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NASCAR driver calls out ‘unacceptable’ FOX Sports coverage decision – Motorsport – Sports

Brad Perez doesn’t drive in every NASCAR Xfinity Series race or have the big sponsorship dollars that a full-time Cup Series driver  like Denny Hamlin has, but he has a voice, and he used it louder than most regarding FOX’s coverage at Talladega. While fans tuned in on TV for the wild final laps of […]

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Brad Perez doesn’t drive in every NASCAR Xfinity Series race or have the big sponsorship dollars that a full-time Cup Series driver  like Denny Hamlin has, but he has a voice, and he used it louder than most regarding FOX’s coverage at Talladega.

While fans tuned in on TV for the wild final laps of Sunday’s Jack Link’s 500, they instead received back-to-back commercial block overlays, rather than focusing on the intensity of the race.

The move didn’t just upset fans, it also got under the skin of a few drivers. The 26-year-old part-time Xfinity Series driver was one of the first to call it out.

“Commercials during the final laps at Talladega is insane,” Perez posted on X. The message followed a growing group of NASCAR fans tired of seeing the product shoved into the corner of a screen during the most adrenaline-fueled moments.

“I will, on purpose, avoid purchasing anything advertised in that time slot,” he added.” Christian Eckes, a full-time Xfinity Series driver asked, “Why are we under commercial right now?” while his competition Garrett Smithley, called the mishap “insane work.”

Television viewers realized they had just watched over 50 percent of the final 15 laps in side-by-side format, with full-screen ads running from lap 15 to 12 and then again from lap 9 to 5. For a race that ended by a razor-close margin of 0.022 seconds, and saw Austin Cindric edge Ryan Preece, fans noted that they saw the replay before witnessing the live footage.

Perez has two Xfinity starts this year with Alpha Prime Racing. He finished 28th at Homestead-Miami, 23rd at Martinsville, and sits 45th out of 60 drivers in the standings.

While FOX and other networks are raking in ad revenue, they’re fans on X have suggested that FOX is undercutting the magic that sells NASCAR in the first place. Perez put it best when he responded to a fan’s frustration by saying, “Of course there needs to be commercials. But there has to be a way that benefits both the partners and the viewers. Not in a way that’s intrusive to the enjoyment of the program.”

DON’T MISS

Perez is part of a new generation of drivers who understand the value of the fan experience and are still motorsports fans themselves. Racing since 7 years old, he hopes to one day join the ranks in the Cup Series with the top drivers of the world.

He became addicted to playing “NASCAR Racing 2003 Season” and connected with people in the racing industry through the video game’s servers. He didn’t drive a race car until nearly 10 years later, when he visited Miami GP Raceway.

“I figured I was too old by the time I started racing to ever get somewhere. I just wanted to see if there was a way I could race,” sighting that it was what made him most happy.



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Caio Collet Paces Practice at WWTR; Dennis Hauger Fifth

INDYCAR Caio Collet sent a message to the INDY NXT by Firestone field by leading pre-qualifying practice Saturday afternoon at World Wide Technology Raceway. 2024 series Rookie of the Year Collet, from Brazil, was fastest at 164.630 mph in the No. 76 HMD Motorsports car. He is seeking his first victory of the season as […]

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INDYCAR

Caio Collet sent a message to the INDY NXT by Firestone field by leading pre-qualifying practice Saturday afternoon at World Wide Technology Raceway.

2024 series Rookie of the Year Collet, from Brazil, was fastest at 164.630 mph in the No. 76 HMD Motorsports car. He is seeking his first victory of the season as the INDYCAR development series contests its first oval race of 2025.

SEE: Practice Results

Veteran Myles Rowe was second at 163.871 in the No. 99 Abel/Force Indy car, followed by rookie Lochie Hughes at 163.648 in the No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championship machine of Andretti Global. Veteran Callum Hedge was fourth at 163.436 in the No. 17 Abel Motorsports car.

Championship leader Dennis Hauger of Andretti Global rounded out the top five at 162.980 in the No. 28 Nammo car.

Rookies Hauger and Hughes have combined to win all five races this season, with Hauger capturing four checkered flags to take a 38-point lead in the standings over Hughes.

Up next today is qualifying at 7 p.m. ET on FS2, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network. The 75-lap race starts at 4:30 p.m. ET Sunday (FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).




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Shane van Gisbergen earns NASCAR Cup pole in Mexico City

Shane van Gisbergen went to the top early in qualifying with a 1:32.776s lap in the No. 88 Chevrolet…and no one was able to beat it. This is the Trackhouse Racing driver’s second career pole and his first of the 2025 season. Sitting 33rd in the championship standings, he desperately needs a race win and this […]

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Shane van Gisbergen went to the top early in qualifying with a 1:32.776s lap in the No. 88 Chevrolet…and no one was able to beat it. This is the Trackhouse Racing driver’s second career pole and his first of the 2025 season. Sitting 33rd in the championship standings, he desperately needs a race win and this could be an opportunity for him to shake up the playoff standings.

He will be joined on the front row by RFK Racing’s Ryan Preece, who denied Trackhouse a front row lockout. He ended the session 0.064s adrift of SVG’s pole time. Preece hasn’t yet won a race in the Cup Series.

“We made some big swings last night. Our No. 88 Safety Culture Chevrolet was a bit better,” said van Gisbergen. “We had a lot more front grip, which is what I needed. But my laps were average.. like you’ll see everyone was beating me on the first-half of the lap, and then my lap gets good at the end. We had a lot of speed today, which is good. It’s been a great improvement. What a really cool achievement for us and a great start for tomorrow. I’m excited. That’s really cool.”

Ross Chastain ended up third in his best qualifying effort of the year, right behind his teammate (SVG). Ty Gibbs timed in fourth and Michael McDowell fifth.

Kyle Larson, Todd Gilliland, A.J. Allmendinger, Joey Logano, and home hero Daniel Suarez rounded out the top ten.

Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Photo by: Chris Graythen – Getty Images

The 45-minute open qualifying session was structured more like practice, giving teams plenty of time to get out on track. It was not a mad dash to go out on track as drivers slowly trickled out, but inclement weather was a concern from the start.

The first incident was for a spin by Katherine Legge, who is making just her second career Cup Series start. The car came to a rest in the grass with no damage.

Chastain got within a tenth SVG and put the team cars 1-2 until Preece ended up getting between them, just 0.009s ahead of Chastain. Preece then went for a harmless spin immediately after the impressive lap.

Some drivers attempted to make a second run including Allmendinger and Christopher Bell, but neither were able to improve.

With 17 minutes left in the session, NASCAR red-flagged the session as it began to rain. Qualifying never resumed due to the light rain showers.

Drivers with some work to do include Chase Briscoe, who will start 19th, ending his run of three consecutive Cup poles. 23XI Racing struggled with Tyler Reddick putting forth their best qualifying effort in 22nd. Two Hendrick Motorsports drivers start outside the top-25 with William Byron 27th and Alex Bowman 29th. Bell is perhaps the biggest surprise, as he won the most recent road course race at COTA, but he only managed to qualify 31st.

Ryan Truex, who is filling in for Denny Hamlin and making his first Cup start in almost 11 years, qualified 36th in the 37-car field with Legge taking the final spot on the grid.

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Drivers react to NASCAR’s use of tire packs to enforce track limits

In Mexico City, NASCAR has placed tire packs around the track at the apex of several corners, even adding another one after the first practice session. While drivers may use as much pavement as they want in some areas, such as the exit of the final corner, NASCAR wants to avoid drivers cutting corners. They’ve […]

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In Mexico City, NASCAR has placed tire packs around the track at the apex of several corners, even adding another one after the first practice session. While drivers may use as much pavement as they want in some areas, such as the exit of the final corner, NASCAR wants to avoid drivers cutting corners.

They’ve also painted yellow lines through the esses, and crossing that line will result in a stop-and-go penalty at a designated location around the track. But the addition of tire packs is a welcomed one for most drivers, who would rather focus on avoiding those than having to worry about the painted lines on the track.

Wallace in favor of tire packs

Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing Toyota

Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing Toyota

Photo by: Jam Media / Getty Images

 “I think it is good for us,” said Bubba Wallace when Motorsport.com asked about the tire packs in a Friday press conference. “Us Cup drivers, we push to find the limits of the race cars and the race tracks, and it seems like we are always revamping the race tracks to meet the driver’s needs – like, well the track needs to be wider here for us. Slow down, slow down and we can make the corner.

“We are taking a race track and making it ‘Cup cars 2.0’ and it doesn’t make sense to me, so I was a big fan of the tire packs. It forces you to stay on the track limits and I spent the majority of my time on the sim, staying tidy and staying on the racing surface, and I think hopefully that pays dividends for when we get on track later. But I’m a big fan of the tire packs, keeping us on line and keeping us on the racing surface.”

NASCAR is also being cautious about placing tire packs in the faster sections of the track. They infamously put a tire pack at the exit of the original Charlotte Roval chicane, which several drivers (including Wallace) clobbered in ugly practice crashes. So far, the tire packs have caused no issues in Mexico City.

Changing the way you approach the corner with tire packs

Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Photo by: Chris Graythen – Getty Images

Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott was also asked by a different media outlet about track limits, noting how the tire barriers weren’t there when they practiced on the sim in preparation for this weekend.

“I ran laps (on the sim) where I was really aggressive running off the road and kind of taking advantage of different areas that I felt might be worth a little bit of time. But I would say the majority of laps that I ran, you know by choice, was just really staying inside the lines because I had a feeling that might be a little more of a reality,” said Elliott. “But, you know, there are some areas that I think you’ll take advantage of off the racetrack. I think the tire barriers have, especially through (turns) eight and nine or whatever numbers… I don’t know which track map you’re looking at, right, the numbers change. But the last two, that’s before you get to the stadium section, for clarity, the tire packs, where they’re located through that section, I think will significantly change how at least I was approaching that section in the sim.

“But … we have some practice to get some time on the track. I think everyone’s going to be super aggressive with taking every advantage that you can take and probably stepping over that line. And if you get caught, you’ll get caught, and you’ll learn what you can and can’t do. So my intention is to go and push the limits as far as I can push them. I’ll probably step over them, you know, at different points in time. And I want to know for sure what’s going to be called and what wasn’t.

Allgaier: “Any mistake can be a big mistake here”

Justin Allgaier, JR Motorsports Chevrolet

Justin Allgaier, JR Motorsports Chevrolet

Photo by: Logan Riely / Getty Images

Motorsport.com also asked reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier about the tire packs during his press conference appearance. The JR Motorsports driver said he and Michel Jourdain Jr. have been going over this very topic as he prepares for Saturday’s Xfinity race.

“For us, there are sections with track limits and there are sections without and I think it’s going to be interesting because we’re in a little bit of a moving target,” said Allgaier. “I think track limits can be relaxed or enforced harder based on how aggressive we are, and how much we’re trying to make in those sections. The tire packs, or the barriers that they’ve put in some of the different corners of the racetrack, I think are different than what I expected, until you see it and you feel it and understand it. I mean, even so, (even before making) a lap on track, I’m already changing my approach to a couple of different corners. That’s going to be something else that’s very interesting to me, is how do we race here? Where are the most effective passing zones?”

The tire packs also mean that drivers will have to be extra careful in minimizing mistakes as any off-road excursion could result in significant damage to the car.

“Any mistake can be a big mistake here,” noted Allgaier. “If you get off and you make a mistake, maybe other than turn one, it has the potential to be a big moment and damage to your car right so without really having the ability to go to a backup car, those are going to be important moments to not have, right.”

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Mexico Starting Lineup: June 2025 (NASCAR Cup Series)

NASCAR starting positions for Mexico City Tomorrow, the NASCAR Cup Series takes the green flag at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Now, the field rolls to the track for qualifying ahead of the first Cup race in Mexico. View the Mexico starting lineup for the NASCAR Cup Series below. Mexico MenuXfinity: Prac/Qual | RaceCup: Prac | Qual | Race Mexico TV […]

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NASCAR starting positions for Mexico City

Tomorrow, the NASCAR Cup Series takes the green flag at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Now, the field rolls to the track for qualifying ahead of the first Cup race in Mexico.

View the Mexico starting lineup for the NASCAR Cup Series below.

Mexico Menu
Xfinity: Prac/Qual | Race
Cup: Prac | Qual | Race

Mexico TV Schedule

This qualifying session has been shortened after the rain has begun to fall. Shane van Gisbergen will start from the pole position.

Mexico City
Starting Lineup
June 15, 2025
NASCAR Cup Series

Pos | Driver

1. Shane van Gisbergen
92.776

2. Ryan Preece
92.840

3. Ross Chastain
92.849

4. Ty Gibbs
92.921

5. Michael McDowell
92.974

6. Kyle Larson
92.984

7. Todd Gilliland
93.020

8. AJ Allmendinger
93.022

9. Joey Logano
93.049

10. Daniel Suarez
93.061

11. Kyle Busch
93.084

12. Chase Elliott
93.108

13. Josh Berry
93.158

14. Erik Jones
93.194

15. Riley Herbst
93.201

16. Chris Buescher
93.206

17. Justin Haley
93.234

18. Ryan Blaney
93.247

19. Chase Briscoe
93.257

20. Austin Cindric
93.319

21. Austin Dillon
93.342

22. Tyler Reddick
93.345

23. Carson Hocevar
93.351

24. Zane Smith
93.365

25. Bubba Wallace
93.426

26. Cole Custer
93.428

27. William Byron
93.458

28. Ty Dillon
93.595

29. Alex Bowman
93.604

30. Brad Keselowski
93.707

31. Christopher Bell
93.720

32. John Hunter Nemechek
94.058

33. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
94.152

34. Cody Ware
94.213

35. Noah Gragson
94.416

36. Ryan Truex
94.624

37. Katherine Legge
95.468

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CHEVROLET NCS AT MEXICO CITY: Kyle Larson Media Availability Quotes – Speedway Digest

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Media Availability Quotes: Is there anything you’re going to be looking at for the Xfinity race today, just to see how NASCAR officiates things or how things go in order to […]

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Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

Media Availability Quotes:

Is there anything you’re going to be looking at for the Xfinity race today, just to see how NASCAR officiates things or how things go in order to potentially recommend or see if any changes should be made for Sunday?

“Yeah, I think you definitely try to pay attention to all that you can. I think as you mentioned, the officiating track limits is something, but also more from the competitive side of things. You notice how people are shaping corners, passing or things like that. Pit road entry, all the little details that matter for the race on Sunday. I felt like walking the track yesterday, there were a few areas where I was like — oh, this could be a concern. But once we got at speed, I didn’t think some of the barriers were in awkward spot outs or the tire packs were in awkward spots. I thought all that felt fine.”

You’re a veteran of international-type races. You’ve raced all over. Is this any different than going to Australia and doing a sprint car race?

“Well, we haven’t really quite gotten to the race yet. Obviously, the atmosphere will be a lot different, but the difference would be just the logistics of it; the shuttles and all of that. When I go race in Australia, it’s really no different, as far as driving to the racetrack or the people that you see and things like that. I imagine the atmosphere on Sunday will be quite a bit different from what we’re used to seeing in a NASCAR event.”

What’s your comfort level with the track at this point?

“Yeah, I think there’s still areas probably that you can fine tune and get a little better. But overall, I felt like it related well to the simulator. The feel of the car is somewhat similar and all of that. I was lucky enough that they got to put in some tire packs on the simulator on Tuesday for me to get in and visually get a feel for that. I thought it all looked normal to what I was used to in the sim, so I think that helped make the learning curve a little bit better. At this point, I think we’ve had to work on our car quite a bit to try and get it more comfortable. I think the altitude and what that does to the downforce itself is a real thing. It definitely feels different out there; braking, the initial turn into the corners and stuff. So yeah, it feels a little different and something I could adjust to.”

The forecast for tomorrow has the potential for rain. And even if it’s not raining during the race, it could be a wet track. What are the challenges and how might this track change under wet or rainy conditions?

“Yeah, I don’t know. Being not that experienced on wet, I would like for it to not rain or be wet. But I think at the same point, that opens up an opportunity. If you do hit on it or get comfortable, you can make a big difference behind the wheel.

I don’t know, but I’m a pretty risky driver. You could see that at Chicago in that crash last year.

I don’t know… I can take it or leave it. I would rather leave it. But yeah, we’ll see. We’ll just be ready for whatever conditions come.”

How did you feel with the elevation in the car yesterday?

“Yeah, I think when you’re in the car and after, I don’t know. I think you’re not focused on that, so I didn’t notice anything. It’s more like when I walk up the stairs to come here or walk up the stairs to go to the driver’s lounge, by the time you get to the top, you breathe a little bit heavier.

But in the car, no, it felt fine. I tracked my heart rate and all that normally. So yeah, I’m not sure. I think it’s just you’re not focused on that when you’re driving.”

What do you think about the track? What is the most difficult part of the track here in Mexico City? And if you can tell me as well, what’s your favorite part about Mexico?

“Yeah, I think that so far the most difficult thing or different thing to a typical road course that we feel would be I think that lack of downforce and then how that affects the brake zones. So that’s kind of challenging. I think you can see a lot of drivers kind of struggling with that yesterday. I think the sim kind of under-predicted that. So all the brake zones, we had to work to kind of back up, and then so you don’t lock up your rear tires and your front tires and whatnot. So yeah, that’s been the most challenging piece I think for most everybody.

And then yeah, Mexico’s been fun. It’s a different feeling weekend for us here. We don’t have our motor coaches and all that, so we’re all kind of put up in the same place. You’ve got to ride shuttles together. It’s honestly really fun and enjoyable to be around your competitors and get to know each other a bit better because on a typical weekend, we just kind of lock ourselves in wherever we’re at. We don’t talk to anybody or anything. So it’s nice that, yeah, you’re almost forced to hang out with each other. It’s cool. You get to know them, so I’ve enjoyed that.”

Does it feel like a school trip?

“Yeah, yeah, I guess you could compare that. It’s been a long time since I’ve been on a school field trip, but it does feel like that.”

What are the challenges in pitting off the right side of the car? Did you participate in pit stop practice this week?

“I did not participate in pit stop practice. Yeah, I mean, it’s different. I wouldn’t say it’s any more or less challenging. It’s different. And the pit stalls here are extremely short, so I think that’s where the challenge comes from. Combining that with, you know, turning right with your right front being out there, it’s kind of hard to judge your distance and things; your angles and getting those correct if you have to come around somebody. So, yeah, I think on pit road, caution flag pit stops will be difficult. I think you’ll see some penalties and see some guys boxed in and a little bit or a lot of congestion. The end of pit road narrows up too, so if you’re side-by-side two-wide and somebody pulls out three-wide, it’s going to get jammed up a lot. So, yeah, that will be interesting to see.”

You talked about how this is kind of a different weekend for the drivers. Is there anything you can pull from this weekend that you would like to see incorporated at other NASCAR races?

“I don’t know… I’m not sure. I think maybe things will come up tomorrow and seeing how, you know, driver intros go or the post-race podium and stuff. I think that could be a piece, an easy piece, to incorporate to other weekends.

I don’t know… I don’t know. I like hanging out with the other drivers, but I don’t know how you ban motorhomes and force us to stay at the same hotel in places like Pocono (laughs). But it’s fun.”

I was wondering if you believe you have some sort of an edge, you know, especially with other drivers, because you race a lot, a lot of different series, a lot of different type of cars. This is a new facility for most NASCAR drivers….

“I don’t. I think I can see how that could be a topic, but no, I don’t feel that way.

Obviously, I was slow yesterday, so no, I don’t think it matters. I just think everybody in the Cup Series is really good, and, you know, although, yes, it’s our first time here on the real-life surface, everybody probably spent time in the simulator at some point over the last couple weeks, so you learn the corners, you learn the gearing, you learn enough to where you come here and get up to speed pretty quickly. So I felt like it didn’t take but three or four laps for everybody yesterday to kind of get to a steady pace. I think that just shows the level of talent and ability in the Cup Series.”

You referenced the podium celebration earlier. Is that something that you would like to see, potentially, for all Cup races, or is that something that’s just maybe the compromise of you doing it for road course races and leaving it as is for others? Is that something that intrigues you, or what’s your thoughts on that?

“I don’t know. You know, maybe just your crown jewels events would be a good start, but I’m not sure. You know, I come from dirt racing where the top three have to stop on the frontstretch every night and, you know, do your interview, which we do interviews on pit road and stuff, so that’s not way different.

But, yeah, although it stinks sometimes when you’re frustrated and you’ve got to force a smile, I think the fans appreciate seeing the top three drivers on the frontstretch, the photos and whatnot. You look at other forms of motorsports, and, yeah, the post-race podium celebration — like I look at Formula 1, you kind of celebrate the country that you’re from, too, playing the national anthem. But I just think that’s a nice added touch. So, yeah, I think there’s ways to look at it and make it kind of feel like our own. You know, we’re not completely copying other forms of motorsports. But, yeah, I think I heard Ross (Chastain) say it, but, like, it’s tough to run the top three in the Cup Series, so I think it should definitely be celebrated a little bit more. You know, second and third should be celebrated a little bit more than it is, not only for yourself and your team, but your partners and whatnot. So, again, I think there’s ways that NASCAR can look at making it have their own kind of touch and feel. But, yeah, I think we’ll see how it goes tomorrow. I thought the L.A. Clash thing was awesome, too. So, yeah, we’ve done it before. I think we can do it at other places.”

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Podium Celebration – Speedway Digest

Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson is among the most versatile – and well-travelled – competitors in the NASCAR garage. And he had nothing but compliments for the organizers of the Mexico City race, noting it was kind of “fun” staying at the same hotel and sharing bus rides to the circuit with his competitors. One […]

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Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson is among the most versatile – and well-travelled – competitors in the NASCAR garage. And he had nothing but compliments for the organizers of the Mexico City race, noting it was kind of “fun” staying at the same hotel and sharing bus rides to the circuit with his competitors.

One of the unique features of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez course is that the top-three drivers in the race will stand on a podium to receive trophies – similar to the traditional Formula One victory celebration.

Larson likes the idea and thinks maybe it’s something the sport would consider elsewhere as well.

“Maybe just your crown jewels events would be a good start, but I’m not sure,’’ Larson said, adding,  “Although it stinks sometimes when you’re frustrated and you’ve got to force a smile, I think the fans appreciate seeing the top three drivers on the frontstretch, the photos and whatnot.

“You look at other forms of motorsports, and the post-race podium celebration — like I look at Formula 1, you kind of celebrate the country that you’re from, too, playing the national anthem. But I just think that’s a nice added touch. So, yeah, I think there’s ways to look at it and make it kind of feel like our own.”



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