JW: Hey Chase! It’s great to chat with you again. After the last time we spoke, you ended up getting a phone call that changed the trajectory of your career. So, I have to ask… How is the new chapter going for you with High Limit as their man on the mic? How has the transition been for you over these last few months with your new employer?
 
CR: It’s been an easy transition. It’s more realized, more laid back, and more younger people with the day-to-day operation with High Limit. The majority of the staff is under the age of 45, whereas with the Outlaws, it’s more of an older crowd that works there. They have their ways of doing things that they have been doing for a long time. As High Limit has been pushing, you have to change with the times. As for announcing, I’ve announced races in the past, except over the last three years I have only done a handful of announcing gigs as I was full-on with the Outlaw. Plus, the shows I announced were only go-kart races. When it comes to announcing, a lot is going on at the same time; historically, I have not been the best multitasker. It’s something I am working on, but so far, I’m having fun, which is the main part of all of this, right?
  
JW: High Limit is four races in on its first national tour. Looking at the first four races from your point of view, how have you enjoyed the transition to being the full-time play-by-play announcer for this series? Are you starting to get into a flow and become comfortable with being one of the main faces and voices for the series? Any challenges you have faced?
 
CR: There are two things for me. First, it revolves around my voice. When 60 cars showed up in East Bay, I thought I was done and would not be able to keep up for the whole night. It was an awakening for me in this new role. At the end of the second night, I looked down from where I was sitting and saw 12 water bottles and 20 cough drops, all just to keep the voice going for the entire night. I called Blake Anderson to talk about it after East Bay. He told me how important the throat muscles are and how you have to work it to get it stronger; especially, when you are on a live mic. When I was at Golden Isles Speedway, I was talking to Dustin Jarrett, and he shared with me some cough drops that would help me. Even my girlfriend got me some tea that helps soothe the throat. Just anything to get my vocal and throat muscles relaxed and good enough for the long stretches of races where I am announcing multiple nights in a row or with any day off breaks. During those first two races, I was changing my diet around to help give my voice the best chance it could have. Secondly, it comes down to keeping up with everything on track. When you announce by yourself, you have to try and take in everything the best you can that’s happening throughout the track. It’s going to be something I need to push myself to learn as we get going into the season here. It will be a challenge later on in the year with the half-miles and larger car counts as I will need to learn the cadence for those bigger tracks. Getting into a groove and learning your cadence is different from track to track, more so when it comes to smaller bowl rings to larger half-miles. It will all come with time.
  
JW: Let’s move over to the racing for a quick second. Have there been any surprises for you while commentating on these first four races for High Limit when it comes to on-track action? What are your thoughts on the racing so far?
 
CR: Well, I have to say, there are two things that stand out for me: no wins from Rico [Abreu] or Brad [Sweet] - shocker. I would have figured they both had a win by now with High Limit. It just goes to show how diverse and solid the competition has been in this short period for the series. I mean, Rico hasn’t even been on the podium yet in those races either. Between Courtney, Marks, and now with James [McFadden] finally heading over to start his season in the US, the series will continue to raise the competition. It’s really exciting to see the depth of our field so far and how competitive it is just to fight to get into the Top 10. Even though Kyle [Larson] won the first race from the re-do of the rainout the night before, the other races for him were really tough. When you mix in the schedule that has new tracks where most, if not all the drivers on the lineup card haven’t been to yet, it will bring out some amazing racing like we have never seen so far. It’s only going to get better over the next two months.
  
JW: Very recently, High Limit announced their new title sponsor for the series - Kubota. This is massive news not only for High Limit and our friend, Justin [Dirtrackr] but for the entirety of all of the different series within dirt racing. What are you looking forward to most with Kubota coming on board as a title sponsor for the series?
 
CR: They [Brad Sweet & Kyle Larson] brought in a legitimate company as a title sponsor for High Limit. Kubota is the real deal. They make incredible, high-quality products in their industry. When I think of tractors, I think of dirt. It goes hand and hand really well. I’m curious to see what kind of ideas come to the forefront in the future. I think there are a lot of different ways that Kubota can be a part of fresh ideas for the sport. I’m open to seeing what they want to contribute throughout the partnership. It’s super-cool to have them come on board and it is a big deal, not just for High Limit, but for dirt track racing. It’s wild to see that they are also involved with Justin [Dirtrackr] and want to contribute to the growth of the sport. They are clearly serious about wanting to get involved with dirt racing and they are going all in. Love to see it.


 
JW: Speaking of news that is recent in the dirt racing scene, you started a YouTube channel a couple of months back at the start of the spring car season. A lot of fans have been drawn to your unique variety of videos that you have put together, whether it’s race reviews, driver spotlights, and even looking back at the history of the sport. Talk us through what made you want to go in this direction.
 
CR: I started it in the first place because I knew I had more time at home with the different schedule. I’m home now a lot more with High Limit compared to when I was with the Outlaws. You are comparing a 60-odd race schedule to a 90-plus schedule. Therefore, with the time at home, I wanted to keep busy. The channel is a great way to keep me busy for sure. I like to be able to help share the sport of sprint car racing with the fans; especially, new fans introduced to the sport thanks to Kyle Larson. I have noticed a massive increase in new fans when it comes to watching my videos and seeing the analytics continue to rise. There are a lot of fans both new and old, who are craving for more content, as there just isn’t a whole lot out there on YouTube. From searching sprint car content online; specifically, when you search through YouTube, there isn’t a lot of it being produced, only from a handful of creators such as  Dirtrackr and Sprint Car Hub. I saw that there was a gap between a lack of content and an opportunity for me when it came to making videos on sprint car racing. Even though there are podcasts out there, I don’t see many people talk about the sport on YouTube. I took the whiteboard idea from the YouTuber, ‘The Hockey Guy’, who is someone I really enjoyed watching over time. He is excellent when it comes to talking in detail about the NHL and hockey in general when sharing his thoughts, news, or any other info. It’s so simple and easy to digest. The concept works really well when it comes to me sharing driver stats, the history of the sport, or any other topics around sprint car racing that fans might find interesting. At first, some people were kinda put off by the concept, but more and more people have come around to it, and I love seeing more people enjoy the videos as the views keep going up!
  
JW: The schedule for you over the next couple of months (specifically, May & June) is going to be very busy for High Limit with the number of races and travel that you will be doing along with your race colleagues.  You are going to some new tracks, not only for yourself but for a lot of the drivers on the High Limit roster. Are you looking forward to this next set of races over the next couple of months? Any standout races or destinations that you have circled on your calendar?
 
CR: The one track I keep saying that I’m excited about is Red Dirt Raceway (Oklahoma). I’m really looking forward to going there and commenting on a sprint car race. That one All-Star race they had there a few years ago was one of the best sprint car races I had ever seen in my life. Absolutely insane. The track always seems to produce high-intensity, close racing. I have seen videos with ASCS and midgets races there and it always seems like they nail the track every single time. I’m excited to get there and a bunch of the new tracks. That’s the thing with the Outlaws, they don’t really change the schedule that much. They go to Williams Grove six times, they go to Eldora four times, and they go to Knoxville six times. In between, they throw in some new tracks, but it’s relatively the same schedule. That’s why I like the High Limit schedule because there are so many tracks I haven’t been to and so many of the drivers who haven’t been to either. New York should be a really good swing as I haven’t been to those tracks before. The California and West Coast swing will be great with a couple of the high-money races for 100k to win. But again, I’m just excited for all of the new, fresh tracks that we will be heading to for the very first time.
  
JW: It’s early in the season for both series (High Limit & World of Outlaws), but I would like you to make some early season predictions, which is something that you have no issue doing thanks to the content you put together on your YouTube channel. At this point, who is your favorite for the High Limit championship and who is your favorite for the World of Outlaws championship? Do you have any bold predictions?
 
CR: After the first four High Limit I underestimated Tyler Courtney quite a bit. I had him initially around 3rd or 4th in my season predictions and he is already one of the best cars in the country. Even though it’s super early in the season, Tyler Courtney has become my front-runner. I think he will be one of the biggest challengers by the end of the year for the title alongside Brad [Sweet]. They are both there together as they each know how to point to race and be consistent. I think both of them will be fighting it out for the title come the end of the season. When it comes to the Outlaw side of things, I wish Gio [Scelzi] wasn’t in that wreck the other night. That’s going to hurt him. You can only have 1 or 2 bad races (DNFs) all year to be able to compete for the championship. He is going to be there in the mix all year competing for the title and Gio [Scelzi] has been a pleasant surprise.  
  
JW: To round this off, you are a big hockey fan. The NHL playoffs are closing in as we speak. Who is your pick to come out of the Eastern & Western conferences, followed up by who is winning the cup?
 
CR: I hate to say it, but I don’t like the [Carolina] Hurricanes. But, they are a really good team. I think they will come out of the East. In the West, I like watching the [Edmonton] Oilers, but I’m not too sure. I don’t know if they have the physicality they need to win in the playoffs, but we will see. The [Colorado] Avalanche look good though in the West and are a favorite. But, I would like to see the Edmonton Oilers win it all. It would be great to see Canada win a Stanley Cup. Considering the last one was 30 years ago now… The playoffs will be really fun to watch this spring; especially when I’m out on the road!