Justin Grant Reacts After His Sixth Career Kokomo Sprint Car Smackdown Title
Justin Grant earned his fourth Sprint Car Smackdown victory in-a-row and sixth career. He reacts post-race in Kokomo victory lane.
Video Transcript
An unprecedented $36,500 going home with the Grant family tonight after a fourth consecutive Chili's Smackdown victory at Kokomo Speedway.
Do you think you can find something at Chili's worth 36,000 of your dollars?
Yeah, we might all be able to get a, get a soda when we go now.
Kids don't have to have water this week, so no, it's, yeah, awesome.
Just, I mean, unbelievable for me to, to get, you know, just unreal, get this Nos Energy Drink.
MPV Logistics, Top Motorsports, Top Industries, number four back in, back in, Smackdown, Chili's, now Chili's Smackdown Victory Lane.
And, thanks to Chili's for, for coming on board, and thanks to Elliott's Trailers as well for all the years past that they, that they put into this event and, help make it what it is now.
And, and then thanks for Chili's for coming on, and then hopefully we just continue to grow it and make it, make it bigger and bigger.
I, well, I can't, I can't say enough about my, my, my Top Motorsports team.
Jeff Walker, Nick Mansker, Tyson Lady's come with us a lot, but he, he's off racing his own car tonight.
Kevin Birchmeier, you know, he just gives us every, every single thing we, we need and, and more and, and, you know, if, if, if we think we need something, we ask for it, he says, "Well, make sure you get two or three," you know?
And, and just he gives, he gives me the, the, the tools or gives us the tools and the, the, the opportunity to come out here and put on a show for, for you great race fans and, and to, and to feed my family, you know?
So super grateful to him.
Jeff Walker, it's been, been amazing run him and I have, have had since, since linking up.
And Nick Mansker came with them the first day, and, and so, so Nick's been there for all of it as well.
And just, just can't, can't thank these guys enough.
Can't thank all the fans for coming out.
My wife, Ashley, my kids, out there selling T-shirts.
My, my sister-in-law got to meet my niece, this weekend, which was really cool.
They're up here from, from Maryland.
And, and, just, yeah, just, just super thankful, super grateful, just for the event, the people that come and make it, make it, you fans make it what it is, and, all the hard work and effort that goes into this.
Thank Lauren Albano, Mike with, with MPV Logistics, Lauren Albano with Nos Energy Drink, Dan at Maxim Chassis, and Eric at Stanton, and, you know, Matt Hummel at FK and, all the, all the, you know, all the partners that are, that are a part of this thing.
I'm, I'm, I'm hard on them a lot, so I t- I try and, you know, drive the heck out of these things to pay them back.
And, tonight was, man, Kyle's been making me work just really hard.
I got one of those cramps, you know, when you like you run too far and you get a cramp right there under your rib?
I got one of those.
And I just, it's been a, it's been a lot, a lot of fun racing with Kyle, the last y- last year, really this last year.
Like, I feel like we both just, just finding and keep finding another gear and another gear and, and just, you know, just not settling, right?
Like, just keep searching, keep driving harder, keep searching and, and just at a certain point going, "Well, if, if that's how hard I have to run to win this race, and if it crashes to do it, well, then we just gotta go find out whether it's gonna crash or not."
And, and it's been a, it's been a lot of fun.
And most of the time they don't, so it's, it's pretty cool to be able to find, you know, to have the opportunity to go find that speed.
And, I hope I'm not forgetting anybody.
I, I'm sure I am.
I, I get up here, I get all cranked up and wound up, and I, and I forget people.
And, I gotta thank, Schoenfeld, Doug and Mark at, at Schoenfeld Headers.
They've been working with me a bunch lately and, and sending me headers.
And, yeah, just, just, just thanks to everybody.
You know, we, we lost my mother-in-law about a year ago, and, that's, that's been hard for, for us and especially my wife.
And, so it's kind of been our first year out on the road racing with- without kind of her as a, as a, you know, a, a help and, and some security at the, the house.
And, so that's been, that's been, you know, that's been a, a challenge.
And we sure miss her, and we miss my father-in-law, Bob.
I wish he could be here to see all of this that's happened since, since he passed, and it wouldn't have been possible without all the help that he gave me along the way.
And my mom and dad are here this weekend, and, and they sacrificed so much for me to, to race when I was a kid and, and just, you know, instilled so many values in me that, that I use today and, and to go race and to, and to, to, to find a way and, and make it happen.
And, and, so just thanks to them.
I'm glad they're here.
Kevin Birchmeier's son David's here, and it's cool to have him back at the races for the first time in a long time.
And I just have so many, I know I'm up here rambling.
I just, I have so many great people around me, and, and it wouldn't be possible without all of them, and I just wanna take a moment to, to express my gratitude to them and, and especially my wife, Ashley.
She carries the brunt of this operation at home.
And, and, I've said it before, but you know, you guys see me when I'm all cranked up and going a million mile an hour and bouncing off the walls, and, you know, she gets to see, you know, she gets to deal with me when I'm going two mile an hour and, and, you know, ready to quit and hang it up.
And, and, so just thanks, just thanks to her for dealing with me and, and, and being on this journey with me.
And, and Kevin Birchmeier, same boat, just always, always pumping me up when I'm down.
And, you know, he's a great car owner, and, and I couldn't, I couldn't ask for, for anything better.
The day, I think the day one of us quits, we're both gonna just go ahead and quit.
And, so just, yeah, thanks, thanks to all the people in my corner.
Thanks to all you fans for coming out.
Smackdown's awesome.
Love racing in front of a big, high energy crowd, and, and I really appreciate you guys.
I'm gonna get off here because I've just taken up so much time.
But thanks Kyle Cummins for just making me run so hard lately, and, it's just been a lot of fun, and I appreciate it all.
Can I sneak one in more, one more in before you go?
Yeah, sure.
Things might have Speaking of the highs and the lows of racing and how things can change so quickly for a race team, things were looking a little bit bleak as the 3P continued to stretch his lead and the racetrack continued changing.
But then you found that Justin Grant line in three and four that you often find that most drivers don't.
H- Was that the turning point for your race?
Yeah, I mean, I've, I've kind of, I've kind of took it to some, some heights here the last handful of years, but it's really, if it's anybody's line, it's Jeff Walker's.
Everywhere we go he's like, "Buddy, I think you You know, don't, don't forget you can get in above it.
Don't forget you can get in above it.
And you start getting tight, just get above it."
And when I came to Kokomo, the first time I drove a sprint car was for Jeff Walker here, and, and he told me, "Just get up above that cushion.
It won't turn over, and you just, just drive the heck out of it."
And you know, Dave Darling would do it in his car.
Chris Windom would do it in his car.
Hunter Scherenberger would do it in his car.
I'm just the guy that gets to do it now.
And, I'll remember it, 'cause he's always pounding it in my head.
