Celebrating the Life of Ken Squier With Rick Allen and Ryan McGee | Dirty Mo LIVE

hello everybody Welcome to uh Next Level it's a very or next level uh Dirty Mo live uh it's a very special Dirty Mo live today uh we had original plans to talk about you know recapping the season and all that but obviously we lost one of the greatest NASCAR broadcasters of all time Ken Squire and so today's live show is going to be about talking about Ken and sharing some stories we got to sit down with him on our next level series that's where I got can I correct you for a second he's not one of the greatest NASCAR broadcasters he's one of the greatest broadcasters like forget the sport yeah I would agree with that um so we this is going to be a special one today we have Ryan McGee of ESPN calling in Rick Allen of MBC calling in to share some stories um about Ken and uh obviously we we have some stories of our own as as we were just in Vermont last September to sit down and talk with him we just posted the full length interview so you can go check that out on our dirty mode platforms you know I was watching the whole thing earlier this week and gosh that thing is just it's too good not to share in its entirety so we're like we got to post it and so you can go watch the conversation start to finish it's about two hours and 15 minutes something like that so one of my favorite things is listening to a good Storyteller and Ken one of the best uh so yeah it's uh if you if you love hearing some guys tell some good stories go go watch that for sure yeah Andrew Carlin by the way with Dalton Greco Travis rockold um here but yeah it it has been I don't know about you guys but seeing all the tributes on social media and people posting their favorite Ken Squire ISM or their favorite call of his or we're going to talk to McGee in a a little bit you know they recreated the movie scene that Ken Squire was in uh the tributes have been so cool to see this week and especially today like uh anything of your guys's like stick out to you as one of the cooler tributes you've seen I'm trying to pull up D while you're talking I I love seeing the 79 call in that replay like that is just that that is the most iconic call I think in in NASCAR history I think you know we were talking a little bit before the stream started that without someone like Ken like we we would not be sitting here today doing what we're doing um you know that that propelled the sport in such a position that we were were able to now reap the benefits of it you know some 50 years later uh almost and you know it's one of those things you don't realize how important he was until you get to a point like this and I think that Dale mentioned that in his tweet a little bit here's Dale's tweet when I first got my job as an announcer on NBC I wrote down a full page of Squire isms that the legendary Ken Squire used during his career I tried to use one per race during my rookie broadcasting season Ken is the standard of Excellence for any n NASCAR broadcast for any broadcast so you know and just uh that what made me think of that is Dave Moody told a great story and it's kind of similar to what dale dale did there and it's like the Ken Squire School of broadcasting you can learn so much from that and from that point is Dale tried to use one Squire is in a race well Dave Moody told me the greatest story last year that Ken Squire one of the lessons was I want you to go home and come up with 20 different ways to say side by side and then come up with that and he gave Ken the list wheel tohe door to door side by side and Ken's like I want you to use every single one of those in the race tonight people people don't want to hear the same thing twice people don't want to hear it and uh I don't know that that's just like if you're a broadcaster that is such a valuable like vocabulary he was the king of that man it's not even for broadcasters it's for people who are you know do anything in life you know don't don't necessarily do the same thing twice you know find new experiences find new ways to explain and describe what you're seeing in front of you um and that speaks to someone like me who deals with words a lot um so yeah I I love it well uh we mentioned we're going to have some people calling into the show uh Alex Tims our producer here in the studio is going to give Ryan McGee a call of ESPN and uh Travis what was what was the movie scene and we can ask McGee what was the movie scene that we were watching his Twitter account now he did a was in stroker him and Cory Le joy and so um they did it and then McGee tweeted that he showed it to Ken and asked him for a review and Ken this is a quote I've seen better acting in a toilet paper commercial yeah and I think that quote like uh just watching videos and your interviews and stuff Ken sense of humor is just the delivery of it it makes sense he's such a great broadcaster but it was perfect well let's hear from McGee I don't think he's yes I think Tims is hooking it up he's hooking the system up uh to get McGee here in the room Ryan do we got you yes sir how we do we got you good to hear from you McGee good to hear from you man I've been watching uh I've been watching a lot of you today those amazing uh conversations is that you have with Ken Squire I think a lot of people have so thank you for that yeah it I mean I've said it so many times like that two days we got to spend in Vermont like I will cherish those forever and uh just to just to let the stories and let let Ken roll with the tapes man it was super cool but uh how are you doing we were just just before we brought you uh brought you on we were talking about you recreating that scene of Ken Squire from from the movie stroker yeah that was great that was so Cory Le Joy called this was two years ago he called he go hey man I we have an idea and uh would you be willing to participate and he said you know I know you got to check your people and it's a sponsored thing whatever else and so and so I go what is it he goes well we're going to recreate uh Ken Squire scene from stroke race I go yeah I'm not calling anyone I'm just gonna do that so I didn't ask I didn't ask permission I just showed up and he and Corey goes do you need me to send you a script I go no I know it I know that scene and so yeah it was it was a great day and and the funny part was so it's the scene where where Stroker rce and lugs Harvey are arguing and all a sudden they they they changed their faces because Squire attacked them you know with the microphone and wanted the story and Squire gets so angry and he goes just once just once I want you guys to tell me the real story and he dropped a bad words I did the same thing and I Ken told me later I asked him I said hey did you see me do this thing for starer race and he said yeah I said what did you think he goes I've seen better acting in toilet paper Tom and if you knew Ken then you knew yes that was an insult but that also was was a compliment so I took it yeah McGee what what will be your lasting memory of your interactions with Ken you know it's funny because I it's special we talk about this all the time those of us kind of of my age you know me Marty Smith Nate Ryan you know Dusty long you know jennif rer those of us that showed up in the late 90s we kind of caught the sport at this at this crazy time and D Jor and I have talked about this where you were in the garage with the legends of the 60s and 70s and 80s and 90s and you were also in the garage with you know with the the Jeff Gordon and the Dale Juniors and and the Kevin Harvick and those who were just getting going and what always struck me and I've always remembered this were how in the media center it to me it was like the race car drivers right you when young race car drivers come along the great ones will will put your arm around you and say all right let's talk about this what are you doing why did you do this you know don't do that anymore okay do it this way and for my people in the media center we had Barney Hall and we had Tom Higgins and we had Steve Wade and with Ken Squire and no one was bigger than Ken you you talking about me showing up in the 90s now he was on CBS and when the weekends when he wasn't on CBS he was on TBS when he wasn't on either one of those uh you know he was on the radio and so he was the voice of the sports and for him to put his arm around me and say you need to not do this or you need to keep doing that the fact that he would do that without me even asking because I was too scared to ask um that's my last memory is the advice that he gave me then um I got a story that just went up on espn.com five minutes ago and you know it ends with three of the things that he told me as a media member to always remember and I've always remember ever since I was going to say and and and for those watching here Live on YouTube like definitely go check out that article I will after uh after we we go live here but uh and it sounds like you allude to it in uh the story that you put out but like some of those examples like don't do this don't do that or do this do that do you remember like any specific pieces of advice um yeah I mean what I remember all the time is is he would say you know never forget a as big as this sport gets above all else it's about common men doing uncommon things yeah you know and and he always you know one of the one of the last conversations I have I think might be the last time I talked to him you guys know I always I'm always wearing like Star Wars and Marvel stuff and I have this Captain America ring I wear all the time and and Ken grabbed my hand and he pointed at the ring and he said he said you know it it's no wonder you like superheroes he said because we're surround rounded by them all the time in the garage and he's right and and one of the things that he told me years ago was he said you know um your job is to connect every man with Superman and Superman with every man and and it was that idea and the other thing and this is I've applied this to writing I've applied it to broadcasting all was he always said don't settle for ordinary words of description when extraordinary words are available to you and if you go back and listen to his not even not even his most memorable moments as a broadcaster just go listen to like lap 71 yeah of the 1984 dayona 500 and and it's not just this guy's making a pass for the lead he explodes into the lead or into the lead you know and it's not just that guy blew an engine he detonate he he grenaded an engine and it detonated like like he would always use those extra words to make the moment feel bigger you know sometimes even than it actually was that's just that is brilliant I mean the two things you said there and there's one thing that I think translates to today especially you can comment on this uh you know currently following sport among many others it's like it was never lost on Ken the extraordinary efforts that these race car drivers are going through and sometimes we forget these guys are badasses you know at the end of the day that's that is that is why we watch that is why we tune in sometimes we don't play into that as much that's the thing of brilliant said I think uh man we need to follow that we need to follow that today not saying we don't but I mean it was never lost on him that that side of it yeah and Comm and communicating that like that was yeah the big thing that that Ken always would remind you of and anybody who ever worked with him you know he would tell you all the time you know it was it was the guy at home on his couch watching the race needs to appreciate the fact that these men and women behind the wheel could die at any time right and the and the people that go over the wall in pit stops you know they make they make what is the least routine ever look routine and he said so we have to remind them of that all the time and and you know the great ones I think about Barney Hall I think about Paul Paige the voice of IND 500 forever um you know I think about Ken you know um you know but they they have an ability to you'll be in the other room best compl I give a broadcaster is sports bro if you're in the other room you know making a drink or washing dishes or whatever they can do just the right thing with the inflection in their voice or just the right thing with their choice of words to make you run back into the room because and only at the right time you don't you don't do it all the time you just do it when it deserves it and that's what Ken was always the master of and and all these broadcasters Mike Joy I mean you know my friend Mike masaro the people that all grew up learning under uh you know the guys in MRN they move they learned unders Squire and they learned that which is you know you can't you can't mash the gas all the time vocally but when you do let them know at home you need to pay attention right now absolutely uh Ryan this is Dalton here I do social media for Dirty Mo um yeah man but I just wanted to uh add to that point that you made you know Ken was part of uh captivating the senses of our audience you know there was the visual aspect of the cars going around the track the audio of him and uh you know obviously if you're at the track the smells of rubber and gas and and all of that um and I think that plays into people like me who who do write for um a living and just you know you made a great Point earlier of like you have the opportunity to use these extraordinary words to you know communicate with the public and um it's it's amazing we were talking about right before we got on the phone with you how someone that you didn't even realize impacted you has impacted you in a way so um I I guarantee that there's times where I could look back on my career and say that wow that was almost a squire ISM that I I kind of stumbled upon um but outside of that I did want to ask you um if there was a marquee moment uh or a squire ISM um that you can recall that stood out to you over his career um in NASCAR well I mean the the answer to that is always going to be the 79 day ton 500 and and it's not you go back and watch that gosh I watched it so many times but you go back and watch that and if you listen to what he said it's a perfect example of listening to what he says because it wasn't what everyone remembers is and there's a fight right when they when they cut you know so Richard Petty's rolling down uh the pit Lane and headed to Victor Lane and the crews all over the car and then all of a sudden Ken goes and there's a fight but it wasn't just that part that's the part everyone remembers but then in a very small group of words I mean he says and there's a fight and he says between K yor and Donnie Allison and then what I always remember is him saying their tempers overflowing yeah that's awesome and then he says they're angry and then he says they know they have lost and what a bitter defeat and then he then he shuts up and so he tells everyone so much in such a short period of time and that's what I go back to like again it's it's that idea of don't use you know ordinary words when when extraordinary words are available to you and it's just finding you know the greatest challenge you guys know this the greatest challenge with us with this sport is that we go back to the same racetracks um you know we cover the same 40 you know guys in the CB series all the time um you know we're dealing with the same no four Tire Pit Stop or two Tire Pit Stop but it's finding different language to express those things it's the B the biggest challeng in my career in 30 years which is finding new ways to say a guy took the lead right and Ken would do it every single weekend and he'd do it five different ways during a race he was like a human thesaurus and so that we take for granted like to your point these things happen and you hear these things and it's so good and it's so smooth it's like it's like he would say about pit stops these guys are taking an impossible situation and making it look very routine that's what Ken did I mean he did it every time he said front of a microphone McGee what are some of your favorite Squire isms that he had over the years well I have shamelessly and he knew this I shamelessly used you know the grenade he grenaded an engine yeah yeah that's too good I mean that's you know again it tells you a whole lot about that you know uh it grenades the engine and detonates it at the start Finish Line oh yeah yeah and he would always talk about when a guy um you know back in the slingshot days in the 80s when you know they all you CBS always did the dates on a 500 and they they us the Talladega the second Talladega race and back then you knew the slingshot move was coming so you'd spend 15 laps waiting on the number two guy to finally make his move and so as a result you know the number two guy would always have to at one some point have to step out just a little bit and he's trying to get air into the engine otherwise he's going to you know it's going to overheat blow and he would always talk about um guzzling up the air or you or or you know G you he gallops out and now he's uh he's gobbling up the air and that car is gobbling up the oxygen and I used to love that because you know it humanized a race car which you know that car's out there eating man and it's uh you know the kids now all say you know right we're GNA we're GNA eat man they're eating he he said that 40 years ago man uh one of my favorites is is uh you know similar to like the Daytona like when they were all kind of in a line they're choo choo training down the back straight away I love that one man that's it well and listen Great American race that's K yeah yeah I mean that's that's him you know it's um we take it for granted now it's just what we call the race but that's um again that's him taking the Daytona 500 which didn't need another name because it's the Daytona 500 and and he he came up with that the Great American race and now you know you can just say that and people automatically know that you're talking about the Daya 500 I have a I kind of have a list of Squire isms uh someone crashed out hopes have evaporated yeah uh spinning down the back straightway spinning splashing down the back straightway slithering and sliding along slipping and sliding through cars resting beautifully in third like ah the list goes on and on but yeah so many great ones uh McGee the Oklahoma Land Rush yeah the Oklahoma Land Rush spread out on the backstretch tallad they spread out you know they'd be four wide three deep and he would say it's an Oklahoma Land Rush he use that one a bunch you said detonate the engine detonates right yep like a grenade yeah like there's one he hand grenades himself to lead or something like nobody talks like that that is so Ken Squire and it's beautiful yeah anyways McGee thanks so much for uh jumping on it's it's uh great to hear from you those Ken Squire stories I mean even just you telling me of the lessons that he taught you man I'm gonna I'm GNA apply some of those so no no you I apply I apply that that that extraordinary whyle ordinary words I literally I use that every single day of my life I mean especially for you as a sports writer Y and and for us working in sports and around athletes like you sometime it gets lost too often that these people are extraordinary so yeah that that's that resonated with me a lot so anyways uh m thanks so much for coming on we'll let you go and uh man we got to get you on more often it's good to hear from you anytime boys I appreciate it thanks awesome you know you just brought people I when I was listening to his Hall of Fame speech he play if if I took a drink every time he said people my beard be gone he because that's but he cared about the people of the sport and he understood that the sport without the people is it's nothing and that was so much of my conversation with Ken and every time I in in such a Ken Squire fashion it was beautiful every time I asked him a question kind of about him he always found one of those extraordinary characters that he loved to cover and he he he told the story about them so Travis like to your point he just absolutely loved the stars and heroes of the sport of NASCAR someone just brought up a good one uh a good Squire ISM in the chat that that Daryl Waltrip was holding on to the lead like a hammerhead shark that is so so good me hope hope has evaporated as one that you can apply to any sport like absolutely amazing and a M's article if you go to his Twitter account it's up there so go after this and go read that because it's uh I was trying to skim through during the interview to see if there's anything and it's it's a good one yeah man that's so good like and this is me just reacting real time to like that and obviously you know we knew from Ken like that was that was his big thing is uncommon man Common Man uncommon Deeds but the way McGee teed it up and the way he shared that Ken told him how to follow it's like that's how you that's how you got to do it another one tell Grandma to put her teeth in her pocket yes yes so actually when I talked to Dave Moody that was his favorite one and uh and it sounds like we've got another we've got another person coming in uh Rick Allen of NBC NASCAR and NBC is joining us here on Dirty Mo live live and uh I think Tims is hooking up the phone and I think we got him Rick do we got you you got me Andrew how are you bud doing good how are you I am well so uh we're we're live here uh sharing stories of Ken Squire you know obviously one of the greatest NASCAR broadcasters to ever do it I know he has uh crossed paths with you guys at at NBC and and you yourself um many times so uh just first of all uh you know Ken Squire you know what does what does he mean to you well you said one of I think Ken Squire was the best yeah I think he set the standard that all of us have tried to you know come close to but um just Ken was Ken was that guy who uh when we would have a production meeting especially over the last couple years at NBC um when he would walk into The Room everybody would just feel different because you knew you were in the presence of greatness like we all kind of knew that the reason we all had jobs was because of him yeah and that was just the aura that he brought into a room with him and then just you know everybody everybody always talks about you know his storytelling and everything but really just his voice just the way he would deliver a sentence even in a production meeting or just talking to you casually yeah you were just you were just in awe and you it was like you were taken AB to you know the great calls of all time that he was a part of and you just felt like you were there and with him and it was really he just had a presence about him and was a a really great person and was generous with his time and his advice and uh just a really fun person to be with um just because you knew that you could you know you could kind of just absorb his presence and you know what he was able to do for the sport and so just a you know a big loss obviously for the sport for his family for all his friends um but he changed this sport um and he brought this sport to prominence and so I'm just thankful that you know I was able to work with him and then also just call him a friend we uh we had a great conversation just before you jumped on with Ryan McGee who was sharing us some of like the best advice that Ken Squire gave him and you know the biggest thing that that we took away from it was Ken seemed to find a way to make a common person doing uncommon Deeds seem so extraordinary and that was like the biggest lesson McGee has taken away from Ken like what do you obviously as a play-by-play broadcaster someone who is in the same role that that Ken used to do what are some of the takeaways lessons you've learned from Ken over the years I think just the little details I think the you know when he would tell everyone somebody's Hometown or he would you know just give a little detail about someone that that there was a connection then then all of a sudden you're like oh I've connected to this person because of that little detail and those are the things that I feel like I learned from K that he uh just it was easy for him like it was that was part of his vocabulary to just mention you know somebody's Hometown or uh you know somebody's relative or or something about a person that you just you're like oh okay I I get it I understand um and so that was the thing that I think I took from Ken is just those just give us a little nugget about someone that connects us with them and I've tried to utilize that in every broadcast I've ever done and so you know he's had an influence on all of us um in different ways and we all probably take a little nugget of knowledge that Ken has given us and we all try to you know use that to the best that we can but that's what Ken was he was full of nuggets of knowledge of the way that I think we all wanted to just present the sport to the fans Rick you know how hard it is to call the ending of a race what do you make of Ken and 1979 calling that Daytona 500 because he didn't miss a thing and you know he didn't have all the screens and everything that you guys have now at your disposal like what do you just make of that that ending of that race as a play-by-play announcer well I think one of the things that made Ken great was things didn't overwhelm him and and that's another thing that you know you try to take from Ken is that you have to be in the present and you have to just you know convey what people might not understand uh that are watching just give them a little bit of information but he also knew to lay out and at the end of races you know that especially the 79 race you know there was a big wreck on the backstretch but he also knew that you've got to call the end of this race because that's extremely important but then get back to what took place on the backstretch which involved you know the wreck and a fight you know and emotions are you know overwhelming and I mean it just that those are the things that you just you want to make sure as a broadcaster that you pick up on the little things that happen and in so few words if you can express kind of way to get people to feel what is happening or what they're seeing and I think that's what I try to do at every ending of every race I call and I think that's what Ken you know did magically uh especially there in 79 when he brought NASCAR to the world definitely Rick I mean uh we've been sitting here all day kind of going through what our favorite squir isms are and even our YouTube chat has been filling some in someone said earlier that uh darl Waltrip was uh commanding the lead like a hammerhead shark uh do you have any specific ones off the top of your mind that you can remember that stick out to you well there's there's plenty and if you talk to the guy who owns the studio you guys are sitting in he actually when he started broadcasting with NBC yeah yeah he he had a notebook and he wrote down like a full page of Squire isms and that was and he told me about it when he when he did it he said you know I'm just gonna I want to write these things down or I want to try to incorporate them because Squire was he was the standard he was the the guy and so he wrote down a ton of them I I mean you think about the Oklahoma Land Rush or uh he coined obviously the Great American race or the Alabama gang um you guys just use one of the lines that he had you know said common men doing uncommon things yeah uh lined up down the backstretch like a freight train um you know just so many things he I I think one of his best lines that you know encompassed uh the way that he could use words to make you feel and I think when he said whatever stock car racing is Dale nhart was yes yes and I just you you just immediately you just feel that and I think every everybody Associated Dale Earnhart immediately with the entire Sports and it was because of a very com I mean just a a simple line a simple line that that we heard um Ken say and it just it brought it all full circle you know whatever stock car racing is B Earnhart was gosh yeah powerful it's brilliant like the simplicity at how powerful that was um we uh we got comment from our YouTube chat Josh Briggs wanted to know like what was it like sharing the booth with Ken during Darlington throwback weekend 2015 I think through 2017 um and kind of you know given the handoff to them uh I think it was during stage two you could correct me if I'm wrong but like what was that whole experience like with Ken jumping on the the NBC broadcast well you know I have always I try to stay as professional as possible uh throughout the whole broadcast but I think if I remember correctly I remember lart um once we had thrown it over and I think it came back to us lart was like a little kid and he just said it and that's probably one of the best things about Steve too is he'll just speak whatever comes to his mind but he said I can't believe we just threw it to like Ken Squire or I can't believe Ken Squire just threw it back to us and it was it was so surreal because you think you know what that's right it's he's the greatest that's ever done it and we're a part of the same broadcast that he's a part of and it was just it was so much fun to just listen and be a part of that um and you know it was an honor it was an honor to be the same broadcast that he was a part of and and we had like I said that was probably where I got the closest to Ken was during production meetings or uh anytime we'd be sitting in the production trailer and just talking just conversing and that's where you know his you just try to soak in everything that he says and just his mannerisms and his the the tone of his voice the the pitch the I mean the Rhythm just so many things that he did that has really just set the standard for what we all try to do what was your reaction when you found out that you'd be sharing a booth with him were you nervous or what was going through your mind knowing that you're going to be sharing it with the legend and a goat not not nervous um but if I remember the first time I believe I tried to incorporate airism um to bring him into the broadcast uh and so it was it was a lot of fun I mean just it was an honor just to be on the same broadcast with him and uh and he downplayed everything you know he was even when you know he was inducted into the Hall of Fame we we talked uh backstage and just he would downplay everything and make you feel comfortable so you know as a broadcaster you felt like I mean I felt like I was supposed to be there and that's that was one another one of the great things that Ken was able to do is just make you feel comfortable yeah absolutely well said well Rick thanks so much for uh taking time out of your day to uh share some Ken Squire stories congrats to you guys in the NBC team on on finishing a a fantastic NASCAR season and uh it was great to hear from you thank you guys I I want to leave with what Eric Jones posted on Twitter I don't know if everybody else has done it but he wrote pretty sad news this morning he voiced the generation and will never be replaced we'll miss you Ken sincerely that Jones boy ah it's too good brilliant that so good that is so good it was awesome thanks guys awesome thanks Rick Thani Rick well uh yeah that was again more great stories from Rick Allen so like he shared a booth with him you were in his house doing the interview what was that like I mean it was like I said to McGee i' I've said it on Twitter and and you know just a handful of people like it it was such an unbelievable experience the entire Squire family you know Ashley his daughter Pam his caretaker like they truly made us feel like home and like this the the next level production man like it's it was in his house we were setting cameras up in his living room you know while he was eating breakfast we were getting set up like we were they they allowed us into his space and and just how gracious they were throughout the entire thing Ashley she's like hey I'm going to grab breakfast you want to get anything like I I truly felt like I was part of The Squire family and that's the one thing I'll always remember I mean heck ever since that day Ashley Squire and I have been in you know communication just checking in on each other she loves the stuff hey great I saw a video with Dale and Dale Jun download that was awesome it's like I truly feel like you know I'm I'm part of the family now and that's just how they treated everybody and and and how Ken treated people you heard McGee and and uh Rick Allen say the same thing it's just they really made people feel comfortable and that's that's how we felt at least shooting the the next level production there that goes to Travis's Point earlier when Ken was talking about it in his Hall of Fame speech that it was all about the people and I me you're your Testament to that of you know just being able to infiltrate his space and ask him Pro him with questions and he was happy to answer them and he was happy to talk to you and that's one of the things that you know before this I didn't know much about kin Squire before work here obviously I knew from Racing's past and his history but diving into the stuff that you did um man just to hear him at the end say you know I'm glad I got to talk to you yeah should be the other way around you know what I mean like in a way it should be like you're glad to talk to him um but man what a guy and for him to be able to have us all come together like this just shows how important of a man he was so yeah I I wrote I wrote details down I have a I I have like an app that I have in my phone that I just like every day just a little journal entry what did I do you know and that Ken Squire day was like three pages long just details what was that like like going up there were you like what were your emotions um you know this was the I knew it was a big deal I mean to say I wasn't nervous is a lie like I wanted to make sure I could capture the interview and and hit the right Stories the best possible way so um I it was was important for me to make make sure that I I showcase Ken in the best way possible um and uh I mean it really after it all went down I mean he made it easy on me with just being able to share stories and I'll never forget like after we wrapped the interview before the interview he just wanted to share stuff man like it didn't matter if the cameras were rolling or not like he was just telling stories left and right and I really that's just that speaks to who Ken Squire is and was like he was the best Storyteller you know um but the little details I remember like in the morning like we said we were setting up while he was eating breakfast well he had the radio station on to wdev which was the radio station he cut his teeth you know through and if I remember correctly it was like it was one of those radio programs where people would call in with stuff to sell you know it was that type of like small town radio show and I remember there was some guy he called in to wdv to sell his aluminum ladder and like that that was the type of programming you know that was on in the morning that Ken would eat breakfast you're watching it right now there's a phot we got some photos up on the screen that's our entire crew his living room um he loved his dog Matilda oh my God he absolutely loved her uh she would come right up next to him and sit down and he would pet her pet her head oh you're such a good girl like he loved her and uh you know she was barking she wanted to sit next to Kender in the whole interview so she had to go outside on the porch and actually if you go and watch the interview there are many moments I think we've got it up on screen where she is at the back porch and you can visibly see her yeah so there there's uh Ken and his dog and uh yeah if you go to the interview there's certain parts she will lay down at the back porch and just wait for Ken to wrap up so she can come back inside and uh spend time with him it was just little details like that that was uh it was really cool to just be in in in his house and environment there was two things that were evident in your interview he loved NASCAR cuz he was like baseball or tennis yeah like he love he loved NASCAR and he loved Vermont and looking at these photos I can see why at his place why he loved just a beautiful scenery but the passion also it struck me someone from Vermont of his passion for NASCAR was interesting and think about where the sport is it wasn't just a great announcer think about MRN if not for him yeah he created a track like he wasn't just someone that like wasn't up like a announcer that you know was the next one and became the greatest like he helped build this industry Rob uh in the YouTube chat says I grew up in Waterberry Vermont listening to wdev especially when there was a snowstorm hoping to hear my school was cancelled uh and uh Ken would announce the schools that's better than I ever had you imagine Ken Squire delivers you the great news that schools cancel for the day like that's amazing I had some random dude like saying my school's canceled you guys you had Ken Squire like that's not fair I wonder what Squire ISM he used there's a blanket on the ground yeah what kind of what kind of squirm would he use the buses are slipping and sliding across the like it's got to be you know what I mean it's not just like oh no William Henry High School isn't going no there's no way it's definitely a whole story yeah um yeah Rob I want to hear you comment in the chat like how did he announce that school was cancelled it's got to be in the most Ken Squire way possible um but yeah and then and like I said Ashley Squire was so great like she showed us around Thunder Road obviously the track that Ken made we went to wdev the radio station even had lunch at Ken's favorite restaurant which was right around the corner from WD so like we were embedded in this small town it was super cool small town guy with a nationwide worldwide voice and he never left home either which is super cool yeah that is really really cool true to his roots and um man I feel like we could sit here and do this all day I would love to hear some more Squire isms uh from the chat if they can find any I saw one earlier that was uh uh from the 1990 Daytona 500 Dale senior's leading the race and Derek cop is right behind him and Ken goes is there anyone that can cope with the man in Black you know like made a point to be say cope you know with Derek cope right on his tail oh yeah that's clever that's super clever um I mean to me the moments that will always stick out for this Ken Squire conversation were and you see a little bit of it but it was his quick wit and humor and he had such a dry sense of humor about it and he's like if you caught it it was the funniest thing you've ever heard because he wouldn't smile he wouldn't like you I mean his delivery was spot on master of delivery he was a master of that type of delivery but uh like after the interview we asked like hey can we get a picture and he's like no and we actually this is at the end of our full YouTube video it's like the post credit you know what I think you might need to just tell people to go watch it yeah I wouldn't show your hand it's so fun you're not going to do it justice and you know we share an office together and cin is losing his in mind the other day and he's like this is funny I'm like Andrew it better be funny a lot of stuff that Andrew says is funny sometimes I call him Chuckles because he CH like I'm like this better be and it it had me rolling so like do not say do not say it people just go and watch it like I promise you it'll be worth it um the one thing we talked about the 1979 is he was just so calm in that he didn't and then well if people don't know he's also directing at the end being a spotter because the camera's not in the right spot yeah and uh I think we've got Brandon Brown our uh old DBC editor and producer who uh wanted to come on and share some Ken Squire stories Brandon good to hear from you how you doing man I'm doing well man we're just up here at South Boston Speedway we're doing some lovely postseason accounting work and scheduling work and preparing for next season and um yeah obviously you know uh we're up here in South Boston now and I miss you guys I miss you we miss you too we miss you man same Travis still isn't over the whole baloney thing I know but we we'll bring him up here to South Boston we'll get him a baloney burger with some you know some peppers and onions and mustards and he'll he'll turn his tide right away but uh yeah yeah how are youall doing we're doing we're doing good we've been uh we've been sharing our Ken Squire stories and uh by the way way and Brandon I want to ask you you know earliest memory of Ken Squire but I want to share mine it's a super quick one uh I remember gosh it was 2018 2017 the July Daytona race when Ken was doing some work with NBC he was in the media center and I had to introduce myself to him and so I walk over hi Mr Squire my name's Andrew colel like I I want to be what you are one day and uh you know I love everything you've done for the sport I kind of you know gave my whole pitch and appreciation and he just goes oh [ __ ] we got another [Laughter] one it and it was like the I'll never forget it it was so it was the perfect you know we were talking about Ken's quick wit like that was the best way to meet Ken Squire ever so that was my that was my earliest memory Brandon like do you have an earliest Ken Square memory all right well I've got I've got my early early memories from my childhood but I'll give you mine mine from when I actually met him I met him one time and he was doing the PA for the Coca colola 600 weekend and I was up I was up in the media center I was there this was my first experience doing NASCAR media anything Jenna frier went to West Virginia University and she came to speak at my class and I was like I've gotta go Shadow her I've got to do something so she invited me to the uh C 600 weekend and I was up in the Press Box with Jim uter learning how to cover what was then the Nationwide Series in 2008 and Ken I guess was doing the PA or something and they had the media Buffet between the rooms and I go and I'm getting my food like before the race or during a break or something and I look to my left and it was Ken Squire and Ken was the reason that I went to broadcasting School wow Ken was one of my absolute Heroes as a child and I'm when I say hero I mean hero like I just I he shaped my childhood we'll get into that in a second but um I just I look and he's just you know getting his food at the buffet and I'm like shaking because I was just Star Struck my hero um and and I just I looked at him and I'm like hi Ken Brandon Brown I'm kind of like you like I had to introduce myself I had to tell him how important he was to me yeah and of course he's got to get back to the to the uh room and he drops his drops his food right there on the on the counter and he he turns he shakes my hand he looks at me right in the eye and he goes good to know you and he didn't give me a smart alic answer like he gave you but but but it was just he shook my hand and he picked his food up and then he went on his way and I'm like yeah oh my God like like and I know Andrew I'm I'm so jealous of you that you got to sit down with him and tell those stories and and you did such a wonderful job with it so I'll be infinitely jealous forever that you you got to do that but that's that was Ken like that's I'm so so you know glad that he was like a part of my life watching him growing up you mentioned those childhood moments like what are the what are the memories of of hearing watching Ken Squire oh my gosh I mean obviously the everyone knows the Daytona 500 and stuff so I started watching NASCAR in in 1993 um you know his call of of you know turning it over to Ned on that first lap or sorry on the final lap of that race um was kind of my introduction to to Ken and how was but my memories of Ken came in you know in 1994 when I really started watching the race my favorite favorite race of all time is the 1994 uh Miller Genuine Draft 400 at Michigan and if you go back on YouTube and watch the intro to that race like it always makes me teary eyed and I'm getting a little emotional like just talking about it right now um go back and watch that race it was the Father's Day race and he does this just this ridiculously eloquent open of the CBS broadcast talking about fathers and racing and the petties and the jarretts and and they uh they intro and then they come in with Michael and Daryl walri like just go watch it like I have listened to him I could recite it for memory right I'm not going to but I can recite it from memory right now and my biggest thing for Ken was was that like whenever you watched a race on CBS or TBS during the 90s when I did he would make every single moment of any race that you were watching feel like the most important thing in the entire world was going on on that track at that moment he just had that way and and that's he's the reason that that that I became so enthralled with racing and the reason that I'm a fan is because of the way that he told those stories and I would always look forward to to a race on CBS and TBS because th those races shaped my fandom because he was so great at what he did I'm telling you like what you just said right there we had McGee Rick Allen on earlier and it's like I knew I knew this before but the lesson at least for everyone watching on YouTube and Brandon you you made a perfect another example of it is like just just really showcasing how Elite and how special whatever you were watching was yeah yes you know oh my gosh I think go ahead I was going to say that I think that there's a lesson for that outside of NASCAR and you know we I touched on this a little bit earlier but making every moment feel important and you know like it's not we're not going through life you know blind where things are important every day and so you know if Ken can do that in his professional work or if that can Inspire someone like Brandon to want to be a broadcaster it can also inspire you to take every day and and make an extraordinary thing out of the opportunity within the ordinary like Rick Allen and McGee were both saying so um man I just love that I love hearing how he touched different people and and just with his voice it's so crazy to me like it's so awesome I was just going to say there's so many announcers nowadays where they're either always high or they're just low and it's like and M I think it was mgee saying like you want to be in the kitchen and like something's happening y like and that's what he like you knew like if his voice elevated like it was for a reason like he didn't waste words well he knew when to stop talking like at this at the 79500 he said they're angry their tempers are you know boiling over and then nothing and just watch fight like that was that's there's an art to the it's he's on that short list with like the Keith Jackson of like if you're going to get into this broadcasting career like don't like yeah there's some good announcers right now but you go watch you know Ken Squire and Keith Jackson and those people like and see how they handled games yeah no I mean no nobody could call a race like like if the announcers today no absolutely no disrespect anyone because they're all very great but no one today could call a race like Ken could in his time like that style that eloquence that the way that he could spin a story and and make you feel like you were absolutely right in there with him and with the drivers like um all the phrases that he coined but also simply just you know the the way that he could position things like he he would like you would know where the drivers were from his prep work going into the broadcast like you would know are all the drivers were from their back stories would make he would make you emotionally invested in in the people and then the product and he could make the most boring race because there were a few of them in the 90s still make make it exciting and make it feel like it was ridiculously important um and you mentioned like uh the way that uh you know um he would position and and kind of make you feel like life was bigger um I always I I never made it to NASCAR broadcast Booth but I always tried to take with him or take with me like his style into whatever I did on social media I went back and looked and if you look on the uh um go back to the Chicago land Speedway Pages um I would always try to interject some things that Ken said in his broadcasts in my social media and it was just just that was just his way uh again it's about making these race cars and Racing's a weird sport where you see the car you don't necessarily see the driver right and Ken brought the incar camera over to NASCAR from Australia and we talked about that in our next level interview one of my favorite quotes of his because these original incar cameras 50 PBS dangerous um Ken even said man if you roll over that thing will that thing will crush you and so I'm like how did how on Earth did you convince these drivers to agree to an incar camera and he said on their faith and my good word and that was like it's good enough for me I guess oh man yeah because they were so heavy back in the day yeah they were so and that's like my favorite part of watching the races is the Nar camera yeah I mean it's like Ken was the I mean he saw something in Australia uh cuz they were doing the B Baur 1000 I think was the race that he saw and he's like we need that over here in NASCAR so I mean uh I forget I forget the name that was on the screen but somebody said if you were on the other side of a hall and you heard Ken's voice you knew exactly who it was yeah yeah oh yes of course I I I don't know I didn't get to listen to the first part of of your live obviously I'll go back and listen to to McGee and and Rick Allen and those guys but I I I would make the argument and maybe they made the argument that that Ken is could be the most influential person in NASCAR history because he of his work getting that Daytona 500 in 1979 on CBS giving those people the opportunity to see this race and that was really where the sport ascended and then how he how he nurtured it how he called it how he was an ambassador for the sport all the way through NASCAR's growth uh up until you really didn't see him on the broadcasts anymore in you know when when in 2000 2001 when kind of took over yeah 100% well Brandon uh we thanks for uh taking some time out of your day share some Ken Squire stories it's like I feel like I'm I'm in the moment here listening to you talk about it Ryan McGee Rick an like man this guy was super special so uh thanks for coming on and uh sharing some of your uh Ken Squire memories with us absolutely I couldn't I couldn't not talk about Ken and yeah I would encourage anybody go on YouTube find those 90s and and 80s CBS TBS races that he called and and and just enjoy it you know please do that for yourself because um it was awesome absolutely Brandon Brown good to hear from you GM South Boston and now great titles and now see guys see you brother see man and now with NASCAR The Archives like you can go back and rewatch rewatch these races man like yeah that's awesome um yeah super super cool and even like uh another Squire lesson I learned early in our conversation is the law of exaggeration right if you're telling a story man give them the good details you know especially like for radio you gota you got to paint a picture and uh you know sometimes you over exaggerate a but that's what makes a great Storyteller all about you know that's one thing I have tried to not that I over exaggerate my stories maybe I do maybe I don't but it's like telling a good story you can learn a lot just by listening to How Ken Squire tells the story I saw somebody else post that Ken turned a radio into a TV I saw that too what a what a line that he could turn a radio into T when he was doing TV when he was doing TV though he knew that he didn't need to S those words and that's where he' lay out that's the Brilliance say he could call radio and TV that that's two different things to do I mean I guess then he turned the TV into the racetrack and made you feel right there yeah yeah well uh any closing thoughts for you guys I have I have some of my own just uh you know rest in peace to a legend and you know thoughts and prayers to family and friends yeah Ken's impact will be um felt for years and years decades to come I I was writing some stuff earlier for some of our social posts and that was one thing that I thought of is that the Great American Voice will Echo throughout NASCAR's history forever and um he definitely will hear me out here I'm G to quote a song it's Luke com's song but I think it it it perfectly translates over to Ken Squire's Legacy and it's the line I will but my song will never die and it's kind of like Ken Squire's calls man that Daytona 500 call all those legendary moments man even when he's not here those calls will last forever and you know I've been chatting back and forth with his daughter Ashley and that has been her favorite part about seeing things this week and the love shown on social media so if you really really want to honor Ken's Legacy man just keep sharing those things the family loves to see that they love the support and appreciation that has been sent out to them and and the entire Squire family so to keep Ken's Legacy alive man let's just let's just keep replaying those Great Moments that's the best way to do it so and make the ordinary extraordinary that's it that's exactly it so I think that's a great way to uh to end this one thanks so much for tuning in Ken Squire man we miss you but uh we'll always appreciate you thanks for tuning in during my live