These "non racing" video talks are just as good, if not better, than the actual racing videos. TMez talking anything seems to be some of my favorite videos.
I'm the jealous type when it comes to daddy's money racers. I raced against guys that moved on to Nascar and USAC with daddy's money, that couldn't beat me on their best night. Now I'm too old to do it for a living and I guess I lived under the illusion that talent would get me to racing for a living. I was definitely wrong. I worked two to three jobs just to keep my car on the track and I had to make my own suspension parts. I couldn't afford to buy control arms and trailing arms. I built my own front and rear clips if I crashed. I even hauled my car to the track with a 16ft open trailer, behind a Ford Ranger. Maybe all that makes my mass amount of success worth it, but I would have loved to have new parts on my car once and a while back then. In the end, my dad and I worked hard together to make our car fast and consistent. Now that he's gone, those are my best memories.
All good. KKM employees and helps racing too! Time,$$$,Effort, sweat,tears. Racers gotta race! TY to all for the entertainment and work you all put into it.
What an excellent video ❗I hope people watching this wi now understand how much it takes to be a high end racer/racing team. Sure the point of racing is to try to win and be the best but there's only 1 winner per race. It takes a 💩 ton of money, knowledge, teamwork, luck just to have a very slim chance of winning even 1 time in a career at the top tier. Thank you Thomas for sharing your racing career and your knowledge to those of us who never really know about the ins and outs of racing. 👍🙂
I'm a late model guy and one of the biggest reasons I've preferred late models over open wheel racing is that the vast majority of the drivers owned their cars and worked on them themselves. Back in the day helmet bag carriers were rare in late models. However in the last 10+ years things have changed. Kids starting out with top notch equipment and some of the most experienced pit crews right off the jump. Never having to pay their dues by going through the school of hard knocks for years. Just put tearoffs on their helmets and get in the car and go for broke. If the car gets wrecked, oh well. They don't have to fix it or pay the bills. What annoys me most about it is the lack of perspective they end of having on racing. You're at a major disadvantage in racing today if don't start off at an early age with the best equipment and crew. Like I saw on another comment, where would Kyle Larson be if he wouldn't have rented a ride from Brent Kaeding? Pretty good chance we wouldn't know his name.
Absolutely your spot on you need to watch the video with the interview with Sammy swindle when he gets wrecked by a kid Absolutely priceless, he says distroyed another car again by a kid
No money is worth the time you spent with your Dad and learning. I wouldnt trade anything for the shop nights with my son, gpa and uncle working on Sprints, 600's and Qtr Midgets. 👊🏽 Great content TMez
This interview was awesome. Great topic and Zach hit it on the head you both have the knowledge to do it they have im entitled w daddy's money and don't care who or what I tear up.
I started out in my form of racing (limited motor, old 100" NCRA cars) with very little money, zero knowledge, and minimal talent. Gradually got better, over a decade, and was eventually halfway decent, before the class went away. I guess there have always been rich kids in racing, and probably always will be. Occasionally they learn and get really good, more often they win some races but never really reach the top shelf of talent. What I learned from all my years of having crappy cars, and finally getting more knowledge and experience, along with slightly better stuff, is it's way, way easier to drive a fast, good handling car vs a slow one. I guess the upshot is either approach can work, especially if you are capable of learning and have a lot of talent, but I do think the slow, self-funded path makes you appreciate it more, and feel a greater sense of accomplishment, if/when any sort of success comes.
I have been an occasional watcher of your videos but now a subscriber. DIRTRACKER drew me to watch this video. Your presentation and perspective, much appreciated!
Fans out in the Midwest don't know how lucky they are having midget racing to go watch. I live between Bridgeport Speedway and Grandview here in PA and midget racing has been dead for years. I used to go to see the ARDC midgets at Grandview on Sunday nights. They put on a great show and always had a ton of great cars. ARDC is still kind of around. I think they've run 6 times this year and the most cars they've had was 7 😮💨. The USAC midgets used to make the Eastern swing but not this year. Personally I think all racing has just become too damn expensive. Of course I've been hearing that for a long time. At least we still have our PA Posse and great sprint car tracks. Thanks for the great videos TMez! See you next time you're out this way
Such a thrill to watch all these teams field a car. You know most of them aren't making any real money, but here you are sitting in the stands. Enjoying watching them try 😊.
Thomas- I’ve been going to races since late 80’s. I live a hour from Husets and about 3 hours from Knoxville, so I am fortunate that way. Unfortunately, there isn’t a Midget track close. I super enjoy your content; you’re humble and from what I can tell a great dude!! I as well look forward to meet you soon.
T-mez you are one of my you tube favourites. I work as hard as I can to give my kid the best car on race day but when my competition is a 3rd generation driver that might not have the money but has 40 years more experience what am I to do. We never miss a race and spend more time in the shop then anyone else. I grew up drag racing but when my kid got in a quarter midget I decided to step away, it’s what my dad would have done for me. It’s hard not to rent a ride at this point, you can’t buy knowledge but you can put yourself in the position to learn quicker. I hear both sides but at least I would stop question my lack of knowledge haha.
I am glad that you did a video on this as people don’t realize what this side of the “business” is about. My dad started in midgets before they had cages, and even then it was the same story on MONEY. You can not compete with money. But you can have some of the best looking rides any where if you have know how and a work ethic. He made extra money to put into his cars, by being the best at welding., and being a sheet metal mechanic. After smacking your head and living this life for so long you know it can change fast. What skills will those kids have when it’s over? Keep your channel going, and I can’t wait to see the silver UA-cam award on display. Haters gonna hate. They are jealous they didn’t do what you are, and be serious., when the professor Pat Sullivan says you can talk about going to Walmart seem exciting, you have got it. You could be working on his end of the mike one day, we don’t know the future!
Bobby Allen would be one exception for how he worked it when he was driving, still today has his team punching above their weight still on a limited budget. Bobby said after Logan won the Eldora million that gives him 2 years racing budget alone after paying Logan his share. You look at Paul Silva no flash big transporter, runs used tyres where possible excetra and spends money only where necessary.
These videos giving fans the real info are such GREAT videos. The truth never hurts about all of this because it puts everything in perspective. When you see a guy make a move or be agressive, well..if he earns 50%, it's his money he's trying to TAKE. If some others do risky moves, you now know that family is paying for it and thus, the repercussions aren't the same. Love it, keep them coming. If other teams or drivers don't like it, well I would like to know who they are because for SURE I will not be a fan of them.
I rreally enjoy your channel. i'm an old guy, in my 70's and have been around dirt racing for over 60 years. It is my one passion. You mentioned the KKM cars and the price. I know Keith has been in the rent a ride business forever. I know someone that ran one of his cars a few races several years ago and drove it at the Chili Bowl. I was at Port City, in Tulsa earlier this year and ended up sitting with a guy that worked with Cannon McIntosh's father. He told me the exact same number that you did as for the cost, so I have to believe that you are spot on. I know that some of his drivers have come from big money but I have always wondered about some of the others. I don't know about Buddy Kofoid and what he brought to the table. I do know that Kaylee Bryson doesn't come from money. I am curious if some of the drivers get a free ride because Toyota wants them. I know Larson said he never brought anything to the table and Christopher Bell's parents are school teachers, so that means he didn't have a lot either. I am kind of curious about Jade. She appears to be in the mix of Toyota driver developement. I spoke to her mother at Port City and she said that the reason she was with KKM is because Toyota wanted her to run the Extreme series and Chad Boat didn't want to run it. I am curious if you can add anything. Keep up the great videos. I have been following you ever since I bought Flo and they mentioned it. Good luck with the Engler Ford. One of the things I have always loved about midget racing is the different power plants in use. The ofirst midget race I saw was in 1962. Real race cars didn't have roll cages back then. No telling how many lives have been saved by them. They ran the baby Offy and V8-60's. Then the chevy II 4 cylinders came into fashion. Then the VW's. I saw Mel Kenyon run the Suzuki V8 at I-70 when it was like Devils Bowl on steroids. It was two 4 cylinder engines mated with a single crank. My God, it sounded like an F-1 car. I have seen an Evinrude 2 stroke midget. The list goes on and on. Now you have Toyota, Honda, your Ford , Stantons and I am sure ther are some Esslinger's (Pinto) still running. Keep up the great work.
Buddy doesn't come from money, dad's a plumber. Just talented and started early. He was racing sprint cars at 10 years old and got his 1st sprint car win at 11 years old.
I didn't even mention the Sesco V4 or the Chevy, Mopar, Gearte, or the iron Duke because of time. The Evinrude ran in the mid 1980's and even ran at the first Chili Bowl in 87.@@ronfox5519
There is at least one video of the Kenyon V-8 midget on youtube. You should check it out. You might find something about the Evinrude, too.@@ronfox5519
None of us ,,,are judging you at all ,we your Tmez fans love🎉what you do and you, just keep your head on straight ,,,p.s. and if it is dizzy out on track then pull off , ok thanks Thomas thanks BigAl California.praise Jesus Christ grace amen 🙏 ❤
Truth always hurts. Money is all about everything in life. Hard work is the way you drivers were raised. Money might price any kind of racing out the door. People forget your other expenses and sometimes it hard to make things meet. You have families. I hope things fall into place and racing survives. Keep up the videos. Behind the scenes are important to show what fans have no idea. I happened to have a son attempt to race sprints and Money ran out. But he tried to do a dream but is thankful to have given a shot. He holds the 20 lap feature record on the old Bridgeport Speedway. It's his forever 🏁
Thank you Thomas. We love your content, your honesty and your personality. Every single time your at haubstadt you take the time to speak to me and my family. Thank you for that.
Great information on the cost of racing. Much different than when my cousin ran a midget back in the 90's with a Chevy iron duke 4 cylinder ( and won with it on pavement) I met you at Gas City couple weeks ago and enjoyed our conversation.
Excellent discussion. One thing I think the high dollar rentals produce are drivers with no respect for their equipment or any one else’s. When you start as a family deal or on your own it’s a different perspective. You may have to sit out races because you wadded your shit up and have to save money to fix it. You learn or should learn from those experiences. I should follow with that’s not always the case. A smart driver with a smart funding source or advisor can use that opportunity with a high end rental to learn and store that info for the future. But how big would the field of midgets be if those high end rentals werent there with their arrive and wreck, I mean drive, racers?
I try to appreciate every car that shows up to race there crews ,owners ,the track promoters,safety crews ,so I can be entertained . Thank you for these videos .when you are done with racing,I hope to see you on TV some day doing some doing some play by play work.
The memories you have from how you started compared to the kids that are buying the rides and showing up with a helmet bag and not getting the knowledge of what it takes to keep the car on the track are priceless. You can get in a car that’s not handling well and figure out how to make it good. A lot of those guys have to have a car that’s good to be good! I’m jealous of parts of what they’ve experienced but your way has way more life long lessons and great memories and has made you what you are!
Thank you Thomas for all your content! Watching you on UA-cam got me into dirt track racing. I race a turf tire 600 class and have goals to one day race the midget class with y'all. Next step will be A class for me. Just working on finding the funding and sponsors to get there in the future. Looking forward to watching one of your races in person when you get back out there!
Old saying "Speed Cost Money , How fast do Ya Want to Go " ? Thanks for the inside info on the Midget world. Glad your feeling better and if anybody gives you any crap about you UA-cam. Remember You have a Army of TMez Fans! Best of Luck and Skill Going Forward.
Cost to race us no joke, and the cost to be fast is not a punchline. I'm workin on a d2 midget build right now on a budget that is bigger than my budget. Hard work and perseverance will pay off. FCK daddy's money.
The leased rides allow a good driver to step up to show their abilities. Yet these driver's oftentimes are unable to do their own setup or explain what the car needs. The team does it all. This is not a problem until the driver moves to a smaller team and is unable to express the changes they need. Missing the proper setup and chasing the setup all night changes everything. Wading up a few, can get into daddies pocket real quick. As I recently noticed on one driver toneing things down quite a bit when their body panels went on the backup car. Its called "Rent A Ride" not "Rent A Wreck" or should that be "Wrecker". 🤣 Great video Thomas.
Hey TMEZ, I am here in Australia and look forward to checking out your UA-cam Channel several times a week to catch your latest video. To be honest I don't watch anyone else's Channel. Just a shame I live 1200km away from Sydney and could not catch you at Eastern Creek earlier this year. I hope you come back to Australia soon and maybe do a meeting at Toowoomba Speedway which is only 100km or one hour away. Keep up the awesome work champ....
The stage of midget racing is really sad. I've been racing in sprints and midgets for 3 years now. My dad has been in sprints since the mid 2000's and started with midgets in 2020. Midget are so fun, but not worth racing compared to sprints, because of cost and the overall racing scene. We have Chevy Gearte engines, which are the most middle of the road motor we could have got. Not competitive enough to run national event on a track bigger than a 1/4 mile, but isn't allowed to race D2 midgets since it isn't a production based motor. Its really sad, because midgets are so fun and I enjoy them so much, even won in my 4th ever midget race at an ARDC show. Last show I ran was Atomic with Xtreme. Done with midgets now and sticking to sprint cars, just makes more sense for our program.
Thomas your honest from the heart videos are awesome. Wish you the best of luck in everything you do. Praying Dave and you make the move up to winged cars. It's time
At $5000 a night plus travel & expenses, how can you afford to race for $5k or even $10k for the winner. Only one driver of 40 will get the Max, and that won't even cover the cost
Excellent insight TMezz!!! You are one of the most down to earth racers!!! You are very rich in doing what you do so well!!! And you bring your fans along for the experience!!! Thank you!!! I am richer for following you!!! You are a must see racer!!! Mr. Unique...1 of a kind!!!
Thanks for the insight Thomas, some people just don't have clue..... telling it like it is no sugar coating it . I truly appreciate your talent in sprints and midgets . BTW Thanks for signing my hat at Haubstadt opening night for the midgets .👊
Keep hustlin' T. It comes when you keep going, keep persevering, innovating, and sharing this side of the sport with the fans! Thanks for this one! ✌️ And LOL "@ Tanner Jr" 😂
Thomas the rentaride has gotten ridiculous, I remember back in the early 90's guys would just be happy to have a named driver run there car either Late Model, Sprint etc I also remember when we bought the micro in 2010 rentaride was bad even then it's ashame that these talented young kids have there parents or grandparents buy there way in. A friend of mine Flea a Helluva welder and fabricator back then was with Loyetts so he must be there crashed car repairman that traveled back then. A great piece on the real story bud.🤙🏁🇺🇸🏁
I knew it big bucks to rent a kkm ride but I didn’t know it was $300k a year!! That’s insane. What does the driver get % wise? Do they get more if they win? No way they break even or get even $1/4 of their money back.
Interesting. Seems more of a mix today than when it was all family driven. I just cant believe how many kids there are out there at this high level. But, you cant forget, this is top, top level division and its viewed as a stepping stone to a higher level.
I refer to these drivers as PHDs - parents have dollars, the old school, start at the bottom and work your way up, creates better competitors as they respect the equipment, the PHD doesn’t respect what it costs, turn up, may be fast, may win races, but take away the $ and see how many wins come.
I was trying to figure out how reimer got her ride when she was out of the game for a bunch of years. Seems like she got some sponsors though. Not to take anything away from her talent either.
I raced 1/4 midgets as a kid. Dad worked on my cars and we did pretty good but we were a pickup truck, couple sets of tires a weekend operation. We just couldn’t compete with the guys that had money. Full trailers 2 sometimes 3 cars, basically unlimited tires and parts. If I had a bad crash we packed up and went home. Great sport if you can afford it.
Fantastic video. I used to gripe about the" silver spoons ", but over time I've realized that if you look at it the other way, if a guy has made some money, should he buy an expensive painting or fund his kid to do what they want to do?
Brother well said and as a fellow racer or has been, I really miss the days of small teams/families grinding it out and figuring it out together it just had another brotherhood side of it kickin tires and gettin a few 12oz reps but I get why people do what they do
Dude what you do is living your dream and I wish I could be in that seat so enjoying your content is the next best thing I guess I always keep the ads running and share just to help I know it’s not much but it’s something hope others do it as well 🏁🏁🏁
Great video great points. So I absolutely love midgets and in the 1930's through the 1950's midgets were where it was at. I want to see it can back and think it could do so. What needs to happen to bring it back to the glory days? No matter what the cost it is probably cheaper than a sprint or a modified. It needs to come back and be promoted bigger than ever. What will it take?
One of the things that is not talked about is when Kyle Larson rented a ride from Brent Kaeding Motorsports for the year...He won King of the California 410 Winged Championships in Northern, Ca...to me when he won that championships that is when his career took offr and when he was offered rides in all the best cars...Everybody knows Kyle knows nothing about cars and is one of the best drivers in the world..hence his chance to win at the Indy 500 this year...trust me Kyle is going to try to win that deal..I heard this is a two year deal...does he know anything about Indy cars? does he know how to drive a Indy car? so what are his chances?...he thinks and I think his chances are very good..just like everything else he drives...he steps into the best equipment and puts the hammer down and wins..Larry O..goin' to the front! But rememember this is a rented ride..he knows absolutely nothing about Indy cars..the ride is just bought!!!!
I think Kyle knows more than he lets on. It is just that he has always had a crew chief that did all the work on the car. He couldn't drive for almost 25 years and not have some mechanical ability. It isn't possible to not learn when you are around something all the time. He can work on Owen's cars. He has a really nice shop. If he knew nothing, he wouldn't need a shop. All he would need is a helmet bag.
Great insight into the inner circle, I know over here down under the financial outlay you can be in a really good sprint car for the same amount as a really good midget. Is that the same in the states?? You guys do a great job with the consistency of the midgets, cause we all know they are so temperamental and running on the ragged edge. Slide or die 🤘🏻
These "non racing" video talks are just as good, if not better, than the actual racing videos. TMez talking anything seems to be some of my favorite videos.
Thanks I been resting not creating and this one was a topic I been wanting to talk about
I'm the jealous type when it comes to daddy's money racers. I raced against guys that moved on to Nascar and USAC with daddy's money, that couldn't beat me on their best night. Now I'm too old to do it for a living and I guess I lived under the illusion that talent would get me to racing for a living. I was definitely wrong. I worked two to three jobs just to keep my car on the track and I had to make my own suspension parts. I couldn't afford to buy control arms and trailing arms. I built my own front and rear clips if I crashed. I even hauled my car to the track with a 16ft open trailer, behind a Ford Ranger. Maybe all that makes my mass amount of success worth it, but I would have loved to have new parts on my car once and a while back then. In the end, my dad and I worked hard together to make our car fast and consistent. Now that he's gone, those are my best memories.
Man I love Tanner Thorson that dude is a realist just like you, that makes me a fan 100% every time. Zach Daum very real to he spoke nothing but facts
Nope, Tanner is to much of a big scary Lion for me, shaking in my shoes
@@StephenThomas2oh sorry a big scary LION, I'm so frightened that he'll attack, such an alpha, better be careful, send help
All good. KKM employees and helps racing too! Time,$$$,Effort, sweat,tears. Racers gotta race! TY to all for the entertainment and work you all put into it.
Excellent video Tmez. Nobody seems to ever talk about the real business side of racing and why some drivers seem to get rides and others don't.
The boat done sailed for me but your highly personal race reports are like hearing from a friend who did make it.
Wish I could be a sponsor your a lot of fun to watch and listen to! I'm unable to drive due to health so o donut through you and Flo! Go kick fkn ass
What an excellent video ❗I hope people watching this wi now understand how much it takes to be a high end racer/racing team. Sure the point of racing is to try to win and be the best but there's only 1 winner per race. It takes a 💩 ton of money, knowledge, teamwork, luck just to have a very slim chance of winning even 1 time in a career at the top tier. Thank you Thomas for sharing your racing career and your knowledge to those of us who never really know about the ins and outs of racing. 👍🙂
Real. Gritty. Informative. Excellent!
I'm a late model guy and one of the biggest reasons I've preferred late models over open wheel racing is that the vast majority of the drivers owned their cars and worked on them themselves. Back in the day helmet bag carriers were rare in late models. However in the last 10+ years things have changed. Kids starting out with top notch equipment and some of the most experienced pit crews right off the jump. Never having to pay their dues by going through the school of hard knocks for years. Just put tearoffs on their helmets and get in the car and go for broke. If the car gets wrecked, oh well. They don't have to fix it or pay the bills. What annoys me most about it is the lack of perspective they end of having on racing. You're at a major disadvantage in racing today if don't start off at an early age with the best equipment and crew. Like I saw on another comment, where would Kyle Larson be if he wouldn't have rented a ride from Brent Kaeding? Pretty good chance we wouldn't know his name.
Absolutely your spot on you need to watch the video with the interview with Sammy swindle when he gets wrecked by a kid Absolutely priceless, he says distroyed another car again by a kid
@@brandonrumley8322 I've seen that video LOL 😂.
Great point very true in all forms of racing
No money is worth the time you spent with your Dad and learning. I wouldnt trade anything for the shop nights with my son, gpa and uncle working on Sprints, 600's and Qtr Midgets. 👊🏽 Great content TMez
This interview was awesome. Great topic and Zach hit it on the head you both have the knowledge to do it they have im entitled w daddy's money and don't care who or what I tear up.
Thank you everyone for doing this so we spectators can love it as well
I started out in my form of racing (limited motor, old 100" NCRA cars) with very little money, zero knowledge, and minimal talent. Gradually got better, over a decade, and was eventually halfway decent, before the class went away. I guess there have always been rich kids in racing, and probably always will be. Occasionally they learn and get really good, more often they win some races but never really reach the top shelf of talent. What I learned from all my years of having crappy cars, and finally getting more knowledge and experience, along with slightly better stuff, is it's way, way easier to drive a fast, good handling car vs a slow one. I guess the upshot is either approach can work, especially if you are capable of learning and have a lot of talent, but I do think the slow, self-funded path makes you appreciate it more, and feel a greater sense of accomplishment, if/when any sort of success comes.
I have been an occasional watcher of your videos but now a subscriber. DIRTRACKER drew me to watch this video. Your presentation and perspective, much appreciated!
Fans out in the Midwest don't know how lucky they are having midget racing to go watch. I live between Bridgeport Speedway and Grandview here in PA and midget racing has been dead for years. I used to go to see the ARDC midgets at Grandview on Sunday nights. They put on a great show and always had a ton of great cars. ARDC is still kind of around. I think they've run 6 times this year and the most cars they've had was 7 😮💨. The USAC midgets used to make the Eastern swing but not this year. Personally I think all racing has just become too damn expensive. Of course I've been hearing that for a long time. At least we still have our PA Posse and great sprint car tracks. Thanks for the great videos TMez! See you next time you're out this way
Such a thrill to watch all these teams field a car. You know most of them aren't making any real money, but here you are sitting in the stands. Enjoying watching them try 😊.
Thomas-
I’ve been going to races since late 80’s. I live a hour from Husets and about 3 hours from Knoxville, so I am fortunate that way. Unfortunately, there isn’t a Midget track close. I super enjoy your content; you’re humble and from what I can tell a great dude!!
I as well look forward to meet you soon.
T-mez you are one of my you tube favourites. I work as hard as I can to give my kid the best car on race day but when my competition is a 3rd generation driver that might not have the money but has 40 years more experience what am I to do. We never miss a race and spend more time in the shop then anyone else. I grew up drag racing but when my kid got in a quarter midget I decided to step away, it’s what my dad would have done for me. It’s hard not to rent a ride at this point, you can’t buy knowledge but you can put yourself in the position to learn quicker. I hear both sides but at least I would stop question my lack of knowledge haha.
I am glad that you did a video on this as people don’t realize what this side of the “business” is about. My dad started in midgets before they had cages, and even then it was the same story on MONEY. You can not compete with money. But you can have some of the best looking rides any where if you have know how and a work ethic. He made extra money to put into his cars, by being the best at welding., and being a sheet metal mechanic. After smacking your head and living this life for so long you know it can change fast. What skills will those kids have when it’s over? Keep your channel going, and I can’t wait to see the silver UA-cam award on display. Haters gonna hate. They are jealous they didn’t do what you are, and be serious., when the professor Pat Sullivan says you can talk about going to Walmart seem exciting, you have got it. You could be working on his end of the mike one day, we don’t know the future!
Bobby Allen would be one exception for how he worked it when he was driving, still today has his team punching above their weight still on a limited budget. Bobby said after Logan won the Eldora million that gives him 2 years racing budget alone after paying Logan his share. You look at Paul Silva no flash big transporter, runs used tyres where possible excetra and spends money only where necessary.
This video and many others shows the passion which every Midget driver has every year , year after year .
That was interesting . Thx for the video . I learned something today .
Means a whole lot more coming from someone who is gonna tell it like is. Appreciated TMEZ.
Always wondered about the numbers. Thanks so much for all this info. Good luck tonight. Shiny side up. Great program that you have established. Tom
Go to Badger engine rules. Get rid of the cockpit adjustments. Go to a spec shock. Get rid of any aero that helps the car turn. Great video Tmez!
As always, thanks for your candor and transparency you bring.
Keep doin what your doing big fella...thanks for bringing us along...keep livin your best life...
Doing what you love is awesome. A passion that is fulfilled is a dream of many.
Couldn’t have said it better!
These videos giving fans the real info are such GREAT videos. The truth never hurts about all of this because it puts everything in perspective. When you see a guy make a move or be agressive, well..if he earns 50%, it's his money he's trying to TAKE. If some others do risky moves, you now know that family is paying for it and thus, the repercussions aren't the same. Love it, keep them coming. If other teams or drivers don't like it, well I would like to know who they are because for SURE I will not be a fan of them.
I rreally enjoy your channel. i'm an old guy, in my 70's and have been around dirt racing for over 60 years. It is my one passion. You mentioned the KKM cars and the price. I know Keith has been in the rent a ride business forever. I know someone that ran one of his cars a few races several years ago and drove it at the Chili Bowl. I was at Port City, in Tulsa earlier this year and ended up sitting with a guy that worked with Cannon McIntosh's father. He told me the exact same number that you did as for the cost, so I have to believe that you are spot on. I know that some of his drivers have come from big money but I have always wondered about some of the others. I don't know about Buddy Kofoid and what he brought to the table. I do know that Kaylee Bryson doesn't come from money. I am curious if some of the drivers get a free ride because Toyota wants them. I know Larson said he never brought anything to the table and Christopher Bell's parents are school teachers, so that means he didn't have a lot either. I am kind of curious about Jade. She appears to be in the mix of Toyota driver developement. I spoke to her mother at Port City and she said that the reason she was with KKM is because Toyota wanted her to run the Extreme series and Chad Boat didn't want to run it. I am curious if you can add anything. Keep up the great videos. I have been following you ever since I bought Flo and they mentioned it. Good luck with the Engler Ford. One of the things I have always loved about midget racing is the different power plants in use. The ofirst midget race I saw was in 1962. Real race cars didn't have roll cages back then. No telling how many lives have been saved by them. They ran the baby Offy and V8-60's. Then the chevy II 4 cylinders came into fashion. Then the VW's. I saw Mel Kenyon run the Suzuki V8 at I-70 when it was like Devils Bowl on steroids. It was two 4 cylinder engines mated with a single crank. My God, it sounded like an F-1 car. I have seen an Evinrude 2 stroke midget. The list goes on and on. Now you have Toyota, Honda, your Ford , Stantons and I am sure ther are some Esslinger's (Pinto) still running. Keep up the great work.
Buddy doesn't come from money, dad's a plumber. Just talented and started early. He was racing sprint cars at 10 years old and got his 1st sprint car win at 11 years old.
Wow. That's some history there. I never saw a v8 or 2stroke midget, but I do remember seeing them with vw's and v4's.
I didn't even mention the Sesco V4 or the Chevy, Mopar, Gearte, or the iron Duke because of time. The Evinrude ran in the mid 1980's and even ran at the first Chili Bowl in 87.@@ronfox5519
There is at least one video of the Kenyon V-8 midget on youtube. You should check it out. You might find something about the Evinrude, too.@@ronfox5519
I did fail to mention that some of the sponsors on the car pay for the hero drivers
That is a dream few accomplish. Bless you, keep rolling.
None of us ,,,are judging you at all ,we your Tmez fans love🎉what you do and you, just keep your head on straight ,,,p.s. and if it is dizzy out on track then pull off , ok thanks Thomas thanks BigAl California.praise Jesus Christ grace amen 🙏 ❤
Truth always hurts. Money is all about everything in life. Hard work is the way you drivers were raised. Money might price any kind of racing out the door. People forget your other expenses and sometimes it hard to make things meet. You have families. I hope things fall into place and racing survives. Keep up the videos. Behind the scenes are important to show what fans have no idea. I happened to have a son attempt to race sprints and Money ran out. But he tried to do a dream but is thankful to have given a shot. He holds the 20 lap feature record on the old Bridgeport Speedway. It's his forever 🏁
That was great! The best video of yours in my opinion. Love the background stuff. Keep up the good work and good luck to you.
We need more of this. Like how things work on the car for ur setups n such.
Thank you Thomas. We love your content, your honesty and your personality. Every single time your at haubstadt you take the time to speak to me and my family. Thank you for that.
Great information on the cost of racing. Much different than when my cousin ran a midget back in the 90's with a Chevy iron duke 4 cylinder ( and won with it on pavement) I met you at Gas City couple weeks ago and enjoyed our conversation.
Excellent video! You confirmed what I always thought Tmez
Thanks for the insights Tmez! More power to ya' man! I'm just a workin' stiff who can't shake the racing bug either, so I get it!
Yikes $300K! Great page TMez!
Excellent discussion. One thing I think the high dollar rentals produce are drivers with no respect for their equipment or any one else’s. When you start as a family deal or on your own it’s a different perspective. You may have to sit out races because you wadded your shit up and have to save money to fix it. You learn or should learn from those experiences.
I should follow with that’s not always the case. A smart driver with a smart funding source or advisor can use that opportunity with a high end rental to learn and store that info for the future.
But how big would the field of midgets be if those high end rentals werent there with their arrive and wreck, I mean drive, racers?
You run a family deal you learn to respect the gear and other drivers!
I try to appreciate every car that shows up to race there crews ,owners ,the track promoters,safety crews ,so I can be entertained .
Thank you for these videos .when you are done with racing,I hope to see you on TV some day doing some doing some play by play work.
The memories you have from how you started compared to the kids that are buying the rides and showing up with a helmet bag and not getting the knowledge of what it takes to keep the car on the track are priceless. You can get in a car that’s not handling well and figure out how to make it good. A lot of those guys have to have a car that’s good to be good! I’m jealous of parts of what they’ve experienced but your way has way more life long lessons and great memories and has made you what you are!
Much respect Tmez. Love what you’re all about. My son and I hope to meet you some day.
I hope so too
Thank you Thomas for all your content! Watching you on UA-cam got me into dirt track racing. I race a turf tire 600 class and have goals to one day race the midget class with y'all. Next step will be A class for me. Just working on finding the funding and sponsors to get there in the future. Looking forward to watching one of your races in person when you get back out there!
Old saying "Speed Cost Money , How fast do Ya Want to Go " ? Thanks for the inside info on the Midget world. Glad your feeling better and if anybody gives you any crap about you UA-cam. Remember You have a Army of TMez Fans! Best of Luck and Skill Going Forward.
Love to see the behind the scenes. We all have different paths. Bottom line is to enjoy the ride whether as a driver or fan.
The time you put in the videos is much appreciated dude.
Cost to race us no joke, and the cost to be fast is not a punchline. I'm workin on a d2 midget build right now on a budget that is bigger than my budget. Hard work and perseverance will pay off. FCK daddy's money.
The leased rides allow a good driver to step up to show their abilities. Yet these driver's oftentimes are unable to do their own setup or explain what the car needs. The team does it all. This is not a problem until the driver moves to a smaller team and is unable to express the changes they need. Missing the proper setup and chasing the setup all night changes everything. Wading up a few, can get into daddies pocket real quick. As I recently noticed on one driver toneing things down quite a bit when their body panels went on the backup car. Its called "Rent A Ride" not "Rent A Wreck" or should that be "Wrecker". 🤣
Great video Thomas.
The kid on the dirt bike sliding into camera veiw to wave was awesome haha
Hey TMEZ, I am here in Australia and look forward to checking out your UA-cam Channel several times a week to catch your latest video.
To be honest I don't watch anyone else's Channel. Just a shame I live 1200km away from Sydney and could not catch you at Eastern Creek earlier this year.
I hope you come back to Australia soon and maybe do a meeting at Toowoomba Speedway which is only 100km or one hour away.
Keep up the awesome work champ....
The stage of midget racing is really sad. I've been racing in sprints and midgets for 3 years now. My dad has been in sprints since the mid 2000's and started with midgets in 2020. Midget are so fun, but not worth racing compared to sprints, because of cost and the overall racing scene. We have Chevy Gearte engines, which are the most middle of the road motor we could have got. Not competitive enough to run national event on a track bigger than a 1/4 mile, but isn't allowed to race D2 midgets since it isn't a production based motor. Its really sad, because midgets are so fun and I enjoy them so much, even won in my 4th ever midget race at an ARDC show. Last show I ran was Atomic with Xtreme. Done with midgets now and sticking to sprint cars, just makes more sense for our program.
Thomas your honest from the heart videos are awesome. Wish you the best of luck in everything you do. Praying Dave and you make the move up to winged cars.
It's time
I enjoy your prospective, and insight. Keep up the good work
Thanks for the info Thomas! Love your channel!!!
At $5000 a night plus travel & expenses, how can you afford to race for $5k or even $10k for the winner. Only one driver of 40 will get the Max, and that won't even cover the cost
USAC has to be active in recruiting car owners… especially with all the social media opportunities that can be created…. Keep up the good work…
Fantastic insight along with the courage to say it how it is TMez.
Awesome content video. I love you being the character you are. Thanks
I appreciate that!
Very interesting video
Did it with my family and my Father drove for 3 decades + so much Fun and knowledge, went on to work for other race teams. Got PAID to go racing!!!😊
Excellent insight TMezz!!! You are one of the most down to earth racers!!! You are very rich in doing what you do so well!!! And you bring your fans along for the experience!!! Thank you!!! I am richer for following you!!!
You are a must see racer!!! Mr. Unique...1 of a kind!!!
Awesome info tmez unreal the amount of money people have
Thanks for the insight Thomas, some people just don't have clue..... telling it like it is no sugar coating it . I truly appreciate your talent in sprints and midgets . BTW Thanks for signing my hat at Haubstadt opening night for the midgets .👊
Very welcome thanks for sharing
That was some great information. Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Keep hustlin' T. It comes when you keep going, keep persevering, innovating, and sharing this side of the sport with the fans! Thanks for this one! ✌️ And LOL "@ Tanner Jr" 😂
I appreciate that
You and Daum have experience and knowledge to work with. What do the rent-a-drivers have after their driving days are over?
Thanks for the perspective TMEZ.
Seen your trailer at circle city but no TMez. Think you was taking couple days off for concussion I think
Love this video, it’s nice to know some costs!
Thomas the rentaride has gotten ridiculous, I remember back in the early 90's guys would just be happy to have a named driver run there car either Late Model, Sprint etc I also remember when we bought the micro in 2010 rentaride was bad even then it's ashame that these talented young kids have there parents or grandparents buy there way in. A friend of mine Flea a Helluva welder and fabricator back then was with Loyetts so he must be there crashed car repairman that traveled back then. A great piece on the real story bud.🤙🏁🇺🇸🏁
I knew it big bucks to rent a kkm ride but I didn’t know it was $300k a year!! That’s insane. What does the driver get % wise? Do they get more if they win? No way they break even or get even $1/4 of their money back.
Interesting. Seems more of a mix today than when it was all family driven. I just cant believe how many kids there are out there at this high level. But, you cant forget, this is top, top level division and its viewed as a stepping stone to a higher level.
It was awesome to get to meet you and talk to you for a littlr bit. I was the kid with the mullet
Great video Tmez. very informative
if it wasnt for the you tube videos i wouldnt of gotten to know you an your style! I ride or die with ya now! Always my pick in dirt drafts
Awesome video. Hope your channel gets bigger. Love what you stand for and the type of driver you are!
Great video. Very interesting. One other thing you didn't mention your way gets you is respect in earning it.
It's nice to learn from you guys about the behind the scenes part of racing.🤘😁🤘
I refer to these drivers as PHDs - parents have dollars, the old school, start at the bottom and work your way up, creates better competitors as they respect the equipment, the PHD doesn’t respect what it costs, turn up, may be fast, may win races, but take away the $ and see how many wins come.
I was trying to figure out how reimer got her ride when she was out of the game for a bunch of years. Seems like she got some sponsors though. Not to take anything away from her talent either.
Its super cool how in the USA you can race dirt cars as a job. Where i live, the prize moneys not enough and theres not enough tracks.
Why not do more videos like this. Thank you Thomas.
Very educational! Thanks 👍🇺🇸🤠
Love the video, great info
As an engineer, i would love to do chassis work. But there is no money in it and its a huge time commitment when you have a family
I raced 1/4 midgets as a kid. Dad worked on my cars and we did pretty good but we were a pickup truck, couple sets of tires a weekend operation. We just couldn’t compete with the guys that had money. Full trailers 2 sometimes 3 cars, basically unlimited tires and parts. If I had a bad crash we packed up and went home. Great sport if you can afford it.
Fantastic video. I used to gripe about the" silver spoons ", but over time I've realized that if you look at it the other way, if a guy has made some money, should he buy an expensive painting or fund his kid to do what they want to do?
Always wondered. Thanks for all the good data.
Brother well said and as a fellow racer or has been, I really miss the days of small teams/families grinding it out and figuring it out together it just had another brotherhood side of it kickin tires and gettin a few 12oz reps but I get why people do what they do
Great video hopefully for the sport itself these kids with money don’t push out the kids with actual talent from getting to where they should be 👍
Dude what you do is living your dream and I wish I could be in that seat so enjoying your content is the next best thing I guess I always keep the ads running and share just to help I know it’s not much but it’s something hope others do it as well 🏁🏁🏁
very informative....racing aint cheap
TMez, I wish you had your own TV show. I love all the content you put out.
Great video great points. So I absolutely love midgets and in the 1930's through the 1950's midgets were where it was at. I want to see it can back and think it could do so. What needs to happen to bring it back to the glory days? No matter what the cost it is probably cheaper than a sprint or a modified. It needs to come back and be promoted bigger than ever. What will it take?
Lots of Daddy's money in sprint cars too. NASCAR is full of Daddy's money. Cell phone/checkbook drivers bore me.
One of the things that is not talked about is when Kyle Larson rented a ride from Brent Kaeding Motorsports for the year...He won King of the California 410 Winged Championships in Northern, Ca...to me when he won that championships that is when his career took offr and when he was offered rides in all the best cars...Everybody knows Kyle knows nothing about cars and is one of the best drivers in the world..hence his chance to win at the Indy 500 this year...trust me Kyle is going to try to win that deal..I heard this is a two year deal...does he know anything about Indy cars? does he know how to drive a Indy car? so what are his chances?...he thinks and I think his chances are very good..just like everything else he drives...he steps into the best equipment and puts the hammer down and wins..Larry O..goin' to the front! But rememember this is a rented ride..he knows absolutely nothing about Indy cars..the ride is just bought!!!!
I think Kyle knows more than he lets on. It is just that he has always had a crew chief that did all the work on the car. He couldn't drive for almost 25 years and not have some mechanical ability. It isn't possible to not learn when you are around something all the time. He can work on Owen's cars. He has a really nice shop. If he knew nothing, he wouldn't need a shop. All he would need is a helmet bag.
Larson rented the Kaeding car for two years. The first year he finished 5th in the KWS standings when he was 17.
Great insight into the inner circle,
I know over here down under the financial outlay you can be in a really good sprint car for the same amount as a really good midget. Is that the same in the states??
You guys do a great job with the consistency of the midgets, cause we all know they are so temperamental and running on the ragged edge.
Slide or die 🤘🏻