Hey everyone, before we get started, a quick note that this episode does contain explicit language as well as some descriptions of violence.

It may not be appropriate for kids.

That's me and my co-producer, Anthony Pachillo.

So, I am on route to Cleveland.

Where are you?

I'm outside Pittsburgh, somewhere, I don't know.

For everyone listening at home, I am on route to talk with Gary Ballue.

Gary Ballue is a former NASCAR driver who was arrested on Black Thursday and later convicted on charges stemming from his role in a marijuana smuggling operation.

Person after person we talked to cited Gary as a big player in the smuggling ring.

The other two were P.E. Griffin and Billy Harvey, and they're both now dead.

Gary was also a good friend of Mario Rossi's.

You might remember that Rossi was his crew chief at the Daytona 51979.

You also might remember that the Rossi family suspected that it was Gary that was feeding them information about Mario's disappearance.

So, it should go without saying that we really wanted to talk to Gary Ballue.

We've got the interview set up, we have the hint and in book, Gary does not fully know what we're going to talk with us about.

What is he under the impression that you're, what does he think the premise is?

Gary knows that we are asking questions, he knows we are a true crime podcast, and he knows that we are talking about some old stories in the world of NASCAR.

Got it.

So, I didn't mention Mario Rossi just because I didn't know what that would do, but he knows you're there inquiring about crime.

So, this isn't that much of a reach.

It's not that much of a reach.

So, we are going to start with Michelle, and Michelle will ask him about Black Thursday, and then at a certain point, when the moment's right, I will step in and ask about Rossi, and we'll see what happens at that point.

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