In this episode we are at the Homestead-Miami Speedway for a chance to enjoy the NASCAR Driving Experience and talk to Guillermo Santa Cruz, who is the new track President and is working to get everything ready for his first Playoffs Race later this month.
Total Car Score
S5E62 - The 2024 NASCAR Driving Experience at the Homestead.-Miami Speedway
"I've got prostate cancer, but I really wanted to make it to the big game with my grandson. And here we are. Go! Go! Go! Go! "With Erlida, Apolutamide, being there, is possible. Erlida is a prescription medicine used to treat prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body and still responds to a medical or surgical treatment that lowers testosterone. Erlida may cause serious side effects, including heart disease, stroke, or severe skin reactions, which can lead to death, falls, fractures, and seizure. Seek immediate medical attention if you experience symptoms of a stroke or severe rash. Erlida can cause harm to or loss of an unborn baby. Common side effects were fatigue, joint pain, rash, decreased appetite, weight loss, high blood pressure, hot flash, and diarrhea. Ask your doctor if Erlida is right for you. Or tap this ad to visit Erlida.com/CP439267v1. Imagine what's possible when learning doesn't get in the way of life. At Capella University, our game-changing flex path learning format lets you set your own deadline so you can learn at a time and pace that works for you. It's an education you can tailor to your schedule. That means you don't have to put your life on hold to pursue your professional goals. Instead, enjoy learning your way and earn your degree without missing a beat. A different future is closer than you think, with Capella University. Learn more at Capella.edu. Welcome to the Total Car Score podcast. Bring you the world of cars from inside the car. And now your hosts, Carl Brower, Lauren Fix, and Javier Mota. So if you heard that, you probably figured out that we are a race truck, homestead Miami speed. But I'm with the president here. How are you? It's great. I am great. I am happy to have you here. Excited for today. Excited for the race. Yeah. That's just true. I know. So anyway, let's do a little bit of rewinding like maybe 25 years? No. Maybe more. Because we won't work at University on Spanish TV network. You were, what was the last job that you had there? I was senior producer of sports and executive producer of World Cup. So I did two FIFA World Cups while I was there. Okay. So the last one was the '98 in France. The '98. Yeah, I was there. But I was with the Miami Herald. Right. And then I came to University on the '99 and you left. Right. I said no more. No more. This guy's coming. I'm leaving. Yeah. Well, San Tacros, who is now the president for Miami home speedway, do you ever thought that you were going to end up in this position? It's like very different. Never. Never in my wildest dreams that I think I would be involved with a racetrack or you know, motorsports to this degree. I mean, certainly I worked with motorsports in some capacity in my long career, but not like this. And I got to tell you, I am having such a blast. I know. And you still haven't had a basket race yet? No. I won't even give you too much. Yeah, exactly. Right. It's almost three months and I haven't had a race yet here at our track. I did go to Daytona about a month ago with a Coke Zero 400. And that was incredible to experience the place. It is. Absolutely. Exactly. I mean, it's all the history. It's everything is there. Right? That's where it all began. And now, after seeing that, coming back to my track, because I love to call it my track. Yeah, it is your track. I really look at it that way. To come back and prepare for our race and what we're doing to have the team, well that's working so hard to prepare for the race, it is such a thrill. A little nerve-racking. I got to come fast. I know. But it is exciting. I mean, it's a huge enterprise to put together a race. I mean, like, there's so many things happening, I guess. I mean, like, this is still, we're like almost like a month to the day to the day for the race is going to happen. And I mean, like, you are busy, I'm so thank you for spending some time with us. Because, I mean, if anybody has never gone to a NASCAR race, I mean, I highly recommend the TV doesn't do any justice to it. Absolutely. And then you come to the track, the people, the smell, the noise, everything, and like the track itself, right? It's all five senses, and I include taste because the food is so good. But it is all five senses, and you're 100% right, a TV doesn't do a justice. You come out here, first of all, you hear the cars before, you know, you're driving up and you hear the cars, and then you find yourself in here in really a unique location for racing, just a beautiful racetrack, and also just such a friendly atmosphere, and NASCAR foreign fans are so welcoming. Yeah. So, for somebody who's never been to a NASCAR race, I can tell you, this is a group of people who will be thrilled to welcome another fan. And then the race on its own, not even the right, let me go a little bit back. Like, if you come to the pits, if you get what is called the hot pass, and you're lucky enough to walk through the garage and see all the mechanics and all the work that goes behind to put the cars ready for the races, you go on the pit lane and everything, it's just an incredible... I don't think any other sport... I was about to say that, right, I was about to say that, and that's the thing, right? You can't go into the Miami Dolphins locker room, you can't go into the Yankee Stadium locker room, but here you can't go into the locker room, and you can't see the drivers getting ready, you can see how the excitement and all the people, all the moving parts, all the trucks, I mean, just, you know, for somebody who's not familiar with it, you come out here and there's all these huge trucks where they, you know, transport the cars, and the drivers sleep here, you know, on our campground, they're not at some hotel, you know, they're not in South Beach party, they're here, they're working because they have to be integrated into the team, and that's another thing about the sport, as you well know, it's a team sport, it takes a lot of people, yeah, it takes a lot of people for this to happen, so being able to immerse you yourself in it and see it first, and like you were saying, in the garage, you know, we're sitting in a garage right now, and experience it that other sports gives you, gives you that luxury, yeah, and everything that you guys put together along with NASCAR is this NASCAR driving experience that I just completed, so I did eight minutes in a car that is not a cop race, cop series car, but it's a race car, it's not a race car, well guys, NASCAR car, like car that some people drive around trucks and do some testing or something, and do the, they do these experiences, I want to tell you, I've watched thousands of races on TV and some on the trucks, I mean, I have a new, completely new level of respect for what the sport is, because again, only eight minutes, today is like actually not a bad day for Miami standards, the weather is not bad, and you go around the track, this is one and a half miles, and we didn't go to the banking or anything, but like the level of concentration that you have to have, like that's the stamina, the physical condition, the skill, I mean, because there's, here are two or three cars going around, very safe distance, they're like 40 cars going inside this car, inches apart, yeah, inches apart, the level of skill that it takes to be a driver, it's incredible, but to appreciate it, you don't have to see it in person, because like you were saying, you know, these cars are going 140 miles an hour and then like six inches apart, and they, here, which the drivers love, they get up close to the wall and they like to ride the wall, and that's something unique to us, you know, to this track in particular, the way that we're set up, and that's one of the reasons why the drivers love it here. So let's talk a little bit about the race that's coming up, which is going to be the play of race, actually I think it's the last one of the, it's the last one of the, of the round of eight, so, and I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's the next to last one, so there's one after that, and after that, it's on to Phoenix for the championship. So Homestead used to be for, I don't know, 15, 18, 18 years, the championship weekend here, but NASCAR has been doing a really good job, I think, maybe not so good for Homestead in that sense, but a really good job of mixing in things and all that, we're going to Mexico next year, so that's going to be very exciting about that. So I mean, this is a play of race, not a championship race, but like the excitement is going to be there for sure, right? Without a doubt, at that point, it's time for people to make their move. It'll be the second to last chance for people to advance and to participate in the Cup Championship. So that combined with the fact that this is a track where people can be aggressive at, is going to lead to some very exciting racing and a very unique day, because it is one of the last chances to advance and one of the best chances to make a move, because the track itself asks for it. Let's talk a little bit about your job, like how many things you have to do before in the next 30 days. How many hours of sleep you're going to get in at night? Not many, but look, it's a lot of people who work in this to make it happen, just like the drivers have their teams, I have my team, and I have a wonderful team of professionals who are looking after every detail of this race, and we have to make sure one that safety is never compromised. That's always number one, make sure that the track is in good racing condition, and one thing we take a lot. You have to keep it up, like that, and everything, like this will work on itself, right? And that's one thing we take a lot of pride in here at Homestead Miami, which is we're ready to race on any given day. So we, this track, first of all, it's a very busy track as we hold a lot of events during the year, but we take a lot of pride in saying, you know what? If somebody calls us, and something's happened, and whatever, you need to hold the race in two weeks, are you ready? Yes, we're ready. This track is always ready to run, but I have an incredible team, not only who looks after the track, but who looks after, you know, the stands and the suites, the food, I mean, I'm looking at them, at menus, and what are we going to serve, and I'm decorating, and then we're redoing, we're renovating the President's Suite, which is where, you know, my group of desks get to watch the race run, that's being redone. So, you know, I could be picking a wallpaper one day, one minute, and working on a budget for next year, the next, and then having to make sure that, you know, something on the track of the facility is looked after, and make sure that it's working, and that all the right people are in all the right places. So, today, by luck, I do other things, and I brought a Lamborghini Huracan. It's beautiful. And it's not, it's a track ready car, obviously, we are not allowed to drive it, and because NASCAR is having their day too, but we're not allowed to drive it anyway. But this track has a lot of events for people who are enthusiasts, like more sports enthusiasts have their own cars, you guys do a lot of that, and that's the safety way, the safe way to do it, right? Absolutely. We have a couple of ways of doing it, one, we have something that we love, which is give back at the track. Give back at the track is something we do in conjunction with the NASCAR Foundation. Yeah. And there are certain days during the month, they're usually on a Saturday, like 10 o'clock in the morning, and people can come, and you pay $50, and you take six laps in your own car. Oh, cool. And it's wonderful because you get to experience that in your own vehicle, and that's usually for chattering. It's always for chattering, so it's into the benefit of the NASCAR Foundation, and many times it supports a local charity or local cause. So it's great because, you know, that's why it's called get back at the track. We get to get back to the community, and people get to experience the thrill of driving the track and the comfort of their own vehicle that they know how it's going to happen. I know that. Oh, I got to tell you, when you take your own car, and they don't please you, they're not built for that. And I can tell you the first time that I did it in my car, and I was taking the banks, the dashboard, a little bit of Christmas tree, the traction control, the tire gauges, I was scared. But to be fair, I was probably a little bit faster than the average person, because I was the only one on the track. So we have that. We have also car clubs come here, and prevent other tracks from members of whichever club it is, the experience. And then those guys can really go all out and drive the track, you know, full speed, and those are done throughout the year with different clubs that come to visit us. So going back to the NASCAR Foundation and all the local charities that you guys help, that goes back to the origins of the track, because this track was built right after Hurricane Andrew, who destroyed this area, the military base, the Air Force Base next door. And like since then, the track has been a part of this community, comes to it. Absolutely. And that's what you also help the community a lot, right? So look, it's the reason why we're here. So thank you to any two of Hurricane Andrew just estimates this part of the Miami-Dade County. Wasn't even called Miami-Dade County, then it was just Dave County. Yeah. And Ralph Sanchez, who was a visionary and just a titan in motor sports, came up with the idea of building a track here in home state, and it was his cause of giving back to the community, and at the same time bringing motor sports to South Florida. So a great example of how private, public partnership, working together, the private sector and the public sector, to do something that here we are 30 years later, because next year we'll be celebrating our 30th anniversary. Oh, really? Well, yeah. We're still a part of the community. And I certainly want to lean into that and follow the examples set by Mr. Sanchez, and keeping those ties and strengthening those ties with the community. Yeah. So I was the pioneer, and he brought the Miami-Grompy, which was indie, I think it was indie. It was indie. In the series, yeah. In the downtown streets of Miami, which was really great. But as any other cities, like it was growing back then, and then like it got some problems like with the... Well, it's tough down to Miami. Exactly. Downtown area. It's down to Miami. I'm not going to tell you that I'm too young to remember, but you know, the challenges, you know, just think of the Miami skyline. Oh, yeah. 30 years ago. Okay. I'm compared to today. Yeah. It's a whole other thing. So it needed to find another place. It needed space. Yeah. And here, we certainly have that. Yeah. So anyway, thank you for your time. Again, I know you're like super busy. I mean, just, I guess, still learning the job. I'm still. I'm on the job training. Yeah. But so far, so good. Yeah. And so what else, besides, for example, you said like next year, we're going to be celebrating 30 years here. And your NASCAR date also changed for you, right? Actually, we come to March is the weekend of March 21st, so we're going to be a spring race, which I think gives us an opportunity to bring in a new fence. It's a great time in South Florida, the weather is typically beautiful. Yeah, I know. And there's a lot of tourists. There's a lot of people from South America who make their home here because, you know, it's like summer in Brazil. So they come here for their vacation. We have the snowbirds. I think it's going to be a great chance to present the sport to a different crowd and to new fans. And hopefully the people who come out here in October will come back in March and they don't have to wait a whole year for another race. But they're going to be busy with other things, I guess. Well, you know, I know I'm going to be busy making sure that, you know, whatever we race, whenever that is, we're ready, I'm going to welcoming and we're set. So again, like, I think the message here is like, if you've never been to a NASCAR race, you have to come. You're in here in South Florida, we're visiting, please come here because you're going to enjoy it, that you're going to be surprised, I think, right? Like, what's the first reaction when you invite someone, I mean, you're kind of new to the sport. So when you invite some other people who are like completely new, what's the first experience that, or first reaction that you get? The first reaction is to the sound. No, okay. The first reaction is, wow, because sound is so critical to it. And once you develop more knowledge, you're listening for the gear chain, it's like an expert. Like an expert, but in the beginning, it's just, wow, these things are loud. And then, you understand how powerful they are, they're, you know, that gives you a sense of, you know, these are really, really sophisticated machines. So I think the sound is something that just grabs people. And then from there is, okay, let's stick it all in and the speed and the smell and, you know, the energy that is so palpable when you come to race weekend, because I have been here in these garages, I was here in 2019, which is the last time we held the cup series when I was working at IMG, and I was working, you know, walking the garages, and I couldn't get in my eyes in a year, so, so that is just, you know, that thing that brings people back. Yeah. So anyway, come to Homestead my IMG speaker for the wow, like you're going to regret a lot about it. I promise you, it's worth the drive. Well, thank you again everyone, good luck, I'll go back to work, I guess. Thank you. Thank you. And thanks for having me here. Thank you. Thank you for listening. For more, check us out online at TotalCarScore.com. I've got prostate cancer, but I really wanted to make it to the big game with my grandson. And here we are. Go, go, go, go. With Erleta, Apolutamide, being there, is possible. Erleta is a prescription medicine used to treat prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, and still responds to a medical or surgical treatment that lowers testosterone. Erleta may cause serious side effects, including heart disease, stroke, or severe skin reactions, which can lead to death, falls, fractures, and seizure. Seek immediate medical attention if you experience symptoms of a stroke or severe rash. Erleta can cause harm to or loss of an unborn baby. Common side effects were fatigue, joint pain, rash, decreased appetite, weight loss, high blood pressure, hot flash, and diarrhea. Ask your doctor if Erleta is right for you. Or tap this ad to visit Erleta.com/CP439267v1. Imagine what's possible when learning doesn't get in the way of life. At Capella University, our FlexPath learning format lets you learn on your own schedule. A different future is closer than you think with Capella University. Learn more at Capella.edu. [BLANK_AUDIO]