The Talent Tank

EP 01 Miles Hasselquist

September 08, 2019 Miles Hasselquist Episode 1
The Talent Tank
EP 01 Miles Hasselquist
Show Notes Transcript

A play on the triumph and losses in performance and life.  The Talent Tank podcast will navigate the inner workings of lifestyle, lives, family, teams, careers, programs, and technology in and around the offroad motorsports industry.  What breeds success with your Talent Tank on full, failures when its on empty.  From the journey to the Starting Line to take that Green Flag, on to exploring trials and tribulations on and off the track in pursuit of victorious achievement and the Checkered Flag.

Episode 1 brings Miles "The Voice of Hammertown" Hasselquist @miles_koh to the Tank for a sit down to discuss life, work, friends, and King of the Hammers announcing.   

After the Checkered Flag-
Name dropping got out of hand! The rapid fire 12
Paul Beattie @hardlinecustom
Kelly Kaiser @vertical_limits_utv
Chris "Bones" Zuback @30bones
Brian Shirley @luckydog.18
Levi Shirley@levishirley
Kim Sears @searskim
Droopy Sears @droopy487
Stan Haynes @stan.haynes
Derek West @derekwest20
Rusty Bray @traci_and_rusty
Ken Mercer @mercermotorsports
Rob "Bender" Park @robbenderpark
XRRA Grey Rock Alabama 2008 pics courtesy of Nolen Grogan @seeandeatmsphotography

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Wyatt Pemberton :

Hey, it's Wyatt. Yes, asking for your help. If you liked the show and enjoy the content, please hit the five star rating on Apple podcast or on Stitcher. Please consider writing a quick review on the talent tank Facebook page on YouTube and absolutely on Apple podcast and consider joining the discussions in the talent tank insiders group on Facebook. All right, let's get to it.

Intro/Outro :

Let's drop the green flag on this episode of the talent tank podcast with your host Wyatt Pemberton bringing you the best, fastest, most knowledgeable personalities and before and off road racing.

Wyatt Pemberton :

Wow. What about that intro? Hey, this is Wyatt, before we get into episode one. Thank you. Thank you for clicking. Thank you for listening. Thank you for subscribing. This is totally uncharted territory for me. And just to get to this point where this podcast is even Seeing the light of day. It's an amazing feat, the learning curve and it's been steep. So I've learned so much I need to refine some things as this project goes forward. We're gonna continue to strive to make them better and better and better. It's been fun. I hope you enjoy this first installment of the talent tank despite some of the mic issues to spice volume issues in the spice and content issues. It's not perfect it's a it's a roller coaster. So thank you for subscribing this episode one is good promise you're gonna love it I promise as we go forward in time the next installments are gonna get better and better and better so now on to the show and listen to miles Mike overpower mine from center and 50 miles away. Thank you again All right, here we go. This is gonna be episode one season one of the talent tank we're working on making this the the foremost spot where you're going to come for information behind the scenes personal what goes on with each racer, their teams, their families, this is going to be a social media. Media us getting together and you getting to be the beneficiary of everything that takes to get us to the races guys off the start line guys to the finish line and the celebratory beers afterwards. Today on episode one I'm super blessed to have longtime friend of mine miles has focused you know, also known as badass for some some of you or the voice of hammer town for the lion's share of the rest of everybody. We're going to go into miles history today, we're going to talk about some how he got some of those nicknames. I'm really excited about this concept came up this year in February, right around right after King of the hammers 2018 that there was there's a lot missing a lot of background stories. I think the hammer King has done just an amazing job when you say miles given Absolutely, yeah.

Miles Hasselquist :

And why thank you for keeping me involved. You know, we've been buddies for a long, long time and I'm excited to help. I'm excited to be here and it's a cool concept. I think there's a A lot of stuff like he said missing that we can bring to the table. And so

Wyatt Pemberton :

miles miles involvement you know with myself we've been friends with since about 2008. Before we get in here too far, let's talk about these nicknames. Let's close this loop badass.

Miles Hasselquist :

Well, I mean, this could go a couple different ways. My favorite version is I was arm wrestle and Chuck Norris and I beat him. So now that that didn't really happen. The real story was, you know, my my circle of friends we talk a lot of smack we give each other a hard time. If I don't give you a hard time I probably don't like you. Or I'm not going to talk to you much. So for a while I always said I'm a badass because I've never broken a bone. I've never had stitches. So I just, you know, that was my my go to thing at a party, you know, you know, talk to smack and whatever. And my buddy Joe Martin called me out. He's like, you need to prove it. Like Alright, you know, hahaha the next morning we get to go in and he's like I'm driving so we head up to the tattoo shop. I get bad on one cheek and ask on the other cheek and I've had that for 10 plus years. And it's it's it turned into a pretty good party favor. I'm not gonna say I'm proud of it. It is embarrassing from time to time, but it's proven to be a good time. Lots of people who've seen it, if you haven't, you probably will. It's out there. There's lots of people that have no clue it's there and there's a lot of people that know about it. If you can't make fun of yourself who can you make fun of and you just got to roll with what you do and I make the best out of life and have fun with it.

Wyatt Pemberton :

I've seen it many times but the most famous time I saw it was on backdoor on one cheek you pass on the other cheek

Miles Hasselquist :

we were qualifying for L CQ with Maddie next Jeb nasty. And it was the year where I can't matter if it rained or snowed the night before so back door was super wet. So we plan on winching so we we tear up get the back door I haul out you know I hop out, get the winch on. We went up he makes it almost the top catches fire because he had little mini wire runs winch and we got up it and so I get the fire center put it out and I throw everything in get him started he tears off so I got to fire seniors with my hand on back door and I just Yosemite Sam style just shoot him off. badass hanging out. That was a fun good

Wyatt Pemberton :

and there's an imposter out there right but there's a way to tell the imposter from you because I believe yours has one of your letters is underlined with a scar. what's what's that story?

Miles Hasselquist :

That was a another interesting night. Like I said, we used to party pretty hard there again, I always say I'm a badass I whipped it out and then all of a sudden somebody had a ninja star so we started throwing ninja stars back and forth. I lost because it stuck right under the a and

Wyatt Pemberton :

star to the ass.

Miles Hasselquist :

Yeah, yeah, like I said, I'm not. I'm not proud of it. Hey, you know when your party and stuff happens and you gotta have fun with life.

Wyatt Pemberton :

Oh, you do? I really appreciate your pictures you send me and my wife and I You know everyone on their birthdays it's always have a badass birthday and it's a picture of your house.

Miles Hasselquist :

I love seeing that out. I love the reactions in the black said you gotta just have fun with it and if you can't make fun of yourself who can you you know?

Wyatt Pemberton :

Well folks there it is that is the backstory on Mr. Miles house Lucas

Miles Hasselquist :

and that's the short story because there's lots and lots of stories out there somes record some Nah, but uh, you know,

Wyatt Pemberton :

let's get this interview going. Let's roll into where you're from. Funny story though. We're actually from the same hometown. We actually grew up in the same town of payola, Kansas, but I didn't know miles until I was really moved to Texas. Yeah, I've long lived in Texas you know, I was in my I was 30 years old and started racing xR a because I want to set a sticky tires it was they were hard to it. They used to be hard to get they're not hard to get anymore. Yeah, we the first time we met was in actually in Alabama. It wasn't even Impaler, Kansas.

Miles Hasselquist :

So I think one time in pale I was in Boy Scouts, we played paintball and remember you had a low rider I thought was cool. And then I shot it and he shot me. And that was about it.

Wyatt Pemberton :

And that was it that I think you told me that I still shot going on. That's this. That's true. Many, many have. I'm sure many probably want to. So yeah. So back in February you king of hammers was going on what a great year. Actually, every year Dave continues to outdo himself. Every year it gets bigger and better. And I say that every time every time it does it every time it's bigger and better. Oh, man. I mean, just absolutely. Tell you what I approached you about this. I said, you know, what have you started doing this kind of a this piece about the lifestyle? Just a lifestyle piece about

Miles Hasselquist :

me as well. I say ultra for family because it is more than just racing. There's so much behind the scenes, family friends. So we've been zero techie.

Wyatt Pemberton :

Yep, we've done some Wieland trips and not all racing, and not just us, just our little circle out of Kansas. But guys from all over. I mean, you routinely go I'm on trips with guys from Arizona or California or, you know, the Northeast. So it's, it is it is our family. I mean, it's it's been an amazing ride but where everyone is now since, you know, pirate has gone away, and ultra four has actually taken off, you know, it's it's not mainstream but it's very close to mainstream. It's I think it's as mainstream is I think we're going to be at least in our lifetime that it's on ESPN, it's on CBS Sports,

Miles Hasselquist :

ABC, NBC is

Wyatt Pemberton :

wild. And we've had a lot of a huge influx of people into the sport from a from a research standpoint, to a spectator standpoint, not everyone necessarily knows the history. I think, you know, NASCAR is pretty well documented on you know, their early years and, and how they got to be where they were to the current France era. And then for for us, you had the Dave and Jeff period of the early years to the LG 13. I mean, how many people know there's only 12 right?

Miles Hasselquist :

Yeah, yeah, they call it the 13 below. Got it and show so it's technically 12 but it's always gonna be that oh g 13

Wyatt Pemberton :

so yeah just prove out proof of concept and I have so much to you and a couple other guys that are going to be on in the next next couple episodes actually just you know really kind of rode me for this I

Miles Hasselquist :

it was I noticed my in brainstorming you know that helps us to talk out loud to somebody else to bounce back and forth which we've done for months

Wyatt Pemberton :

for months and months and then and then there was the butterflies I'm not gonna lie I mean this is putting myself out there I'm out there and so many other regards, but this is this is scary. I don't like my voice. I think I'm ugly. You know,

Intro/Outro :

you don't look at me.

Wyatt Pemberton :

You might feel good.

Miles Hasselquist :

I people compliment you a lot which I appreciate but I still get nervous every single time I grab a microphone. I can't not until I start talking then I kind of get in my little Zen whatever you want to call it. But yeah, it's it's nerve racking every single time.

Wyatt Pemberton :

I will tell you that when I've when I've received like text message or something about Hey I saw the sport on TV they will bring up something like this guys walk around this wrench Mike. I like that's my friend man that like that's what my boys Yeah, text with him every day. Anyway Yeah, let's let's keep let's get this going let's get into it let's let's get into miles let's get into miles head let's talk about miles history. So we won't go into qH yet well we'll get to qH down the road maybe you know 20 minutes from now, but I'm gonna throw it on you. Talk to me about miles talk to me about your hometown, talk to me about your family. I know you have a wife and two beautiful daughters. Let's hear it.

Miles Hasselquist :

Yeah, so I mean like you said a born and raised in paleo Kansas. And I was literally born at home. My mom lived there for 40 plus years, but I was born in their bedroom. How can that happen? Well, I don't really remember it, but that she had some friends and midwives come over and I mean natural birth Heck, I don't know and it all worked out and I went to the doctor the next day. born April 4 83. The next day they were taking me to the doctor and there's a snowstorm. And yeah, I really I mean, look at me now. Perfect.

Wyatt Pemberton :

Almost concerned. So in you you have a younger brother Max, correct?

Miles Hasselquist :

Yep, yep, he's four years younger than me. He's one of my best friends. He's my brother. You know growing up, we battled like brothers we you know, hate each other beat each other up. I usually one. He's now bigger than me. So now we're just friends that we live. He lives here in Halo two, he moved to the City, Kansas City just an hour north. He lived there for a few years, went to college. He's got a wife, couple kids also he moved back to pale and we've just kept you know, we're still buddies. You know if I need something I can call him vice. Vice versa.

Wyatt Pemberton :

Now was he also born at home?

Miles Hasselquist :

Yes, Yep. Yep, four years later. I kind of remember that. But I definitely fell asleep because it was you know, midnight o'clock. I don't remember. But yeah, we were both born born at home and everything went as smooth as it Go, I guess but that's definitely not common anymore. But my parents were were hippies. I mean, just as hippy as you could get back in the day when everything was the way it was, and I have a lot of good memories.

Wyatt Pemberton :

I remember coming to your house or your mom's house that's down the river. And she was having you guys were having your cookout. I don't remember the situation. But I know my wife was with me. So it could have been to me years ago, 10 years ago, maybe. And it was

Miles Hasselquist :

probably eight years ago just had my anniversary and it was probably a wedding reception at mom's for me and Bailey

Wyatt Pemberton :

was that was that was I couldn't remember that or if it was like a birthday party for your mom. But I do remember, there was a significance around Blue Moon beer, but I don't

Miles Hasselquist :

know yet what the scene was. So that was my dad's band. He he had the Blue Moon band back in the day. He's played blues forever. He passed away roughly 20 years ago now but growing up, he was around he was great. Awesome. I miss him. But yeah, he played blues he had he started out with a one man band. And grew that into a pretty decent band they, you know, didn't travel far but played Kansas City. And so we had his old bandmates come and they played the Blue Moon All Stars we call them now. So they played there and we drink beer and who were on

Wyatt Pemberton :

Yeah, I feel like it was around. We were talking like craft beer. If you grew up in small town America craft beer certainly was never something that was on the palate or even in the store and I come I think I feel like it was it was that you know, we normally drank or do we drink? Which light lots of lots of bush light

Miles Hasselquist :

still very Keystone beer I like good budget. That's

Wyatt Pemberton :

right. But yeah, then we spent you know craft beer started getting popular and remembered him and I remember being there and you drinking Blue Moon and you told me that that was that was your beer and your beer in the it was cuz your dad that's right and put that back back together. So now you you and you're married. Your wife Bailey. She's related to the rest of the county that you're not related to

Miles Hasselquist :

Yeah, yeah, she's originally amended and there's a whole herd of those guys. So yeah, every time we go to the local Walmart's or whatever, we bump into somebody. So and then Theresa, she's got the failing side, that's they've got seven or eight siblings also. So there is a lot of relation on her side here in town, which is great. You know, we have a lot of fun everybody who rose and all that jazz, but we just have my mom and my brother and then my grandma and Aunt around the city, but we don't have much here in town except for us.

Wyatt Pemberton :

And then you've got two daughters now and

Miles Hasselquist :

my mother ages I, Jade will be seven October 10. So 1010 that's my race number. Ella, she will she just turned four, April 7. So a couple days after mine, so we almost share birthday parties most years. And yeah, I wanted a boy so bad. And I had two girls and can't imagine anything else and don't want anything else and I'm done. No more kids.

Wyatt Pemberton :

Yeah, that's uh, I don't know. I think I don't think I can do it i i do have the one boy and he's a he's a piece of work he's a he's a handful but you know I absolutely love him like I can't imagine how two daughters my daughter just rules the house. She's the boss. She's the absolute boss of everything.

Miles Hasselquist :

Oh yeah, no, I'm highly outnumbered.

Wyatt Pemberton :

Now you got it you got an off roading much earlier than I did just because you know the environment of where you're at that my first recollection of you this obviously pre Bally pre pre dogs was you had this Chevy one time called the Red Rocket.

Miles Hasselquist :

Yeah, so I'll back up just even a little before that, you know, I had a Three Wheeler when I was I'm gonna say 13 probably and my parents like said were hippies very green so to let to have them actually let me get something I wanted was a huge step so I got a Three Wheeler directed you know, a million times then got a full Wheeler erected about the same and then yeah, then got a samurai than a tracker and then get the Red Rocket. So all those were just just wreck wheeling. Whatever. But the first real Rock Crawler was just a pretty sweet farm trick that was four wheel drive that I bought it It was great. And then took it off road just a couple times and did it up every It was pretty straight. It was clean. So did it up every quarter panel and door and whatnot and then turn into a rock crawler pretty quick because it was pretty rough Africa couple weekends,

Wyatt Pemberton :

but you've been built your wrenching skill set though at that point, though, right? I mean, yeah.

Miles Hasselquist :

Yeah. So I even ramble more. I went to Johnson County Community College to get my associates and automotive always been a gearhead and that's right when I bought that truck. So yeah, I've always been a gearhead like wrench and so once I started digging it up, I had a couple good buddies. You know, we have a pretty good off road family here in pail. So they you know, they ended up whatever they helped us fix it. So you know, it started out three core ton broke that too many times stepped up the one time and then back haft it and just you know, just The evolution of just a farm truck into a wreck Wheeler into a it was it was all fun.

Wyatt Pemberton :

And that was that was pretty standard at least in my recollection of that that 2000 123 2004 2005 kind of window. I think that was probably about oh six when Red Rocket died when did it not?

Miles Hasselquist :

That's probably about the end because yeah, I mean buggies weren't real popular back then it was the truggy or whatever.

Wyatt Pemberton :

I was taking a farm truck with Dana 60 and or had a 44 and you found a 60

Miles Hasselquist :

and we used to go mudding back in the day because all we had was creeks and that was the blast until now it's like that was pretty stupid. Yeah, but just didn't have availability and you know, budget. I was a broke broke college kid that could barely afford gas and beer and building a truck on the side and then everything evolves.

Wyatt Pemberton :

I think that's the transition that we we still see today. We see guys that you know, they end up with the stock Jeep and then it goes to 30 ones and 30 threes and 30 fives and then they're they're still daily driving. While they're working on it, I absolutely love those guys. I love the stuff that's going out there. I love to see them their evolution of dementia. I

Miles Hasselquist :

think still head

Wyatt Pemberton :

right you're like, Oh man. Yeah, you know, I totally skip that. I want

Miles Hasselquist :

to take your farm tractor through the dry pin.

Wyatt Pemberton :

Yeah. Well, I mean not that thing had rotted in a hedge row for how many years? I mean, the carburetor barely ran. It was like okay, what? We're gonna go mutton tonight. What's it gonna be in and I had to go. I had to figure it out. I was like, I'm not gonna go solo. I'm not gonna drive a nice nice truck over there because I'll be stupid. I'll do something stupid and tear it up. And then he didn't want to take anything great over there. Yeah, that's but that is awesome. But you know, I ultimately skipped that little modify and move and take it from 30 wants to 35 that evolution. I actually just kind of jumped that we went got a real job than me. to Texas and yada yada so and then Mr. Mike Coville entered my life Yep. With a buggy I don't know woody what you do and call it a twisted custom knockoff buggy? How was what 2007 super

Miles Hasselquist :

short wheelbase that that's that

Wyatt Pemberton :

I think was stupider than I am it was it was fun though me Yes. So so you you killed the rocket somewhere in there you started getting into razors

Miles Hasselquist :

a few of my buddies had had them and I was you know debating on getting like the Kawasaki heads T rex back in the day and then a few buddies had these these razor eight hundreds and I you know dove headfirst and went and had my mom cosign who wouldn't get alone on a brand new 800 nose not the first one in pale but the first one in my immediate circle to get one and it blew up pretty quick. Not the not the razor but lost people started getting them because they were you'd go get alone and go I mean those things for what they were were awesome you can take them anywhere and then now looking back they hundreds of pretty junk we broke them just like everything else and worked on all the time but you know the evolution of you know went from 800 to 900 to now you know thousand in turbo and just the steps keep getting higher but yeah start with 100 just just wreck Whelan and just you know, we have creeks around here see it go to the bottom and make it to the top you know, he'll shoot and whatever. And that was I mean, we just you know, drink beer in the creek go take the razor out we get the more the merrier start a bonfire. And we did that for a couple years had a lot of fun. did a bunch of gravel cruising and whatnot.

Wyatt Pemberton :

Now somewhere in there you you actually did get a Jeep like you had a road Jeep, right?

Miles Hasselquist :

That was later on. That was years later. I progressed from an 800 to 900 came out my buddy went and bought a wrecked one and man I had to have it and he ended up finding another deal. So I ended up buying his and rec wheeled it for probably about a year and then the UTV racing came through. And that's when I started racing utvs. And our first one was really low key, there's 10 of us probably. And our immediate group was the main group of racers and ended up doing very well until I didn't this the way it goes racing hit a tree, whatever, but I was, you know, first or second. And I realized, like, Man, this is a lot of fun, and I'm pretty good at this. So you know, whatever. So that evolved into getting a little more serious and built a 900 race machine and had my daughter, October 10. That was Jade. So that was my race number 1010. And had even upgraded from the first 900 to another 900 that was nicer, newer with power steering. So that's when I got a little more serious and raced two or three years in that machine and did very, very well I mean, I got you know, I got hooked, but got the bug.

Wyatt Pemberton :

I saw the the 800 error. Maybe you need an Iron Man, you're fast. You're Yeah, I mean, are we Oh man.

Miles Hasselquist :

I like very good. Yeah, I can I can write a razor I can drive it with the best of my feel if I had a little more budget and a little more whatever, but for what I had I made it work and I want a lot of races. I had a lot of bad luck I rolled more than once, but uh, I thoroughly enjoy the racing part. And let's see, when did I get the Jeep? I think I got the Jeep five years ago so I was 14 swells we were well into the reason when I got my jeep but I got a wrecked JK and 11 model and started building it mildly just 35 fenders bumpers, yada yada and took the family to Colorado and now I can't go a year without going to Colorado and I call it leaf looking because I definitely use four wheel drive but I don't try to girls like the beat on the Jeep but

Wyatt Pemberton :

in family like it.

Miles Hasselquist :

Yeah Bailey my wife and the girls they love it. We just get out on the trail we you know cook hotdogs next to the creek for lunch. We throw rocks in the river until they're tired and then we take off in the trail usually both fall asleep For in and out, off and on, you've been on at least one or two of those Jeep trips. And

Wyatt Pemberton :

I've only I've only been invited once.

Miles Hasselquist :

And you weren't even invited that time you just invited yourself. You live in Texas? Yeah, whatever. Yeah. You know, I find myself a family man. Once I finally had kids I that settled me down a lot. We used to party pretty hard. We still do every once while

Wyatt Pemberton :

the kids memories man we've had Yeah, the kid mazing memories all over the country with our families.

Miles Hasselquist :

Yeah, the kids are a lot of fun. That's really, you know, family first is really try to make that a real thing. So yeah, the Jeep is a perfect way to do that you can get out in the woods. I mean, we can take it just four minutes down the road to my buddy's farm and drop in the creek and we can grill hot dogs and throw rocks and then crawl right back out drive to town. It's just a really good platform to get out in the woods with family. I love it. One of my favorite and prized pictures that I have it's actually a view. It's you in three boys. You know all pale boys. Well one of the boys me and my son, there's four of you and you're on a mountain bike. That's in Crested Butte

Wyatt Pemberton :

rider, a Crested Butte, Colorado and just you are being you're you're just being modeled your kid a kid at heart and you got three other boys that are just being kid of hearts too. And they're all you guys are all piled like on this bicycle it will mess around on like the mainstream Crested Butte. Our wives are just like Alright, let's find find another bar and feed him more beers because this is this party is the sport is not ending. Yeah. And then you guys just you guys just got back from Colorado, right? You just went Yeah.

Miles Hasselquist :

Yeah, so this year has been busy. So I'll skip last year I was really busy with the CO ah announcing which I loved it and this year we've stepped back from that. So I've had a lot more free time on my hands. So we've been traveling a lot more we went to to Colorado just now, three weeks ago. So In a long five day, went camping and Jeep and like I said, you know, legit camping and actually that Darren and Darlene hinky. They were in a similar area. They bumped into us and they went camping with us too and went, we'll end up in there. So we did that for five days travel home, was home for a couple days and had to go to Minnesota for a family reunion. So did that over the weekend and my grandpa is almost 95. And we were able to get almost every single cousin and, and grand son and great grandson and daughter and all that together and had a really cool kind of birthday party for my grandpa. Grandpa has blessed him almost 95 and just, he's what you hope to be when you're that old. So that was really cool.

Wyatt Pemberton :

I mean, how cool is that though to be 500 500 600 miles from home in Colorado and Ryan to Darren and Darlene. We absolutely love them. They're quintessential racers quintessential racing family. And then we're Wherever you own the country you rent you can you know, especially with social media, you can see where

Miles Hasselquist :

Yes, so it's almost it's almost became too much. So social media, obviously, I'm a geek for whatever, you know, Facebook, Instagram, so I'll be like, hey, can't wait to get to the mountains next week and then I'll get a bunch of VMs diems whatever, like, Hey, where are you headed? And I'm like, oh boy, I can't have a party at a little bitty campground, but they are literally camping in the same town. So we pan back and forth and and the Yankees were legit friends just from racing. And then they ended up like my wife. Balian and Darlene like literally hit it off and our legit friends. It'll be nice to hopefully shooting tag along to some of these races and hang out with them while I'm busy doing what I do and yeah, I can you also but we can go almost anywhere now and know somebody through racing through social media through the ultra for family. It's,

Wyatt Pemberton :

it's really cool. We choose a destination to go on vacation by who we hang out with

Miles Hasselquist :

or who Who's catching crash on?

Wyatt Pemberton :

Yeah. Oh no, absolutely, absolutely. So 2008 you a flashback to bring our so

Miles Hasselquist :

let me actually like reflash you back before we go into racing Oh, so. So next month August will make my 13th year working for triple A. So I get that question all the time is how are you able to to have a real job and travel as much as you do? Well, I work 12 to 14 hour shifts most of the time. So I work a two week it's a two week schedule and it's I work two days on Sorry, sorry, three days on two days off, four days on, five days off. So that's a two week consistent schedule. So I work every other weekend. But then every other weekend. I have five days off

Wyatt Pemberton :

with shift swapping with some guys to that

Miles Hasselquist :

I used to but not anymore. I've worked there. Like I said 13 years now I've got I have almost four weeks of vacation a year so ever the weekends Five Day weekend so I can work around that fairly easily. And then if something happens on a weekend I can just take a weekend off and make it work. But yeah, I just I do not drive a tow truck. I drive a light service truck for triple A. So I our main deal is we we show up to you your battery's dead I come to jumpstart you but while I do that, I test your battery and let you know, hey, your battery's fine just charged up you'll be good or you have a bad battery. I've got a battery on my truck I can install right now. 15 minutes you're on the road. So our big deal is deliver and install batteries on the road. So I do quick and easy stuff I change your tire unlock your car, which I've unlocked your truck before in a race. I've done the surely at least once but hey, I see I do unlocks that deliver gas. I do the quick and easy stuff and then if I can't do it, then I call the tow truck and and that's just kind of what we do. So

Wyatt Pemberton :

you're good guy to have around. I mean, there was many years that I remember you would not travel without your Breaking Bad What was that? It's just,

Miles Hasselquist :

it's just a walk out bag. It's a simple tip that it's not hard, but just like anything else, if you don't know what you're doing, it's hard. So practice makes perfect. I really enjoy what I do. When it's cold, it sucks. It's cold. If it's snowing, it's cold, it's raining, it's wet. But I'm gonna say 80% of time the weather's decent, and I really enjoy not being stuck in an office and do that. So it's a perfect fit for my family. But when Bailey and I got together, I was already working there, so she doesn't know any better. And I just work every other weekend unless I take vacation. So it's just a perfect fit for me to allow to come to all these races and or my friends give me a lot of Warcraft because I'm a professional vacationer. They say but you

Wyatt Pemberton :

kept me honest on the server because I could actually jump forward. So I'm glad God you brought that back. That is a big question. People are always asking me, hey, what does that guy do? How does that guy raise so much? Or how does that who who are his mechanics or how does he practice See under prep build, I mean, we can talk about those people, you know, down the road or offline or whatever. But just

Miles Hasselquist :

like what you're saying, I have that question too. So when I'm bounced around the pits I, I asked them and most of the racers, you know, either have a corporate job, which that's not very many a few of them do, or they own their own business and work a lot to be able to go racing with their friends and have fun. So later on the season, like you're saying, we'll get those people on and, and let them tell their own story. I don't want to rat them out or put words in their mouth, but most of them I mean, Racing's not cheap, you know, from a personal standpoint, and I race on a miniscule size and I can't afford it. But it's fun, and it's a drug. So it'd be fun to

Wyatt Pemberton :

hear your stories. Not not just yeah, I think you're blessed with a really, really good job that you've hung with. So for so long, I think that's really hard. You just don't you don't tend to find those companies today. allow for 10 1315 1720 year retirement work schedule. On a regular occurrence with people now you just don't hear about it. It's like everyone works for two years, then two years, then two years. Yeah, exactly.

Miles Hasselquist :

And I really liked what I do. But you always have to have your eyes Open your ears open to see if something is better available, but I don't plan on going anywhere unless something falls in my lap. You'll like said you're stupid if you don't keep your options open. But I do like what I do, and I don't plan on going anywhere. Unless something really cool happens. That is a good fit. But yeah, we'll see.

Wyatt Pemberton :

You're very blessed with a wife that you get away with.

Miles Hasselquist :

I don't know if I'm lucky. She's lucky. But

Wyatt Pemberton :

I know what you'll say that you know that she's the lucky one I get just because I know I know you and I know her over the years. But ya know, you're lucky I lie guys, you know that that's actually a point of contention on timing and, and that and Bailey is very, very supportive. I don't think it didn't feel like she was in the early years. So you're going to care Ah, like it was kind of like she

Miles Hasselquist :

wasn't a huge fan of it because I will When I first started, I don't have a week of vacation. So I'd waste my week of vacation to go pick crew for you. And then we'd only be able to do stuff every weekend because I couldn't take off the other weekend. So she wouldn't use Spain at first. But she eased in and she's been a huge help. But on a side note, she's on a plane right now heading to Florida. why I've got all the kids all weekend, which I love doing that I'm not complaining at all, but it's a give and take. I take a lot more but yeah, you know, I mean, if you're married, it's it's a constant balance.

Wyatt Pemberton :

So in 2008 there's a fella he's, he's from Spring Hill, Kansas. We'll talk about Paul Beatty

Miles Hasselquist :

and he lived in a spring Spring Hill but moved to pail and we became buddies. Right.

Wyatt Pemberton :

That's right. He did live in Payless. Yeah. And then he moved to Alabama. I don't know when he moved into Alabama Oh, five before, let's say five or six probably somewhere and then shown up in 2007. I was myself I was making enough money in the world that I was able to go by Mike Koval bought a buggy off of him. reds were the ticket 39 inch reds everyone on that stickies. You had to have stickies and the only way to get stickies then was either paying exorbitant

Miles Hasselquist :

via or or be on the racer program

Wyatt Pemberton :

or be on the racer program. I was like, Man, this racer, let's go entered entered x ra

Intro/Outro :

that year, and we've been away Yeah, early. Oh, it

Wyatt Pemberton :

was 2008 and the first race was in a mount Alleva Alabama.

Miles Hasselquist :

Grey rock, Alabama. Yep. And all of that gray rock was a rock. It's changed a lot since then, though.

Wyatt Pemberton :

That was boring. It like strip mining or coal mining or lignite, mining something like that. So we all show up there Coleman? Yep. Do we we showed up early to that race like maybe a handful of days early to

Miles Hasselquist :

help Paul Bay hotel Paul finish the movie because I was his co co driver for that race. That's right. And you wrote

Wyatt Pemberton :

you wrote down with Kelly Kaiser and maybe some other guys from from bones Metis there for sure. Yeah. Chris Lu back. He came That was a that was fun so meeting guys like your Brian and Levi, surely By the way, that was my first race. That was also Levi's first race and we all know who Levi surely is.

Miles Hasselquist :

And he was like 13 or 14 layer. And a single

Wyatt Pemberton :

nine he was nine. No. Man now, what was Levi 17 going on? 18 cuz I think he turned 18 the next year although he was a young young pup he was young and he wrecked Oh man, he wrecked like that like gray rock was amazing. But he wrecked so bad.

Miles Hasselquist :

We had Yeah, we had the new car blues on Yeah. And that Paul, I was riding with him and we had the the new car blues get blown fuses you guys and then we roll Yeah, upside down on fire. And we were what was it would have been driver passenger down and I beat him out of the buggies we all heard was fire and I got out I kicked him in the face helmet on couldn't see. You know Ricky Bobby. far but and then we saw

Wyatt Pemberton :

like Kim Sears I mean droopy face she was famous you know she was really really a woman driving this Bert you know baby blue beautiful Jimmy's Jimmy's Jessie yep yep they put it next to us and so we got a meter and it was just I was in awe of Kim and what Kim was able to accomplish you know back in the day

Miles Hasselquist :

and she was probably a better driver than you

Wyatt Pemberton :

probably still today I have no doubt about that. But she did first run first he she rolled it over backwards straight up straight all the way over backwards just tongue in cheek landed on all fours and then stayed in it. I was like oh my god, what is that? Whoa, you just did expect that so yeah, cuz

Miles Hasselquist :

Yeah. When we roll the first thing is grabbed the key shut it off because you don't want to lose all the pressure blower motor but yeah, she was just all over the throttle, turn and dry. That was my first experience of like, oh boy, this you get

Wyatt Pemberton :

rowdy. This is something else after that race. You know? Turned out. I mean, it was the most expensive pair of Red Label tires I've ever bought because

Miles Hasselquist :

who else was there? Stan brannock and their whole crew, Derek West

Wyatt Pemberton :

there. And

Miles Hasselquist :

rusty. Rusty rusty Bray he was kind of him in there battled for the lead most of the time. In which

Wyatt Pemberton :

the recursive way to know Kim Mercer was there but Kim Kim have that single seater and he was being he had a huge time with Robin depart Park. Yep. And so we've been buddies with him since the days Well, that was our first year meeting him but oh gee outside of California days, I think

Intro/Outro :

Yeah.

Wyatt Pemberton :

Yeah. Did not to jump out of me. 2008 was probably family in my opinion, the best ever the best year ever. I mean, truly wasn't a lot of regards. It was though k which hadn't really happened yet. I mean, there been that year was the first year where they had the O g. 13. g 12 was in Before 707, and then and then in 2008, they had had a little bit bigger but what I've never heard of it 35 or 45 guys showed up for that. Yeah, that really is X ray was just like, Whoa, what is this go fast? What is I mean? We were just doing these little short course stuff. It was a lot of fun. We were carrying our stuff

Miles Hasselquist :

up. Yeah. So then I ended up pit crew and for you and I, because that's right. We are Paul and I's budget weren't good enough to race and we realized that pretty quick. We had a lot of fun that realized we were out done financially and everything else so you call me like, hey, just keep killing racism being picker and like, that's my style. So I was able to work around it and you know, I was your best crew. crew member you ever had. Um, this is it. So yeah, so are we had three or four buddies from pale that would come to most races and, and we erased the entire season of X ray and then I was actually on a dinner date with Bailey. you'd call him he's like hey we're going to Kinga hammers in California in February I'm like, I'm barely left the the you know the immediate three or four state area my California like, Okay buddy Yeah right. And then you got pretty serious about it put that pack together and we got accepted. I was like, oh boy well Bailey I'm going to California in February.

Wyatt Pemberton :

to bat back up to bender park on a Rob Rob bender park on this bender pinner sucker.

Miles Hasselquist :

So yeah, since him and Dave are buddies

Wyatt Pemberton :

that's right so daisy chain of vendors in California and go on through who's gonna pick who are they going to invite that next year? It wasn't a qualifying yet and they've, you know, talks to vendor Hey, who do you know these x ray guys and well, there we were, and he called me

Miles Hasselquist :

an X ray wasn't huge. So basically, everybody that was racing there, got invited almost because JT Taylor's even racing back in those days JT brief Little JT was oh gee Oh, he was also he was he also but yeah he was racing X ray

Wyatt Pemberton :

and I know he owns cars today

Miles Hasselquist :

I am and name drops more Shannon Campbell yeah he was probably the biggest name in the sport

Wyatt Pemberton :

Shannon was Shimon was Shannon still dreaming but Shannon was very dreamy back then. Such such a good dude. So you're just an

Miles Hasselquist :

X It's crazy how it's how its game you know went from basically moon buggies that were going fast to current time now it's a desert buggy that can rock crawl can if you want to. However you want to word that that the evolution of the sport is tremendous.

Wyatt Pemberton :

I think you worded it perfectly. Yeah somewhere in there what Shannon Shannon Linda? His a moon buggy to race to leave I surely and in that year 2008 Levi was leave I knocked up a wind and X ray using Shannon Campbell's car Shannon Kim alonza Yeah, cuz something Yeah. And leave. I've loaded up his car and that wasn't bad. And when he borrowed that in one, I think it was Hannibal. I feel like you are correct your sample. And then after that, you know, so we went to K which in 2009. Outside of that, do, you and I racing together we I kind of more or less, you know, stepped away. I had some kids, I got back in at some point, but we raced the met together.

Miles Hasselquist :

Yeah, you invited me to be a co driver for the MIT. And I was like,

Wyatt Pemberton :

it was more I invite you to be like a gas carrying guy. And like,

Miles Hasselquist :

and then you said, Bring the helmet.

Wyatt Pemberton :

Well, I didn't have a few and you're gonna be refueling. That was it was all about safety. It's all about safety. But then our good friend, Rick Mooney, ham, who does decode drive home at era. Rick hurt his back. Don't put you in the car. I have a little animosity toward

Miles Hasselquist :

you, or I didn't know how good of a co driver I was actually going to be. Because I'd never done it. You are and I just you're a good driver. If you're I can drive. So. Yeah. So you were going to The mitten Vegas how formal drives Vegas? I mean, yeah, you know, so I was pumped. So we get there. And we do tech and contingency Actually, no, we get there. We had to shock tuning with the person.

Wyatt Pemberton :

Yeah, Wayne.

Miles Hasselquist :

Yeah with ya. Yep. And that was my first experience with a real desert car of like, Oh my goodness, I opened the car, and we're bombing across and all sudden, I'm like, we're I'm used to a UTV as like we are gonna walk it up and all sudden I see tires do passes, it passes like you didn't feel it. Those are the ones where your barrel roll. So we start to like, this is pretty cool. I was like, shoot this co-driver stuff's easy. And then GPS, what's that thing? And then you're like, Oh, I was like, it just has an arrow going that way. Right. And that's when we realized this is gonna be interesting is I can grab a wheel and read the terrain, the sort of

Wyatt Pemberton :

the computer to dive into that though. That just is full proof that you You You are very You're a very good driver I'll put that back on you that you're a very good driver but when you you had to make that shift to the right seat under you know very short terms with little direction, man we had problems didn't we?

Miles Hasselquist :

And I honestly just assumed like driving is easy to me so co drivers gonna be easier oh no co driver there's a lot lot lot lot lot more going on than I thought the GPS I just assumed they would just say turn left turn right well no, there's I didn't know how to zoom in. I didn't know how to back it up. And we didn't realize that until we were on the start line. Yeah, so we Yeah, so it was a little back up to tech and contingency. It's basically a car show on the on the mountain you know, the old downtown Fremont Street, which was cool. I ended up getting to drive it that was Oh,

Wyatt Pemberton :

that's right. Yeah, bucket list stuff. Yeah, we went through with the Campbell so the kids get we

Miles Hasselquist :

get a nerf nerf fan and a couple times just because a kid because it wasn't my car or minute

Wyatt Pemberton :

teammates. Yeah, yeah, yeah, the teammates.

Miles Hasselquist :

So yeah, testing contingency that was just crazy cool. You know if you're an off road fan, which still I'm still just a fanboy and testing density is one of my favorite parts of race week now. And to be in Vegas doing that that was that was cool.

Wyatt Pemberton :

Yeah what the Martelli brothers have done bringing MIT back to Vegas and reviving that race itself everything they built around it. It is in to see it happened kind of not necessarily the coattails of K wage but you know maybe like a one year to two year lag behind co h and k which blown up it's I mean we're living is so amazing to see offered do what it's done. I mean that 10 years yeah, the Martelli brothers looks

Miles Hasselquist :

like you said are doing amazing with it. It's cool. And can Dave Cole with cannon hammers is building they're building brands. And right now with social media the way it is, it's easier to get it out there compared to an old 809 there was pirate I had a login I couldn't remember my password most time so I just whatever you guys were telling me. I did. But now who doesn't have Facebook who doesn't have Instagram that you're not sharing? Do you can do Facebook live like it's, we're in a cool time that stuff goes viral and it's

Wyatt Pemberton :

it's interesting. So to get to viral though it takes the media and Dave and Jeff null. Initially they came out they were going to this it was a media company that hosted hammer King productions that hosted a race, right? That's, that's initially what what happened. And then what was about 2012. They've kind of put out the feelers for looking for what I don't remember, it was a I feel like it was a contest, but I know I threw your name in on it. Like I do remember that.

Miles Hasselquist :

Let's, let's finish the myth. So,

Intro/Outro :

you know,

Miles Hasselquist :

you and you and Rick replaced you and you and Rick qualified, very okay for being rookies and an all wheel drive. You know, ultra for rig. I feel

Wyatt Pemberton :

like we were the first car off the line that didn't have a support helicopter.

Miles Hasselquist :

Yeah, yeah. We were waiting We're sitting in the car and I've got like the worst butterflies I've ever had because we're sitting. I see Robby Gordon, I see Rob McCracken like, we're, I can, they're ahead of us, but they're not far. And the Miss Mint is sitting right in front of us waving the flag and I'm just like, this is the coolest craziest thing ever. And they dropped the flag and we both were like, Oh, we were supposed to go so we jumped in late and we're following I don't remember who it was but

Wyatt Pemberton :

that year

Miles Hasselquist :

Yep. So we do that instilled and I forget about the GPS thing he I'm following him again on the right side but still in the driver's mindset so I'm watching the lines and all sudden we're supposed to turn and just blue a Berman should a barrel roll didn't and that was that

Wyatt Pemberton :

that was my driving. That was not the blown the turret.

Miles Hasselquist :

But that was the best the infamous of my bad

Wyatt Pemberton :

because you said yeah, a lot. I think I was ready to kill you by the end of that, but Yeah, we we went off a berm at one point and and landed so hard I shattered a tooth. And then when I got back to Houston they glued it to get they've superglue, whatever they whatever the the dentist's does, they'd like superglue the other and nurse that thing, you know, couple years and yeah, just you know, right after was a memorial day. Yeah, Memorial Day right after Memorial Day. I finally got the permanent fake artist like artificial limb you know my process my personal

Miles Hasselquist :

what would you call it two

Wyatt Pemberton :

fucking miles. Now.

Intro/Outro :

They sent my bed.

Wyatt Pemberton :

Yeah, trust me, my bad.

Miles Hasselquist :

So so so the race we were having overheating issues and whatever. But the the highlight of that race was just doing the race course because we were. We were nursing it to a point but just to see the race course was pretty cool. And then we got on a lake bed and you get some open air. So we like we hammered it pretty good. We're over 100 and all of a sudden, a trophy truck blue bias within 10 feet doing we're doing 100 they're doing 130 plus and that scared me so bad I realized that this this is a different ballgame because we started too far up for what are our during

Wyatt Pemberton :

a good qualify? Yeah, that part that you know we're talking about the unicorn for any questions uh, it was a I Fs you know a solid rear axle rear engine is probably one of the one of the first or early early ultra for is 4400 class one is one of the early class ones that was you know certainly knew that close to 800 number and I don't think a lot of people broached 700 horsepower at that point. And we came out of the gate with that and thank you to you know, Dave Schneider a toss up to that guy. they've they've it was it was actually that that that car was his idea. He designed it he started it and then I'm picking up the reins and moving in there Yeah, Rick Mooney ham trick toy fab, like half Sioux City, Arizona. Amazing. Amazing, amazing guy. I mean, a great guy to have in your corner,

Miles Hasselquist :

and he can drive you. Oh. reminds me a lot of sales.

Wyatt Pemberton :

You taught him everything he knows that's hard.

Miles Hasselquist :

So, so there we go to some of the great Jean Mooney ham as well. Old Man Jean. Yep. So yeah, we I only heard the name before then we go to his shop to work on your car before Parker for 25 or something. And I was a little nervous to meet him and she isn't best friends and that Rick's awesome. That was that was a that was a fun year to have. That kind of racing. It

Wyatt Pemberton :

was good. It was good. I'm glad to be I'm glad you're here. Sure. I know. Right? I should get Tom pan for it. It was it was good.

Miles Hasselquist :

I work for AAA and I always tell everybody, I'm comfortably broke.

Wyatt Pemberton :

When we finally call it we pass them trophy trucks in that race. We've passed a ton of 1600s it was a good time, but we we finally called it we pulled into a pit.

Miles Hasselquist :

We didn't know it at the time. It is the carrier bearing right. Yeah, yeah. We blew something up. I was nervous that whatever it was was gonna hit me in the leg or the but

Wyatt Pemberton :

it was rattling that seat used to mount to the carrier barrier and so I was once we figured out how broke it was miles not like feel that your seat had been like jumping up and down I don't know oh yeah no it was I'm glad we got some good get that was that was a good race man that's a good memories. You're killing me.

Miles Hasselquist :

Yeah, we're kind of all over the place my bed but it's nice.

Wyatt Pemberton :

It's alright. We'll drop back and we'll jump we're gonna jump back in time we're gonna go back to so 2009 we went to King the hammers you actually you know you went out there with with me. I'm so glad you actually came down to Houston helped prep the car a little bit twice.

Miles Hasselquist :

Yeah. Which is a 12 hour drive each way. Well, you you flew me and Kelly down for one weekend and we worked on it for a while and got it pretty good but we couldn't remember we had a oil pressure issue or something. So we kind of whatever and then the next weekend baylin I drove down over. We are Valentine's Day was with you eaten To because we're working on the racecar and we ended up realizing we plumbed the oil filter backwards. And that was our oil pressure issue that we you but we've we figured maybe I don't

Wyatt Pemberton :

know that it was me. I'm not going in that still, you know 10 years later so so winter care which in 2009 then we all went back in 2010 but we didn't race Yeah. Oh nine right. Ah, boom. So we go back 2010 2011 and then 2012 was coming up and Dave put out the call for pit announced pit announcers because they've started to build the media brand. We that was

Miles Hasselquist :

the first year of a live show. Because it was up until so. Eight 910 11 was all ran by you know, pirate lanson and camo Nolan and those guys just ran the pirate tent or van, whatever. So 12 was the first legit year of a live show. You I didn't even know about it. You were on pirates. said he was looking for it. And, you know, not the pretty face, but I'm not scared to talk to anybody. And I don't know just enough about automotive blah, blah, blah to be able to dumb it down to talk to people. And he threw my name and a half. And there was only three people that got there. So we had to make some stupid video. Me and my buddy Travis 42 Copperhead made a video and it was really corny, but it it worked, but it didn't because everybody one. So all three of us went out as pit announcers,

Wyatt Pemberton :

or how are you gonna work that and come out today? Here we are, you know, eight years later, nine years later, you're that guy? Now you're kind of the you're the voice. Yeah. Which is you floated there. The

Miles Hasselquist :

very cool but still kind of dumbfounding old same time. But yeah, so the 12 I want it. I didn't want it but yet by default, and then 13. I just called Dave and said, Hey, I had a lot of fun. Can I come back and he's like, Well, yeah, and then The next year they called me I didn't have to call them so I did a little a little happy dance because it's a paint you know if I got rain it all it did was cover beer and fuel to get there and then I slept on couches and them you know other people's RVs and and then just kept getting invited back and then I ended up kind of land in a pretty good role in the pits which I love being in the action so it was just a perfect fit because I I'm not one to just like, sit here I'm I'm kind of antsy that's why I don't work in an office so I like running around and diving under the car and then the producers or you know whatever the camera guys they loved it, you know my so it was a good fit. So I landed that pretty solid for a few years and then ease my way onto like the stage being a backup. Got to meet some heroes. You know, Ricky Johnson, I've announced with Ricky Johnson how he was that guy. And now and now Cameron steals one of the main announcers and then this year, so in 19 we had our little pre meeting and I was a key host with Cameron Steele and Jim Marsden and Scott rain and those guys and I was just like I'm trying not to get a big head but I'm still just a complete average Joe that works 4050 hours a week, but is sitting next to Cameron Steele on stage announcing ultra for and it just like it's hard to soak in and people that don't know me don't know better but people that know me. I really try not to get excited and brag but it's like I'm giddy as a schoolgirl and I

Wyatt Pemberton :

know you've totally ascended and your your personality backs that up or I've been somewhere else and you've screenshot and sent me a picture of something that Ricky Johnson sent you like that's like miles he's uh he's made it man he's done a good job and for me, watching you do that

Miles Hasselquist :

is it's your it's your You're to blame you're to think however Because I didn't even I wouldn't on pirate. I have to

Wyatt Pemberton :

say I think you can say that but you you need to own this. tell anyone to own this. A lot of people in life will open doors for other people and or get your foot in the door. I'm gonna tell you sure yeah three haven't had you a decade ago. But dude, you've gone through you do your homework, you do your research, you know who you're talking about, you know who you're talking to, you know your audience. So I think I saw a video or maybe just a picture of you underneath the car they were doing a transmission swap and I feel like you were feeding the driver

Miles Hasselquist :

protein bars something that was a Justin Reese at Ridgecrest underneath the Toyota and he broke out a Toyota guy but some main bar thing that like a torsion bar or something so I wouldn't look like I was feeding him but I was actually holding the mic and a wrench and then the memes a holes. Yeah made it look like I was feeding a candy bar.

Wyatt Pemberton :

I saw I saw that miles was

Miles Hasselquist :

but it was a yeah In the heat of the moment, I, I just go on autopilot and I just get pumped. And I like I said earlier, I'd still get nervous. And like man, should I do this every time I get on a microphone or a camera or a video camera, but once I go live, I kind of go into a Zen. And normally I have my sunglasses on and that's kind of like if I'm in front of a lot of people. Normally I'm outside but I put my smile shades on and that's kind of my, my buffer to where I don't have to look at them because they can't see me or something. But I just kind of go into an autopilot and I have fun with it. I get nervous until it's go and then I just snap out and I just it works. I don't know how I can't tell you what because I I don't practice other than when I'm live except for in like my work truck down the road. rememorize the sponsors I memorize, you know, welcome to the 2019 nitto blah, blah blah. So I talk out loud to myself in the truck. But other than that, I mean the homework I do is is social media. I get drivers sheets I get rules and from you know from hammer king but most of my my homework is social media Hey and in the pits I bounced around I I grab a beer I go bs with you I've always got a notepad and a piece of paper and I'll write your your name because there's so many new faces there's so many old faces new cars you they sell and buy. So I just, I keep a notepad and I write your race number, your name and then a couple key facts of what I think is cool and what I think I can remember. And then I just flow in and out there that way when I see you wat up, I'd be like, Oh, that was 48 blah, blah, whoever Kade rod he's upside down on fire, and that's a Jimmy's chassis or whatever.

Wyatt Pemberton :

And if k wasn't in the Jimmy's chassis, it'd be a problem.

Miles Hasselquist :

Yeah, you better not be. But I've made that. You know, back in the day, Shannon Campbell was the biggest name in our sport. And now I consider him a friend which I consider I used to have heroes and and now it's kind of weird transforming your heroes into your friends I guess because I'm not starstruck, I'm still starstruck nothing wrong. And there's stories from that that I'll get my balls busted. But now it's instead of walking into the Campbell's tents, the Shirley's tense, whoever's it's like, Hey, buddy, you know, let's see. Are you hungry? Are you thirsty? Yeah, everybody's kind of being the voice or the face of ultra for now. It's taken a long way to get there and not have them there. It's more comfortable for you a low level name racer to Hey, invite me in friend get get, you know, throw me a beer and let's bs for 20 minutes about and walk around the car. I understand what a car is. But show me what you're excited about that you think's in the limelight or that you're doing something different. And tell me if you want to say it online or not. Because when I'm live, I'm live. I can't take it back. So there's been lots of like, you better not say this. And I'm like Hold on No. But no promises, no promises,

Wyatt Pemberton :

or you know, just simple stuff like Well, we're not really proud of this transmission. It's our third backup we put it in last night till Yeah, in fact

Miles Hasselquist :

they're really good at you know rotating transmissions the night before, which lots of people are that yeah, these this kind of racing it's still there's still a huge learning curve. I mean, it's came so far since so when we started racing oh nine it is. It's not the budget friendly guy. I mean, the first year Maven oh nine was a heli one and oh nine and he was more of a warm wreck and realer. I think learn Okay, well, I don't remember but so he went the first year he won he was more of a wreck realer. a wreck Wheeler rig that made into a racecar and he won and I'd never heard his name before. And now he's that's all he does is ultra for ease and nitto. You know, I mean, he's one of the bigger names of sport and he came from just a wreck Whelan, which basically everybody did but that car I think that's in 2010 will not win today. And it's

Wyatt Pemberton :

just oh, no, absolutely. It is just overall does do a great. I think Darrell gray still owns that car or maybe that was the car that went to Mexico. No, exactly. That's one of the things I want to highlight here on the series is we talk about how the evolution about building building and how you got in and how you stayed in and how you got to where you are, how you ascended to where you got there, and now we're seeing guys that come in some of them they come up through the UTV ranks some came through you know, some brick wheeling ranks some you know, crawling is still caucus Jesse Haynes and like 20 guys right

Miles Hasselquist :

and that's actually coming back pretty good. Which is cool. I really like seeing the the D ROC and all that in there. Right and, and obviously I'm an ultra for fan but I really like seeing the different avenues that Brock Rawlings back. It died off for a while and it's coming back. We're seeing

Wyatt Pemberton :

some guys they're just you know, showing up. They're like, man, I saw this on CBS Sports. Yeah. searched around, I found the car available on Facebook or race desert race desert, or I called you know, I called around to

Miles Hasselquist :

classify and

Wyatt Pemberton :

yeah, and and they found the car and they they bought it and they showed up and just that simple that it's just that simple you that you can show up in and you can get in a lineup with a guy like Lauren or a guy like Shannon or any number or Randy slawson or, I mean, there's Eric Miller. I mean, yeah, the list is too long. All the way. And hopefully we have all those guys on here the next year or two or three or four. Oh, absolutely. It's nice to have, you know, most of the guys, they're currently raising 4400 have their numbers in the phone that you can actually easily reach out to be like, okay, here's what we're doing. Now. You've seen a couple of these. You want to be on? No, it's like

Miles Hasselquist :

they don't know. Yeah. And then you have a few lunda Well, you know, and it's, it's a cool thing you got going here. I'm excited to be a part of it again. Thanks. And oh, yeah, we're gonna,

Wyatt Pemberton :

we're gonna kill it. It's gonna be fun. I've committed to 10 or 12 shows let's do 10 or 12. And if it's cool,

Miles Hasselquist :

it's cool and then see where it says I'm having fun. I mean this is this is just the thing we've been talking about since king of the hammers so it's cool to actually Finally I mean, it's been five months in the works and then when he first told me about it, I was like, Man, I've actually thought of a podcast, but I'm like said I'm in my brother's basement he had to I'm on his email account because I didn't have a Skype thing and he had he was here until you came on to he's all I did is sit down. I'm in his basement. But anyway, so the podcast it it's a cool situation and I'm really glad that you once you you mentioned it I'm like, man, I thought about it. I just don't know how to do it. So with you run a show,

Wyatt Pemberton :

I know how to do it.

Miles Hasselquist :

You showed up with the you sent me the kid and stuff to do and it's working. So yeah, I'm glad I'm glad. And I'm also i'm also nervous to jump ship to start something I mean, obviously I've been had the same job forever. So I don't want to start something new. I'm not scared to but I'm scared to and you're not scared to To go out of your illness a little bit and do this so

Wyatt Pemberton :

bro totally scared. I'm worried about what people have to say about and pick us apart and or pick the show. Or talk about, you know, when you initially were announcing, they're like, oh, I've read a lot of people that hate that guy's voice man, miles got God,

Miles Hasselquist :

I hate that guy talking. So we'll back up to that. So I get so geeked out when I, when I'm at a live show, I'm doing a live show and I'm in the zone. So I don't know. And then when I get home, or you know, when I'm at the airport or whatever, I'll re listen to myself and I hate my voice and some people love it and hate it. It works, I guess. But even more. One of my producers like it's squeaky clean. I'm like, I can't help it. So Wow. And then and then being on the live show. You're gonna mess up. It's impossible to perfect and I and some people will knit pick me apart and I'm like, and I'll get kind of butthurt kind of bummed and then realize like, well, you can try it when you're talking for 810 hours in a day, sometimes by myself usually have helped but sometimes it is by myself. You're gonna ramble by The same stuff you're gonna say the wrong information but I you know, I do what I can I have fun with it and the and apparently Oh, so this is my seventh year being invited back so if whatever and then there's lots of people that only know me from announcing and that's cool and weird, you know whatever and then my friends I mean some people still half the guys I work with have no clue what I do with my time off and then some of them like man that's pretty cool and other people have no clue and whatever but I like it if I wouldn't have fun doing it I wouldn't be doing it and thank you to Dave Cole for keeping me on board and hammer King productions I mean there's so let's let's go behind the scenes a little bit for King hammers there. I didn't know before let's do it. Yeah, so here recently I didn't realize that 12 was even their first year doing it. So most of those guys Dan Campbell Lloyd so he was the original head honcho boss guy and he used to film for rod Hall in like bargains Yeah,

Wyatt Pemberton :

yeah, yeah. Yep, so he that's how he kind of knew off road a little bit, but he's a rock. He's a Hall of Famer, but he passed away just recently, and a month ago, six weeks ago that said, the community lost a great guy out of him. And not just the racing community. I've also heavily involved in the, the Hummer community and yeah, and

Miles Hasselquist :

I've brought that as well. I think I've I know I've said hi to him. He didn't know who I am. And that's completely fine. But I didn't know him. But I knew of them. And I mean, he's raised every ball 1000 forever and lose an icon like that. It's a bummer. Yeah, so that just is kind of cool to see the whole off road community full circle again, you know, Dan came from desert and somehow him and Dave AND and OR Jeff knew each other and then Dave, or Dan kind of got the rings and had half a dozen camera guys and blah, blah. And then every year it progresses a few of his main camera guys and whatever are kayakers. It's just funny how They don't even know what an offer buggy was until they came to ultra for and they're geeked out about it because they are not gearheads, eight, you know, their paddle down a river. Yeah, well, they're more than that. But you'd introduce me to some of those guys in the media trailer.

Wyatt Pemberton :

Yep. A couple times and they're sitting there. What is the PVR? Right?

Miles Hasselquist :

Wait, yeah, when I get Okay, wait, wait as much PVR as there's unlimited PVR and we drink it and a lot of it and it's we have a lot they like they like the party. And I do too. So it's a good fit. But yeah, some most of those guys are

Wyatt Pemberton :

a great product still.

Miles Hasselquist :

Yeah, I mean, yeah, I mean, we we behave, but then late night hours when they're doing their video, whatever editing stuff, that's when we sit there and drink beer and live shows done. And then we we kind of unwind drinks, beer and whatnot. And like said, summer kayakers, a Steve Fisher. He's the new producer, Dan's kind of step back and has had Steve step in he did last year. He was the producer and he, he is a Red Bull sponsored athlete out for kayaking, and he's always done video stuff. And he was it was the fish reels back in the day. So three or four years ago, if you saw a highlight reel, it was a fish reel. Well, he's kind of stepped up and now he's the new boss. So I kind of have two bosses. And then we have Tim he's, he's the guy in my ear. So I've always had an earpiece or your goofy earphones on and that was something hard to get used to also is having something talk to you while you're still talking. It's It's not easy. I've gotten better at it but he is really good about not not not yelling, not talking. He's like finish your thought. And then talk about this and segue you know, three to one throw us to commercial. So a lot of the techie stuff is just in my head. A lot of the name dropping is mainly in my head, but all the show flow is I got somebody tell me what to do. I said it's hard to get used to but it's pretty cool. And they're very chill. And then I think he hits the mute button and you know, it's the mF or what's the desk? Oh, why is he still rambling? Come on, okay, finish your thought buddy. And then throw us to commercial still, you know, whatever cuz sometimes when there's action, it's hard to I can't you know, whatever, you know, you get excited and I get I get caught up in the moment a lot. But to see it go from like I said, I think 2012 was I'm gonna say six to 10 cameras and now I think there was over 30 cameras in 2019 so it's evolved from that to now there's live live helicopters live drones, they've got the cable cams. I mean, they literally in the morning will fly the helicopter pick two or three camera guys up, dump them off at the at the far mountains and they are stuck there till dark until the helicopter can fly back in because it's so remote. And to be able to Travis Walder, I'm gonna brag on him a little bit. He's been with us forever and he's he's the guy that Cuz he's the tech guy. He works for Boeing. And he's kind of like me, he's worked there forever. He's worked there long enough. But uh, he's older than me. But he's very, very he's the he's the he's the IT guy behind the scenes and he does the internet. He does all that. So he is Dave Cole's right hand IT guy, but he works very closely with us. We're not on the same team that we have to be. And so he's constantly fighting. We bring our own internet to King of the hammers to Ridgecrest to all these races, and sometimes he runs them literally off a cell phone he's got he's still grandfathered in or some don't get in trouble. But he's got unlimited internet. And he has to ride that line, whatever and he'll put it microwaves to go shoot this way, this way, this way, this way, but some people say you know, complain about, hey, the video is green. Dude, you wouldn't believe I'm not techie and it's blows my mind. To see what those guys do in the middle. We run a completely A generator that King hammers and bring our own internet put multiple microwave dishes from one mountain deployed at the other mountain because we can't go over this mountain. So we have to go to this one to this one to this one, there's four to five to get back to the back canyons that you guys at home are seeing live. We started in a a just a plain Jane movie, the desert

Wyatt Pemberton :

in the middle of it, there's

Miles Hasselquist :

no so there's no water, no electricity, and they are putting off a legit TV quality live stream most of the time. I mean, if there's a windstorm it is what it is that we started with a legit moving trailer semi for the first three or four or five years and now he bought in an old retired TV semi that has a slide out and it went from two people up front two people decide to now there's three rows and if you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, I do the behind the scenes quite a bit because it's just cool to see because it still trips me out to see it but there's 20 different camera angles on this TV. And there's a they call the Tricaster. Not sure what that means, but yeah, but they hit ABCD go camera K, whatever. So there's that guy that he's just listening to the producer. And the next to him is the audio guy behind him as a producer like I guess you call them the commercial guy to keep you honest on Hey, we need to play commercial here to hear to hear behind them our take it live. There's two or three of those guys that all they do is they are the ones that's that take it from my guys to them to shoot up the internet or that works. But there's three full rows of nine people. So

Wyatt Pemberton :

so many pieces of that puzzle that

Miles Hasselquist :

if one thing goes wrong, I mean, it goes black out. You've seen it. I've seen it and I'd sometimes only know what's happening. I'm still talking and also I'm like, hey, you're back. Am I I didn't know he left. So there's so much behind the scenes that Dave in the hammer King production, and Dan and Steve and Tim and Chris and the Lundy's and name drop name Rep. There's so many pieces of the puzzle that actually put it together. That's just cool. It's amazing. So the live stream last year, let's see. So this is 19. So eight, so 17 mid season, I got called like, Hey, can you come to Oklahoma this weekend? I'm like, man, I gotta work. I'm sorry. And 20 minutes later that instantly I hang up. I call my boss like, Hey, can I take off this weekend? He's like, Oh, man. Okay, so I call back like, Hey, I can come. Well, we already figured out Don't worry about Thank you. But you're coming the next day. So I'm like, give me that much time. I'll make it work. So then I finished out the season for a couple races. And then they call me and be like, Hey, can you come to every race in 2018? I was like, done. You give me enough. Notice I'll put it in work. There are talking boss, they're cool with it. I'll use vacation where I have to yada yada so we do the full season live stream 2018. I think I went to eight races, drove to a couple flew a lot and I

Wyatt Pemberton :

want a great experience. Though

Miles Hasselquist :

it's cool, I've traveled all over the world thank you to hammer King Dave Cole, they know it from it from I won that competition to it, I got a paycheck. And all that did was cover my travel. So I got a free vacation. That was the coolest thing in the world to now they booked my tickets, and I get a paycheck to it makes it a lot easier for me to leave the wife and kids at home knowing that I'm my triple A pays the bills. And now this kind of affords us to do more and more family time and whatnot. So the full circle is just really really, really cool. I was really bummed to hear that they were dropping the live show.

Wyatt Pemberton :

That's where I was just gonna ask

Miles Hasselquist :

though. I mean, when I got the phone call, I'm like, Alright, that's a bummer. They've called me in. And I was like, dude, I get it. But uh, um, boom done. I still want to be involved as much as he can. He's like, Hey, we're doing the nationals and you're doing great Ah, for sure. I was like, Cool. Thank you. And then that was that. And then three days later, he's like, Oh, yeah, by the way, next week, can you come to the live the pre show the live show in Southern California is like, Well, let me call my boss. So I did. He let me off. So I come do the pre show. And then I did king of the hammers, which, you know, it used to be six, you know, five or six days, and now it's like a nine or 10 day ordeal in it. It's great, but I was legitimately bummed and a lot of you guys back home were too. And I've got a lot of feedback. And I'm like, I don't have any any say in it, because I'm just the guy that talks. But I get it from both sides. Live Show was cool. My friends, my family, my fans, not my fans ultra for fans. Yeah, yeah. The live show was great. But I heard a $300,000 number that that's a lot to swallow just so your friends and family can watch. You know, so at the other day, this is Dave Cole's business. So you have to make those decisions. And it's the hardest decision to make cuz instantly he knew he was gonna make a lot of people man but it's his business so who cares what you think you've known Dave as long as I have roughly

Wyatt Pemberton :

about the same and how he known Dave over the last decade even vacation with Dave and stuff well I know about Dave is he's a good businessman. He will do some things that we will absolutely question but he has a reason for it and most of the time he ends up surprising the hell out in the end it ends up being something because it was something bigger and he just wasn't right and i don't i don't know we're not be

Miles Hasselquist :

honest. I was I was fairly nervous for that first race to go off with no live feed because he personally is not on social media, his businesses ultra forking and hammers and it was just kind of I was I was nervous. I was bummed, but I was nervous and I think it's working out I hope it comes back to a point we'll see what happens anything's out in the open but I'm really glad to see that uh, the nationals in Reno will be there and King of the hammers live show from what I've been told those two races for sure. for the foreseeable future here. So, but also with social media, some of the teams I mean, certainly had a live camera on his on his race car, the last couple of races, and there again, the internet. Internet's hard to do out there. So we've seen Kodiak tonight. The Gomez is lots of the teams are going live on Instagram Live on Facebook. So that costs nothing. They're already there. So if they can come along, to at least keep us involved, because there again, I'm a fan when I'm at the races. I don't get to watch it. I'm watching it, but I'm so busy in my own brain. I kind of forget what happens until I get back home and kind of relive my weekend. And so to have all the race team step up and do the the social media is huge. And there's a there's a big team behind the scenes that you guys just I see it you guys don't they do an amazing job. So I'm not you know, I'm not

Wyatt Pemberton :

to see when Levi surely did the light hit Live streaming out of his car at what was it was that Davis?

Miles Hasselquist :

He definitely did Davis I think they did it somewhere before there's the first race the first East race he did their two horse drawn blinks I didn't go

Wyatt Pemberton :

on a bike as well listen if some guys out of Middle of Nowhere western Kansas can figure out how to livestream race car rate racing out of their out of the car. Anyone everyone else can do it too. not putting that on anyone not setting the bar that high but here we are. We're you know, we're talking face to face and you're 750 miles from it. So

Miles Hasselquist :

almost an area 51 but

Wyatt Pemberton :

yeah. The area 51 Raiders Well, when this airs,

Miles Hasselquist :

yes, the old news and you

Intro/Outro :

know what's going on? Right?

Wyatt Pemberton :

So hey, okay, so, man, amazing. Thank you for coming on. So let's let's talk about going forward. We're at today. We're at today where we got miles today. You got a couple live shows coming up toward first

Miles Hasselquist :

episode and I think you guys are I've had fun again, our brain is your deal, but we brainstorm for a while and finally candlelight again. Thank you for keeping me involved. I'm, I will definitely come back on we can first off, we're buddies, and then I'm glad to help you or help me because you're helping me. I'm helping you. I think this is a cool thing. I think we can get some good traction with it. You already have. I'm gonna I'm not gonna blow it. But uh, you have some pretty cool names that are coming up in the next few weeks and I think I was gonna like it.

Wyatt Pemberton :

Yeah, I think so. So here we go. Yeah,

Miles Hasselquist :

cuz cuz is it half full, half empty.

Wyatt Pemberton :

So, hey, going forward. I know you. You had some stuff going on with I think Gerald is savvy had invited you to come to Mexico a couple times and race with them. And this is the first one

Miles Hasselquist :

fell apart a little bit time wise and whatnot. But I hope to go to Nora 500 here in a few months. Yeah, the ultra four things really opened some doors. allowed me to enjoy the off road community even more like media savvy. And when I get to the races everybody gives me like all I wear is ultra force stuff, whether it's team stuff for now every race, I get a shirt yada yada. So it's really afforded me to do some pretty cool stuff because I'll stress it again. I'm just a fan of off road and I'm taking advantage of the cool situation I've ever been built. So I'm rolling with it and I'm having fun. Yeah, you've

Wyatt Pemberton :

got a really good friend over in Britain NATO with Chris Corbin right?

Intro/Outro :

Yeah.

Miles Hasselquist :

NATO has been on board for the last I think five years probably and we've got a good relationship and I've been a NATO fan before they were a sponsor and now they're you know the title sponsor and NATO has really afforded ultra for to step up so it's you know, thanks NATO Chris Corbett for jumping on board and and the more the merrier, the bigger the better yada yada

Wyatt Pemberton :

cuz I mean, I mean, just knowing you the way I know you, I commend your closet be nearly barren if it weren't for Corbett clothing. You Yeah you know

Miles Hasselquist :

send me the middle cameras head.

Wyatt Pemberton :

miles. They bro known you for for a long time appreciate you stepping out stepping in like, hey. Yeah, taking the first leap and we'll get it out there we'll see how much people can make fun of both of us.

Miles Hasselquist :

Oh, it's easy. All right, well episode one cut,

Wyatt Pemberton :

cut check. You made it another episode consumed. If you liked the Listen, please go give the show a five star rating on Apple podcasts and consider writing a quick review either there or over on the Facebook page. Thank you for tuning in to this wild dive into the fountain tank. Why out

Intro/Outro :

thank you for listening and taking a dive into detail intake. Please like and subscribe on Instagram at detail intake or our website the Talon tank calm