BONUS EPISODE - Huffines Has It Car Show

[00:00:10] Hey everybody, yes, it's a second bonus episode for this week. So this is like a podcast week. You had a solo episode, Subie Scoop, on Monday. Then on Wednesday you had a catch up with Carrie and Andrea for the Rebel Rally.

[00:00:31] And now, on Friday, you're getting a third dose of the podcast in one week with another bonus episode from my experience at Huffines Subaru. They called it Huffines Has It. It was the third annual car show.

[00:00:48] They were also celebrating their 100th anniversary of Huffines, which is...that's pretty awesome. I mean, a hundred years in business. That's pretty crazy.

[00:01:00] But it is 2024, so maybe it's not that crazy.

[00:01:05] There are times when I think about something and it seems like it was not that long ago. And then I realized, like, wait, that was 1995?

[00:01:17] And then I realized, yeah, that was actually a long time ago.

[00:01:22] So, but yeah, so they're celebrating, or they were celebrating their 100th anniversary and third annual car show.

[00:01:28] So, Anthony, the general sales manager of Huffines Subaru, or previous general sales manager, invited me to come out to this event back at SubieFest Texas last year.

[00:01:45] So, I was in the retail village at SubieFest Texas last year, and I interviewed four different dealerships.

[00:01:56] And one of them was Anthony with Huffine Subaru.

[00:02:00] And back then, he invited me to come to this event.

[00:02:04] And, you know, all this time had gone by, and I thought that he had forgotten about me and forgotten about inviting me to come out to this event.

[00:02:13] And then a few weeks ago, he actually, somebody else emailed me and said, hey, Anthony wants to know if it's okay if he contacts you about this event.

[00:02:24] And, of course, I emailed back and said, yes, absolutely.

[00:02:27] So, then Anthony contacted me.

[00:02:30] We had a phone conversation.

[00:02:32] We talked about it.

[00:02:33] And then a few weeks went by, and I emailed him, and I hadn't heard back.

[00:02:40] And so, there was this post, a Facebook post, that my mom had sent me that she wanted to show my son.

[00:02:49] And I was actually visiting her one time, and she was like, hey, did you ever show that post to Luke?

[00:02:54] And I was like, no, I didn't.

[00:02:55] I need to look at it at some point.

[00:02:57] And so, about a week before this Huffines Hazard event, I decided, you know what?

[00:03:05] I need to look at this post that my mom sent me on Facebook.

[00:03:08] And I clicked on it, and I don't know what it went to.

[00:03:11] I don't know if I clicked on it wrong or something, but it didn't look like what she had sent me.

[00:03:16] So, then I just continued to like the Facebook feed.

[00:03:20] And there, right there on this feed on Facebook was Anthony.

[00:03:26] And he was making an announcement.

[00:03:28] And I'm saying all of this for context, so just bear with me.

[00:03:33] So, I see this post from Anthony, and he's making this announcement that he is no longer with Huffines Subaru.

[00:03:40] He had been invited by, I guess, Mr. Huffines to be the general manager of Huffines Hyundai.

[00:03:51] So, I'm looking at this post, and I'm thinking, Anthony is the one from Huffines Subaru that invited me to this Huffines Subaru event, and he is no longer there.

[00:04:03] He's now at Huffines Hyundai.

[00:04:07] So, I'm like, he's the one that invited me, and he's the only person that I've talked to about this event.

[00:04:13] So, am I still invited to this event?

[00:04:16] Am I still going to be going to this event?

[00:04:18] So, I called Huffines Hyundai, and I asked for him, and they sent me to, they're like, well, he's not available right now.

[00:04:28] Is it okay if I send you to his voicemail?

[00:04:30] I said, yes, of course.

[00:04:31] So, he's still brand new in this position.

[00:04:34] So, they send me to his, quote-unquote, his, or quote-unquote, his voicemail, and I get to the voicemail, and it's somebody else.

[00:04:44] Like, they say, hey, this is so-and-so, and I'm like, okay, that's not Anthony.

[00:04:48] But, of course, I'm, you know, using my context clues and thinking, he just took over this position.

[00:04:53] He probably hasn't recorded his, you know, voice message.

[00:04:58] So, it's probably just the person's position that he took over.

[00:05:03] So, I go ahead and leave a message thinking, like, you know, maybe I'm not even going to hear from him.

[00:05:08] If I don't hear from him by a certain time, then, you know, I'm just not going to go.

[00:05:15] Because, again, he's the only person I had talked to about it, and I didn't know if I was still invited.

[00:05:22] So, he calls me back, I think it was a couple of days later, and we talk about it, and he said, yes, you know, even though I'm at Huffine's Hyundai, I'm still going to be going to the Huffine's Subaru event.

[00:05:36] Yes, you're still invited.

[00:05:37] Of course, we want you to come out.

[00:05:39] So, I ended up making plans.

[00:05:41] But, you know, if you listen to my, the Subie Scoop this past Monday and my solo episode, then I talked about how I was having issues with Pearl.

[00:05:53] So, then, I'm like scrambling to try to get Pearl repaired so that I can make it up there.

[00:06:01] Because, it's like, and I ended up having to cancel my hotel that I had booked.

[00:06:09] Because I had to, because of the way that I booked the hotel, they said that you would have to cancel, you could cancel for free by like 6 p.m. on Tuesday night.

[00:06:19] Tuesday night before the event.

[00:06:21] And I was going to be planning to spend the night in the hotel on Friday night.

[00:06:25] So, with my, all this stuff going on with my car, then I have to cancel the hotel.

[00:06:30] Well, I don't know if I'm even going to be going to this event because I hadn't heard from Anthony yet.

[00:06:35] So, all this was going on.

[00:06:37] And I'm like, I don't even know if this event is going to happen for me.

[00:06:41] But it all ended up coming together.

[00:06:43] And here we are on this bonus episode.

[00:06:46] So, I know this has been a long intro.

[00:06:48] But I kind of wanted to just give all this context of kind of what was going on behind the scenes to even get to this event.

[00:06:56] And to make sure that it was actually going to happen.

[00:07:00] And, of course, it did happen.

[00:07:02] And that's why we're here.

[00:07:04] So, throughout this segment, I will just, you'll kind of hear each segment kind of flow into the next one.

[00:07:13] And, you know, it might be a little choppy going from one segment to the next.

[00:07:17] Because I was walking around recording most of the time.

[00:07:23] I had both microphones with me.

[00:07:25] And I was just kind of walking around the event.

[00:07:28] Because I didn't want to start and stop the mics with each person that I ended up talking to.

[00:07:34] So, I just kind of let it go.

[00:07:35] And I ended up having over two and a half hours of audio that was just, you know, recording the entire time.

[00:07:45] And so, it wasn't like actual conversations the entire time.

[00:07:49] So, this segment is not going to be two and a half hours.

[00:07:53] As you can see, I'm sure, by the time that you're looking at, you know, the time stamp or whatever on this.

[00:08:00] But, you know, it was a great event.

[00:08:02] I'm extremely grateful for Anthony inviting me out.

[00:08:06] Bucky Lastic was there.

[00:08:08] They had the Subaru Motorsports USA trailer there.

[00:08:11] They had the simulator trailer there.

[00:08:14] So, it was like a really big deal for Huffine Subaru.

[00:08:18] And again, I'm just so grateful and thankful that they invited me out.

[00:08:21] So, I started off talking to Anthony.

[00:08:24] And then, I can't remember exactly where it goes from there.

[00:08:28] Because I ended up talking to several different people.

[00:08:30] But I talked to Anthony.

[00:08:31] I talked to another guy that is representative of Subaru in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

[00:08:41] And then, of course, I had a conversation with Bucky.

[00:08:44] Which, very thankful.

[00:08:45] Thank you so much, Bucky, for taking the time to sit down with me.

[00:08:48] And then, I had some conversations with people around the event.

[00:08:54] But one of the most important conversations that I had was with Cindy, who was with Easy Street Shelter.

[00:09:00] And that was really what this whole event was there for.

[00:09:06] Was to help support Easy Street Shelter.

[00:09:10] So, all the proceeds went to Easy Street.

[00:09:13] So, you know, Subaru loves pets.

[00:09:16] That's one of the biggest, you know, things that Subaru is known for.

[00:09:20] And that's one of the biggest deals.

[00:09:22] And Subaru is just very passionate about it.

[00:09:25] So, that was one of the most important conversations.

[00:09:27] But, so, with all that said, let's go ahead and get into this bonus episode.

[00:09:45] How's it going, Anthony?

[00:09:46] Hey, what's going on, man?

[00:09:48] Thanks to you for inviting me out to this event.

[00:09:50] So, why don't you tell everybody what this event is?

[00:09:52] So, this is the third annual Huffines Has It Car Show.

[00:09:56] You know, it's just another opportunity for the community to gather together.

[00:10:01] We're raising funds.

[00:10:02] We're in Subaru Loves Pets right now.

[00:10:04] Okay.

[00:10:04] So, we'll be selling some items here.

[00:10:06] All the entry fees are going to go to Easy Street Animal Shelter.

[00:10:10] Oh, nice.

[00:10:11] And they'll be here.

[00:10:12] We'll be doing a pet adoption today.

[00:10:13] Okay.

[00:10:14] So, it's just, you know, bringing the community together.

[00:10:17] We've got Bucky Lastic in the house, which is great.

[00:10:20] And so, they love that.

[00:10:21] We've got the SIM machines here.

[00:10:23] So, give an opportunity for people to drive rally cars and race Bucky.

[00:10:28] Yeah, I did that.

[00:10:29] I tried it at SubiFest Texas last year, and I did horribly.

[00:10:33] And then I watch him, and he's shifting the gears really fast.

[00:10:36] And I'm like, oh, that's the trick.

[00:10:37] Yeah, yeah.

[00:10:38] He's a pro for sure.

[00:10:39] Oh, yeah.

[00:10:40] Yeah.

[00:10:41] And so, yeah.

[00:10:42] This is just our third year we're doing this.

[00:10:44] And so, we're super excited.

[00:10:46] You know, we love this part of the community.

[00:10:48] Yeah.

[00:10:48] And Huffines is also celebrating something else pretty big, or Subaru.

[00:10:52] Yes, yeah.

[00:10:52] Yeah, so Huffines has been in business this year for 100 years.

[00:10:56] Yeah.

[00:10:57] And so, we've done several things throughout the year.

[00:11:00] We wanted this show to be one of our biggest ones that we've done.

[00:11:02] That's why we've got the SIM machine here.

[00:11:04] Got the Huckster in the house.

[00:11:06] Oh, yeah.

[00:11:07] It's actually, I just found this out.

[00:11:08] First time that the Huckster has ever been to a dealership.

[00:11:11] Really?

[00:11:12] Yeah, yeah.

[00:11:12] Nice.

[00:11:13] That's a big deal, too.

[00:11:14] Yeah, so excited about that.

[00:11:16] The Air Slayer.

[00:11:16] I've got the Air Slayer here.

[00:11:19] Vermont Sports Car, they do a great job.

[00:11:21] We've partnered, Huffines has partnered with them many years now.

[00:11:24] So, good team, and it's just a blast.

[00:11:27] Yeah.

[00:11:27] Yeah, that's good.

[00:11:28] So, do you know this guy over here that has the yellowish Jeep?

[00:11:32] I do.

[00:11:33] Sean.

[00:11:34] Sean.

[00:11:35] So, funny thing about Sean, he and his wife, they are Subaru ambassadors.

[00:11:38] Yeah.

[00:11:39] And they've been with our dealership.

[00:11:41] They're our store's ambassadors.

[00:11:43] They've probably been with me 10 plus years.

[00:11:45] Yeah.

[00:11:45] And they love cars.

[00:11:46] Like, they got their Jeep.

[00:11:48] This is their newest toy.

[00:11:49] But he's probably got five or six Subarus at the house.

[00:11:52] Well, so, I have a funny story about that.

[00:11:54] My son has a 2010 Outback 3.6R that I bought from Sean.

[00:12:01] Oh, nice.

[00:12:01] I bought it for my son.

[00:12:02] Oh, yeah.

[00:12:02] For his 18th birthday.

[00:12:04] I think what's funny, I'll bet you Sean has sold as many cars as Huffines has.

[00:12:08] That guy sells cars like crazy.

[00:12:09] I know, I asked him one time, because he bought my OEM wheels off my Crosstrek when I got my first set of aftermarket wheels.

[00:12:18] Because he was trying to put them on, I can't remember what he was trying to put them on.

[00:12:21] So, I met up with him and I was talking to him, because I had only connected with him through Instagram.

[00:12:26] And I think I met him at the big event once before that.

[00:12:28] But we were talking and I said, like, how many Subarus have you had?

[00:12:32] And he was like, I don't know, like 50 something maybe.

[00:12:34] Oh, and I think that's probably on the low end, to be honest with you.

[00:12:37] Yeah, yeah.

[00:12:38] Yeah.

[00:12:38] Several Subarus.

[00:12:38] Well, because that was a couple of years ago, too.

[00:12:40] Yes.

[00:12:40] Yeah.

[00:12:41] Yep.

[00:12:41] But no, a lot of our customers are here.

[00:12:45] Some of our team members, they brought their personal cars here.

[00:12:47] Yeah, some nice cars here.

[00:12:48] Bosco is one of our service advisors.

[00:12:50] He brought his STI.

[00:12:52] And so, yeah, it's really cool.

[00:12:54] And then we have some of the locals, like All Wheel Drive Tuning.

[00:12:58] They're a great partner here in the community.

[00:13:01] Kraken Motorsports.

[00:13:02] They partner with a lot.

[00:13:04] They brought some of their cars out.

[00:13:06] And so, I mean, yeah, again, I love the fact that we give a place for the local businesses in the area to help support Subaru.

[00:13:16] Yeah, and this is a nice event, too.

[00:13:19] So, I'm guessing with this being the third, there's going to be more.

[00:13:23] It's just going to continue on, huh?

[00:13:24] That's the plan, yes.

[00:13:26] You know, recently I had a hard announcement.

[00:13:29] You know, I've ran this store for 17 years.

[00:13:32] And it's a hard conversation to even have.

[00:13:34] But I've moved on.

[00:13:36] Mr. Huffines has promoted me to be the general manager at our Hyundai store.

[00:13:39] Yeah, that's probably why you didn't get my email.

[00:13:41] Yes, probably.

[00:13:42] No, I still have the same email.

[00:13:43] Oh, okay.

[00:13:44] Yeah, I still have the same email.

[00:13:45] But, yeah, I've been buried.

[00:13:47] I mean, everyone's asked, hey, how is it?

[00:13:49] And I'm like, it's like drinking through a fire hose right now.

[00:13:51] Yeah.

[00:13:52] That's good, though.

[00:13:53] Yeah, it's good for your career.

[00:13:54] And, like, you know, it's good to still see you around here at the Subaru dealership.

[00:13:58] Now, I'll always be here.

[00:14:00] Subaru's got a special place in my heart.

[00:14:01] And the team that I've been a part of for years, they're all here.

[00:14:05] I mean, Edwin Homan, he's the sales director.

[00:14:08] He's been with me the full 17 years.

[00:14:11] Tim Spencer, Mikey, Rob, and Aaron Brown.

[00:14:13] Those guys have been managing this store about as long as I have.

[00:14:16] Okay.

[00:14:17] And so, you guys have a great team.

[00:14:19] Oh, looks like we've got a car club rolling in here.

[00:14:21] Yeah.

[00:14:22] Nice.

[00:14:22] Oh, yeah.

[00:14:23] Boxer squad's coming through.

[00:14:24] Oh, sweet.

[00:14:25] They're a pretty large crew, so I'm glad they showed up.

[00:14:28] But, no, you're going to have a great team still here at the dealership and full confidence in them.

[00:14:33] Yeah, of course.

[00:14:34] Yeah, well, thanks for hopping on the mic with me for a little bit.

[00:14:36] Yeah, thank you so much for showing up here.

[00:14:37] I'm so glad.

[00:14:38] You do an awesome job for the Subaru community.

[00:14:41] I hear nothing but great things about you.

[00:14:43] Thank you.

[00:14:43] We met a few times.

[00:14:44] Yeah.

[00:14:45] So, love when you're around.

[00:14:46] Oh, yeah.

[00:14:46] I think you bring an extra element to a car show.

[00:14:49] Okay, great.

[00:14:50] So, appreciate it.

[00:14:50] Oh, yeah.

[00:14:52] Also, we'll have a DJ here.

[00:14:54] So, if you're listening, I don't know when this will be up.

[00:14:55] But, that's Junior in the Mix from Kiss FM.

[00:14:58] Nice.

[00:14:58] So, he'll be DJing here.

[00:15:00] He's a personal friend of mine.

[00:15:02] And so, he'll have some music on.

[00:15:04] It'll be a good time for sure.

[00:15:05] Sounds good.

[00:15:05] Yeah.

[00:15:06] Thank you so much, man.

[00:15:06] All right.

[00:15:07] Thanks a lot.

[00:15:07] I appreciate it.

[00:15:08] All right.

[00:15:08] Yeah.

[00:15:11] So, yeah.

[00:15:12] I want you to introduce yourself for the podcast.

[00:15:14] Hey, well, glad to be here.

[00:15:15] My name is Jeff Queen.

[00:15:16] I am the Dallas, we call it District 1.

[00:15:20] So, I'm the Dallas District 1 District Parts and Service Manager for Subaru of America.

[00:15:25] Okay.

[00:15:25] Great.

[00:15:26] Nice to have you.

[00:15:26] Yeah.

[00:15:27] I just, I was with another brand for 25 years and I got called over to this brand and I

[00:15:34] honestly wish I would have started with Subaru 25 years ago.

[00:15:37] I'm so glad to be here.

[00:15:38] How long have you been here now?

[00:15:40] So, I just celebrated a whopping year and a half.

[00:15:43] Okay.

[00:15:43] I know everything about the brand.

[00:15:45] Just ask me.

[00:15:46] That's okay because I've had my Subaru for a little over four years.

[00:15:50] I've been doing the podcast for almost four years and I still don't know a whole lot.

[00:15:55] There's so much to know.

[00:15:56] It is.

[00:15:57] There's a ton of history to this brand and I'm doing my best to learn as I go.

[00:16:02] Yeah.

[00:16:03] Really like it and one of the big things about the brand is the safety aspect and I actually

[00:16:09] just bought my 19-year-old daughter a Crosstrek so she can use it going back and forth to

[00:16:14] college.

[00:16:15] Yeah.

[00:16:15] So, my daughter, she just bought a 24 Crosstrek and I'm glad that she has it because living

[00:16:21] in Houston, that's where we're from.

[00:16:22] With all the rain, I feel so much safer driving an all-wheel drive car.

[00:16:27] So, I'm glad that she has a Subaru and then I just bought my son a 2010 Outback 3.6R.

[00:16:34] Oh, wow.

[00:16:34] Yeah.

[00:16:35] That's his first official car.

[00:16:37] And so, now we've all got Subarus and that just makes me feel a lot better that they're

[00:16:41] driving them.

[00:16:41] So, you went full vintage on your son's car.

[00:16:43] Yeah.

[00:16:43] You got him a 14-year-old one and I'm sure he's going to do some tricked out stuff to it

[00:16:48] maybe.

[00:16:48] I mean, he's not into it as much as I am.

[00:16:51] Okay.

[00:16:52] But, I mean, he enjoys it, you know.

[00:16:54] That's awesome.

[00:16:55] It's a good car.

[00:16:55] It has 200,000 miles.

[00:16:57] Wow.

[00:16:57] So, just getting broken in.

[00:16:58] Yeah.

[00:16:59] Yeah.

[00:16:59] Yeah.

[00:17:00] So, and for context, we're right here by the simulators.

[00:17:04] But, yeah, it's good background noise.

[00:17:06] I did notice them.

[00:17:08] I tried them one time before and, you know, I thought I was really good at these things and

[00:17:15] I found out within 10 seconds that I'm not.

[00:17:18] I did the same thing at Subie Fest Texas last year.

[00:17:21] I got on it and I flipped the car and then I watched Bucky and he's shifting through the

[00:17:25] gears really fast and I'm like, okay, that's how you do it, I guess.

[00:17:28] I think the Xbox got the better of me because as soon as I got in there, I went full power

[00:17:32] and, you know, and that's not how you handle these things.

[00:17:35] They're very, very accurate.

[00:17:36] Yeah.

[00:17:37] Yeah.

[00:17:37] Pretty nice.

[00:17:38] Well, thank you so much for taking some time to talk with us.

[00:17:40] It's been a pleasure.

[00:17:41] Good luck to you.

[00:17:42] All right.

[00:17:42] Thank you.

[00:17:42] You too.

[00:17:47] How's it going, Bucky?

[00:17:48] It's going good.

[00:17:49] How are you, Raf?

[00:17:49] I'm doing good.

[00:17:50] It's nice to see you out here.

[00:17:51] Yeah.

[00:17:51] It's good to be out here in Texas.

[00:17:53] Took me a little bit to get here.

[00:17:54] Yeah.

[00:17:55] I saw that you had a delay.

[00:17:56] I had some issues.

[00:17:57] Yeah.

[00:17:57] What'd you got here?

[00:17:58] Some bubble wrap here and there.

[00:18:00] Yeah.

[00:18:01] Nice.

[00:18:02] Yeah.

[00:18:02] So some lady, while I was waiting for my delayed flight, decided to pull out some bubble

[00:18:08] wrap and just start popping it.

[00:18:10] Really?

[00:18:11] Really loudly.

[00:18:12] Yeah.

[00:18:12] In the waiting area.

[00:18:13] Yeah.

[00:18:13] It was really bizarre.

[00:18:15] That is interesting.

[00:18:16] So yeah.

[00:18:16] If you check my Instagram, you'll see that.

[00:18:18] It's pretty funny, actually.

[00:18:19] Yeah.

[00:18:20] There's some, you can see, I mean, the airport's one of the best places for people watching.

[00:18:24] Oh, it's amazing.

[00:18:25] Yeah.

[00:18:25] I go front row.

[00:18:27] Yeah.

[00:18:27] I live for it.

[00:18:28] Yeah.

[00:18:28] It's cool.

[00:18:29] So yeah, we're out here at the Huffine's Subaru third annual car show and they're also celebrating

[00:18:36] their 100th anniversary.

[00:18:37] But yeah.

[00:18:38] Is this, how many times have you been out here?

[00:18:40] Well, I believe this is my second time along with the Subaru Motorsports trailer and they

[00:18:46] actually brought the SIM event trailer that usually goes to all the Subifest events.

[00:18:53] And that's been taking up a lot of my time and I've only been here a half hour.

[00:18:56] Yeah.

[00:18:57] Yeah.

[00:18:57] Yeah.

[00:18:57] It's a fun event.

[00:18:58] I mean, me and Luke tried it whenever we were at Subifest, Texas and I did horribly,

[00:19:04] you know, I'm like, just go right away and flip the car or something.

[00:19:08] And then I watch you and you're like shifting the gears really quick.

[00:19:11] Short shifting.

[00:19:12] Yeah.

[00:19:12] Really smooth.

[00:19:14] Left foot braking.

[00:19:15] Like share the pedal.

[00:19:16] Yeah.

[00:19:17] Yeah.

[00:19:17] Yeah.

[00:19:17] Because any stabs, any hard, abrupt inputs to the steering wheel and you got yourself a

[00:19:22] handful.

[00:19:23] Yeah.

[00:19:23] So it's, and it's hard, you know, because it's simulator.

[00:19:25] Yeah.

[00:19:26] You don't get the, you don't get the, uh, the, the gyration, you know, the G's or anything,

[00:19:32] the feedback, you know, you get some in the wheel that you kind of acclimate to and relate

[00:19:37] it, but it's, it's different.

[00:19:38] Right.

[00:19:39] So when you're driving, Betty, you're driving a car like that, you obviously you're shifting,

[00:19:44] but it's a, it's a, what is it?

[00:19:46] Sequential.

[00:19:47] Yeah.

[00:19:47] Do you have a clutch with that or is.

[00:19:49] You do.

[00:19:49] Yeah.

[00:19:50] I'll clutch, kick it, uh, sometimes, uh, especially in the hot weather, uh, anti-lag is kind of,

[00:19:56] kind of troublesome, you know, because it's, it's really aggressive.

[00:20:00] And if the car gets any kind of heat into it, the fail safe system acts, you know, comes

[00:20:06] into play and then starts like, uh, uh, kind of messing with the timing a little bit.

[00:20:12] So I'll have to clutch kick and yeah, it's, it's awesome.

[00:20:15] Uh, it's, it's a real aggressive car to jump into cold Turkey, but, uh, that's what makes

[00:20:20] it fun.

[00:20:21] Yeah.

[00:20:21] How many tires do you go through?

[00:20:23] It depends on the surface.

[00:20:25] Like at boxer fest, we went through a ton of tires where like, uh, like Midwest, we went

[00:20:30] through a ton of tires.

[00:20:31] Like you could literally see in my YouTube videos, uh, when, when I'm, when I'm smoking

[00:20:36] the tires and I'm just accelerating away from, uh, doing donuts, you see the black residue.

[00:20:41] It looks like, it looks like smoke.

[00:20:43] It looks like black smoke.

[00:20:44] It's actually tire.

[00:20:46] Yeah.

[00:20:46] Like rubber, uh, just shards of rubber after like doing like a few donuts.

[00:20:51] It just builds up and kind of what they call it marbles, you know?

[00:20:55] Uh, so yeah.

[00:20:56] So what is anti-lag?

[00:20:58] Anti-lag is, is the, uh, it's a, it's in, it's in the system of, you know, it kind of

[00:21:05] adds a boost.

[00:21:06] It keeps boost, uh, present during lift.

[00:21:12] You know, when you lift off the gas, it kind of circulates the, the boost and then it gives

[00:21:16] it back to you when you go back to the gas.

[00:21:18] Cause don't you like spool the turbo up and, you know, it keeps it spooled.

[00:21:23] Okay.

[00:21:23] Cause I rode with this girl that has, uh, she goes, um, her car is Rodnock underscore

[00:21:29] WRX.

[00:21:30] Yeah.

[00:21:31] And she took me for a ride and it has like 590 horsepower and she was trying to do the

[00:21:36] anti-lag, trying to explain it to me, but she told me about how you spool up the turbo

[00:21:39] and she couldn't get it just right.

[00:21:41] But man, that car is insanely fast.

[00:21:44] It was like, it's crazy.

[00:21:46] It's awesome, but it's also really bad for the car.

[00:21:50] Oh, okay.

[00:21:52] It just, that heat, you know, it's, it doesn't like, uh, Subarus don't like that, that cylinder

[00:21:58] heat, you know, and, uh, it can, if done incorrectly, which Betty definitely is not done

[00:22:05] incorrectly.

[00:22:06] Yeah.

[00:22:07] Uh, it could definitely destroy a motor very quickly with that heat.

[00:22:10] So with all these events that you've been doing with Betty and all the donuts and everything,

[00:22:15] how is she holding up?

[00:22:16] Same motor.

[00:22:17] Uh, it's actually the, the, the, the same block out of the demo car that has been doing

[00:22:23] the Subie Fest events for ages.

[00:22:25] You know, the rally cross car that Scott would drive.

[00:22:28] Okay.

[00:22:28] Travis would jump in.

[00:22:30] It's the same motor out of that.

[00:22:32] Uh, obviously it's refreshed, put back in the Betty and Betty hasn't, I mean, they do

[00:22:36] compression checks every, every event and it's, it's good.

[00:22:41] It's solid.

[00:22:42] So where do you keep her?

[00:22:44] Uh, in, in the trailer right now with all the other, uh, event cars, you know, it'll,

[00:22:49] it's sitting in there right now with S 209 and the, you know, the pro drive, uh, 2024

[00:22:55] car, all those, all those event cars that he's in there, which is kind of weird.

[00:23:01] Usually she's going around on the Subaru motor sports trailer, uh, you know, being, being

[00:23:06] towed around like the Huckster and all that, but she's, she's blending in well.

[00:23:10] Yeah.

[00:23:11] That's good.

[00:23:11] I know.

[00:23:12] And that's, I mean, for you to sort of Betty to be yours now too, you know, after driving

[00:23:16] for Subaru, I know that was a big deal.

[00:23:18] So that's like, gotta just be like pretty amazing.

[00:23:21] Oh man.

[00:23:21] She's better than she's ever has been like, she's, she's better than ever right now.

[00:23:26] So what's going on with the bucket?

[00:23:28] Are you ever going to paint that thing?

[00:23:30] I don't know.

[00:23:31] I think primer looks good on it.

[00:23:32] It does look good.

[00:23:33] Um, but yeah, it definitely needs some work.

[00:23:35] It's just hard to tear it all apart to paint it basically the same color, you know, but

[00:23:41] it needs to be done.

[00:23:42] I'm, I'm looking for a place to, to spray it.

[00:23:45] I need a paint booth.

[00:23:46] I sprayed my XT outside, uh, a couple months ago and I can't paint the bucket outside, you

[00:23:53] know?

[00:23:53] So until I find a happy place for it to, to spend some time on the body work and to

[00:23:58] pull the panels off and do some repair work to, to some of the panels, I think she'll

[00:24:04] stay in primer until I, I find a location.

[00:24:06] Now are you going to paint it white or are you going to?

[00:24:08] Yeah, yeah.

[00:24:09] It's going to be painted white, uh, matte pearl white.

[00:24:12] Nice.

[00:24:12] Nice.

[00:24:13] Pretty much the same exact color it is.

[00:24:15] Yeah.

[00:24:16] Yeah.

[00:24:16] So we'll see you at a Subie Fest, Texas next week.

[00:24:19] Yeah.

[00:24:19] I'll be there.

[00:24:20] Betty will be there.

[00:24:20] I'm going to try to beat this Sim time right now and get into the 33s, which has been my,

[00:24:25] my, uh, it's been my Achilles heel.

[00:24:29] I cannot get into the 33s.

[00:24:31] Yeah.

[00:24:31] I can't get into anything.

[00:24:33] Well, you gotta, you gotta get in.

[00:24:34] You gotta play to win.

[00:24:35] You gotta play to pay, you know?

[00:24:37] Yeah.

[00:24:38] So what else is coming up for Bucky?

[00:24:41] Uh, just bought another project car, uh, working on getting a, uh, kit for the XT

[00:24:49] six that I have and heading out to rally ready actually in between right now.

[00:24:57] And I'm going to go put my eyeballs on my carbon wide body GC, my cage shell that's

[00:25:03] sitting in a field right now just with surface rust on it.

[00:25:06] So I'm going to go put eyeballs on it and try to get a game plan and maybe get that car

[00:25:10] up and run.

[00:25:11] Nice.

[00:25:11] At least, at least get, start ordering parts for it to get it out of that field.

[00:25:17] So what's your project car?

[00:25:19] Can't tell you.

[00:25:20] Okay.

[00:25:21] All right.

[00:25:22] The secret, huh?

[00:25:22] It's...

[00:25:23] I guess we'll see it, uh, pretty soon, huh?

[00:25:24] It's a small little secret.

[00:25:25] I'll just tell you that.

[00:25:26] Okay.

[00:25:27] Nice.

[00:25:27] Nice.

[00:25:28] As, uh, any other project cars that you're thinking about for the future?

[00:25:33] I have one I'm sitting on that I was going to build with my wife and that car might turn

[00:25:40] into a parts car.

[00:25:41] Okay.

[00:25:41] But I haven't released that yet either.

[00:25:43] So basically I have two project cars now sitting that, um, I'm ready to get after, but I do

[00:25:49] want to put focus on my rally car, my GC, the cage wide body, uh, that that's sitting in

[00:25:55] the field.

[00:25:55] And then my XT, I'm also spending a lot of time on my XT.

[00:25:58] I want to get that finished or at least close to finished.

[00:26:01] So how's the skateboarding going these days?

[00:26:04] Uh, I've been traveling so much.

[00:26:06] It's, it's, it's going, but it's not, it's not, it's, you know, it's, it needs some momentum.

[00:26:11] Yeah.

[00:26:11] I mean, you, you're still getting after it, you know?

[00:26:13] I know, but it's hard.

[00:26:14] Like it's hard to cut cold Turkey for two weeks and then go back and get back after it.

[00:26:19] Uh, but I'm doing it.

[00:26:21] Uh, yeah.

[00:26:22] So, and then also getting back to working on cars, you know, and I've been traveling a

[00:26:26] lot.

[00:26:27] Yeah.

[00:26:27] It's nice to have some pretty big, uh, good passions there, you know, cars and skateboarding

[00:26:32] and.

[00:26:33] No, it's good.

[00:26:34] But like I said, I need a, I need a better workspace, you know, I'm working out of my garage and

[00:26:38] it's, it's filling up with like boxes and just stuff, you know, how garages fill up.

[00:26:44] So I'm due for a spring cleaning or a fall cleaning, I guess.

[00:26:49] Yeah.

[00:26:49] It's coming up.

[00:26:50] Well, thanks for hopping on the mic with me.

[00:26:52] Yeah.

[00:26:52] Thanks for having me.

[00:26:53] Yeah.

[00:26:53] Of course.

[00:26:54] I'll talk to you later.

[00:26:55] Yep.

[00:26:55] See you around.

[00:26:58] Thanks.

[00:26:58] All right.

[00:26:59] Well, why don't you introduce yourself and let us know what you're doing here today at

[00:27:03] Huffine Subaru.

[00:27:04] All right.

[00:27:04] Um, my name is Cindy Castle and I'm from St. Joe, Texas.

[00:27:08] Okay.

[00:27:08] And, um, I work with a nonprofit shelter called Easy Street Animal Shelter.

[00:27:13] Um, we are up in the St. Joe area and we do deal with dogs and we are a rescue.

[00:27:19] We take them in, we get them all vetted and we find them homes.

[00:27:23] Okay.

[00:27:24] And how long have you been working with Huffine Subaru?

[00:27:27] This is our third year to be their official Subaru Loves Pets.

[00:27:31] Oh, nice.

[00:27:31] But we have been down here for four years.

[00:27:34] Okay.

[00:27:35] Um, the first year, uh, one of our board members actually bought a Subaru and got connected with

[00:27:41] them and we invited them to a big dinner we were having up in St. Joe and they came up

[00:27:46] and we have been friends ever since.

[00:27:48] So we came down and did an adoption event four years ago.

[00:27:51] So this will be our fourth year.

[00:27:52] And obviously Subaru Loves Pets.

[00:27:54] Subaru Loves Pets, yes.

[00:27:56] And Huffine has been very good to Easy Street.

[00:27:58] Yeah.

[00:27:59] And so I'm actually, I live in Houston, the Houston area.

[00:28:02] So, you know, and, and I met Anthony through at the, um, SubiFest Texas last year.

[00:28:09] And so we were talking and he was telling me about this event and that he wanted to get

[00:28:14] me up here.

[00:28:15] So that was how I got connected with him.

[00:28:17] So, you know, it's because of him that I'm here and I'm glad to be here.

[00:28:20] Well, we, we love Anthony.

[00:28:21] Yeah.

[00:28:22] Yeah.

[00:28:22] He's a very good guy.

[00:28:23] He's a good guy.

[00:28:23] So how long have you been working with Easy Street?

[00:28:26] Um, I actually started at just a couple of months after they opened, which was in, um,

[00:28:30] 2014.

[00:28:31] Okay.

[00:28:31] And, um, so I've been volunteering for him and I'm on the board and I work to help raise

[00:28:37] money and do anything, anything we need to do.

[00:28:40] We have a guest here.

[00:28:41] Yeah.

[00:28:42] He's checking everything out.

[00:28:44] Or she is.

[00:28:46] So, uh, what kind of like, how, where else do y'all go to do events and like to get support?

[00:28:54] Well, like I say, we're up in a rural area up in North Texas.

[00:28:58] Yeah.

[00:28:58] Where is that exactly?

[00:28:59] Because I've never heard of it.

[00:29:00] It's like, what's, what is it closest to?

[00:29:02] Okay.

[00:29:03] St. Joe is kind of in between Wichita Falls and Gainesville.

[00:29:06] Okay.

[00:29:07] We're 20 miles west of Gainesville.

[00:29:09] Gotcha.

[00:29:09] Um, we're, we're in the area we call the North Texas Hill Country.

[00:29:13] People are amazed when they come to St. Joe itself because, um, any direction you go off

[00:29:17] of 82, you drop down into some beautiful valleys and, and you're actually up on top

[00:29:22] of a plateau.

[00:29:23] I may have to go check that out.

[00:29:24] You are.

[00:29:25] We have lots of wineries up there.

[00:29:26] Um, I think we have, uh, five wineries up in the area and, uh, it's a great place

[00:29:31] to come visit.

[00:29:31] Okay.

[00:29:32] So, so what is the partnership with Subaru mean to you?

[00:29:37] Because obviously, like I said, you know, Subaru loves pets.

[00:29:40] It's a really big deal.

[00:29:41] And, you know, there's, they, they, Subaru does so many events where they help out local,

[00:29:46] um, shelters.

[00:29:48] And, and so it's a big part of the Subaru culture.

[00:29:53] Subaru loves pets has been an unbelievable blessing to us.

[00:29:57] Like I say, we're in a small rural area.

[00:29:59] Um, we traveled to Gainesville.

[00:30:01] We go sometimes to Decatur, um, for adoption events.

[00:30:04] But, um, Huffines has really put us on the map, um, down here more in the Metroplex.

[00:30:10] Yeah.

[00:30:10] And, uh, it, they have been super, the whole Subaru's pets program has been amazing.

[00:30:16] I mean, they've helped us get a dog's adopted, um, the past, um, two years.

[00:30:20] This year, we decided to go a different route with the grant money that they offer.

[00:30:25] And we are doing some vetting for our animals, um, before they get adopted.

[00:30:31] Um, we have sponsored a, um, vaccination clinic.

[00:30:34] Okay.

[00:30:34] Um, for citizens.

[00:30:36] And this is all with the help of, of Subaru.

[00:30:38] So it's not only helping our dogs at the shelter, it's helping the dogs in our community, which

[00:30:42] is a part of our mission is to make sure our community has, um, healthy, happy pets.

[00:30:46] Yeah.

[00:30:47] And so I'm guessing getting Subaru involved has really helped just bring more awareness

[00:30:52] and have more pets get adopted.

[00:30:54] Absolutely.

[00:30:55] They, they have come up a number of times to some of the events we've had, set up their

[00:30:59] big tent and they're right there with us.

[00:31:01] And so, um, they're, they're a presence in our lives and, uh, all the time, not just,

[00:31:06] not just Subaru Loves Pets Month.

[00:31:08] Now, is it just dogs or is it other animals?

[00:31:12] We just have dogs.

[00:31:13] Just dogs.

[00:31:13] Okay.

[00:31:14] When, when they, the, the idea of the shelter started with a veterinarian that was their local,

[00:31:19] um, about 20 years ago.

[00:31:21] And unfortunately she experienced an accident.

[00:31:24] And so that put, um, put the shelter kind of on hold for 10 years.

[00:31:29] And then a group of people were like, okay, we, we've got to get this going.

[00:31:32] And so they took the reins and, um, and started, started making money.

[00:31:37] And, and, uh, we have, we've been leasing property from the city of St. Joe for the past 10

[00:31:42] years, but they're getting ready to deed us the property.

[00:31:45] Okay.

[00:31:45] Um, which will allow us to apply for grants and hopefully we can get some, some new buildings

[00:31:51] put up.

[00:31:51] Right now we, we, we have some, our buildings are getting, they're getting old.

[00:31:56] Yeah.

[00:31:57] 10 years and, and 10 years of, of metal pipe kennels that, um, get water on them.

[00:32:02] Yeah.

[00:32:03] We're ready to, we're ready to build.

[00:32:04] So y'all need something newer and better.

[00:32:07] And so do the dogs.

[00:32:08] Yep.

[00:32:09] So cat cats, we'd love to help cats, but unfortunately that's a whole other building in all honesty.

[00:32:16] Um, and financially we just decided we're going to focus on dogs.

[00:32:19] We have started a feral cat program.

[00:32:21] And so we're helping trap cats in the, in the area and getting them spayed, neutered and

[00:32:27] vaccinated.

[00:32:27] And then we're returning them to their colonies.

[00:32:29] So we're doing everything we can to help, to help all the animals.

[00:32:32] That's good.

[00:32:33] That's good.

[00:32:34] Anything else you want to share about easy street or, um, events coming up or anything?

[00:32:39] We have two awesome events coming up.

[00:32:41] Okay.

[00:32:41] One of them is sponsored by Huffine and it's Barktoberfest.

[00:32:45] Oh yeah.

[00:32:45] I've heard of that.

[00:32:46] It's next Thursday.

[00:32:47] Um, and it's at Marty B's down in Argyle and it, we did it, they did it for us last year.

[00:32:52] Um, it was great food.

[00:32:54] They have some great music entertainers for us.

[00:32:57] Um, they have an auction and they helped raise a whole lot of money for us last year at

[00:33:02] that event.

[00:33:03] And then we are sponsoring our wine and wags up in St. Joe at Blue Ostrich Winery and it's

[00:33:09] November the 19th and it is a dinner fundraiser.

[00:33:12] We have an auction and our, our Subaru friends will be up there with us there too.

[00:33:16] Nice.

[00:33:17] Yeah.

[00:33:17] Yeah.

[00:33:17] That's, they're a big part of it.

[00:33:19] So that's good.

[00:33:21] Um, they're a hundred dollars and that includes all of the vet, they're completely vetted,

[00:33:26] microchipped, everything.

[00:33:27] Okay.

[00:33:28] All right.

[00:33:28] Thank you.

[00:33:28] You bet.

[00:33:30] Yeah.

[00:33:31] So, oh, that's good.

[00:33:32] Yeah.

[00:33:32] That'd be nice.

[00:33:33] So, well, thank you for hopping on the mic with me and sharing some information.

[00:33:37] Thank you.

[00:33:38] Thanks for letting us get interrupted there.

[00:33:40] That was still some good information.

[00:33:41] Yeah.

[00:33:41] Yeah.

[00:33:41] That's good.

[00:33:42] Okay.

[00:33:42] After my like quote unquote official conversation with Cindy, we were just standing around having

[00:33:48] casual conversation and she said, you know, I wish I would have told you about this.

[00:33:54] And I said, well, I've still got the mics here.

[00:33:56] So let's just add that in.

[00:33:59] So this is a little bit more of our conversation because she wanted to talk about something

[00:34:05] and I gave her that opportunity.

[00:34:08] And that's what was great about having the Rode Wireless Pro because I was holding them

[00:34:12] in my hands and they were still recording.

[00:34:14] So here we go.

[00:34:15] We are one of only two shelters in the state of Texas that is a part of the Pets for the

[00:34:19] Elderly Foundation.

[00:34:21] Okay.

[00:34:22] I found information about it in a magazine that was inadvertently put in my mailbox.

[00:34:28] Oh, wow.

[00:34:28] And I just was checking it out.

[00:34:29] That's just like one of those things that just happens.

[00:34:31] It had this information about an organization called Pets for the Elderly that helped sponsor

[00:34:36] adoption fees for seniors over 60.

[00:34:39] So this was right in the spring before COVID.

[00:34:42] I sent the lady a letter.

[00:34:44] I said, you know, we're a really small shelter in Texas, but we would love to be a part of

[00:34:47] it.

[00:34:48] And she was like, I am so excited.

[00:34:50] Oh, that's great.

[00:34:51] At the time they had one other shelter and they were actually losing their association

[00:34:55] because they weren't following the rules.

[00:34:57] That's like perfect timing.

[00:34:58] And so I actually believe there's a shelter in Houston now.

[00:35:01] Okay.

[00:35:02] It's one of the other partners, but they have given us, we have had over a hundred dogs

[00:35:08] adopted through them.

[00:35:10] They pay half the adoption fee.

[00:35:12] And the last two years that they've, I've written a grant and they've given us a medical grant

[00:35:16] and we've got, we've had $15,000 that we've spent helping seniors that already have animals

[00:35:21] get medical work for them that's expensive.

[00:35:24] So that is a really neat thing.

[00:35:26] And it's, it's a feather in our cap to be such a small rural shelter and have that association.

[00:35:31] We just happened to get this magazine just by chance.

[00:35:33] It was.

[00:35:33] And she just thought that was hilarious.

[00:35:35] Yeah.

[00:35:36] This is funny how things happen that way.

[00:35:38] Yep.

[00:35:38] Yep.

[00:35:38] It was meant to be.

[00:35:39] Yep.

[00:35:40] I'll put this in there.

[00:35:49] That's some loud music, but hopefully I'm going to try to pick up this audio.

[00:35:53] I'm over here checking out the simulators, the racing simulators over here by the rally

[00:36:04] ready car too.

[00:36:06] We've got a WRX out here.

[00:36:09] It's all modified.

[00:36:22] Got the Vermont sports car trailer out here.

[00:36:25] Got the Huckster and the Air Slayer.

[00:36:29] So it's a pretty big deal for Huffine Subaru to have these awesome cars out here and give

[00:36:37] these experiences out here.

[00:36:39] There's Anthony on the mic right now.

[00:36:41] Hey, guys.

[00:36:42] If you guys just showed up, if you haven't been here for a while, make sure you guys get

[00:36:45] inside the dealership and buy your raffle tickets.

[00:36:48] We've got some great items.

[00:36:50] We've got a 40-inch TV with an Xbox in there.

[00:36:53] We've got an autographed Bucky Elastic skateboard ceramic coating from Tuna Goods.

[00:36:59] We've got a case of energy drinks in there that they've donated.

[00:37:04] A good basket that's pretty amazing from AWD Tune.

[00:37:07] And remember, all proceeds are going to go.

[00:37:11] Hello.

[00:37:11] How are you doing?

[00:37:12] Hi.

[00:37:12] I'm good.

[00:37:13] How are you?

[00:37:13] Good.

[00:37:14] Welcome to the Huffine's third annual car show.

[00:37:17] I see you've got your car in the show.

[00:37:19] Yes, I do.

[00:37:20] And it's all decked out in President Trump.

[00:37:22] Yeah.

[00:37:23] So, why don't you introduce yourself?

[00:37:25] What was that?

[00:37:26] Why don't you introduce yourself?

[00:37:27] My name is Gina.

[00:37:28] Okay.

[00:37:29] Nice to meet you.

[00:37:30] Yeah, nice to meet you.

[00:37:31] So, what year is your STI?

[00:37:33] It is a 2013.

[00:37:35] Okay.

[00:37:35] And I got it at about 10 miles.

[00:37:38] Oh, wow.

[00:37:39] Yeah.

[00:37:39] Nice.

[00:37:40] Yeah.

[00:37:40] Nice.

[00:37:41] And now it has 150,000 miles on it.

[00:37:44] Okay.

[00:37:45] All right.

[00:37:46] Yeah.

[00:37:46] So, we're in Texas, obviously.

[00:37:49] Are you from Texas?

[00:37:50] No, I'm from New Jersey.

[00:37:52] Okay.

[00:37:52] So, I grew up around the New Jersey area.

[00:37:55] All right.

[00:37:55] How long have you been in Texas?

[00:37:56] For about seven years now.

[00:37:58] Okay.

[00:37:59] What brought you to Texas?

[00:38:01] Well, family.

[00:38:03] Okay.

[00:38:03] I guess family.

[00:38:04] And I've been here just enjoying Texas.

[00:38:09] Yeah.

[00:38:10] So, is this the only Subaru you've owned?

[00:38:12] Yep.

[00:38:12] This is the only Subaru I have.

[00:38:14] And I'm a huge Subaru fan.

[00:38:16] Yeah.

[00:38:16] After having this one.

[00:38:18] Yeah.

[00:38:18] I know how to drive my car.

[00:38:20] Yeah.

[00:38:20] I know.

[00:38:21] It's nice.

[00:38:22] It's got to have a manual.

[00:38:24] Yeah.

[00:38:24] Got to have the manual.

[00:38:25] STI.

[00:38:25] Yeah.

[00:38:26] I have a cross trick, which is really slow, but it is a manual.

[00:38:29] Okay.

[00:38:30] So, I got the second gen.

[00:38:33] Unfortunately, they're not doing the manuals with the third gen, which kind of sucks.

[00:38:36] Yeah.

[00:38:37] But, you know, so I'm glad to have one.

[00:38:39] Well, I learned on a manual.

[00:38:40] Yeah.

[00:38:41] I know a lot.

[00:38:41] So, I mean, I'm 51.

[00:38:44] Okay.

[00:38:44] So, I know a lot of people my age, you know, always say, like, when I talk to some of my

[00:38:48] friends, they're like, yeah, I learned how to drive on a manual because they were so much

[00:38:51] more common back then.

[00:38:53] It was.

[00:38:53] They need to start bringing them back.

[00:38:55] Yeah.

[00:38:55] They do.

[00:38:56] I actually have a decal that I've had on the back of my car before that says, save the

[00:39:00] manuals.

[00:39:01] Oh, my gosh.

[00:39:02] I like that.

[00:39:03] Yeah.

[00:39:04] So, but yeah.

[00:39:05] So, like, tell us a little bit more about your STI.

[00:39:09] Like, you bought it with 10 miles on it.

[00:39:10] Uh-huh.

[00:39:11] And you have about 150, you said, now.

[00:39:15] Yeah.

[00:39:15] So, like.

[00:39:16] It has a brand new engine in it.

[00:39:18] Okay.

[00:39:18] It just died on me about a couple months ago at 148,000 miles.

[00:39:24] Okay.

[00:39:25] And then, but yeah, it has a brand new engine.

[00:39:28] All right.

[00:39:28] And I could have gotten something else, but I was like, nope.

[00:39:32] Yeah.

[00:39:32] I'm sticking with my Subaru.

[00:39:34] Yeah.

[00:39:34] So, what was.

[00:39:35] I really love this car.

[00:39:37] So, what was that like getting the engine replaced?

[00:39:40] It was, it was, you know, a little, little stressful.

[00:39:45] You know, it costs, you know, pretty penny to, you know, get it up and going again.

[00:39:49] But I don't know.

[00:39:50] It just, after, I didn't have the car for almost two months.

[00:39:53] And then, when I got it back, I was just like, oh my gosh.

[00:39:57] Oh my gosh.

[00:39:58] I was like, yeah, I made the right decision.

[00:39:59] Yes, I did.

[00:40:00] Because it's not, I mean, you get these cars.

[00:40:03] Like, so, people that are Subaru enthusiasts, like, you, the car becomes a part of you.

[00:40:09] Yes, it does.

[00:40:09] And you become a part of the car.

[00:40:10] And it's like, you know, it's more than just something that, you know, like, gets you to

[00:40:16] ADMB or gets you to work or whatever.

[00:40:18] It's like, you know, you have this passion for this metal and rubber and everything.

[00:40:24] And it's like, it's hard to, you know, not have it anymore if that's, you know, like you

[00:40:30] said, you could have gotten another car.

[00:40:32] But replace the motor and you still have the car.

[00:40:35] Yeah.

[00:40:35] And like, we, I feel like, I have four children as well.

[00:40:38] And so, we've all been through a lot with this car.

[00:40:42] And so, we have a lot of memories.

[00:40:43] Yeah.

[00:40:44] And just getting, just thinking of getting rid of it, it's just like, well, man, like,

[00:40:48] all those memories go with the car.

[00:40:50] Yeah.

[00:40:50] And so.

[00:40:51] Have you done some road tripping in it?

[00:40:53] I have.

[00:40:54] Yeah.

[00:40:54] So, all over the place, all over the country.

[00:40:56] Okay.

[00:40:57] I used to live in Colorado.

[00:40:59] Oh, yeah.

[00:40:59] And I used to go off-roading in Colorado.

[00:41:02] In this?

[00:41:03] Yeah, in this.

[00:41:04] That's why you can see the rims.

[00:41:05] I haven't changed it, you know.

[00:41:06] Yeah.

[00:41:06] I'm on the four, so.

[00:41:07] I gotta, you know, but the rims, you know, I've had fun in this car.

[00:41:12] Yeah.

[00:41:12] I know how to drive it.

[00:41:13] Yeah.

[00:41:13] The first time, so I have, my Crosstrek is a 21, and my first off-roading experience

[00:41:19] was in Colorado.

[00:41:21] Okay.

[00:41:21] I drove from Texas to Colorado.

[00:41:23] Uh-huh.

[00:41:23] I met up with a couple of guys that I had had on the podcast that owned Outbacks, and they

[00:41:27] took me and my kids out on one day.

[00:41:30] We went for, like, the last part of the day, and then the next day, it was just all day

[00:41:35] off-roading.

[00:41:36] Okay.

[00:41:36] And then I got spoiled because we have so much private land out here in Texas, it's hard to

[00:41:40] find a good place to go off-roading.

[00:41:41] I agree to that, too.

[00:41:43] Yeah.

[00:41:43] I like to drive fast, you know, and I'm just like, it's not easy to find roads like that

[00:41:48] out here.

[00:41:49] Yeah.

[00:41:50] Yeah.

[00:41:50] So, it's nice.

[00:41:51] It looks good.

[00:41:52] Also, this car, so it's 2013, and this is the last model for the way that it's made.

[00:41:59] Okay.

[00:41:59] So, the 2014.

[00:42:00] The body style.

[00:42:01] The body style, yeah.

[00:42:02] So, it went, the 2014 changed.

[00:42:04] Okay.

[00:42:04] And so, I feel like I have, like, an antique car.

[00:42:06] Yeah.

[00:42:07] You know?

[00:42:07] Yeah.

[00:42:08] No, it's really, I mean, it's, yeah, it's 11 years old.

[00:42:10] It's getting there.

[00:42:11] Yeah.

[00:42:12] And it's still taken care of, you know, especially having four children in here.

[00:42:16] Got to jam-pack them in, but they love it.

[00:42:19] No, it's good.

[00:42:19] Yeah.

[00:42:20] Yeah.

[00:42:20] I like it.

[00:42:21] Well, thank you for hopping on the mic and sharing a little bit of your story.

[00:42:24] So, I appreciate it.

[00:42:25] Okay.

[00:42:26] All right.

[00:42:26] Thank you.

[00:42:27] You're welcome.

[00:42:28] Hey, how are you doing?

[00:42:29] Good.

[00:42:29] How are you?

[00:42:30] Good.

[00:42:30] Why don't you introduce yourself?

[00:42:32] My name is James LaVanway.

[00:42:33] I work with Vermont Sports Car.

[00:42:34] We're in the Subaru Motorsports Program for Subaru USA.

[00:42:37] All right.

[00:42:38] Well, nice to meet you.

[00:42:39] Oh, look.

[00:42:40] We've got Bucky Lassik here.

[00:42:41] He's like sneaking in.

[00:42:42] Is that Bucky?

[00:42:43] He's in your trash can.

[00:42:44] All right.

[00:42:45] Get out of here, Bucky.

[00:42:48] Yeah.

[00:42:48] So, nice to meet you.

[00:42:50] Nice to meet you as well.

[00:42:51] This is, so it's funny.

[00:42:53] We were just talking about Boxer Fest, and when I went out there, I had just started the

[00:42:59] podcast.

[00:42:59] I hadn't had my car for too long.

[00:43:02] I met Bucky for the first time, and I saw the Subaru Motorsports USA trailer, but I

[00:43:07] didn't really know much about the Subaru Motorsports.

[00:43:12] So, I don't even think, I think I just went through the trailer really quickly and was just

[00:43:15] like, oh, that's cool.

[00:43:16] It wasn't until I started watching Launch Control that I was like, oh, this is really a big deal.

[00:43:23] Yeah.

[00:43:23] Launch Control is probably one of our best formats for getting the word out there.

[00:43:27] Yeah.

[00:43:27] We like to joke that Drive to Survive stole the idea from us, because we're 11 or 12 years

[00:43:32] deep in it.

[00:43:33] Yeah.

[00:43:34] So, how long have you been working with Subaru and Vermont Sports Car, and then kind of like,

[00:43:39] what is it that you, I know that you go around to a lot of different events, so what is it

[00:43:45] that you're kind of in charge of, and like, what are you doing out there?

[00:43:50] So, I'll try to make this as quick as possible.

[00:43:52] This is my second stint with Vermont Sports Car.

[00:43:55] I've been friends with Lance, who owns Vermont Sports Car for 40 years, and I worked with

[00:44:00] him in the early 90s for a couple years, then I left on my own parts store.

[00:44:05] I'm a parts guy by trade.

[00:44:07] Nice.

[00:44:07] Had my own parts store for 21 years, and returned to Vermont Sports Car in the end of 2013.

[00:44:14] He solicited my help to try to fill out management, let's say.

[00:44:18] I originally took a role as operations manager, and that quickly evolved into traveling with,

[00:44:23] at the time it was GRC, so we were doing Rallycross, and I did all variations of Rallycross.

[00:44:30] I did GRC, ARX, and NRX.

[00:44:35] Yeah.

[00:44:36] And then after Rallycross kind of folded, I took over the Show Car program.

[00:44:43] So, that was just about the time that COVID took place.

[00:44:46] Yeah.

[00:44:47] So, we had to modify our plan a little bit.

[00:44:49] At that point, we were doing a touchless event.

[00:44:53] One of the first events we did was Subifest California, which was when they did the parade.

[00:44:59] Yeah, yeah, I remember that.

[00:45:00] Which was a pretty unique idea.

[00:45:01] Yeah, I remember seeing that, and I'm like, I had just gotten into the community, and I'm like,

[00:45:07] what is this Subifest thing?

[00:45:08] You know, I didn't know what it was.

[00:45:10] It's really cool.

[00:45:11] My background is primarily Volkswagen Audi.

[00:45:14] That was what my interest started with cars.

[00:45:18] And I thought VW fans were fanatical.

[00:45:21] They don't hold a candle to Subifest fans.

[00:45:23] And they are the true word of fans.

[00:45:27] Yeah.

[00:45:28] It's really refreshing to see, especially their interest in the combustion engine stuff.

[00:45:34] I'm an old school guy.

[00:45:36] I own seven personal vehicles that, as I joke, is my bad habit.

[00:45:41] So, I really appreciate their passion for the product.

[00:45:45] I feel very fortunate that this is what I get to do for a living.

[00:45:48] And, like I say, working with Vermont Sports Car has been a blessing.

[00:45:51] Yeah.

[00:45:52] So, before we got on the mic, you mentioned something about Gymkhana and the Air Slayer.

[00:45:58] So, tell us about that.

[00:45:59] Yeah.

[00:45:59] So, the Gymkhana video with the Air Slayer.

[00:46:03] I participated in the filming of that.

[00:46:06] I drive a small truck and trailer known as the Pony Express.

[00:46:10] My nickname in the company is Pony.

[00:46:13] So, aptly named the Pony Express.

[00:46:15] So, I transported the Gymkhana car around from different sets.

[00:46:20] And, got to be there for the filming of all aspects of it.

[00:46:23] It was probably one of the coolest experiences that I've ever had.

[00:46:26] Yeah.

[00:46:26] Yeah.

[00:46:27] I'm pretty sure that was, like, an incredible thing to witness.

[00:46:31] I don't know if I should divulge this, but we got a police escort from the last scene back to Pastrana Land.

[00:46:38] Oh.

[00:46:38] And, I would definitely rate that as one of the coolest days I've ever experienced.

[00:46:43] Yeah.

[00:46:44] Yeah.

[00:46:44] I mean, you know, like, you get into this community and you start meeting a bunch of different people.

[00:46:52] And, it just, like, opens up opportunities that you would have never thought could, you know, be possible.

[00:46:58] Or, that you would even imagine.

[00:47:00] One of the things that I really appreciate is that everybody involved in it is real.

[00:47:07] Yeah.

[00:47:07] Travis is probably one of the nicest guys I've ever met.

[00:47:10] That's what I've heard.

[00:47:11] And, I'm looking forward to meeting him for the first time at Subie Fest, Texas.

[00:47:15] He's just, it's genuine as us sitting here talking.

[00:47:19] And, it's really refreshing.

[00:47:21] Because, I mean, obviously, his notoriety, he could be arrogant.

[00:47:25] Yeah.

[00:47:25] But, he's not at all.

[00:47:27] I mean, he's a big deal, but, you know, it seems like he doesn't act like it, you know.

[00:47:32] I think his parents help keep him well grounded.

[00:47:35] Yeah.

[00:47:36] And, like I say, he treats all of us with utmost respect.

[00:47:41] But, getting a chance to speak with Bucky and, you know, I've met Dave Higgins.

[00:47:46] And, in Rallycross, we used to have guest drivers.

[00:47:49] And, I've met people that I'd never expected.

[00:47:52] Yeah.

[00:47:52] I mean, I met Michael Andretti.

[00:47:55] You know, just, like I said, I can't think of the names off the top of my head.

[00:47:59] But, just the opportunity to meet people that, you know, were kind of, I can't say childhood idols because I'm too old for that.

[00:48:06] But, you know, just, I've been in the car business, as I mentioned earlier, for 40 years.

[00:48:10] And, to be able to meet these people is just really a unique opportunity.

[00:48:15] So, how many events do you do a year?

[00:48:18] Ooh.

[00:48:21] That's a tough one to really capture.

[00:48:24] I know last year I spent almost 200 nights in hotels.

[00:48:27] Wow.

[00:48:27] 200?

[00:48:28] Yeah.

[00:48:29] Wow.

[00:48:32] It's a very unique lifestyle.

[00:48:34] I mean, I'm fortunate my kids are grown.

[00:48:37] My son's 26.

[00:48:38] My daughter just turned 22.

[00:48:40] So, I'm kind of at a spot in my life.

[00:48:44] Knock on wood, I still have my health.

[00:48:46] So, I can, you know, act like a child.

[00:48:49] Yeah.

[00:48:50] Yeah.

[00:48:50] But, no, I feel very fortunate to have been afforded this opportunity thanks to Lance.

[00:48:55] And, how I met Lance was his brother, Ouija.

[00:48:58] And, they're just amazingly unique individuals.

[00:49:02] Yeah.

[00:49:02] So, I feel very fortunate.

[00:49:03] I said to Ouija a couple months ago, I can't imagine what my life would have been like had I not met them.

[00:49:08] I had taken a year off of school to work at a buddy of mine's Porsche shop.

[00:49:13] And, started ordering parts for the shop.

[00:49:15] And, the parts store contacted me and said that I had a knack.

[00:49:19] Excuse me.

[00:49:19] A knack for it.

[00:49:21] And, you know, it just kind of got rolling.

[00:49:24] I speak to tech centers occasionally.

[00:49:26] And, you can see the guidance counselors kind of cringe when they're like, so, how did you end up here?

[00:49:31] I'd like to say I was smart enough to say I planned it, but I have to lie to do that.

[00:49:34] So, yeah.

[00:49:35] But, I do feel very fortunate.

[00:49:37] So, do you make your way to all the SubiFest events?

[00:49:40] Yeah.

[00:49:42] Unless I'm already spoken for it at another event.

[00:49:44] Gotcha.

[00:49:44] So, last year I missed SubiFest Florida because I was at SEMA.

[00:49:48] Okay.

[00:49:48] Yeah.

[00:49:49] So, Irina handled that.

[00:49:51] And, she's one of the best finds I've had.

[00:49:54] I was on my way back from SubiFest, California, when I stopped at Grand Junction Subaru in Colorado.

[00:50:00] And, within five minutes of meeting her, I offered her a job.

[00:50:04] Oh, nice.

[00:50:05] Nice.

[00:50:06] Would you mind taking a picture with my phone real quick?

[00:50:10] Yeah.

[00:50:12] Please.

[00:50:13] $20.

[00:50:14] Okay.

[00:50:14] Hi.

[00:50:14] And, yeah.

[00:50:15] And, up and down though.

[00:50:16] Yeah.

[00:50:17] So, yeah.

[00:50:19] But, it's been, like for me, it's been a really nice opportunity to get a chance to do the things that I've done because I started the podcast.

[00:50:28] And, then just meeting different people, you know.

[00:50:31] Because, I've had Lance on the podcast.

[00:50:33] I've had Bucky on the podcast.

[00:50:35] I've had Rihanna on the podcast three times.

[00:50:38] And, you know, it's like the people that are listening to it, they're the ones that want to hear all these people.

[00:50:44] You know, they're the ones that want to listen to it.

[00:50:46] And, so, I'm kind of like, I feel like me doing the podcast is like a vessel to get these, you know, people a chance to hear from people that they follow on Instagram and that they're fans of.

[00:51:00] And, so, because it's kind of crazy because, like, I, you know, I love Subaru.

[00:51:06] I like, you know, the things that, the opportunities that it has brought.

[00:51:10] But, I don't know that much about Subaru.

[00:51:12] Like, I don't know that much about, I have very few people on that are in the tuner scene.

[00:51:17] And, they start talking about specific parts of the engine and stuff.

[00:51:20] And, I'm just like, oh, okay, cool.

[00:51:22] Yeah, yeah.

[00:51:22] So, I know more off-road scene than I do the tuner scene because I have a cross track and that's, you know, the people that I've connected with.

[00:51:30] But, you know, it's been great.

[00:51:33] I mean, it's like, I just feel blessed with everything, you know, getting to meet people from Subaru of America.

[00:51:40] And, you know, them taking care of me.

[00:51:43] It's been amazing.

[00:51:44] Yeah, as I was saying earlier, everybody's just very genuine.

[00:51:47] I mean, when I first joined the team, Rob Weir was handling motorsports.

[00:51:53] And, Bill Stokes took over.

[00:51:56] One of the nicest guys I've ever met.

[00:51:58] James Tate is now in charge.

[00:52:00] Same thing.

[00:52:01] Just really genuine people.

[00:52:03] And, to be able to make a living doing something that you're passionate about.

[00:52:08] Exactly, yeah.

[00:52:09] Seems very fortunate.

[00:52:10] And, not so many people don't have that opportunity, you know.

[00:52:15] I mean, for me, my full-time job, it's, I enjoy it-ish, you know.

[00:52:20] But, it's not like something that I would say that, oh, you know, I don't wake up every day going like, man, I can't believe I get to do this, you know.

[00:52:27] So, having the podcast is, you know, it's like, and like not a lot of people even have something outside of their full-time job that they can be passionate about, you know.

[00:52:37] And, so, to have something like this and to have these opportunities to come out to these events and talk to people, I feel very blessed and so thankful that I have something like this, you know.

[00:52:48] And, it was just, I just came up with the idea to do it and just went for it.

[00:52:52] And, it was June 30th, I think, of 2021 that Lauren from Subaru of America sent me a message through Instagram.

[00:53:04] And, I actually, I think I was getting an alignment on my car and I was in a shop, or, you know, my car was in the shop and I was sitting in the little lobby area.

[00:53:13] And, that's when I got the message and that's kind of where it started.

[00:53:16] And, then, I met Charles and it's just gone from there.

[00:53:19] Charles is awesome, as we were talking before.

[00:53:21] Yeah.

[00:53:21] Mike, he's great.

[00:53:22] Just, again, my kind of people.

[00:53:25] He's been in cars his whole life.

[00:53:26] And, again, unique opportunities to meet people that I would have never encountered otherwise.

[00:53:32] Exactly.

[00:53:33] So, I feel extremely fortunate.

[00:53:35] I mean, and that's from the fans all the way up to the corporate side of it.

[00:53:39] It's just, it's been a blessing.

[00:53:41] Absolutely.

[00:53:41] Yeah, and then, like, so, just, you know, people that are in the community that are out there meeting up with other people.

[00:53:48] You know, it's like, you buy this particular car, you find out that there's a community if you didn't already know about it.

[00:53:55] And, there's so many people that have, like, met best friends because they happen to buy a Subaru.

[00:54:01] You know, they modify a car for the first time that they, you know, they never modified a car before.

[00:54:06] Or, there's a lot of people I've had on the podcast that are very introverted and shy and, you know, not good in public situations.

[00:54:14] So, you know, they'll go out to an event and they're, sometimes they're really hesitant to, like, do a car meetup or something.

[00:54:21] And then, they go out there, especially because I've had so many people, too, that they're like, oh, my car is stock.

[00:54:26] I didn't want to go out there because there's all these heavily modified cars.

[00:54:31] And then, they get there and they find out how welcoming people are to them, even though they have a stock car.

[00:54:38] And, just the connection that they make really quickly.

[00:54:41] And then, like I said, you know, they end up making some best friends.

[00:54:43] And, you never know that you're going to meet all these people and have all these amazing experiences because you bought a particular car.

[00:54:52] Part of the reason why I really like working events with Irina is she's been Subaru for, how many years, Irina?

[00:54:59] How many years have you been with Subaru?

[00:55:05] Oh, wow.

[00:55:07] So, like five years ago?

[00:55:11] Well played, well played.

[00:55:14] Yeah.

[00:55:15] Yeah, that's good.

[00:55:17] And the genuine enthusiasm that she has for the brand is just a microcosm of the people we experience.

[00:55:23] And it's just, it's a perfect fit.

[00:55:25] Yeah.

[00:55:25] Like I said, it's no brand.

[00:55:26] Yeah.

[00:55:27] And, no matter where I go, I travel from Florida to Washington State to Maine to Southern California.

[00:55:35] And the essence of the person is the same.

[00:55:39] They're just genuine.

[00:55:40] I mean, I had a situation, I was in Pennsylvania.

[00:55:43] Excuse me.

[00:55:44] I came, come down to the lobby of the hotel.

[00:55:47] I was talking to a gentleman about what I was there doing and so on and so forth.

[00:55:53] And 20 minutes, a half hour later, I had almost 15 people standing in the lobby talk with me.

[00:55:59] Yeah.

[00:55:59] And the manager of the hotel came up to me after and she's like, wow, you do an amazing job.

[00:56:05] How much public speaking do you do?

[00:56:08] I'm deathly afraid of public speaking.

[00:56:10] I am too.

[00:56:11] Like, no.

[00:56:11] She goes, you had their attention captured.

[00:56:14] She goes, they would have talked to you all day.

[00:56:16] And I said, well, I'm just explaining what I do.

[00:56:19] Yeah.

[00:56:19] You know?

[00:56:20] So, yeah.

[00:56:21] It was easy, you know?

[00:56:22] Well, yeah.

[00:56:22] It makes it easier if you have to do some sort of public speaking.

[00:56:26] If you know what it is that you're talking about and you really enjoy it, that does make it easier.

[00:56:31] Because at SubiFest, California, I was talking, Charles was there and he was like, hey, let me introduce you to the DJ.

[00:56:38] Like, up on top of the, you know, the simulator, right?

[00:56:42] And so I went up there and met the DJ.

[00:56:44] And then later on, it was like around a little afternoon, he was like, okay, he's going to interview you.

[00:56:49] And so I'm like up there in front of all these people being interviewed by the DJ.

[00:56:54] And I'm like, I'm same thing.

[00:56:57] Deathly afraid of public speaking in front of a crowd, you know?

[00:57:00] And so, but thankfully, where we were at, my booth was down below.

[00:57:06] And there was people that I knew, friends of mine that were at the booth.

[00:57:11] And, of course, I've got the DJ right next to me.

[00:57:13] So I was just going back and forth between looking at my friends down at the tent and then the DJ.

[00:57:20] And I'm like, and before I got on the mic, like right before I grabbed the mic, I'm like, you cannot screw this up.

[00:57:26] You know?

[00:57:27] Like, you can't be like, uh, uh, uh.

[00:57:29] I think the worst of it is if you know you have public speak.

[00:57:32] The anxiety and anticipation.

[00:57:35] Same thing.

[00:57:35] Once I get talking about something that I'm passionate about, it's, you know.

[00:57:38] Yeah.

[00:57:39] So outside of cars and whatnot, my other second passion is playing hockey.

[00:57:43] I still, when I'm at home, I skate three nights a week.

[00:57:46] Oh, nice.

[00:57:47] And, uh, to me, there's nothing like it.

[00:57:50] The close second place thing would be sailing.

[00:57:53] Just the peacefulness and the focus.

[00:57:55] And, uh, so I'm a simple creature.

[00:57:58] Yeah.

[00:57:58] And, uh, but to be able to explain to people what I get to do for a living, it's definitely a blessing.

[00:58:06] Yeah.

[00:58:06] I feel extremely fortunate.

[00:58:07] And when you, you know, like I was mentioning earlier that, uh, Ouija and Lance are very unique.

[00:58:13] Like, Ouija is one of the most talented individuals in any format that he attempts to do.

[00:58:18] Um, like when we first started our composite department at Vermont Sports Car, um, he went to school.

[00:58:26] He'd gone to school at a place called Avarice out in Reno, Nevada.

[00:58:30] And he became friends with the owner of Avarice.

[00:58:33] And so when Lamborghini went to release, uh, release the Aventador, they contacted Avarice and wanted to know if they had any candidates that they thought would be eligible to go get tested to see if they were competent enough to do repairs.

[00:58:47] So they flew these people, uh, to Italy.

[00:58:50] They purposely damaged the monocoque shell and then asked them to repair it.

[00:58:55] Well, short story is as a result of that, Ouija is one of the five flying doctors in the world for Lamborghini.

[00:59:01] Wow.

[00:59:02] And he's been that in pretty much anything he shows interest for.

[00:59:06] Uh, when I worked with the team the first time, he had just got back from an expedition up in Greenland where they'd gone up and, uh, recovered in old World War II playing 276 feet down in the night.

[00:59:17] Wow.

[00:59:18] And they melted a 20-foot hole, obviously pumped it out, um, descended down to the plane, disassembled the plane and brought it to the surface of the ice.

[00:59:28] And I'm thinking, how?

[00:59:31] Like, how do you have these opportunities?

[00:59:33] How do they present themselves?

[00:59:35] And Ouija's answer is, he goes, I think about it and I try not to say no.

[00:59:39] He goes, if it's something that interests me and there's an opportunity to do something that I've never done before, I'll try it.

[00:59:47] And it's just things like that.

[00:59:49] Like, like, so for instance, when I first met Lance, uh, we were a six person team.

[00:59:53] Um, I joke with him that I'm, I'm part of the original six.

[00:59:56] That's a hockey reference by the way.

[00:59:58] Um, and we, it started out as a restoration shop.

[01:00:03] We were doing restoration work, uh, service work, all to be able to go rallying.

[01:00:08] And, like, we've joked plenty of times that if anybody had told us at that time that this is where we would get to, they would have submitted for psychiatric evaluation.

[01:00:20] I mean, it's just, so to be able to, to chase a passion for, you know, basically his whole life, um, and to end up in a situation like this is just unbelievable.

[01:00:30] And to be able to land with a brand like Subaru, it just seems, it just seems like a perfect marriage.

[01:00:37] Yeah.

[01:00:38] And, you know, I mean, for, if you have a passion and you have a dream and you have a vision for something, even if it's very small, you know, if you, if you don't follow it, you, you're never going to know where it could potentially lead to.

[01:00:53] You know, so it's like, it's, cause I mean, sometimes you have to sacrifice a lot, you have to sacrifice time, you have to sacrifice, you know, money sometimes.

[01:01:02] And, but if you're really passionate about it and you follow it, there's, you just never know where it's going to go.

[01:01:08] So, so before my, my pops passed, um, he's been gone for 10 years.

[01:01:14] But he said to me, I should have known, uh, because I bought a car when I was 14 years old.

[01:01:20] You're not allowed to drive through 60, um, but bought my first Volkswagen Beetle at the age of 14.

[01:01:25] But if I look back, I remember at the age of five, my father selling our 63 Impala.

[01:01:31] Hmm.

[01:01:33] And I cried for hours.

[01:01:37] Oh, yeah.

[01:01:40] So he says, I should have known.

[01:01:42] Yeah.

[01:01:42] Yeah.

[01:01:43] Yeah.

[01:01:43] Yeah.

[01:01:43] You're going to be a car person.

[01:01:46] And, uh, one of the, we're actually not one of, probably the most awesome man ever.

[01:01:52] Yeah.

[01:01:54] Yeah.

[01:01:54] It's awesome.

[01:01:56] Well, thank you so much for, uh, you know, taking the time to sit down with me.

[01:01:59] Absolutely.

[01:02:00] Thank you for asking.

[01:02:01] Like I said, I apologize for my reservation, but people tell me I'm not, but I feel like I'm a little bit shy.

[01:02:07] Oh yeah.

[01:02:07] I mean, I know I'm shy.

[01:02:09] I mean, I'll, I'll be the first to admit it.

[01:02:11] And it's like, cause I come out to an event like this and I'm not one to just walk up to people and be like, hi, I'm, you know, Raphael with the Sue B&U podcast.

[01:02:19] And it's just, I kind of let other people do that for me, you know?

[01:02:24] So, and, and it's just like, I don't know.

[01:02:27] I've always been very shy.

[01:02:28] That's just my personality and that's probably how I'll always be.

[01:02:31] And I'm, I'm okay with that.

[01:02:32] Yeah.

[01:02:32] Same here.

[01:02:33] I mean, my, my daughter, as I said, who's 22, um, I'm, I'm kind of a, I'm kind of a dinosaur.

[01:02:39] Um, I don't have Facebook.

[01:02:41] I don't do Instagram.

[01:02:42] I don't do Tik TOK.

[01:02:43] I'm, you know, I mean, uh, I use email and text messaging as a necessity of my job, but not, not anything that I post.

[01:02:51] And as I joke with my daughter, the world doesn't need to know I had oatmeal for breakfast again today.

[01:02:56] Yeah.

[01:02:57] It's okay that you don't have any of those things.

[01:02:59] Cause like, I've been trying to like back off more and more and not just not be on my phone as much, you know?

[01:03:06] And it's like, and if it, but I mean, because of the podcast, you know, I kind of have like this platform that I have to kind of keep up with.

[01:03:15] So other than that, it's like, if I, I think if I didn't have a podcast anymore, I probably would like really back off of Instagram.

[01:03:24] I appreciate the value of what it provides.

[01:03:27] Um, it gets a little tricky, especially in the line of work that I do.

[01:03:30] Cause most of what I do, um, the property of that stuff is owned by Subaru or whatever.

[01:03:35] So I just, this is just a safer way to go about it.

[01:03:38] Um, but I feel like it robs experiences because you're trying to live through your phone.

[01:03:45] And, um, again, I feel very fortunate, um, that I get to do what I do and I want to, it's the same thing I say about,

[01:03:53] I'm going to do it till I can.

[01:03:54] Yeah.

[01:03:55] You know, I was watching a video the other day of a concert and, and I was just like,

[01:04:04] almost every single person here at this concert, you know, it was a YouTube video.

[01:04:09] They have their phones out recording it, you know?

[01:04:12] And, and I've been to a few concerts lately with my son cause we've kind of gotten into the same music.

[01:04:18] And I'm really trying to be conscious, conscious and aware when I'm at the concert of like,

[01:04:25] don't take out your phone and record it because you're going to have this video and nobody's going to watch it.

[01:04:29] Correct.

[01:04:30] You know, you just record it to share it on Instagram to show everybody where you're at.

[01:04:33] And I'm trying to be more present with what it is that I'm doing, you know?

[01:04:40] And I feel like, you know, podcasts are a little bit one off to that because they're educational and they allow people an experience that they might not otherwise experience.

[01:04:49] Um, so I, I definitely see a unique value in it, but again, taking a picture of the meal that I'm eating.

[01:04:58] Yeah.

[01:04:58] Kind of lost on me.

[01:04:59] Well, and then podcasts are nice too, because you could just, you can listen to them anywhere.

[01:05:03] I listen to them all the time.

[01:05:04] Like when I'm driving to work, whenever I'm washing dishes, you know, sometimes when I'm working out, you know, if I'm folding clothes, I'll put on a podcast.

[01:05:13] And, and so it's a great way.

[01:05:15] And I listen to more entertainment podcasts than anything, but, you know, and I've had so many people say, oh, you need to make a YouTube channel and, you know, and do the podcast.

[01:05:23] I'm like, that's a lot of extra work for one.

[01:05:27] And two, I like, I don't want to put in that time.

[01:05:30] And I, I like it being just an audio podcast.

[01:05:33] One of the biggest podcasts in the world is called smart list and they don't have a YouTube channel and they don't want to.

[01:05:41] Yeah.

[01:05:41] To me, when I first, and I don't know if it's really a podcast, but TED Talks, and when you, you don't understand where education might come from sometimes, like say, sometimes it's just a conversation where you pick up a pearl of wisdom from somebody.

[01:05:54] But to me, that's the same type of thing that podcasts offer is that you're, you're listening to someone's perspective that might be able to give you just a different look on something that you might not have considered.

[01:06:03] So I think there's a lot of value in it.

[01:06:04] So thank you for doing this.

[01:06:05] I really appreciate it.

[01:06:06] You're welcome.

[01:06:07] Thank you.

[01:06:07] Thank you.

[01:06:37] Thank you.

[01:07:14] Thank you.

[01:07:37] Thank you.

[01:07:43] Thank you.

[01:07:46] Thank you.

[01:07:47] It's to us, I guess.

[01:07:49] I mean, happy anniversary.

[01:07:51] Last but not least, I want to bring Robert Goodwin up here.

[01:07:55] Robert, yes, you're coming up.

[01:07:57] I know.

[01:07:57] Come on.

[01:07:58] Come on.

[01:07:59] I promise I won't cry this time.

[01:08:01] So for those of you that know me, hopefully you know Robert.

[01:08:05] Robert is the general manager here at Huffington Subaru of Current.

[01:08:09] And I've been the general sales manager here for 17 years.

[01:08:12] And I've had the privilege of working with Robert.

[01:08:15] Robert, as of October 1st, it was my last day here at Huffington Subaru of Current.

[01:08:19] And so it's an emotional month for me.

[01:08:22] But Mr. Huffington has promoted me over to our Hyundai store in McKinney as a general manager.

[01:08:27] So I now get to partner with one of my very good friends in the auto group.

[01:08:31] So when you guys come here, I want you to meet Robert.

[01:08:34] He's really the brains, the hands.

[01:08:36] He's everything behind what this store has done.

[01:08:38] So we've been a great partnership.

[01:08:40] And Edwin Homan and Tim, the management team, you guys have great people still here.

[01:08:44] So I'll still be around.

[01:08:46] I don't know if you have a few words you want to say at all, Robert.

[01:08:49] Here.

[01:08:50] Well, first of all, it was a very well-deserved promotion.

[01:08:53] We're going to miss Anthony.

[01:08:54] But it was a great opportunity for him.

[01:08:57] And we just really appreciate y'all putting this on your schedule today.

[01:09:00] I really appreciate your coming out.

[01:09:02] And it was a beautiful day for you.

[01:09:04] So thank you.

[01:09:06] All right, y'all.

[01:09:07] I think that's going to wrap it up for the Huffines Has It.

[01:09:10] Oh, Bucky.

[01:09:11] Bucky's got something.

[01:09:12] I think there was one more giveaway.

[01:09:13] It was for thank you for showing up, Bucky Elastic.

[01:09:18] You get to take home the K truck, the sandbar truck.

[01:09:21] Thank you, Anthony.

[01:09:22] Thank you.

[01:09:23] Thank you, everyone.

[01:09:24] Thank you.

[01:09:24] I appreciate it.

[01:09:26] He's been wanting that truck the whole time.

[01:09:28] He's like, I need that truck.

[01:09:29] So I really appreciate you guys taking the time out for the Huffines Has It third annual car show.

[01:09:35] I don't know, Robert, are we going to keep this going on?

[01:09:37] What are your thoughts?

[01:09:38] Yeah.

[01:09:39] All right.

[01:09:39] We're going to keep it going on every year.

[01:09:41] So Robert, you're from the man here.

[01:09:44] We're going to keep it going on.

[01:09:46] Thank you guys so much.

[01:09:47] Please get out of here safe.

[01:09:48] Get this boat con safe.

[01:09:50] Let's give it up one more time for Junior the Mitch, our DJ.

[01:09:54] All afternoon, he's been up there.

[01:09:56] We thank you so much.

[01:09:58] Support Super Motorsports with the Huckster Air Slaher.

[01:10:02] Thank you guys for coming out.

[01:10:03] And I hope you all have a safe day.

[01:10:06] Thank you all for coming.

[01:10:06] Bye-bye.

[01:10:09] And there you have it, the Huffine Subaru third annual car show and 100th anniversary celebration.

[01:10:17] Again, thank you so much, Anthony, for inviting me to come out to this great event

[01:10:22] and to help celebrate your 100th anniversary and third annual car show.

[01:10:28] Thank you to everybody that hopped on the mic with me to record during this event.

[01:10:33] And again, thank you so much, Bucky, for hopping on the mic and for sharing some information and a little bit.

[01:10:42] We look forward to seeing what your new project cars will be.

[01:10:46] I know you mentioned that and it's a secret, but we'll be looking out for that.

[01:10:50] If you are going to be at Subie Fest Texas this weekend, come find me.

[01:10:55] I will have a booth.

[01:10:57] Although I don't know how much I'm going to be there because since I have my mobile equipment,

[01:11:03] I plan on walking around a lot and checking out the event and trying to record with people the way that I did here.

[01:11:11] I know it's going to be busy, but I'm going to do the best that I can to record with with anybody that I can get in touch with.

[01:11:19] I know that I'm most likely going to be recording with some of the retailers the way that I did last year,

[01:11:26] but also want to get other people on the mic.

[01:11:28] I want to try to get a little bit of time with Bucky again.

[01:11:32] And I definitely want to try to get some time with Travis and, of course, Rihanna Gelsimino.

[01:11:38] Looking forward to meeting both of them and just having a great time.

[01:11:44] And I'm excited that I'm going to get to be there with my family, with Luke and my daughter and her husband,

[01:11:49] and that we're going to all get to experience this as a family and just have a good time.

[01:11:55] So thanks for tuning in.

[01:11:57] I hope you enjoyed this episode and I hope you all have a great weekend.

[01:12:02] We will see you Monday for a regular episode with a new guest.

[01:12:08] So talk to you later.

[01:12:10] Much Subi love.

[01:12:11] Raph.