From The Back Seat: The SEMA Experience or Breakfast With Ken Block, 35K Steps & Parking Adventures

John: Hey, is this thing on?? 

Jason: It is. So, I recently found out that our Recording Engineer and Editor, Paul, has a secret file of recordings that he calls From The Back Seat. 

John: Wait…what? So when we are just rambling on about car stuff, he’s recording?

Jason: Yep.

John: Well, that can’t be good.

Jason: Turns out, it’s not too bad. What you are about to hear are some of those recordings. 

Disclaimer: No car guys were hurt during the making of this episode. Put on your seatbelt. Here we go! 

It's here! The SEMA recap show! What's it like to go to SEMA? The guys are going to give you their take on what it's actually like to go to SEMA, some SEMA secrets and their favorite things at SEMA. Special thanks to everyone at Racing Junk for hosting the Get Out N Drive Podcast in the Racing Junk booth!

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Transcript

Audio file 

2022 SEMA RECAP.rev2.mp3 

Transcript 

Everybody thinks SEMA is a car show, it's not. 

You're listening to the get out and drive podcast with John custom car Nerd, Meyer and Jason old car guy car. Are you ready to get out and drive? 

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another backseat episode of the Get Out N Drive Podcast. My name is Jason. Old car guy car. 

And I am John custom car nerd, Meyer. 

John, this was my first time to SEMA. 

Yes, my feet are still hurting. 

In Las Vegas, NV. 

Yes, my feet are still hurting. 

I haven't been able to walk since I got back. So guys, if you listen to this podcast right now, you've probably been listening to us for a while. If this is your first time, I'm I'm sorry, but we just spent a week in Las Vegas and the three days of SEMA. I bet you we've got 15 miles easy. 

Oh my phone said like like 35,000 steps or something. 

It was absolutely crazy. So what we want to do with this kind of plot with this podcast, this backseat episode is just kind of give you our experience on what we liked, what we didn't like. About the. Whole SEMA experience. In Las Vegas and. I want to start off by saying, you know we spent 8 total days there and you know the first four days that we were there. We we had fun, we went and we visited us and we did some. Sightseeing and Hoover Dam. The Bonnie and Clyde car we just we had a blast even long before SEMA ever start. 

We went to Shelby. 

And I speak everyday. 

We went to Shelby, America, Shelby, America you. 

Shall be. Know we had we got to see where they build all the Shelby Mustangs and the and the Ford F-150 Shelby's like. We just what an opportunity and we met some really, really fantastic people there, not just at Shelby American. We did the cars and coffee the next day. We headed over to Gateway. And we saw some, Some vehicles over there at what's it called Gateway? 

OK. 

Gateway classic cars. Gateway started in Saint Louis, but now it is all over the place all over the country. 

Yeah, and like got to interview some really some really great folks and and show off their cars. And if if you follow us on YouTube there's some videos over there that. You guys can head over and. And check out some of those Fantastics that 57 Chevy convertible. 

You keep talking about that car. It was fantastic. 

Ah, that was a that was. Probably 1. Of my favorite. Even before we even got to SEMA. 

So you've got. You've got like this tiny little person inside of you that's a Lowrider screaming to get out. A little bit. See that. 

I never. I never. I never thought that I would because I look at some of. These the 62 Impalas big you know the big Pontiacs, the Buicks and the Cadillacs. All you know 14 inch wheels and tires and their own hydraulics or their on air bags or whatever they're doing and like that never really appealed to me until I could see it and touch and feel and look and smell. 

Right? 

Though like. I think I'm a convert. 

I I saw you directly just run right towards that Tan 57 Chevy convertible that was at Shelby. American cars and coffee. 

I did in fact the first thing I did was I whipped out my phone and my microphone and my little tripod thing and I started filming like. 

Right? 

I don't know what it was so. I'm generally speaking, I'm not a big. Shoebox Aurora try five guy I'd like. I'm just I appreciate them for sure, but when I saw this one I'm like man John. Get over here and look at this car. And so we got to introduce. We got to interview the owner and what a great guy. Told us all about the car and you know I fell in love not just with the 57 Chevy but with the Lowrider aspect of that particular car. And then we got get ourselves to see him and I saw another one there and I'm like. Why is this being presented to me? Why am I seeing so many of these things in anyways? So yeah, I I had a really great first experience in Las Vegas before we got to. Sema and then. On Tuesday morning, it all started off John. With a great Big Breakfast. A great big award show. Yeah, and an awesome, absolutely awesome Ken Block video. Of him That electric Audi like come on. 

Oh, that was the insanity. I mean to to even listen to him talk about the horsepower, the amount of torque, the fact that that car does not have a transmission. I mean it doesn't have gearbox that that type of thing. It's it's absolutely amazing to hear the car. Line and the absolute incredible amount of power that that car has. They showed where he was running around in circles in front of Caesars Palace or whatever. And and I think they said. We'll speed was 120 something miles an hour and he said normally when he's doing some tight donut. Like that it's like 60 miles an hour. That's that's crazy. 

Yeah, and the fact that he had to learn how to drive almost. All over again because of the difference between a non shifting. Engine setup and one that you. Would have to shift like a normal. You know, or internal combustion engine, so learning. 

Right with a normal gearbox, right? 

Yep, learning how to throttle down and up was how you controlled. Your gears, so to speak. An electric car and. Burning through well, what did he say? 100 / 100 sets of tires. The film that nine minute or 7 minute video, whatever it was. 

Well, there was like 100 sets of tires or something crazy. Yeah it was. 

That's great. 

It was insane. Because I know the folks from Hoonigan were there and he was he was talking about the video and and he's normally said they go through. I don't know 20 or 50 sets of tires or something, but. They went through over 100 or whatever he said it was. It's crazy. 

And then you know so. You get to see Ma. So you got to get there first, right? You get to see me. You got to be able to walk in the door and we struggled with a little bit of. What do you say? Directional challenges? 

That's true, I can go ahead and say if I ask somebody five people the same question. I got six different answers. 

Yeah, so the the one fella that kind of got us back on track was a parking attendant in the back lot somewhere down on Judge Joe Brown Blvd or whatever it was called down there. 

Right, right? 

And he directed us to. Make it right. Make a left, go down, take a left. Pass 711 

711 and. Put us where we had to be, which, coincidentally, was the first stop. Of the morning. All we were trying to do was. We were trying. To get. Our media badges right which gives gives us access to going inside the doors at SEMA. 

Right? 

So we literally spent two hours that morning. Trying to find. 

But you can't go. You can't go and park in front of the building. Where you need to get your badges. 

Because they're setting up the. 

Show yeah, they're setting to show up and you have to understand that if you go there and if you are a first timer at SEMA, you have to understand that you have to park in like another state. And and walk. There or or pay $60.00 to park at the Chinese food restaurant across the street. Or Shuck and jive? Or do something crazy and and that's kind of what we did. We had to Shuck and jive and bribe people to get in the lot to to to let us pick up our badges so. 

Because we couldn't park in that front lot in front of central S hall, I guess it was. 

The South hall, right? 

We we come up with this plan and John says well. Jason, how about you and Jr. Go in and get. Your badges and I'll just drive circles around. The lot out here. 

Right? 

And then when you guys get your badges, Joanne and I will go in and do the same thing. So sure enough, we go in. We go exactly where we need to do where we need to go get our badges, we come down and I said to John, yeah, I text them, we're ready, he comes over. He hops out him and Joanne go inside and junior and I get in the Jeep and we just go down and we circle around. The parking lot a little bit. And the old fella on the John Deere. 

Don't break. 

Right by us and I said, I. Said the junior high. 

I said 

Whatever you do, don't make eye contact with that old. Follow over there. If you ask us to move. 

Right, he's the one we snuck by to get in. 

He stuck by him. 'cause he was the same guy. That told us we. Couldn't get into that lot the first time. 

Right? 

So anyways, we we got our media badges and. We were you. Know happiest pigs and poo and then Seema Day. We woke up at 5:00 o'clock in the morning to get ready and get on the road 'cause we knew we had to do a couple of things. So one was we had to pay get there. That's about a 20 minute drive from where we were through trash. Like we find it. 

You have to avoid all the limousines making a left turn from the right lane. 

Across four lanes of traffic. 

Across four lanes of. Traffic and then making a U-turn. 

And we had to find a place to park. So finding a place to park if you're familiar with SEMA or the Convention Center at all. This the Convention Center owns specific parking lots. And apparently, according to John last year, the platinum parking lot was where you parked. 

Right? 

That's right, by the loop walk across the street, go to loop. 

Yeah, so, and the loop is if you guys don't know what it is, go look it up. It's test to loop it. It's an underground tunnel system using Teslas to tax you back and forth between the different halls of the Convention Center. So we said OK. We'll go to platinum lot. We get over there. They won't let you in the front door or in the front gate, so he says that person said, oh you got to go around back. OK, so we go around back. And that guy says, well, you can't park here. There's gotta be. Staff and we're like, well, we've got badges well. No, you're not staffed. 

You got to be. An employee of the Convention Center. 

Yeah so. Now you gotta remember if you go to Google Maps. And you look up the platinum lot. It's right behind S Hall, right? That platinum lots got to be. 5-6 acres of land issued. 

Oh, it's giant's it's giant. It holds thousands of cars. 

And that's for the staff of the Convention Center. 

I have no idea, but they wouldn't let anybody in there and every other parking lot in the whole place was taken up with driving courses or burnout boxes or places to do Donuts or places of stage equipment. 

Yeah, and. 

You're on your own when you're parking. 

So lovers. 

Yeah, so so. Long story short, the 1st. Day we we we kind. Of valeted the Jeep because we were at the Westgate for the breakfast so they just valeted the Jeep and. All fine and dandy day two. We get driving along and we're going down Convention Center Blvd or whatever it's called there by the by. The West Hall and there's the Marriott with a sign out front that says. 

Right? Don't tell him our secrets, man. 

That says don't park here unless you're John and Jason from the get out and drive podcasts. 

Yes, that's pretty. 

So we saw that sign with our name on it and we pulled into their park. The Jeep in the parking garage and literally. 

Duke blue 

Tiptoed across the street boom. You're in the north hall or the West hall. 

In the West hall, right, it was like. 20 yards Yep, right across the street. 

Coffee and donut and away you. Go right. So that's we did the second day. Two, we looked for that sign with our. Name on it. That said, we could park there. And without giving away our secrets, we aren't. 

To me. 

The left hand, not knowing what the right hand is doing. Was the theme of the week everywhere we went we were told we couldn't do what we wanted to and that we had to go here and then when we got here. We were told we can't do. That we had. To go there. 

That's exactly correct, and everything was completely different than last year. 

In heaven forbid they don't change anything. 

No and and right, but I mean, I know they're under they're trying to change things around and seem is going to add more things for 2023. They're adding a concert beforehand that is that that anybody can go to. That's not just business oriented because Thursday. Excuse me, Tuesday through Thursday is still going to be a. Person to person, business to business. You have to be in the industry to get in, but they're going to have a concert and they're going to have an an automotive auction auto auction. I don't know where that is going to go at all. I have no idea and they have F1 racing. 

It it it'll it'll probably happen. At that place where they allowed us to park. 

I guess. 

So that's probably where the auction is going to take place. Is in our parking spot. 

Well, I'm going to auction whatever vehicle I'm driving. I'm auctioning that that's where I'm parking. 

Well, and for those who didn't know. John and his wife Curry in Saint Louis and they drove to Las Vegas in an 89 Jeep, Cherokee and junior and I flew so you know we were pretty excited to see that our. 

Oh yeah. 

Lyft or our Uber pulled up to the airport. And it was John and Joanne in this 89. Jeep Cherokee And we thought we were being awfully. Unique by driving through Las Vegas in this classic old Jeep, but man there was a pile of those. XJ's on the road up there. 

Yeah, there's a lot of them, yes. 

Some good, some not so. Good some not so. I think yours was, you know, cresting the the cream of. The crop there. 

I hope so. 

You know and. It the IT was a it was a great experience. You know getting to meet John and Joanne. They were great hosts. Of course we shared a Airbnb and you know they were great hosts. They cooked for us, they bought groceries for us, they you know they they really looked after junior nine. We're we're very. Very happy about that and we you know, great to finally meet you guys in person and and had a great experience that way too. But back to the show. Uhm, would I go again? Will I go to see him again despite the. Frustration of trying to find a place to park the frustration of not knowing where to go to get your proper credentials. The amount of walking we did. My answer is absolutely. 

We did do some walking. We did do some walking. 

We did some walking and you know again. The Las Vegas Convention Center is made-up of four halls. One of those halls has two stories. 1.2 million square feet? Yes, that's just inside. That's just under the roof. That's not talking about all the parking lots that. Are out there. Full of experience as hooligans. 

And in the West Hall is brand new. 

Brand new. 

The West hall Is brand new? I had never been in. That hall before. 

So yes, the answer is yes. I would absolutely go back again next year and with a few lessons learned so one might be staying a little closer to the venue that we don't have to drive a fine park. But there's a cost associated with that, so you know, we look at the Airbnb for the four of us, the cost was split, so it was a lot cheaper to stay there than maybe it would have been at. Caesars or the Westgate or the whatever. That's just down the street, so there's a cost associated with convenience at Las Vegas. If you if you want to be right there within walking distance. You're going to pay for that. If you want to park at the front door, you're going to pay for that. 

Right? 

So the experience that I had. Just SEMA as a whole. Absolutely amazing. Absolutely amazing as a first time goer, Las Vegas was great a. 

Little big for. 

My little icons. I'm from a small town folks. I I live in a town where the greater population is like less than 5000 people and we go to Las Vegas. There's 130,000 people just there at SEMA. And that doesn't include. 

You're scared, you're scared of the airport. 

Was I. Oh my. It took you guys an hour just to find me. 

Yes, that is correct. I kept yelling out the window. Where are the Canadians? Nobody had seen you, so I just kept on going. So what was your? What was your favorite thing that was at the show? I I know I have some things that were special, but what? What did you see that popped out? 

It it's it, it really is hard to narrow down and I've been asked that a lot. You know? What was your favorite thing? I could probably nail it down to what was my favorite top dozen, because there's just so much to see there the. The ring brothers had several. Entries that I absolutely fell in love with one I didn't think I was going to like, but you know, the more you looked at it, the more you loved it and we will have an interview on that. Not sure when that will go out, but you'll have to tune into that one. The 57 Chevy Lowrider in the North hall at the Alpha Sonic Booth again. Why I had no idea, but it struck my. Core struck a chord with me. The electric. Display of all the electric vehicles. You guys all know how I feel about electric and eaves and all this stuff and if you don't I I I'm not there yet. I'm not only I'm not even on the fence I'm still looking at the fence trying to decide. Which side I want to be on. But I'm I was impressed by the amount of aftermarket support for that type of hot rodding and. I would have to say that. Sema as a whole has really jumped on board with the whole EV side of hot rodding and aftermarket and why most people might ask is simply because they want to see the hot rodding they want to see the aftermarket they want to see our industry continue on for years and years and years. And if jumping on board the EV. Platform of Hot Rodding is the way to do it, that's what they. To do so, great display there at the racing. Junk booth, John. That 36 Pontiac that was sitting in the racing junk booth where we got to spend a lot of time interviewing. Some really great folks. An amazing car. Dodge had a great display. Again, you just. You can't. You can't narrow it down to any one or two vehicles, it's. The experience itself was kind of, but what you know makes me want to. Go back, but I. Know you had a number of vehicles there that you just couldn't pull yourself away from, and why don't you tell the folks we're listing some of the cars that. That you fell in love with. 

Well, like you had done with the Lowrider cars that that kind of sparked your interest I I did not know I was interested in overlanders the Overlander vehicles. We went and I stayed in the West Hall and I was just standing there looking at these giant trucks. I mean there were Ford 550. 

Five 50s. 

With an even more giant camper on the back, two-story camper, how the hell you get a two-story camper and you're certainly not taking that through the Wendy's drive-thru. 

And these things were already lifted like 10 inches. 

Right, they're giant. They're on 55 inch tires you know, or bigger. They're giant and it's so crazy how big they were. And I don't know where you drive these things or where you drive them over, but they're ****** and I want one. Uhm, the EV stuff was great. I really liked that and as everybody knows, I'm super dorky. I really liked the. The Pinto cruising wagon that that had an ex that had the eco tech in it. 

All yes. Childhood memories right there. 

Yeah, and it's just an absolutely out-of-the-box thinking. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful build on that car and it was in the Battle of the builders. It did not win. Ringbrothers annual was one of the ones that we talked about quite a lot. I'm on the fence whether or not I liked it, that's sort of the 48 Chevy I was on the fence. 

Yeah, and that beautiful 4870 yeah. 

Whether I liked it and the more I stood there and I looked at it, the more I. Did like that truck a lot. A lot of crazy cars that were there. A quad cab 67 Chevy pickup. 

All the yellow one. 

The yellow the yellow quad cab that was and that was a hills hot rod build. There were more brodozer, you know, lights and whistles and giant train horns. There were brodozer trucks everywhere to see on the outside of the outside of SEMA. 

Most of them without front driveshafts, I might add. 

Most of them with Bluetooth front driveshafts, yes. What an incredible car. I couldn't believe I could stand in front of was Gray Baskerville's 32 Ford Roadster. How many people walked right past that car? 

It cost it, yeah. 

Because they had no idea what it was they're like. What is this rat rod? They're missing paint and has primer on it and it's all chipped up and terrible looking and I'm standing there. For 30 minutes staring at the thing. 

Falling in love. 

Oh my God, a beautiful car hills hot rods had another square body that was dark green and olive green that was sitting outside. That was incredible. I I remember seeing it was a VW bug that was painted like brown metallic. Uh, that had a beautiful street rod interior in it. All sorts of things, but half the things I don't remember 'cause my feet hurt so bad. 

But let's set the let's set the cars aside for a second and some of the great people. We got to meet while we were there, sitting in the racing junk booth. Sometimes we were in sitting in their booth getting to interview them some. Some of the celebrities that were walking around there. 

I got to chat with Bodie. And his son. 

Yeah yeah, yeah. 

That that was that was fantastic. 

I got to meet Barry McGuire. 

Oh yeah, that's fantastic. Yep. 

Mcguire's wax You know, and we got the interview. With fellow from Mcguires as. Well and like if you're somebody. And you're in the car industry to some degree. Chances are you were at SEMA at least one of the three days that you were that that was what was happening. I I met some folks who introduced themselves to me that follow me. Yep, as old car guy from my YouTube channel on my Instagram which I thought was absolutely insane. Here I am. 3000 miles away from home and somebody recognizes me out of a crowd. I mean, I'm pretty I'm. I'm pretty easy to point out I guess with. The beard, but. 

Right? 

Seeing other Youtubers, I met Craig. From the crag 909. Dan and Danny from DD Speed shop bumped into them. You know, there are several others that we just, you know, you walk by it's hey, we recognize each other. You go over your. Chat for a few. Minutes and I. Can't wait to start. Uh, you know talking and and promoting some of these interviews that we've done. They we just we had a blast and I can't wait for 2023. 

Yeah, I think it's going to be pretty cool. 

Yeah, and I think 2023 is going to involve some sort of a rechargeable electric sneaker or scooter or skateboard or something. 

I need some healing. I need healing. 

Heelys EV heelies. 

EV heelies Anybody out there listening and they can invent some EV heelies. Write that down, Jason. 

EV heelies 

$1,000,000 idea we're headed to Shark Tank. 

And yeah, so one thing we didn't say. Was just how super duper. The folks over racing junk are. 

Super fantastic. Everybody at racing junk is super fantastic. 

Super duper. 

That is true. You didn't tell him you didn't tell anybody. I got accosted by Emma from mob steel. 

No, it was. It was actually pretty neat to. To meet her. Uh, you know I. I've been following her on Instagram for quite a while and you know some of the other folks that we got to meet. You know, while we were wandering around, it's just. 

I'm not with Tim Hung. Out with Tim Strange for. 

Tim strange Yep. 

A while 

Yep we met with Tim Strange al Lehman Uh, who's the guy he reached out to me? I have his card on my desk in there. You know some of these guys who are doing. 

Oh yeah. 

The same thing that we are, we're we're we're we're in there. 

Right? 

We're reporting investigating, we're talking we're learning, we're being entertained you know and that's really what seem it was for me is it was it was a trade show. With lots of famous vehicles, people, products that just happen to have a bunch of really cool cars inside. 

Oh yeah, you gotta tell everybody. Everybody thinks SEMA is a car show. It's not, it is 100%. Has to do with. Businesses and promoting the automotive industry of all types. And sure it has cars. Sure it has trophies. Sure it has fun. It's a notch in your belt to get to go or it's a notch in your belt. If you bring a vehicle and you actually win something there, and that's how they get vehicles to go and they get new products and they get. People pushing the envelope of how to build. But it is first and foremost. If you were thinking about going to see menu or listening to this podcast, it is not a car show. But if you're part of the automotive industry, we'd love to have you. It's a great show, and it's a great place to meet people and see and be. 

And if you were at SEMA 2022. We want to. Hear your story about what your favorite part of SEMA 2022 is. So if you go to our website @ getoutndrive.com, go to listener hotline tell us what you thought was your favorite part of SEMA. And maybe we'll send you a gift, so make sure we hit us up over at GetOutNDrive.com 

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