Right to Race: How to Save Your Local Track Before It’s Too Late

What happens when your favorite race track suddenly disappears?

In this episode of the Late to Grid Podcast, we sit down with Christian Robinson from SEMA and PRI’s Government Affairs team to break down one of the most important issues in motorsports today: Right to Race legislation.

If you’re involved in autocross, track days, endurance racing, or grassroots motorsports, this is a conversation you can’t afford to miss.

We dive into how legislation is actively shaping the future of racing and how local tracks across the country are being threatened by development, lawsuits, and regulatory pressure. Christian shares behind-the-scenes insight into how SEMA and PRI are fighting to protect the $69B motorsports industry and the small businesses that keep it alive.

You’ll also learn:

• What “Right to Race” actually means (and why it’s simpler than you think)
• Why grassroots race tracks are disappearing
• How legislation moves through state government
• Real examples of laws that almost shut down racing
• What YOU can do right now to protect your local track

This episode isn’t just about policy, it’s about preserving the motorsports journey for future drivers, teams, and fans.

You need to get involved! Go to:

https://www.semahq.org/campaigns/right-to-race

The season is finally here, but is your car actually ready? Whether you need a precision track alignment, corner balancing, or just a fresh set of tires mounted, Atomic Autosports has you covered. Don’t let a tech form or a bad setup ruin your weekend. Book now and get dialed in at AtomicAutosports.com.

Want to shave seconds off your lap times? Head over to AtomicAutosports.com. We’ve built a library of alignment specs, downloadable track-day checklists, and a gallery of our latest builds to get your gears turning. Everything you need for a smoother event is just a click away at AtomicAutosports.com.

Stop being Late To Grid and start being prepared. Atomic Autosports is your source for Malco detailing, Red Line lubes, and high-temp fluids. Need pit accessories or some fresh Atomic merch for the podium? We’ve got you covered. Stop in the shop in Wickliffe Ohio or visit AtomicAutosports.com

Thanks for listening and taking an interest in growing grassroots racing.  The Late To Grid podcast shares the stories and inspiration that help listeners along their motorsports journey. 

Find all episodes on the Atomic Autosports website.

Transcript

0:17

Is your right. The race being threatened. In this week's episode, I talked to Christian Robinson from the Governmental Affairs office of Sema and P r I. This is a must listen to episode if you want to find out ways to make sure you don't lose your favorite race track. Well, we are back in the Atomic Autosport studio to bring you another episode. And I'm really, really excited about this one because this is super important to our sport. We're talking about right to race with Christian Robinson's from Sema and pre Christian, thanks for being here today. Yeah, thanks for having me. And we have you on a Friday after you and the team have been traveling to a couple different states to talk about right to race. So thanks for, you know, kind of ending the week with us. And I know it's, I know a lot piles up when you're traveling. So thanks for taking time to talk about this important topic. Like you said, it's an important issue. So happy to be here. Yeah, I do want to start off a little bit about PRI and Sema and your role there and Atomic Autosports. We've been a member for several years now. We love coming to the PRI show and hearing about all the great stuff that Sema and PRI are doing to advance the sport. So not only are you helping manufacturers and racers advance in their journeys within the industry, but you're also working behind the scenes. And we want to make that more in front of the scenes on the legislative side, because there's a lot of things legislatively that can hold back our sport and our industry. So I guess first, a big thank you to you, your team and all the Sema and PRI members for making this a cause. But let's talk a little bit more about your group. And then we're going to talk about you as an individual, but you've got a governmental affairs group within Sema and PRI. What's the focus? What's the drive and what's the reason behind it? Yeah, absolutely. Um, so yeah, we have about a dozen of us based here in Washington, DC. I'm right now at my home in suburban Maryland. But, uh, we we there are twelve of us. It's a growing group. We outgrew our office last year and which kind of shows the investment that Sema and I have made in our team over the past few years. And it's really simple. We, we focus on making sure that the laws that are passed, uh, and introduced either healthy industry, uh, you know, succeed, continue to have more racing, more manufacturing. And then we also stop the bad ideas, um, to make sure that we're not hindered from doing what we love. Because at the end of the day, you know, whether it's the automotive, aftermarket or motorsports, they're big industries. Um, you know, we, we conducted an economic impact report, uh, last year for the first time ever, it showed motorsports, uh, was a sixty nine billion dollar industry nationally. And that's, that's not, doesn't even take into account the tracks. That's the, the businesses that support it. So it's a huge industry. Sure. So greater than sixty nine billion. That's a huge number. And you mentioned you and your team are in DC, but this is really a grassroots effort. This you know, there's some things that need to happen at the Capitol and in Washington, but but really the impacts are made in the states and in the cities and in the counties where, you know, a lot of folks are racing, a lot of companies are operating and tracks are putting on great events. So, um, I guess before let's, let's put the pause on that because I want, I want the listeners a little learn a little bit more about you, how you got to where you are. Um, you, you grew up in South Carolina, went to Georgia as a kid with family friend watching racing in the infield, standing on the, the roof of a van. Was there something there that kind of sparked your interest to say, man, I love seeing things go fast, I love racing. Yeah, I mean, yeah, look, it's every kid grows up loving things that go fast, right? Yeah. I've got I've got two small kids now and I don't know what it is genetically that they're just kids are just predisposed to, uh, to, to big machines, right? Like my son naturally is like, oh, man, that's an excavator. That's super cool. And now he's six. He loves watching racing on TV with me, which is fun. But, uh, you know, everyone, you know, there's stick and ball sports and soccer or football, you name it. But what's special about racing is you know how palpable it is even as a fan, right? You can the you can feel you can feel the noise, right? Um, if you go to an NHL or NHRA race, you can feel those, uh, nitro powered cars from hundreds of feet away, literally in the pit of your stomach. And, um, you know, it, it, it doesn't take a lot of convincing when you go to a race to become a fan. And, you know, I was fortunate enough to be exposed to it at a fairly young age. And, you know, that was at a half mile dirt track, which you can get in a lot of communities across the country. You don't have to go to a super speedway or like in Daytona or Indianapolis, you can go to your local grassroots track and be exposed to it. And it's, you know, you can catch the bug pretty easily. So like I said, really fortunate that we had close family friends, uh, that, that, you know, let me tag along for the ride. And yeah, I just have really fond memories of going to Oglethorpe Speedway Park with them as a kid. And, you know, they had a, was it a minivan? It was, it was a full size conversion van, you know, with, with the, the captain's chairs and watching a movie on the way over for that forty five minute ride. And, and, you know, getting to watch guys like Cale Yarborough and Sterling Marlin go around the track, uh, was special. Yeah. That's awesome. It sounds like the perfect infield vehicle. Oh, yeah. You got a ladder that'll take you right up to the top. And you know, you can sit there for hours, so that's awesome. So aside from your work responsibilities, do you still get to enjoy motorsports as a spectator? Head out to some events. I do. I mean, I'm lucky in that a lot of times it's for work, right? Yeah. You know, there's there's a trade association for everything in DC. Like literally even for cardboard boxes and, and wood floors. Um, but I don't think their work travel is probably as exciting as the travel that we get to do on our team. So, um, yeah, it's, it's a blessing and it's a lot of fun. And it's, it's even more special than to be able to come back to DC and visit statehouses around the country and know that these are the people that you're advocating for. Um, because a lot of it is small business. Um, you know, we talk about those economic impact numbers and we throw around the number of member companies we have and we've got some, some big companies, right? Some well-known brands, but most of the time, the companies that you're representing are small business and really micro business. Uh, so, uh, you know, those, those, are often just a handful of employees that the person answering the phone is the founder, the CEO, the receptionist, and the janitor. Right? So it's, it's, it's a great industry to work for. Yeah. And while we're talking about that, I mean, think about the right to race legislation and how it can impact a small track. I mean, those are, you know, I'm just thinking about where we are in northern Ohio. I mean, those are seasonal venues. Uh, it's a very skeleton crew. And you're scraping to get every last fan in the stand to get every last car entry. So you can make payroll that week, or you can pay for some of the advertising or even pay the purses out. So it's really important that these tracks continue on. And you're right, they, they are small mom and pop organizations. You know, that's the heart of our industry. Yep. Absolutely. Yep. Yeah. Let's talk a little bit more about your background before we get, uh, a lot deeper. So you've had a great legislative background, um, and political background working on different campaigns. But what was it that drew you to get involved with PRI and Sema and the governmental affairs work that they do? Yeah, yeah. Good question. Um, yeah, I've got a campaign background I started. Hard to believe it's been over twenty years at this point as a, as a campaign junkie, you know? Uh, campaigns are often times I liken it to sports for the unathletic. Uh, I think if you, if you saw me in person, that that wouldn't surprise you. Uh, but, uh, um, you know, I did that for a number of years, and I closed in on thirty and said, you know, this turn and burn lifestyle where you're looking for a new job every two years, no matter, win or lose, uh, was starting to take its toll and was ready for something a little more, um, settled, but still in the political arena. And this was in late twenty twelve and was looking at the, you know, the job listings in DC and um, came across one for Sema and, uh, you know, quickly it was like, wow, you know, I, I knew about the show. Um, I had my best friend growing up. His parents looking back on it were, um, foolish enough to buy him a ninety seven, uh, twin turbo supra for when he turned sixteen and we modified. Yeah, we modified that, uh, quite a bit. Uh, so got to live vicariously through him. So I was familiar with Sema. I was like, wow, I didn't, I didn't realize they did lobbying and, uh, you know, applied because like I said, there's a trade association for everything. And would you rather I always got to pick the industry that I use here as an example? Um, carefully, you never know who you might offend these days. Would you rather go work for that cardboard box industry? Uh, or would you rather go work for a group like Sema and, and, uh, I ended up with getting the job, fortunately. And, um, you know, it's, I've been, I've been with the organization now thirteen years and, you know, it's, a lot of fun. Um, you know, we our office is great. We take the work seriously, but not necessarily ourselves. The members are great to work for. And, you know, you're, you're advocating on, on issues that really matter to an important industry, like right to race and making sure that we can continue to have race tracks for people to enjoy doing what they love week in and week out. That's awesome. Let's talk about some of the work that PRI and Sema have done. Uh, leaded fuel. They were looking at a ban of that in Oregon. You guys squashed that. I know there was some legislation in Arkansas. I think that was just was that last year you guys got ahead of that and made sure that went away. I think, um, what are some other big initiatives that Sema and PRI have taken care of for the racing community? Yeah. Well, I think those are two really good examples from recent history about how government can be weaponized. Um, you know, in, in Oregon, they it was similar. It was very similar to what we're seeing in Right to Race, where you have newcomers moving into a neighborhood that has a long standing race track and deciding that that doesn't fit their, their lifestyle or their culture. And how can we figure out ways to get rid of it? Well, first it was noise. Let's put in let's try to put in a noise complaint. Well, they they did a noise study and that that came back, uh, unfavorable for them. And it was like, all right, well, let's, let's run a bill that basically, uh, targets the racetrack without explicitly mentioning the racetrack. So it was race tracks, uh, you know, in a city with a population above, uh, a certain number cannot use leaded fuel, uh, in motorsports, it's like, okay, well, let's look at those population numbers. And there's one city that fits the bill. Um, and despite the fact that the EPA had said, hey, there's no, There's no risk for the community and in the lead that's being used in the fuel. They proceed, you know, went ahead with it. And they've been rejected twice now by the legislature. Knock on wood. Hopefully that that issue has passed us. Um, but yeah, we we've seen a number of issues like that. Uh, we had the, uh, the issue of the RPM act a few years ago. We are working on a, um, federal tax issue right now. Uh, the motorsports permanency Act, which allows track owners to depreciate investments in their facilities and upgrades over a longer period of time. Um, so our team, you know, motorsports is a big, a big part of what we do. And, uh, right to race right now has been our number one focus, um, for this year and likely will be for the next couple of years as well. Um, especially coming off of the big fight that we undertook over the last few years on electric vehicle mandates. All right. So let's talk a little bit more about right to race. And, uh, I think it's fourteen states where there's some sort of legislation in some sort of, um, um, gosh, timeline. I forget the word I'm looking for here. Um, but it's all been introduced. It's making its way through what at the highest level, what is right to race? It's really simple. Um, basically it says this, if you're a race, you own a race track and you were there first before a neighbor or development, then that neighbor can't come in and have an epiphany, a sudden realization that they move next to a drag strip and sue to have you close down. Uh, it's like a grandfather clause, essentially. Um, and, um, it is basically in all these states, it's a page in length. It doesn't take, uh, it doesn't take, uh, like advanced law degree to understand it. Uh, we don't have the, you know, oftentimes you hear with these bills that come out that are, you know, the size of a phone book, I don't even know if they even make phone books anymore or that, you know, people will argue, oh, they didn't even read the bill. They don't know what's in it. This is really simple. You were there first. You can't be sued. Um, so yeah, we are now fourteen states were active in this year. Okay. So our listener might not might not know the legislative process, how bills get introduced, who needs the sponsor co-sponsor, who needs to back, who needs to help move it through committee, subcommittee, all that kind of stuff. So you're saying that this this is a multi-year undertaking because things just aren't. Even if it's one page, they aren't introduced and say, yep, we're going to put that on the agenda. Vote on it today. It gets read and reviewed and all these different things. So, um, I guess, you know, to help the listener understand a little bit more what is a legislative process look like? I know it varies state by state, but, you know, kind of high level. Yeah. Uh, yeah, it does vary state by state. Um, state government is well, at the same time, similar than what you see going on in Washington with Congress and the Senate. Uh, it's really different in the sense that they can move really quickly. Um, most states will start in January of the year at the beginning of the year. Some will be done come late February. Uh, like Indiana, for instance, adjourned a week or two ago. Some will go to Memorial Day and then you get a handful that will go year round. Um, but they do have similarities in the sense that you got to go out and find someone to actually introduce the bill for you. Uh, typically those bills then get sent to a committee, which is a smaller group of lawmakers that specialize on an issue and they will hold a hearing where they, they invite the sponsor to come in and explain what the bill does and then allow members of the public to come in and advocate their case. You know why? Why should lawmakers enact this law? Here's how it will impact me, my business, the community. Uh, and then the committee will have a vote on it. And that's, that's where a lot of the real substantive work gets done, where bills can live or die, get changed by committee. And then from there, it'll get a full vote from either the House or the Senate. And then you start that process over in the other chamber, and eventually you want to get it onto the governor's desk. Uh, for for him or her to sign it and state governments. Great, because you can get a lot done really quickly. Uh, sometimes that works against you where a bill could be introduced on Monday and have a hearing on Tuesday. And then before you know it, they're voting on it on Wednesday. Um, so it can work in your favor, but if it's your bill, if it's your bill. Yeah. But sometimes, you know, they're that short amount of time means you kind of got to wait your turn, right? Well, this year we're really focused on, you know, this other issue lowering energy bills. Uh, so you spend that session educating on the issue, knowing you might have to come back next year and then really make the big push. Mhm. Uh, I know the governor of Indiana spoke at PRI at the kickoff breakfast and, you know, he shared his excitement for motorsports. Are there other governors that are excited about racing? Yeah. There are, um, you know, it's, it's if you look at states that have big racing presence like Indiana, uh, you oftentimes will have a governor that whether they're a race fan or not, is supportive of the issue. You know, usually North Carolina, you get a pretty friendly audience as well. Um, but, you know, even some governors have personal connections to the issue. Um, colleague, one of my colleagues, Victor, he was in, uh, Nebraska a couple of weeks ago, um, testifying on our right to race bill there and was. Was able to get face time with the governor because of his. His love for the sport. So good. Um yeah, it's it's it's interesting. And Governor Brown. Yeah, it helps that he, uh, his company is a long time b r I exhibitor too. So he's actually a member of the industry himself. That's right. He did mention that. What is his company? Uh, Meyer distributing? Yes. That's okay. Yeah, I do remember that now. That certainly does help. Yep. And then how about in the state House? Have you come across racing fans that you know are eventually going to vote on this? Yeah we do. Um, and you know, it's interesting we and a lot of times you'll, you'll have motorsports caucuses in states, right? Uh, I'll be in Richmond, Virginia, uh, this coming week to talk to a group of lawmakers that are, you know, invested in racing and to educate those that, that aren't necessarily invested in racing. So we can tell them about what the presence is like in their community. But yeah, we've had meetings this year with lawmakers. You know, there might be a member of the committee where our bill is going to, where we tell them who they're with, and they're like, wait, like the trade show, like the Sema show in Las Vegas or the PRI show. They're like, you're kidding. And they're like, oh my gosh, I love you guys. Like, I didn't realize, you know, that, that that's what this meeting was. And, you know, they often will know more about, more about cars and racing than you do. So. Yeah, you run into lots of racing fans because especially at the state level, um, a lot of these lawmakers are, I hate to say this, they're normal people to write these. These states are not full time jobs being a lawmaker. They've they've got work that they do. You know, the other other, uh, nine months of the year when they aren't in their state capital. Um, so it's really refreshing, uh, you know, as much of a bad rap as politics get, you do get, uh, those people that are, you know, that are fans themselves and want to see, uh, the industry succeed? Sure. Especially if there's a venue. I'd imagine, in their jurisdiction. Um, and they're yeah, they're going to want to make sure that, you know, for the economic benefit, the jobs, of course, tourism, all that good stuff. Yep. So last year, Iowa and North Carolina successfully passed right to race. Um, what lessons were learned by you and your team about those wins that you can then apply to other legislation? Yeah. You know, um, Iowa was really started by, um, tracks themselves organizing, uh, and getting involved in the political process. And as we have moved forward, uh, into these other states, um, you know, the states where we have had the most success this year and moved the ball for this down the field. Uh, are those states where the tracks are, are getting organized or are willing to get organized and speak in a collective voice and, and, you know, go to the Capitol and meet with their lawmakers. So, you know, we, we are still going to make this a multiyear effort, but we're at the same time that we're moving these bills forward, there's a concerted effort behind the scenes to help in a lot of these states where tracks say, hey, we we wish we could get organized. But, you know, it's we don't necessarily have the time in our schedule to take on this side project. Um, we are working to make sure that those states have a voice too, and that we can get organized, you know, for, for the road ahead and maybe look ahead to twenty twenty seven and, um, you know, really be loaded for bear. Um, yeah, you know, North Carolina is kind of like Indiana in one of those states that are the, you know, motorsports capital of the country. Uh, and so you have a governor there that's, um, you know, not of the same political party is his legislature, but still wants to see motor sports protected in the state. He actually he actually let the bill go through without his signature. Kind of a weird quirk where you can allow a bill to become law without your signature. And when you look, people, people look at that and say, well, you know, what's that about? Does he not like racing? And it's it's like, no, if you actually look at his letter when he signed it, there was another part of the bill that dealt with like waterways that he had concerns with, but he was totally on board with the racing. Ah, yeah. Another nuance of of politics. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, man. Um, any so I think the listeners are probably thinking, well, there's going to be homeowner groups that are going to oppose this, or there's going to be some sort of developer groups that may oppose this because they want that land or they want to build more, and they're worried that maybe people won't buy houses near, uh, racetracks. Have you met much opposition? Yeah. Great question. You know, some of these states, Iowa, for instance, there really wasn't any opposition. Um, you know, we're going into some of these other states and like, no one has testified against these bills for the most part. You know, you've had a couple of aggrieved homeowners. Homeowners, um, that have testified. Um, but in terms of organized opposition, we've been very fortunate that we haven't seen a ton. We've and where we have seen some, uh, we've been able to work behind the scenes with them to tweak language to make sure that their, you know, concerns were alleviated. I think, uh, there's, there is this, I don't want to call it misnomer, but that, you know, by letting this through, all of a sudden, every quarter mile track is going to become a super speedway overnight. If we pass this and there won't be any recourse, which is just. Oh yeah, which is just not true. So there there have been some we've had to make some tweaks to basically say, hey, like Track. Track. If they do that, they've still got to go get the permit in which they would have to go do anyway. Um, but no, there has not been any like substantive knock on wood, like massive, you know, revolt by home builders that we've seen. Um, I always, I never want to jinx things, but, um, um, you know, we've been very fortunate in that regard. You know, as, as concerns have been raised, we've been able to work them out. Um, because, you know, the reality is these, these tracks do bring value to their local communities and that people, people are aware of that. You know, it's not just, you know, the ticket sales, it's what else it stimulates. If you're bringing racers to the local track. They, they are, you know, people that are occupying beds at hotel rooms, they're going to eat at the local restaurants, they're buying gas at the local gas stations. So it's, you know, it's a big economic impact beyond the concessions, uh, and the tickets at the racetrack. Yeah. Um, there's a group of listeners we have that, uh, are very upset about Pitt race being closed down. And I'm sure this maybe has hit your radar of is there something that we can do legislatively to protect race tracks? So, you know, nobody was complaining nearby. Nobody was, you know, didn't like the lights on or the noises on or anything like that. Uh, you know, it was just a situation where the land was sold to somebody else and the track closed. So put this into question form. Christian, have you been approached to say, hey, what other legislation can we look at to protect the places we want to race at? Yep. Um, you know, Pitt race, we always hate to see when a racetrack closes. Um, and yeah, our understanding was that it was the owner, you know, basically getting an offer that they couldn't refuse. And while we would really love that it stay a racetrack, we, we can't get involved and say, hey, sorry, you can't do that with your land. Um, but what we can do, uh, with things like rice or race is improve the existing laws so that it's easier for race tracks to continue to operate. So right now we're, we're focused on these nuisance complaints. Um, you know, we envision that to be a two, three year effort to get as many states as we can. Um, I, I that will certainly not be the end of the road. We're going to continue fighting for racing. Um, you know, I'm, I'm happy to say, you know, the association continues to make investments in our team. We've got two new staffers coming into our office here, uh, very shortly that, you know, I, we always say, you know, we've operated a kind of a common kitchen with our office when it comes to Seaman Pry, but those two will be exclusively focused on motorsports. Uh, one of them is going to be a lobbyist, and part of their key function is going to be, um, helping tracks and they have legal issues, right? Getting them connected with the right lawyers. and then finding out, you know, what sort of grants are available to them that they may be unaware of so that they they can get money from the state or another economic development group to make improvements to their tracks so that they can continue to operate and that those margins grow so that they the that the value proposition to stay in business as a racetrack is, is better than selling someone that wants to turn that piece of land into, you know, a data center or condominiums or a distribution site for Amazon or Walmart, you name it. I love that helping them find basically helping them find some money or some resources. And in the back of my mind, a few minutes ago, I was thinking about a question that has to do with that because a lot of times small track operators, um, you know, they might not have the networks or the connections or the resources for things like that. So I'm great to hear that, that PRI and CM are taking the lead. And how do we help these folks even more? Right. Legislation is one thing. The shows are another thing. But helping connect those folks with people that can help them, it's. I always say it's who in your who's in your room, who's at your table, who can help you grow. And you guys are helping put people at those tables for the track owners love it. Yeah. We want to make sure that they have all the resources that they need to continue to, to thrive and to grow themselves. Yeah. Let's talk a little bit about call to action. What can we do as racers? What can we do as constituents to make sure that right to race goes smoothly, gets passed at each state? Yep. Uh, you know, if it depends on how much time you want to invest, if the easiest thing you can do is to go on our website and send a letter to your lawmaker. Um, we've got it set up really easily so that if you, um, you punch in your name and your address, if you are in a state that already has a bill that's been introduced, it generates a letter for you to your lawmaker saying, hey, please support this bill. Here's the bill number. Here's why. If you're in a state that it has not been introduced, it sends a different letter to your lawmaker that says, hey, it would be great if you sponsored a bill that that did X, Y, and Z. We've got our grassroots network, Sema and PRI action. Uh, it's uh, Sema action org, uh, where you can go get signed up for free to send those types of alerts. Uh, we don't do, we don't sell that list to the highest bidder. It's, uh, within our org, one of the most protected lists that we have. Um, and we've got about a half million people that have, that have that are, you know, engaged and willing to take that sort of grassroots action. Um, but if you're willing to do even more than that, you know, as these bills are coming up, um, you know, come testify at the Capitol. And, you know, our team, we make it incredibly easy for those that want to get involved. So if you're a you're a fan and you want to come to the Capitol, um, you know, we will give you the talking points. Uh, if we're going to be there, we will take you around to the different offices, help facilitate those meetings so that, you know, your time is well spent. Um, and if you're a track owner, um, you know, we are always happy to set up site visits. Um, you know, it's, it's great when a, um, a track owner can come to the Capitol and meet their lawmaker. It's even better when you can bring the lawmaker to your place. Um, they political politicians, they love show and tell. Um, and it's the best kind of show and tell is a race. Um, so, you know, even if you've only ever seen like, you know, the Daytona five hundred, uh, as you've been clicking through the channels, um, getting to the racetrack, you're going to be hooked. Doesn't matter if you're a Republican or a Democrat. It's, um, it's a great place to, to go see the community. Uh, and to have fun because, you know, I don't preaching to the choir when I say racing's just a blast. So, um, there's, there's so many different ways that, uh, people can get involved and, you know, again, it's as easy as sending a letter or making a phone call or, or hosting a lawmaker. And, you know, our team is standing at the ready to, to help those voices be heard. Because as silly as it is, the industry, the folks that are, you know, directly involved at the tracks, the fans, they're, they're, they're their best lobbyist. Uh, these politicians want to hear from the voters directly. The boss, um, you know, they, they, uh, they will take what they say far more seriously than some lobbyists from Washington, DC. And I say that as a lobbyist in Washington, DC. But you're right, though, you know, they're in their it's their constituent, uh, that money is staying in their district. It's somebody that's may may be voting for them. You know, they want they want to see the behind the scenes. They want to see how things are working and they want those connections. Yep. And you know, politicians love getting elected to office. And if there's one thing they love more than that, it is staying in office. So I love it. So folks, let's recap that real quickly. So, you know, and we're going to have links in the show notes to all, everything that the listener needs to do to, to get to the right place to do things. So send a letter, contact your legislators, let them know how passionate you are about this. If you can get to the statehouse and testify, even better. But more importantly too, I shouldn't say more importantly. So those are the three things with this legislation. But let's get to the track. Let's support the tracks as fans, as racers, as drivers, to make sure that grassroots racing continues. Christian, is there anything we didn't talk about that you wanted to cover regarding your legislative efforts and right to race? No, I think we we really touched on it. You know, it's a simple bill, I common sense. Um, you know, there's, there's no reason that this shouldn't be a law in all fifty states. And if we have anything to say, um, anything to do with it, it will be, you know, within a matter of a few years. I can't, I can't promise we'll get them all, but we're going to try. Yeah. Um, as we look to twenty, twenty six pri well, and maybe even the Sema show, will there be some breakout sessions where this is is discussed is maybe at the tops, you know, which happens during PRI. Yeah, we did. So last year. We did three or four sessions at Tops, the track operators and promoters, um, area, which is, you know, it's a, it's a great area, one of the fastest growing areas of the show. Um, I would imagine we'll be doing it again this year. Um, you know, we'll probably host some state specific sessions for people that are, uh, based in those states as well as a general session. Um, and you know, those shows we, we bring lawmakers out to those shows every year. Uh, Sema show last year, we brought about seventy law state lawmakers from around the country to Vegas. Um, to so that they can see, you know, the size and scope of the industry. And who doesn't love coming to Vegas? Yeah. Pre show. Yeah. You mentioned that Governor Brown was there. We had the lieutenant governor there as well. And we, you know, we, we brought about a dozen state lawmakers, um, from Indiana to the show. Um, the Capitol is about two blocks away from the convention center and they were in session. So there, there was really no excuse not to be there. So, uh, yeah, we had a good group there that got to see, uh, Mario Andretti at the opening breakfast, which was awesome. And then, uh, the number of them that were very anxious to get into, uh, the Sims, the sim racing at the football field were, uh, was higher than I was expecting. So yeah, it's, we'll, we'll will definitely be utilizing those shows for for advocacy again. That's great. Well, I normally wrap the show up by asking my guests if they've been late to grid, but I think what I'll say, unless you have a good answer for that, I don't have a good answer. I'm not a racer, so I don't have a great answer there. Yeah. So I think I will end it with along that is, folks, if we don't get behind right to race and we don't get more support for tracks and operators, we won't have a grid to be early to or even late to. So please, let's get behind right to race. Let's support this. Let's build some some momentum and make grassroots racing even better. Christian, I want to thank you for spending some time with us and bringing us up to speed on everything that Sema and I are doing to make our industry even better and specifically right to race. Yeah. My pleasure again, thanks for having me.