ROCK N RACING INTERVIEW
1. How would you describe yourself as a person, musician, and race car driver? As a person: Straight up. No reason to bullshit. As a musician: A bleeder. I write what's inside. As a driver: Competitive and respectful.
2. Everyone has a unique status among the fans. What if anything would you like to see changed about yours and what do you think of it overall? Also, do you think that your Skid Row fans have been supportive? I don't think I would change a thing. There's a mutual respect between ours fans and us. They respect us for our music and we respect them for their loyalty and making our dreams a reality. The true SKID ROW fans have been very supportive.
3. What types of activities do you enjoy that you think help keep you balanced? Racing keeps me balanced. It makes me focus, learn and most of all, respect the drivers with more experience than me.
4. Racing and the Music Industry are similar in certain ways. How do they differ?
I never think about flipping when I'm on stage.
5. Almost everyone in racing as well as music has to have a great deal of dedication, determination, and inspiration. Where does yours come from?
With music anything could inspire me. A conversation, a story on the news, anything. If you want to be successful at it then you have to be determined and dedicated. You have to need it more than want it. You have to better yourself every day. You can't settle for top 10s when you know you can get a top 5. You can't settle for a top 5 when you know you can win.
6. Do you find it hard to balance touring and racing? No. Racing is my passion and music is my life. Not to say that I'm not passionate about my music because I am. Entertainers are born. You can't escape. I would never want to escape. So music comes first. If I could dedicate equal time to both I would but right now I can't.
7. What made you decide to race a limited schedule and how does that fit in with touring? With all the touring I do I have no choice but to limit my racing schedule.
8. Why did you choose to race in the Legends Series? I was invited to race a Legends car in the Mark Collie Celebrity Race for a Cure for Diabetes. I did really well so I was hooked. The cars have so much power for their size. After that a DJ friend of mine in Charlotte talked to 660 Racing and they gave me the opportunity to race. I jumped at the chance. So far it's been a great experience. I have up and down days but that's the way it goes. I've raced 13 races and scored 8 top 10s and 1 top 5. I learn something new every race.
9. What do you like most about racing? The speed, of course.
10. If you ever had the opportunity to race in NASCAR would you? Absolutely.
11. Do you get the same adrenaline rush from both racing and performing? I get an adrenaline rush with both but they are different kinds of rushes.
12. Do you foresee you being able to race full time in the future? Perhaps, during some down time? Maybe, someday.
13. Its well known that Dale Earnhardt, Sr.'s death hit you very hard as it did me as well. What impact, if any, did this have on the choices you have made as far as being a fan these days? I didn't make any choices because I'll always be a fan, but it just isn't the same now that Dale Earnhardt is gone. He was really the only veteran that could still take all the young guns to school. I don't really like the direction that NASCAR is going. I'm not saying that the guys like Harvick, Newman, Johnson and such are not important to the sport because new blood is always good and they're great racers, but I think that there is too much emphasis being put on them while drivers like Martin, Rudd and Wallace are being pushed to the side. That in turn makes it difficult for proven winners like Hornaday and Hamilton to break back into Cup. I understand the marketing end of things and what demographics they are aiming for, but NASCAR needs to keep in mind that this racing, not the X-Games. They shouldn't pigeon hole themselves to just a younger audience and alienate their core fan base when they can easily reach out to both. If they are so concerned with keeping up with the NFL and baseball then they better keep Mom and Dad interested too. It would be like us completely changing our style to aim at teenagers only and forgetting about the people that put us here. It would be dishonest and wrong. I think we are one of the luckier bands from our era. We have younger and older fans. We can connect with the X- Games (which I love) fans and with people that might work on the floor at the stock exchange (I know a few and they are hardcore rockers). What it boils down to, is that you want water your tree but don't forget your roots.
14. I personally find it intriguing that you have chosen to let the fans help sponsor you. Where did that idea come from? It came from my friend and crew chief, Curt Andrews from Andrews Motorsports. He thought it would be a great way for SKID ROW fans to get involved with my racing and connect with me. I agreed. I was blown away by the response. I think about it every time I get in the car.
15. Does Scotti or any of your other band mates attend any of your races? They haven't yet because we all live in different states.
16. Rachel, as busy as you are how much are you personally involved in the marketing for Rachel Bolan Motorsports? I design the merchandise and I communicate with Joe from Rightrock.com on an almost daily basis. He manufactures the merch and runs the website. He does a great job. He has a lot of great ideas as well.
17. Do you think that your status as a musician has helped you get involved into NASCAR more than you expected? Well, that is how I initially met people from the NASCAR community. It started with Ralph Sheheen whom I've become great friends with and that lead to meeting a lot of other people involved with all forms of racing. Champ cars, NASCAR, WoO and the list goes on.
18. Do you see Skid Row sponsoring a car in NASCAR down the road? If so whose car would you like it to be or would it be the bands choice?
We have talked about it but it never really went any further. I think I could say and the guys would agree that it would have to be Dale Jr. He's a rocker.
19. What would you say your most memorable fan encounter was? It's really hard to say there have been thousands. Every encounter makes me thankful for what I have. I think when people tell me that I've influenced their life in some way or another really affects me. For a complete stranger to say that our music or our lyrics reached them is unreal.
20. What is your favorite race track and why? I'm assuming you mean "my favorite to race on." That would be Lanier National Speedway in Brasleton, GA. So far anyway.
