Bryant Barnhill Racing

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200 MPH SMACK TALK

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Racing at high speeds for hours on end can be very stressful, so I like to balance that stress anyway I can. One of the best ways of doing that is talking with my spotter or crew chief during a caution or red flag. I like to take a little bit of time to bust off some jokes about the race, those I am racing around, or even quote something from a movie. Racing can be grueling, whether you are in the car or in the pit. But I always try to remind myself how lucky I am to even be in the race. And even when a problem comes up, I see it as an opportunity for me to grow as a driver–and as a person. 

Radio “smack” talk allows me to decompress and rest my mind for just a little bit. But it’s also a way for me to try to energize my crew and keep them relaxed and focused. To anyone who has ever listened to me over the radio, I tend to be very positive, though I have said some things that would leave you scratching your head. A favorite example my friends love to tell is at Kentucky Speedway in 2020. I was racing in the truck series and driving the #33 truck. I started 24th with no practice, qualifying, and definitely no seat time at this track. I was able to race up to 14th place in stage one, but at the end of the stage, I had to come into the pit. While on pit road, the jack broke, and I was only able to replace the right-side tires. This is not good because the left tires were taking a beating. Now a lot of drivers probably would have lost their head on the radio, but I knew at that moment—the broken jack was just another challenge for me to overcome. Just as I was trying to compose myself upon hearing the news, the crew chief came on the radio, “Well, you got two d*** tires, kid”, very sarcastically. Without missing a beat, I replied, “All I ever wanted was two tires! Let’s goooooo”. Of course, I was upset because this was the end of what started out as a good day, but I knew I might have to lean on my crew later, so I needed to keep their morale up. 

Bryant Barnhill
That’s me being intense and focused–right before I start quoting Talladega Nights.

During long cautions, I will say just about anything. And yes, I do rattle off quotes from “Talladega Nights” and “Days of Thunder”. I also like to switch things up now and then. I remember one race when my crew chief and I had a conversation about which Space Jam would be better. Of course, I won that argument easily because you cannot mess with the original Space Jam. Occasionally we will talk about how some drivers have been racing around me and that usually sounds something like, “I wonder if # will take his blindfold off during this pit stop”, “Well, # is here, so I guess it’s a party now”, (“Follow that truck”), “Lead me to the promised land!”. If only those guys could hear me—it might distract them enough for me to move up a few spots!

Sometimes I just start saying whatever comes to my mind, especially while under a red flag. I’ve said things such as, “I wonder if my Mom is listening”, “Do you guys think if Tom Brady was in the stands, could he throw me a hot dog.”, “Does the truck look good at this angle, because I see people taking pictures?”, and one of my favorites, “If I had to use the bathroom, not saying I do, but if I absolutely had to, do you guys think they’ll let me use the bathroom real quick and again not saying I have to just theoretically”. 

There are tons more I could think of, but I always remember a fan might be listening, so I tend to keep the radio talk entertaining for my listeners. After a race, I have had fans tell me what they heard over the radio made them laugh and made them enjoy the race even more. One thing people have said that strikes them when they listen to me on the radio is how I can switch from being fully focused and talking race strategy or truck performance–to saying something completely random and seldom heard over another driver’s radio. Being able to be true myself is what I like most about driving. So next time I am behind the wheel make sure to listen to my scanner—because I never know what I might say, and you never know what you might hear.

Preparing for The Opportunity

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One of the worst things you can face in life is not being ready when a big opportunity shows up. In the sport of racing, one of the biggest day-to-day challenges for an up-and-coming driver is to be totally prepared, when the next opportunity knocks. You never know when you’ll get the call to go race for a team that needs you on short notice. The call could come today, tomorrow, or a year from now, so drivers need to constantly push and prepare themselves, physically and mentally—every day.  

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Physical strength is only half the battle

Physical strength can be extremely hard to build and keep, because it’s not like you are training to run a marathon or compete in other sports. The demands of racing are like nothing else. I was lucky to grow up playing competitive sports like basketball and soccer, and that background has definitely helped me to push myself to a higher level for the driving I do today. Racing is an extremely hard sport to prepare your body for because of the sustained amount of stress you’re subjected to for long periods of time in extreme conditions.

Inside the cockpit, temperatures can reach as high as 130+ degrees Fahrenheit, so it’s vital for drivers to prepare their bodies to deliver peak performance no matter how tough the environment. We also have to endure the high g-forces through every corner. I remember my very first lap at Daytona during the ARCA test, when the g-forces hit my body, it pretty much felt like a huge drop on a rollercoaster where you feel like you are almost sitting on your heart. The g-forces are constantly pulling on your body through every corner, so you have to train yourself to be able to withstand the heavy forces for long periods of time without tiring out.  

Mental strength is actually the harder battle

Anyone who competes in high level sport has had to learn to build mental strength, but for drivers, the challenge is on an entirely different level. It’s one thing to train your body to perform under physically stressful conditions, but when your mental toughness has to match it for a sustained test of endurance like a two-plus hour race, all the pieces you have to fit together perfectly. 

As drivers, we focus a lot on reaction time training, using tools like reaction game devices and light walls, where you basically play “Wack-A-Mole” with lights. If I could have it my way, I would just use a “Bop It”, but I know the more precise the training, the better the results.

Mental “strength” ranges from the basics of building and sustaining confidence, to being able to make split-second decisions or relay key information under complex stresses. As a driver the unknown or unproven can be the most stressful because although you may have talent and ability, sometimes your equipment is not up for the task.

I struggled a lot in my early years because my small family, late model team operated on a lean budget and it was up to me to find extra speed in the shop. I would spend long pre-race hours in the shop doing everything I could, but our best finishes would only just crack the top 10. Even though I would often ask myself; is it the car or is it me?, I can look back now and see how stout the competition was every week, and look at those top 10s as a big accomplishment considering all the elements. It was never easy but those race experiences did help me build confidence as a complete driver.

Confidence is a major component of mental strength for a driver. When people ask me if I ever get nervous, I tell them yes, I’m human, but when the engines fire, it’s game-on, and I am ready to go to work. 

As a driver, I am constantly preparing for the next opportunity, because it’s extremely important that I am always at my peak mentally and physically to take on any job. It’s hard to do this in any walk of life, but I have found that when you work hard and prepare for as much as possible, you won’t be surprised when you achieve the impossible.