys are absolutely athletes too — and Truex wasn’t able to make up the positions he lost.
And later on in the race, Truex’s fury was redirected back to his teammates, specifically Hamlin. Again, Truex was looking for some help from Hamlin, and when he didn’t get it, he seemed almost resigned about it:
Truex: How many times, Denny? How many times?
For his part, Hamlin tried to explain himself over his team’s radio:
Hamlin: Tell him when he came to my right rear, it gets [expletive] tight.
Chris Gabehardt, crew chief: He don’t care about that, bud. You just gotta do you, man. You race the 11 car.
Regardless, Truex wasn’t happy, and that almost certainly made the Joe Gibbs Racing team meetings this week a little interesting, to say the least.
“I’m in trouble here. I’m plowing my [expletive] off from that [expletive] damage.”
Tony Stewart is getting back behind the wheel in 2020.
Tony Stewart is getting back behind the wheel.
The three-time NASCAR Cup Series champ will race this summer at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in one of NASCAR’s most interesting upcoming experiments. He’ll compete for his own team, Stewart-Haas Racing, in the second-tier XFINITY Series race, which will be held on the iconic venue’s 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course, the team announced Wednesday morning.
The recent NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee will celebrate his 49th birthday about a month before the July 4th race, marking his first NASCAR start since 2016 and his first XFINITY Series race since 2013. At the XFINITY level, Stewart has 11 checkered flags in 94 starts, and he won his lone 2013 race in the series, the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway.
Stewart said in a video on Twitter that he toyed with the idea of running an XFINITY road course event. And he couldn’t pass up the chance to do it at Indy.
“It’s a home race for me. … It’s an opportunity to go run there where nobody has any notes. It’s a blank sheet of paper for everybody.”
Not long after NASCAR and IndyCar icon Roger Penske became the owner of the Brickyard earlier this year, it was announced that the XFINITY race, the Indiana 250, will be on the road course, while the Cup Series will remain on the oval. It’s the first time the NASCAR series will have two races in the same location but on different tracks.
According to the team’s statement, Stewart’s car number and primary sponsor will be announced closer to the race. More via Stewart-Haas Racing:
“Everyone knows what Indy means to me, so I can’t think of a better place to race on Fourth of July weekend,” said Stewart, who grew up 45 minutes from Indianapolis in the towns of Columbus and Rushville, Indiana. “It’s going to be cool making history by turning left and right in a stock car at the Brickyard, and the racing will be full of action and contact. Any time you can drive any racecar [sic] at the speedway is special, and you know I’m going for the win. The date is already circled on my calendar.”
It will be his first XFINITY race at Indy. However, in the Cup Series, he won at the Brickyard twice (2005, 2007).
And, as one of a handful of drivers to compete in open-wheeled and stock cars, he ran the IndyCar Series’ Indianapolis 500 five times and was the 1996 race’s Rookie of the Year.
Tony Stewart and crew chief Greg Zipadelli after winning Allstate 400 at the Brickyard in 2007. (AP Photo/Tom Strattman)
With Stewart’s return to both racing in NASCAR and Indy, the July 4 event will almost certainly be highly anticipated by not only his fan base but also by NASCAR fans in general.
And given the governing body’s experiment with the Indy road course this season, perhaps more people than usual will watch the XFINITY race, even if it is on a holiday often centered around outdoor activities. Or, perhaps the opposite will happen because the longtime tradition of racing at Daytona over (or around) Fourth of July ended last season, and the Brickyard took over on the 2020 schedule.
For those who might have planned to ignore NASCAR during the holiday — or who simply just wouldn’t think about planning to watch the second-tier race on July 4 — Stewart’s return to the track, especially after a long absence behind the wheel, could add a (needed) jolt to the race weekend.
We spoke with NASCAR driver/aspiring Jedi Ryan Blaney about all things Star Wars.
Ryan Blaney is, unquestionably, the biggest Star Wars fanatic in the NASCAR garage, and his love for the franchise is well-documented.
The 26-year-old Team Penske driver is a self-described “aspiring Jedi,” he can rapidly recount the movie plots with an impressive amount of detail and, last Halloween, he donned a fabulously detailed Princess Leia costume, complete with everything except a pal to be Jabba the Hutt.
Plus, he has a massive Star Wars tattoo on his leg, covering nearly the entire front of his thigh. The top part of it is a portrait of Darth Vader (Death Star included), and the bottom part closer to his knee appears to be an image of Vader battling with Obi-Wan Kenobi.
And when the No. 12 Ford driver got the chance to go to Disney World in the days before the Daytona 500 last month and visit the Star Wars-themed area Galaxy’s Edge, he said he “couldn’t say yes fast enough.” On his journey to become a Jedi, Blaney made a green lightsaber to take home and rode the rides, the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and Rise of the Resistance. He said the whole experience was “awesome.”
So, For The Win recently spoke with Blaney about all things Star Wars, from his favorite (and least favorite) characters to the The Rise of Skywalker to what makes The Empire Strikes Back so incredible.
This very nerdy interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
1. Which Star Wars movie is the best by itself?
Empire.
2. How do you rank the three Star Wars trilogies?
I think the originals first, and then, hmmm, I think the newer one is second and then the prequels third.
Enjoyed experiencing Galaxys Edge yesterday for the first time. Like a kid in a candy store, and @BubbaWallace was there loving every single second of it. @Disneypic.twitter.com/OhkOnYsNzZ
It sounds like that was a tough call between the prequel and sequel trilogies.
So Phantom Menace is the first one I ever saw, Episode I, when I was like seven. So that is always really close to first for me because it has a lot of memories as far as my first one, but it’s second after Empire [in terms of movies ranked].
That’s my favorite of the prequels because I was a big Darth Maul fan, and it was the first one I saw as a kid and you always remember that. I didn’t see Empire until I was older and because my parents weren’t Star Wars fans. So they didn’t tell me about these things, so I had to find out on my own.
3. What did you think of The Rise of Skywalker?
I thought it was OK. There were a couple things I didn’t like in it, but I thought they ended it pretty decently. They closed a couple gaps that they needed to close. Overall, I thought it was pretty good. I know people were giving it a hard time, but I enjoyed it. Either you like it or you don’t.
And I think some of the original Star Wars fans are like, “Oh, these movies are terrible!” But I like all of them. They’re all different eras. You’ve got the originals from the ‘70s and ‘80s and the prequels in ‘99 and early 2000s, and then these. It’s pretty cool to see the differences in all of them. Whether you like them or not, I think it’s cool just to be along for the ride.
Ryan Blaney and Bubba Wallace made a visit to Galaxy's Edge at Hollywood Studios today and they found toy light sabers to play with. pic.twitter.com/ZajOuFLZN1
Well, she’s my favorite. The best character is — I don’t know.
I was a big Darth Maul fan because he was such a cool villain, and I was hoping he was around more. They brought him back in the Clone Wars and the animated stuff, but he was cool. I had a Darth Maul lightsaber as a kid.
5. Who’s the worst character?
Jar-Jar Binks.
Editor’s note: Obviously.
6. Who’s the best non-human character?
I like Admiral Ackbar. The way he talks is funny, and he’s a pretty funny looking dude.
7. Where do you stand on Ewoks?
I think they’re cool. I don’t mind them. They helped out a lot. They had sticks, and they did good.
8. In the famous cantina scene in A New Hope, did Han shoot Greedo first?
I think he did because he shot him. He got him.
[Pauses for a moment.]
Yeah, I think he shot first. He wasn’t taking any chances.
9. Why do you think stormtroopers are such bad shots?
Can’t see out of them helmets, man. You’ve got like this much vision [fingers slightly apart]. And think of any movie where the bad guys are sharpshooters. It’s terrible. They have no sights on their weapons. They’re just shooting wildly in the air.
But I’m going to blame the helmets on that. Can’t see nothing out of them.
10. Is there a scene or line you always find yourself quoting?
I don’t quote it all the time, but [in The Empire Strikes Back] when Han is getting frozen in carbonite, Leia says, “I love you.” And he’s like, “I know.” So whenever anyone gives me a compliment, I just say, “I know.” It’s not the exact line, but you know.
I like the second time we get that in Return of the Jedi when she Solos him back.
Oh, yeah!
11. Is there any scene or moment that still gives you goosebumps?
So, it’s tough, right? I saw the prequels first before I saw the originals just with the timeline I was born. So when I got to the, “I am your father” line, I already knew. So that part is still a great line, but you already know it’s coming.
I can’t imagine for the people that were seeing the original back then, and they dropped that line, and they’re like, “Bombshell drop!” But that one always is pretty cool.
That, or in Phantom Menace when Qui-Gon Jinn gets killed. I remember watching that as a kid and was so distraught. I was like, “Man, you killed Liam Neeson, man. That’s nuts.”
Not yet. I’ve gotta figure it out because my house, I have satellite internet. HughesNet, it’s terrible, so I can’t stream anything. So I have to try to find a way to get it on my iPad.
I’ve only seen the pictures and stuff, but I think he’s like a teenager in that one. Yoda when he dies is like 900 years old. I would say he’s like early 30s, not in his years but in human years. OK, let’s go in his years. I’d say he’s maybe 50 years old, 80 years old, something like that.
14. Is there one movie you rewatch more than others?
Empire never gets old because it’s dark and weird, and it’s pretty cool. That’s one I probably watch the most. I have big box sets, and I probably throw that one on the most.
NASCAR Twitter thought Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson’s grocery store video was funny. But Chip Ganassi didn’t.
Welcome to FTW’s NASCAR Feud of the Week, where we provide a detailed breakdown of the latest absurd, funny and sometimes legitimate controversies and issues within the racing world. This one is part joke, but also appears to be part serious.
NASCAR Twitter thought the video of Denny Hamlin running his shopping cart into Kyle Larson at the grocery store was pretty funny, as it mimicked the run-in the two friends had Sunday at Auto Club Speedway.
But Larson’s team owner, Chip Ganassi, disagreed.
Hamlin — who opened the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season with his second consecutive Daytona 500 win — tweeted the video of him and Larson at the grocery store Sunday night, hours after the Auto Club 400 ended at the two-mile southern California track. And he ran into Larson with his shopping cart, loosely recreating what happened during the race, the third of the season.
Early in the race, Larson, Hamlin and Kevin Harvick were running together going into Turn 1. As FOX Sports’ Jeff Gordon explained during the broadcast (and the video below), Harvick gave Hamlin a push, which got the No. 11 Toyota right on the bumper of Larson in the No. 42 Chevrolet.
But then Hamlin gave Larson a push that was just too much, and it turned Larson’s car, which then hit Auto Club Speedway’s outside wall.
Larson had to pit so his team could repair the damage to the right side of the car. Behind Alex Bowman, who won his second career Cup race, Larson finished the race 21st and a lap down, and Hamlin came in sixth.
Judging by Hamlin’s Twitter video later that night, Larson isn’t holding a grudge against his friend.
But Ganassi tweeted Tuesday morning that he disapproves of the video making a joke out of their run-in and said it was in bad taste.
Clearly not everyone in NASCAR thinks Hamlin and Larson’s video joking about the on-track incident is that funny.
It seems unlikely that Hamlin would purposefully wreck his buddy like that and so early in the race, no less. So maybe it’s OK to laugh about something that is probably truly an accident.
But a team owner looking at a wrecked car that costs around $300,000, understandably, might have a different perspective.
