Episode 238 has Bryan Crofts helping all in his path

Helper should be his middle name; always one to give an assist, Bryan Crofts shares life from family Crofts to family Campbell and all the twists in between. Some great stories in here. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

9:39 – when I was a young kid, I always wanted to be a garbage man; they make good money. 

15:51 – I had a buddy I went to school with, him and I would go out to Mt Shasta and do fireroads and mud wheeling, it got me interested in doing more             

22:53 – I worked for the Sheriffs Department in San Francisco, mostly in the jails. I saw things that I probably wish I hadn’t, it definitely changed my outlook on life

31:17 – “Hey, Jody’s looking to get out of the Stock Mod rig if you’re interested,” and I jumped on it 

35:11 – my brother goes, “Hey Bro, why aren’t you racing?”

47:14 – That’s what sparked the interest, it was way cheaper to build two cars at once 

53:17 – one of the coolest things that we do, we’re all racing against each other, but we’re all racing with each other, too.

1:01:18 – I was chasing him down and I didn’t see those two rollers, and I hit one and nosed into the second one, and lights out! It knocked me out!

1:12:29 – I’ve got people calling me after the race that that was the one spot they were worried about, as soon as they say me and Bailey there, all their worries went away

Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.

Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

All Automotive with Matt Clawson
Automotive related topics. Anything from owning an repair facility to racing. Anything...

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• 14:43 [Ad] All Automotive with Matt Clawson
• 15:23 (Cont.) Episode 238 has Bryan Crofts helping all in his path

Transcript

[00:00:01.080] - 

Welcome to Conversations with Big Rich. This is an interview-style podcast. Those interviewed are all involved in the off-road industry. Being involved, like all of my guests are, is a lifestyle, not just a job. I talk to past, present, and future legends, as well as business owners, employees, media, and land use warriors, men and women who have found their way into this exciting and addictive lifestyle we call off-road. We discuss their personal history, struggles, successes, and reboots. We dive into what drives them to stay active and off-road. We all hope to shed some light on how to find a path into this world that we live and love and call off-road.

[00:00:45.280] - 

Whether you're crawling the Red Rocks of Moab or hauling your toys to the trail, Maxxis has the tires you can trust for performance and durability. Four wheels or two, Maxxis tires are the choice of champions because they know that whether for work or play, for fun or competition, Maxxis tires deliver. Choose Maxxis. Tread victoriously.

[00:01:13.030] - 

Have you seen 4Low magazine yet? 4low magazine is a high-quality, well-written, four-wheel drive-focused magazine for the enthusiast market. If you still love the idea of a printed magazine, something to save and read at any time, 4LOW is the magazine for you. 4LOW cannot be found in stores, but you can have it delivered to your home or place of business. Visit 4LOWmagazine.com to order your subscription today.

[00:01:39.180] - Big Rich Klein

My next guest on Conversations with Big Rich is a guy that went from firefighter to Sheriff's Department, from rock Crawler to KOH racer, to becoming the 2003 Ultra 4, 4,400 class National Points champion is Brian Crofts. Good morning, Brian Crofts. Good to have you on the podcast. It's going to be It's a fun time. I'm looking forward to this one.

[00:02:02.850] - Bryan Crofts

I appreciate you having me on here big. And yeah, I'm excited to tell my story.

[00:02:08.170] - Big Rich Klein

Great. So let's get started with the easiest question for me to ask. Where were you born and raised?

[00:02:14.300] - Bryan Crofts

Novato, California, which is just north of San Francisco.

[00:02:18.400] - Big Rich Klein

Right. You're just... Novato is in that little section up there where the fog stays out of that area for the most part, even when the Bay is foggy. Is that correct?

[00:02:29.570] - Bryan Crofts

Yeah, which makes for optimal off-roading and just perfect weather.

[00:02:34.920] - Big Rich Klein

Yeah, when you're growing up and stuff. And it's shaded by the mountains there, so you don't get the heavy winds. That must have been nice. I grew up south of San Francisco and in San Bruno, which was called the Windy City. That's where they put the airport, so you know it's windy. We had the fog and we had the wind. We had the miserable weather. But you guys up there had the sun a lot.

[00:02:59.100] - Bryan Crofts

Yeah, it was a It was a great place to grow up. It was a small town. Wanted out as a kid, but I think I want back in as an adult. But yeah, it was a great place to grow up.

[00:03:09.260] - Big Rich Klein

Yeah, I wouldn't want to go back to anywhere close to the Bay Area now. The traffic is just horrendous. So let's talk about those early years. What did you guys do growing up for fun? I know your dad seems like he's always been into off-roading, and so I'm sure you guys got started early.

[00:03:32.690] - Bryan Crofts

Yeah, so growing up, my dad was into dirt bikes before I was born and in motor cycles. And so he got us started in dirt bike riding early. So two and a half is when I first started riding dirt bikes. And then as a normal kid, I played baseball, I played football. I played for the Junior Mustangs, the Ponies, the Mustangs, et cetera. And then I got out of school sports when when I got into high school and got more involved into off-roading and dirt bikes and everything of that nature.

[00:04:07.050] - Big Rich Klein

And your riding of motorcycles in that area, was that up in the hills or track type stuff?

[00:04:14.330] - Bryan Crofts

What were you doing Mostly up in the hills. So we'd go up to Forest Hill, Auburn area. We'd go out to Prairie City, Norcal Rock Racing area. We also had a cool little place, and it's still out there, Rinn County Motorcycle Association. We've got, I can't remember how many thousands of an acres, but it's a little club that we belong to and plenty of trail riding. So we were able to go close and we'd go far. There's a lot of different areas that we'd go ride, but for the main part, we'd go up in the hills, and it was my favorite type of riding.

[00:04:48.800] - Big Rich Klein

So I have a question. I was thinking about this last night. Your dad's name is Art. You are Brian, and then your younger brother is Chris. Is that correct?

[00:04:59.820] - Bryan Crofts

Actually, older brother Chris.

[00:05:01.350] - Big Rich Klein

Oh, so it went out of order. I was getting the ABC thing going there.

[00:05:05.540] - Bryan Crofts

Yeah. No, he's actually two and a half years older than me. Oh, is he?

[00:05:08.460] - Big Rich Klein

Okay. All right. Didn't know that. I've only met him once or twice that I can recall Hall. We may have met more than that. But of course, you I've known for quite a while.

[00:05:20.740] - Bryan Crofts

Yeah.

[00:05:21.710] - Big Rich Klein

So let's talk about those early years more in-depth, the schooling there You said, Novato is a small town that's relative to towns in the Bay Area or in the Phoenix area, it's relatively small. But let's talk about what school was like.

[00:05:46.370] - Bryan Crofts

Yeah, so school for me, we lived too far away to ride bikes to school. We didn't have a bus stop to pick up on the bus. So my parents would drive us to school. Every now and again, I was able to ride my BMX bike to school and things of that nature. But as far as school, I was just a normal kid. I liked BMX bikes. I like sports. I played football. I was in a weird age bracket where I was born in September, right? So I was either the young kid in school or I was the old kid in school. And in enrollment, I ended up being the young kid. So unfortunately for me, it put me in a weird spot where I played football, not against the people in my grade. I play one grade lower. So I had to always work harder to prove myself to the to the older guys, if you will. But I played pop Warner. I played baseball. Once I got into high school, I quit playing sports. I played a little bit of traveling baseball for a little bit. And then I just I really wanted to fall back in love with dirt bike riding in racing.

[00:07:01.350] - Bryan Crofts

So I focused more on dirt bike riding and whatnot, and that's what got me involved in off-road. Okay.

[00:07:11.360] - Big Rich Klein

So what about grade-wise? Were you a good student Or were you one of those kids that looked out the window rather being outdoors?

[00:07:19.840] - Bryan Crofts

Yeah, I didn't get that grade of grades. Not until I got to college, and then school hit home with me, and I was able to get better grades. But I was your average boy. I didn't get the grade. I just slid through school. I think I wish I would have stuck my head down a little harder and did better in school, but I wanted to be out playing. I didn't have the school drive.

[00:07:48.270] - Big Rich Klein

Isn't hindsight a great thing? When it's too late, you go, dang, I should have done that. I could have done this. So then going When you were in school and you were paying attention, what was the class you liked most?

[00:08:09.720] - Bryan Crofts

Well, PE, of course, but science. Science. Okay. Science was awesome. I was actually lucky enough to still have a woodshop and auto shop. In middle school, we had a woodshop, and that was awesome. I got to build things and use tools. Then when I got to high school, we were to still have auto shop. Of course, auto shop was my favorite. But realistically, out of all everything, science. Science is what I like the most. Excellent.

[00:08:43.420] - Big Rich Klein

The What do you think it was with science that intrigued you? Was it just... What do you think it was that intrigued you?

[00:08:56.340] - Bryan Crofts

I don't know. I think it was just... I don't know. I don't know. I really enjoyed dissecting of animals. I thought that was really interesting.

[00:09:06.690] - Big Rich Klein

Oh, no, that's creepy.

[00:09:08.510] - Bryan Crofts

No. Just the way the body works. I liked all the chemicals, that thing. But yeah, I don't know. It was just something that caught my attention, I guess, more than Econ and writing and things of that nature. Okay.

[00:09:29.200] - Big Rich Klein

So when you When you're getting close to being out of high school and thinking of college, did you have something that you wanted to do?

[00:09:39.550] - Bryan Crofts

Yeah. So as a young kid, I always wanted to be a garbage guy, right? I always wanted to be a garbage man. They make good money. They do, yeah. And then later on in life, right about probably like sophomore year in high school, I started thinking about doing fire. And I wanted to be a volunteer fire when I turned 18 and all that stuff. So I decided that I wanted to go get my firefighter one, be a firefighter, do my EMT, all that stuff. So that That's what drove me to go to school, was to be a firefighter.

[00:10:18.130] - Big Rich Klein

Okay. And is that what you concentrated on in college?

[00:10:23.740] - Bryan Crofts

It was, yeah. So I ended up going to a small town called Weed, which is just north of Mount Shasta. I lived there for roughly four years. I got my Firefighter 1, I got my EMT, I got my HAZMAT tech and specialist. So I had all my certification for being a firefighter, and then I worked at the fire department up in weed for about three years, and that's what I wanted to do.

[00:10:53.140] - Big Rich Klein

And you say that like that didn't continue.

[00:10:57.250] - Bryan Crofts

It didn't continue, yeah. So it It was really tough. As soon as I graduated high school, right, I graduated in 2001, and we all know what happened September of 2001, was 9/11. And at that time, just after 9/11, I was able to graduate high school. I was able to start my Firefighter 1, my EMT, all that stuff. By 2002, I was already done with everything, and I was ready to start applying to fire departments. The hardest thing that I found was there was a big surge in people wanting to be firefighters. So fire departments weren't taking just firefighters. They were taking firefighter paramedics. I had no interest in being a paramedic. So that drove me away, discouraged me of being a firefighter for quite a few years. And unfortunately, that allowed my Firefighter 1 to elapse, and I wasn't able to renew it in time to be a firefighter later on in life. Okay.

[00:12:07.420] - Big Rich Klein

And when you were in high school, and getting up to that point, were you working at all?

[00:12:15.520] - Bryan Crofts

I was, yes. So I was able to work at a couple of buddy's shops. I was a painter, so I was a house painter. My very first job was at Big O Tires. I had to get a work permit, had my parents sign off on And the whole reason I got that was I wanted a new dirt bike, and my parents wouldn't buy me a new dirt bike. Horrible for me, right? But my parents said if I was able to get a job, that they would cosign on a loan for a new dirt bike. So at 14 and a half, I worked at Big O Tire, and I worked there all the way till I was 16. Then I worked as a house painter on the summertime, and then I worked at a mechanic shop till I graduated high school Excellent.

[00:13:01.350] - Big Rich Klein

And what work were you doing? Just R&R?

[00:13:04.640] - Bryan Crofts

Yeah, just regular automotive repair. Anything from oil change to motor swaps. But that's what I did until I went off to school.

[00:13:16.880] - Big Rich Klein

Okay. And what... I know you're riding bikes, but what was your first vehicle, car, truck?

[00:13:25.700] - Bryan Crofts

So my first car was actually a car. It was a '67 RS SS Camaro. And a little bit about me that a lot of people don't know is I drag raced all the way through high school. And that was my first car. I got that at 14 and a half, and my dad and I were able to build that until I was 16. And started drag racing, and I drag raced all the way till the end of high school.

[00:13:51.140] - Big Rich Klein

I didn't know that. Okay.

[00:13:54.250] - Bryan Crofts

Yeah. I did the high school throughout Sears Point, which was only eight miles from our house. They did high school drags on Wednesday night, and then you could go to do the divisional races. And if you did well at divisional races, you could become a divisional champion, and you could go to the Championship divisional races in Vegas and whatnot. And I was able to do pretty well, and I was able to win a championship in our division, Division 7, Drag Racing. And then, again, like I said, I I had to leave that Drag Racing stuff behind to go to school. Right.

[00:14:35.000] - Big Rich Klein

Okay. And you don't still have that Camaro, do you?

[00:14:39.100] - Bryan Crofts

I don't. I wish I did. That was one car I regret. Right.

[00:14:44.340] - Big Rich Klein

So then what did you take to school when you went to weed?

[00:14:49.990] - Bryan Crofts

So I was really into lowered square body trucks, which is a big thing nowadays, right? Right. So my parents had an '83 a free Chevy truck that my dad built, and a little show truck. They let me take that up to Weed, and I used that while I was up there. And then I decided, some point in time, right before the wintertime up there, I decided I wanted to get a Toyota. So I bought a, I think it was a '90 or '91 Toyota extended cab that had already been solid, actually swaps, and was on 37s and whatnot. I knew nothing about wheeling. I just knew that I liked the look. I bought that truck, and that was the truck that got me into off-roading.

[00:15:44.240] - Big Rich Klein

And were How did you start that at? Did you start that at? Up there, way northern California weed area?

[00:15:51.700] - Bryan Crofts

Yes. So that's what sparked the interest. I had a buddy that I went to school with that lived across the hall from me who had a lifted Chevy truck, and him and I would go out to Wairika, to Mount Shasta. And it was just doing fire roads and mud wheeling, no rocks, no nothing. And that's what got me interested in doing more of it. While you were going to school up there, I would imagine it was full-time school because It was school, and you were not only training, but were you apprenticing with a fire department as well? Yeah. It was an intensive program. It was a six-month program with the academy, and that was five days a week, and sometimes weekend. And then once I was off school, I was also a volunteer firefighter at weed fire department. I would respond to calls and whatnot. I had a pager and all that thing. And then in the downtime, I would also do some general Ed and EMT and building suppression classes, things of that nature. But I also was able to have enough time off throughout that time to work at the Mount Shasas Ski Resort, where I was one of the first people to qualify for a National Ski Patrol on a snowboard, which is cool.

[00:17:28.590] - Bryan Crofts

And I was able to start my journey as a National Ski Patrol, which I didn't carry through with. But I did take the test. I passed the test. I got offered a position. I just never followed through with it. Right.

[00:17:45.790] - Big Rich Klein

I took the on-hill test. Yeah. And up at what was then... Well, it's Sierra Tahoe? Yeah. And I hadn't skied in a lot of years. And I knew I wanted to try it. I'd always wanted to see if I could take the test and pass it. And I remember I rented equipment the weekend before, went up and skied for one day and said, Okay, I'm ready, and then went and did the testing the next weekend, all on rental gear, and blew everybody away that was taking the test at the same time and had no clue. And I remember the first trip, the first run, take us all the way up to the top of the hill, and then without stopping, all the way down to the bottom. And they said, Okay, the reason we do this at the end of the year is we want to see what condition you're in. And typically you've had all season long to ski. So the first run is going to be no stopping. We're going down the biggest hill, the longest hill, and we'll see what condition everybody's in at the bottom. We get to the bottom and my legs are burning.

[00:19:06.500] - Big Rich Klein

But I was the first one down besides the instructors. We followed them down. And then that's when they said, okay, Obviously, you guys are all in condition, and I'm thinking, oh, shit, it's going to be a long day. So you get out of weed, and you You are applying for fire position jobs, and can't find something because you don't have your paramedic level. What did you decide to do then?

[00:19:41.400] - Bryan Crofts

So then I got involved in automotive marketing side. I worked with a lot of different automotive manufacturers doing ride and drives or in-house dealer training, also some R&D with some manufacturers right right out of college. And fell into that through my cousin, who had been doing that for years prior. So I traveled the country, and quote, unquote, the world, on other people's dime and worked with a lot of very cool manufacturers, drove a lot of really cool cars. That's pretty good that you had a cousin that was already in it.

[00:20:27.340] - Big Rich Klein

Because I'm like, How the hell did you score that? And then you told us, but it was like, that's pretty cool.

[00:20:34.700] - Bryan Crofts

Yeah. I started at the bottom, cleaning wheels and kicking cones. And I was the grunt. And I saw these guys doing cool stuff with cars, and they were up on stage facilitating and talking about vehicles and this and that. And that was the drive that I wanted that I got. And I saw that to make me move farther into that that industry. And it took a little while, but I was able to work my way up through the industry. And again, it allowed me to work with a lot of really cool manufacturers and been to a lot of cool tracks and things of that nature.

[00:21:14.920] - Big Rich Klein

And about how long did that last?

[00:21:19.070] - Bryan Crofts

I did that all the way up until 2016. But 2009, I took a break from it for a year. And 2009, I decided, when the market and everything crashed, that the auto industry was taking a hit and work was a little harder to come by. I decided that I should find something else to do. And a buddy of mine, Parker Morris, which you may have remembered, he was my spotter in We Rock. He ended up getting hired on with the Sheriff's Department in San Francisco. And I was like, Man, if they'll hire you, they'll hire me. So I decided to take a different avenue and went into law enforcement and took about a year and a half off of work and focused on doing the police academy and all that stuff.

[00:22:17.160] - Big Rich Klein

And that was that 2009 era?

[00:22:19.950] - Bryan Crofts

That was 2009 era, and I didn't get hired until 2012 with the San Francisco Sheriff's Department. Okay. And there was a big hiring freeze in the city and whatnot. But, yeah, I was in the Sheriff's Department for 12 years.

[00:22:40.140] - Big Rich Klein

Wow. What did... What What was it like being a Sheriff in San Francisco? Because it's the city and county of San Francisco.

[00:22:53.790] - Bryan Crofts

Correct. Yeah. So San Francisco is a city and county in one, which a lot of people don't realize. We have a lot of different agencies within San Francisco. We have National Guard. We have everybody. And what the Sheriff's Department's role was in San Francisco, prior was the Sheriff usually run the county, right? There was a mishap way early on in the years where they relinquished all the power for the sheriff, and the police department handled basically everything in San Francisco. When the Sheriff Department got gifted the jails, the hospitals, and serve warrants, and that was about it. I didn't do much patrol. I worked in the jail for the most part. I did go out on the streets, but I worked in the jail, and I enjoyed working in the jail. That's why I worked at 850 Bryant Street, right downtown by the giant stadium. I worked Three on, four off. I worked twelve hour shifts. It was a perfect schedule. And there's a lot to see and a lot going on in the city. We're a very diverse city. I saw things that I probably wish they would have put in the literature before hiring because I may not have signed up for it, but it definitely It changed my outlook on life.

[00:24:32.300] - Bryan Crofts

It made me grow up a lot quicker. It was very interesting. I like people. I like interacting with people, so it felt like a perfect fit. My biggest thing was working in the jail, I like to know what made people click. Why were they in there? That thing. I like the conversations. I like the interaction. So it was an awesome time for me. I enjoyed it.

[00:24:59.760] - Big Rich Klein

So So you're growing up in Novato and having to cross the bridge, you didn't spend much time as a kid in San Francisco?

[00:25:09.940] - Bryan Crofts

I didn't. My parents grew up in the city. We were in Novato. The only time we went to the city was field trips in school, or my dad, when I was a young kid, had seasoned tickets to the Niners at Candlestick. So we were going to the city for that. But really, I guess we were into... Every kid was into skateboarding at that time, and Haight-ashbury, if you know the area, was a big skate area. That whole genre was there. So we would go into the city for some skate gear and things of that nature. But we didn't spend a whole lot of time in the city.

[00:25:45.810] - Big Rich Klein

Okay, because growing up south of San Francisco, we could throw our bikes on Samtrans or even Bart later on and get up into the city really easily, or even just where I lived. I mean, I could ride my bike. It was an hour or so, but we could ride out to Candlestick, and I used to go watch Giants games and stuff like that. My parents were nine or season tickets holders, and then I got them when I was in high school. But the city was a playground for me as a kid. So I grew up there because both my mom dad worked in the city. And so I would go up to the city and hang out at Golden Gate Park as a pre-teen and a teenager and just travel around the city. I mean, it was a lot different than it was even when you grew up and went through there. Yeah. The city was crazy, but it was safer. Well, times were just different and safer in the '60s and '70s '70s. The hippie movement there in Golden Gate Park and Haight-ashbury and all the diversity. I mean, you talk about a city where you could get any food in the world, restaurant-wise, and the arts and the entertainment there was incredible.

[00:27:22.080] - Big Rich Klein

But, yeah, it's changed.

[00:27:26.020] - Bryan Crofts

That's for sure. Oh, yeah. Yeah, no, we didn't get much time there. I mean, of course, when my brother is two and a half years older, so he would eventually take me to the city for some adult activities when I was younger, and we would go down to Broadway Street. We won't go into it too much, but we go down to Broadway and do things of that nature. But that was about it. We never really went to the city a whole lot. It just, like you said, times had changed, and we didn't spend a whole lot of time down there. Right.

[00:28:02.900] - Big Rich Klein

Okay. So then, while you were doing your car thing up to 2009, or until you got into the Sheriff's Department, What were you driving then? Were you still in that Toyota four by four?

[00:28:19.980] - Bryan Crofts

No, I've gone through quite a few cars in my base. So I've had everything from the Toyotas to Jeeps, to Dodge pickups. I got really big into Dodge diesels. Out of college, I started drag racing and doing Dino competitions and whatnot. So for a while there, I had the fastest all diesel single turbo Dodge diesel in the nation. Like I said, I did a lot of drag racing with it. I did a lot of Dino comps, things of that nature. And And then I started building a Jeep at some point with Mike Schafer, and that was one of the last Jeeps I've owned. But I've had everything from Subarus to trucks to Camaro's, all kinds of things.

[00:29:23.490] - Big Rich Klein

So let's talk about your time in We Rock. You mentioned that along with Parker. When did you get started on that, and how did that come about?

[00:29:35.990] - Bryan Crofts

So I got into that. So my Toyota, my Toyota extended cab, turned into me meeting a buddy of mine who just recently passed away, Greg Peterson, who used to work at Mike Popola's, which you may remember Popola, off road. And so he worked at Popola's, and that's where him and I met, and I had some ARB trouble with my with my Toyota, not really knowing anything about that vehicle yet. I had them do some work on it, and he asked one day if I was interested in going wheeling, and I blew him off and wasn't interested. And about a year later, I sold the Toyota, and Parker and I drove up to Oregon, and I bought a YJ, and I decided I wanted to start building this YJ, and I went back up, and I met Greg, and We started throwing parts at it. And he asked again if I wanted to go wheeling with him in the Wine Country Rock Crawlers out of Sanoma. And we went to Fort Ice, and that was my first off-roading experience, first wheeling experience, and fell in love with it. And that turned into me wanting to have the Jeep built a little bit better.

[00:30:52.190] - Bryan Crofts

And that introduced me to Bob Roghe, which at the time owned CNR Motorsports. And I had him do a four link with a Dana 60 and air shocks in the rear. And he introduced me to Danny Patterson and Jody Everdeen at the time.

[00:31:13.940] - Big Rich Klein

And- Boy, he just ruined your life, didn't he?

[00:31:17.570] - Bryan Crofts

Yeah. So I see them up there and I see their stockmod rigs, right? So I see the bass boat red and orange rig that Jody had, and I see Danny's bass boat green one, and I fell in love with him. And I went wheeling with Bob a couple of times, and Bob called me and said, Hey, Jody's looking to get out of the stock mod rig if you're interested. And I jumped on it. And I went down and I picked up the Jeep from him and Sarah at the time and brought it up, had Bob do some work on it. And my first We Rock event was Paris, California.

[00:32:01.800] - Big Rich Klein

All right. It was Paris, huh?

[00:32:03.660] - Bryan Crofts

Yeah. I mean, it was awesome. I loved it. I fell in love with We Rock. I ran We Rock for, I think, two years, is what I ran We Rock for, and I ran Cal Rock in between with Glenn Bonner. I just fell in love with rock crawling.

[00:32:24.380] - Big Rich Klein

Do you know that Paris event site, that was Ricky Johnson's? Oh, was Yeah, that cross track.

[00:32:33.230] - Bryan Crofts

Yeah, that was 2009, I think. And that brings me back to remembering, because I remember being there. That was when the Campbells just finished Jason Shears, 2009 winning car, which then went to Schafer's to get done for KOH. But yeah, I remember being there, watching that big drop that was there. And I mean, it was just such a cool event. And I remember just always wanting to have a Pro mod, or or an unlimited car. But yeah, that was a really cool event, and that's what drove me to want to continue doing rock crawling and whatnot.

[00:33:10.900] - Big Rich Klein

So we did the tech and registration at Hooters down the highway there a little bit. Were you there when Jason raced those street rods that came in?

[00:33:26.330] - Bryan Crofts

I was not. I remember getting dropped off there, though. Okay.

[00:33:30.760] - Big Rich Klein

There was some guy, some guys came in with blowers and all this stuff. I mean, really nice rigs, and they were laughing at our shit. And Jason and one guy raced, and Jason smoked him. And the guy was... They all left heads down, ashamed. They couldn't believe it. That was with water in the tires.

[00:33:52.740] - Bryan Crofts

Yeah, those were some good times. Absolutely.

[00:33:57.280] - Big Rich Klein

So then you spent a A couple of years rock crawling. You're working automotive stuff as well. You're in the Sheriff's Department. Those things all overlapped. And what happened next?

[00:34:16.470] - Bryan Crofts

So I guess I jumped around a little bit there. I guess I got into We Rock before 2009, so it must have been 2007-ish. All right. We Rock and Cal Rock. So I remember getting a crawl mag or something of that nature, and I saw something for King of the Hammers. And late 2008, I bought Mike Popola's old stock mod rig and turned that into a KOH rig. I put bypasses on it in '40s, and it was still a coil spring and whatnot, but did that. And that drove into getting involved in King of the Hammers.

[00:35:07.050] - Big Rich Klein

And you've been in that ever since?

[00:35:11.680] - Bryan Crofts

I've been in it ever since. So 2009 was my first KOH where we had, I think it was 97 people were able to be qualified for KOH, and we all had to do an LCQ, a backdoor and around. I think there was like 120 of us that showed up. And I made the cut. I was one of the last ones to make the cut, but unfortunately, I broke both coilovers off on the front, and I wasn't able to get the car done in time to race KOH of 2009. And that was the first year Shannon showed up with his IFS car. And I saw that thing, and that was like a $150,000 car back then, which was unheard of. And I was like, Man, I've got a $30,000 trail rig. There's no way I can compete against these people. I stepped away from KOH for a few years. I sold the cars. I got into trail wheeling. I focused on the Sheriff's apartment, buying a house, that stuff. And then one year, my brother and I went up to Reno for the nationals race, and we're sitting in the grandstands, and he goes, Hey, bro, why aren't you racing?

[00:36:32.060] - Bryan Crofts

I'm like, I don't have the money. He's like, Yeah, but I know you're faster than half these people out there, and you can race with them. Why don't you do it? I was able to spend about a year of working, and I was able to get connected with Jesse Haynes, and I was able to buy his old 4500 car, and went out and raced 4500 in 2016. So that was when I got back into racing Ultra 4 and King of the Hammers, and it just continued.

[00:37:10.600] - Big Rich Klein

Cool. And you spent how many years or what was the first year you went on Jambury?

[00:37:18.610] - Bryan Crofts

First year I went on Jambury, I believe was 2007, 2007. Okay. 2007, I think was the first year we went on Jeepers Jambury. We went on Jeep Jambury first, and that was cool. And then Bob and Jody and all those guys invited me to participate in what everyone calls the Adult Summer Camp. And I did Jeepers one year, and that was it. I fell in love. Jeepers is one of my favorite events in the country.

[00:38:00.090] - Big Rich Klein

I agree. I just don't get a chance to go as often because the timing was always poor with our event series. But now that I'm retired from going to the events, I hope to make that starting next year a regular thing. We'll see. Yes. We'll see, but I keep saying that.

[00:38:18.570] - Bryan Crofts

Yeah, I mean, I lived just down the road from... I lived in Orangeville or Folsom, and I was always on the Rubicon. So I love... Rubicon is my favorite, Jeepers is my favorite event. Ford ICE was awesome. I just trail wheeled for many years.

[00:38:36.460] - Big Rich Klein

So then you started racing the 4500 class, and how many years did you race that until you jumped up?

[00:38:44.110] - Bryan Crofts

I raced the 4500 car, I believe, for a full season. In my last race, I can tell you, because I remember, was when we raced at the Mint 400 in Ultra 4. And it was raining. It was a miserable race. A buddy of mine, TJ, was my co-driving. We blew the rear shocks out of the car. We were all the way up into sixth place in 4,400, and we were on that 45 car. I remember loading it on the trailer and thinking this was the dumbest decision I ever did. I don't ever want to race a car like that ever again. I got my ass handed to me. I decided halfway through the home to put it up for sale. I put it up for sale, and I called Randy from Jimmy's and started talking with him and got serious about building a 4,400 car.

[00:39:44.630] - Big Rich Klein

And so your first 4,400 car was a Jimmy's?

[00:39:47.560] - Bryan Crofts

My first 4,400 car was a Jimmy's IFS car. But luckily enough, I was able to get a hold of Dave Cole, and Dave was nice enough to, in 2018, let me borrow a spec... Or actually, it wasn't a spec. It was one of the 4,400 cars that went over to Japan, which was a Jimmy's car. Let me borrow one of those for nationals, and I was able to run that to be able to qualify for KOH in 2019.

[00:40:25.140] - Big Rich Klein

Very good. And How did you do in that race?

[00:40:36.420] - Bryan Crofts

I made the main, but that was about it, about all I can say. It didn't go well. That was nationals? That was nationals. I went through a bunch of tires. I had a rough time. It was an eye opener. The car definitely... It was capable, but it may not have been at the level it needed to be to be competitive at time. But luckily for me, just making the main allowed me to qualify for KOH, and really, that was the only thing I was there for. Right.

[00:41:12.840] - Big Rich Klein

Then so in 2019, at KOH, which would have been the next race for you then.

[00:41:19.870] - Bryan Crofts

Correct.

[00:41:20.720] - Big Rich Klein

You had the Jimmy's car ready?

[00:41:22.680] - Bryan Crofts

Yeah. Randy and the team over there knocked that car out pretty quick for me. We were able to bring it to SEMA for for a little show, and then slammed it together right before KOH. I think I finished a couple of things on the Lakebed. I got about 20 or 30 miles on the car before qualifying that year. But it was a fun time learning and rushing to get a car done.

[00:41:56.130] - Big Rich Klein

And how did that race go for you?

[00:41:59.850] - Bryan Crofts

So I was one of the first people to qualify that morning. Threw down the fastest lap. I held pole position all the way until power hour, and I got knocked down to fourth on qualifying position. So it was a bit of an eye opener for quite a few people, with it being a brand new car, a brand new person coming in to 4,400. Car was awesome. Car worked great. I was actually I'm lucky enough to know, and I still do, Oren Anderson, who's Bryce Menzies' co- driver. Some of you guys might have seen him as co- driver of the Year thing. They did that whole article on him. But Oren was happy enough to jump in with me. And if it wasn't for Oren, I probably wouldn't have finished my very first KOH in my Jimmy's car.

[00:42:58.840] - Big Rich Klein

Why How was that?

[00:43:01.890] - Bryan Crofts

Just calming me down and basically just getting us through the day. We had a very long day. We started off very good. We started off running out to Cougar Butte. We were running in fourth or fifth place, got to Cougar Butte, went through Cougar Butte, no problems, came out of Cougar Butte and went to go put it back in high range, and it was stuck in low range. The the shifter fork that controlled, I ran an SCS case with a Magnum box in front for low range, and the shifter fork ended up getting bent and wasn't allowing it to go back into high range. So we ran all the way back from Cougar Butte all the way to main pit in low range. And him and I both were like, Man, this is going to be a long day. I don't think we're going to make it. We should just quit. And he's like, We're We're going to finish. And he just kept that drive going. And we literally just drove around KOH that year, max speed. I think we saw after Cougar Butte was like 32, 31 miles an hour Just driving it, keeping it like 3000 RPM the whole time.

[00:44:19.880] - Bryan Crofts

And we just laughed and trail wheeled and had a good old time. And we were able to come home with a finish. And I I think we finished 13th that year. So it was really cool.

[00:44:36.600] - Big Rich Klein

At Jeep speed, speed.

[00:44:38.600] - Bryan Crofts

Yeah.

[00:44:39.160] - Big Rich Klein

It was 30 miles an hour.

[00:44:41.020] - Bryan Crofts

It was fun. I mean, one of the funniest part of the whole deal was, is we were coming down. I can't remember what trail we were coming down, but I had to pee so bad. And I was like, Man, I got to stop. I got to stop. And he's like, You don't have a catheter on? And I'm like, No. He's like, You're really going to stop? And I was like, What difference does it make? We're doing 30 miles an hour. And he's like, Okay, fine. If you're going to stop, get out and check the car. So I got out, took a leak and started walking around the car, making sure everything was good, and jumped back in the car. And he was like, You're the first person I've ever drove with as a driver that got out and took a pee and walked around and checked the car. He goes, this is... He's just laughing his ass off the whole time. But it was just a good old time. That's awesome. Yeah, I was lucky enough, like I said, to have I have Oren. I mean, he's been Casey Curry's, and I think he still is sometimes Casey's co- driver at the Hammers.

[00:45:37.000] - Bryan Crofts

I mean, you couldn't ask for a better person, just calm head. He's knowledgeable about the area, everything. It just worked out perfect.

[00:45:48.770] - Big Rich Klein

And how long did you... How many years did you drive that car?

[00:45:53.920] - Bryan Crofts

So 2018, we started building the car. I was able to meet who is now my fiance, which is Bayly. So a little backstory. A buddy of ours, Dave Hollywood. People may know him. We were at nationals at the awards ceremony, and I saw Bayly, and I asked Dave who she was and this and that. And next thing you know, Bayly and I started talking. Her I got together in 2019. I raced that Jimmy's car all of 2019 up until nationals of 2019. And then we decided that I would build a Campbell car as now I was part of the family, and I had some oddball parts compared to theirs. So it just made sense to make the switch to a Campbell car So in 2020, we decided to start building... Well, the end of 2020, we decided to build a Campbell car for myself. Okay.

[00:47:11.570] - Big Rich Klein

And yours is a single-seater?

[00:47:14.070] - Bryan Crofts

Mine and Wayland, yes. So we have sister cars. That's what sparked the interest is it was cheaper to build two cars at once than it was to build one by itself. So Wayland started his car earlier on in the year, and I I started seeing his come together, and that other chassis hadn't been sold yet, and I had to have it. So, yeah, they're both single-seaters. They're both identical cars. Only difference is motor and some seating position stuff, and that's it. Okay.

[00:47:51.300] - Big Rich Klein

And when did you... You're no longer working for the Sheriff's Department, correct?

[00:47:58.400] - Bryan Crofts

Correct. Yeah, 2000. Actually, 2019 was my last year with the Sheriff's Department. I ended up having or getting involved in an inmate on inmate altercation. I took an inmate down to the ground to break up a fight. And in doing so, I ended up breaking a bone in my wrist and my hand that ultimately caused my wrist to lose 90 % of its movement. And in the result of that, the Sheriff's Department requires at least 90 % movement in your wrist. So they ended up having to to actually retire me from the Sheriff's Department in 2019. Okay.

[00:48:50.600] - Big Rich Klein

I knew that you had that you had stopped and that there was some injury. I didn't know what it was. Okay.

[00:48:55.660] - Bryan Crofts

Yeah, so it was a wrist injury. Luckily enough, I was able to get all the doctors and everything else to sign off on me being able to still race cars, drive cars, right? Because it's a steering wheel, that thing. So that was a blessing to be able to have that on my ride, or else I probably wouldn't be allowed to be racing. Okay.

[00:49:20.860] - Big Rich Klein

And so you build a Campbell's car. You're now part of the Campbell stable, you might say. And how's that been?

[00:49:32.530] - Bryan Crofts

It's been awesome. I mean, my first go around with them was building my car in 31 days, which was a pretty cool feat in itself. So we built that car in 31 days from start to finish. And I was able to... The biggest thing that I'd walked away with was pre-running with them, learning different lines, understanding how their vehicles work because they are a mid-engine car. They're very seat forward versus your traditional front-engine car. So it is a different driving dynamic of that car. But being able to go out and pre-run with a three-time king, I think he's the second... He's got the second second places in Ultra 4, which is Wayland, right under, I think, Rick Mooningham. So I'm learning a lot from Shannon, from Bayland, Bayly, and then also Bayly's co-driving, Ryan Miller. So I'm able to learn a lot and learn it quick. So that was amazing, just being able to do that. And then being involved with building my car, I can't say enough of that because I know everything about the car, how it was built, why it was built this way, how it's put together, et cetera. So the experience and everything that I got from building that car and being a part of the Campbell's group, I couldn't change it for anything.

[00:51:24.620] - Big Rich Klein

Perfect. You said you're your fiancé. You guys are still You're not married yet?

[00:51:32.780] - Bryan Crofts

We're not married yet. We're working on it. In California, technically, we are legally married. We're domestic partners in California. But 2019, we all know what happened in '19. We got COVID hit us, '19 and '20. So everything to try and do a wedding from '19, '20, '21, everything got pushed back, and we just fell behind on doing that. And then also during that time, Bayly got pregnant, and we now have a beautiful daughter, Emory. Not just Bayly got pregnant.

[00:52:17.840] - Big Rich Klein

You both got pregnant, okay? That's how that goes, you know.

[00:52:23.090] - Bryan Crofts

Yeah, we got pregnant, and we were able to have a wonderful little girl. And That also hindered getting married. That's also another feat of trying to create a wedding and plan a wedding and everything. So we plan on actually legally being married next year, sometime. Good.

[00:52:48.780] - Big Rich Klein

Glad to hear that.

[00:52:50.250] - Bryan Crofts

Yeah.

[00:52:50.800] - Big Rich Klein

We'll be looking for our invitation.

[00:52:53.320] - Bryan Crofts

Of course.

[00:52:54.890] - Big Rich Klein

I know it'll be a hard party to get invited to, because it's just so many people that want to go.

[00:53:05.360] - Bryan Crofts

It should be a good party.

[00:53:06.730] - Big Rich Klein

I've known Bayly since she was, I think, Diapers?

[00:53:12.810] - Bryan Crofts

Yeah.

[00:53:13.470] - Big Rich Klein

Yeah. It's how I have known the family.

[00:53:17.410] - Bryan Crofts

No, it's an amazing family, everyone. I mean, like I said, just being able to be involved in it has been a true blessing and learning everything I did. I got to tell you, One of the coolest things that we do while racing is, it's not only myself and Bayly are racing, but Bayly and Shannon, we're all racing against each other, but we're all racing with each other. We all have We all have the same drive. We all have the same want as to win, but yet we're all still a family, and we're all on the same radio channel. You can only imagine some of the conversations that go on through our radio throughout the day, whether it's coming up on someone or hearing that someone broke. There's been years where I've thrown spare parts on my car and brought them to Shannon when he had a broken this or that, and same thing with Shannon. It's just so cool to see that group come together and all help each other. It's just so cool.

[00:54:28.880] - Big Rich Klein

What would you say? I think that Shannon's driving style is... It's not unique. There's others that do it, but he probably... I mean, he doesn't... It's like when the race starts, he doesn't know where the break pedal went.

[00:54:46.950] - Bryan Crofts

No, I would say it's like, man, what are those? Like when you throw the red flag at a bull, all you see is red. Exactly. As soon as that green flag drops, I I mean, he's out for blood. He runs that car as hard as he can. And that's one reason why we pre-run in our race cars, is we plan on finding what's going to break a week or two prior, and he'll run that car into the ground. And the goal is to win. It's not to finish. Of course, you do everything you can to finish, but the goal is to win. So get out front and run hard. And that's his mentality. And it's transferred over to Whalen and Bayly. And it helped me, but It hurt me because I had that drive, but I didn't know for KOH what a finishing pace was until I finally finished in my single-seat car. And then you know what the pace needs to be, where you can run hard and where you can't. And it's just natural instinct for him now. He knows where to run it hard and where to take it a little easy.

[00:56:12.540] - Bryan Crofts

But if you're standing in the rock sections and all you hear is a bunch of 6000 RPM and rocks moving and throwing, you know it's Shannon coming through. So he's easy in certain areas, but I mean, it's full throttle and it's a party and it's something to watch.

[00:56:29.200] - Big Rich Klein

It's like It's an MMA fight. Yes. He just drives that thing. I mean, like you said, it's records or checkers. I mean, there's no in between. Whalen seems to be a little less of that, but still, he's not afraid to flog the the hell out of a car. No. Bayly seems... Having her learn to race, coming to our dirt races with her brother and her dad, and watching the dynamics in her driving style, even though they're in her ear in the passenger seat going faster, faster. I'm sure they're saying that. What I've noticed with her, she's so smooth from transitions. She may not be, let's say there's a 200-yard stretch. She may not be the fastest in that 200-yard stretch, but you get that, like the whole qualifying lap, and she's faster. Yep, 100 %. So she might not go into the corner quite as fast, but she's coming out faster.

[00:57:44.090] - Bryan Crofts

Well, going back to my automotive side of the marketing and everything, I did a lot of driver training stuff. And women tend to have a better understanding of the throttle pedal men. They're much more linear on the throttle. They understand and they comprehend some instructions a little bit better than men. Us guys just think automatically we get in and boom, full throttle, and it'll go through it. And it's like, no, you got to have some finesse. And that's where Bayly is totally different than the boys, that she's got that finesse. And it's funny, when we go out free running, Shannon doesn't go first. Bayly doesn't go first. I don't go first. We throw Bayly out front, and Bayly breaks trail for us all. And we watch Bayly go through everything first.

[00:58:40.660] - Big Rich Klein

Why is that?

[00:58:42.640] - Bryan Crofts

She's much smoother in certain areas than we are, right? I mean, we get bound up, and next thing you know, we're on the throttle and we're breaking something, or we're just blowing the tires off. She goes through it, and it's much Much smoother, much better finesse. And she's also got Ryan Miller with her.

[00:59:05.920] - Big Rich Klein

Who doesn't forget a rock on the trail anywhere.

[00:59:08.780] - Bryan Crofts

Yeah. So I mean, you've had conversations with Ryan. I mean, he knows everything and anything about rock crawling, and trail wheeling, and whatnot. So I mean, he's got her, and she's a smoother driver. It makes for the perfect trailbreaker. There you go. Okay.

[00:59:24.460] - Big Rich Klein

Makes sense.

[00:59:25.500] - Bryan Crofts

Yeah. But.

[00:59:29.350] - Big Rich Klein

And this last year was quite the year you got injured before the race. You want to go into all that, and how the race transpired, how it all fell in?

[00:59:45.550] - Bryan Crofts

Yeah. So this last year, I finished KOH, and right now, going to the start of it, KOH usually dictates our ultra-four season. If you don't do Well, you're out of the points running for nationals. If you finish, you have a chance. And I finished fairly decent at KOH. So I was like, You know what? I'm going to try and run for the Championship this year. And I Started running the car that season, and we did fairly well. Won a couple of races, finished on the podium a couple of times. Our nationals race was at Lake Havasu, and I felt great. Just Just coming off a win, all three of us actually, one, two, three on the podium, which has never been done in history with a family and a Campbell team. So coming into this race felt really good. And went out and did qualifying, screwed the pooch on qualifying, but I wasn't too worried. That track or course was what I do really well at, so I wasn't concerned And green flag dropped and took off about Mile 6. There was a little uphill, back down to a downhill and two little rollers. And I didn't see the two rollers.

[01:01:18.580] - Bryan Crofts

I knew they were there, but I didn't see them. They came up on me really quick as I was chasing down a gentleman, Philip McGilton, who actually owns my current car now. I was chasing him down, and I didn't see those two rollers, and I hit one of the rollers, and I nosed into the second one, and lights out. I mean, it knocked me out. I lost feeling from the waist down. It hurt. Six miles into the race, about 20 or so seconds, I think I was out, and took about a minute or so to catch my breath. Thought about hitting that panic button on the tracker, and then my dumb male instinct kicked in, and I just kept driving. And Ran another six laps. And throughout that day, I was able to pick off a bunch more drivers and work my way up to corrected time, first place, physically third, and And at the end of the day, I crossed that finish line third place. And I was considered for the national championship, but I wasn't the favor to win. And securing that third place finish at Havasu secured me the national championship. So it was a pretty surreal race.

[01:02:56.840] - Bryan Crofts

It was one of the worst races of my life and one that I'll never forget, but it was also one of the best races of my life, proving that a quote unquote privateer and doing most all this with my father and myself and my wife, working on the car in the garage by myself, we can do this. And it just was a huge feat, and it made me feel amazing and horrible at the same time. And brings me to where I'm at now, which is ultra four carless, but still in the game, helping a couple of people here and there do some driver training. And I still involved in the sport and still love it.

[01:03:48.100] - Big Rich Klein

So are you going to get back in the car, a car eventually, or was the the impact and the injury too much?

[01:03:57.180] - Bryan Crofts

So I ended up doing six compression fracture in my back, and one of them is 90 % collapsed. Unfortunately, we didn't catch it in time to fix them. The only other option I have now is possibly a surgery, which I don't want to go in for, but it hasn't stopped me from getting in the car. I've got the okay by the doctor a couple of times to go out and This last year, right after the Championship, my wife Bayly was asked to race Baha 1,000 for Ford Motor Company. And we were grateful enough and thankful enough to run the Bronco raptor this last year, the Baha 1,000, and I co-drew it for her. And we were able to take home a Baha 1,000 win right after breaking the back. I won't say I won't ever get a car or ultra four car. I may not do any short course rock racing. That's pretty hard on the body. But don't count me out for not showing up at a KOH unexpectedly or something of that nature. Okay.

[01:05:14.080] - Big Rich Klein

So then that was 2023, 2024 rolls around. You guys take all the cars to the Lakebed, correct? Correct. Or did you leave yours at home?

[01:05:28.660] - Bryan Crofts

No, prepped. My goal for '24 was to win KOH. So I put every penny that I won, every effort I had into prepping that car, getting it ready for KOH of '24. And got to the Lake bed, did not do any pre-runting. I was waiting for a call from the doctor. The doctor called me about two days, three days before or KOH and said, Hey, I strongly advise you not to get in the car. So that was a big kick in the knackers, and I decided to sit KOH or 24 out in a way. But luckily, Ultra 4 and King of the Hammers, Dave Cole, had this awesome idea where we were able to register for pennies on the dollar. So I was able to secure a KOH spot for $25 or something. And I was like, you know what? I've already invested all this time and money into the car in the event. What's 300 bucks? So my sponsors were there. I have Dixon Flannels on the side of the car. I was like, you know what? We're here. Let's show off the car. So I decided to take the car through, check in contingency, and get all the...

[01:06:56.490] - Bryan Crofts

Get everything done for registration and whatnot. So the car is all legal to race. And the night before the race, I told everybody, Hey, car is registered. If anybody has a problem, I'll come out on course, give them a hand, whatever. I'm a registered driver, and didn't really think anything of it. No one did. And got Bayly ready in the morning, gave her a kiss, and she went on her way. Told Bro, good luck. And he took off. Same thing with Shannon, they all took off. And that's where the day started for us. Baylen came over the radio, said, Hey, I hit a rock, I blew the steering rack out. I'm like, Okay, cool. So I ran to the semi-trailer. I started pulling parts, tools, everything he needed to change out a steering rack. He then came running in from where his car was because he broke at Mile One. And he came running I handed him all the parts, all the tools, and everything but the rack. And I said, Hey, I'll see you out there, whatnot. And over the radio, I hear Bayly come over, and they said they blew the motor up in her car.

[01:08:16.140] - Bryan Crofts

And I was like, well, shit, what are we going to do? And we're standing there. My car is in the tent, registered. Everything's ready to go. And I said, you know what? Screw it. Put the driver's suit on. Had someone fire up my car, drove it over to the start line. I'm 30 minutes late. I get suited up and I head out with a steering rack for whaling. And I hand off the steering rack to whaling at Mile One. Told him I'd be back. I'm dropping my car off to Bayly at Mile Nine. And I drove the car all the way to Mile Nine And I wanted nothing more than to get out of the car. My back hurt that bad. And somehow, no one knows this, but somehow I got a flat tire in turkey claw just driving the stupid car to Bayly. So I deliver a car with a flat tire and out of gas to Bayly and Ryan. So they then had to change a tire and transfer fuel into her car, or from her car into mine. And I hiked from roughly Race Mile 9 or 10 all the way back to Wayland.

[01:09:39.360] - Bryan Crofts

And keep in mind, at this point, my back is killing me. Screaming, yeah. And I helped Wayland put a steering rack back in. We got his car fired up, and he was just about ready to take off, and there was oil dumping everywhere. And somehow, his valve cover It ballooned out on the side, and the valve cover gasket was just not feeling, and oil was everywhere. And him and I made the decision that it wasn't safe, and there was no time to fix it within time for him to make the check to continue. So him and I both started walking back to main pit, and then we were like, You know what? There's a rock trail out there that isn't very fun. We're just going to go ahead and head over there, and I believe it was... Was it Check Me Out? I think it was, something of that nature. Anyways, Whalen and I decided to start hiking over to to remote Pit 2. And then from remote Pit 2, we hiked up to that trail, I believe, which was Check Me Out. And we got to remote Pit 2, just as Bayly was rolling in in my car.

[01:10:59.050] - Bryan Crofts

And Bayly ran the entire desert loop and part of the rock loop. And Ryan Miller was also with us as we were hiking over. And Bayly said, Hey, Miller, why don't you jump in the car and take it for the end of lap two in the final lap three rock trails? So Miller jumped in the race car and took off, and Bayly and I and Whalen started hiking up, and we got a call on the radio that Shannon just made it into remote pit two, and his co- driver wasn't feeling good. So Bro took off running back down to remote two and jumped in with Shannon and continued on. And Bayly and I continued on to the rock trail. Just as we got to the obstacle, Jason Sheer was pulling out, and we sat there. I mean, I brought a bag full of snacks. I had Cuties and chocolate and drinks and everything. And we just had a picnic up there on the Rock Trail, guiding people through. It was just a really fun time. We spotted and winched every single person through, except for the top three. And it was a great time.

[01:12:24.630] - Big Rich Klein

You said not the top three. Was that because they had already gotten through by the time you got there?

[01:12:29.980] - Bryan Crofts

They had already gone through as we got there. So, yeah, Sheer was the last one through when we got there. And then from Sheer on, we assisted every car there. The whole time we were there, there was three cars that were able to drive that obstacle. The rest of them, I winched every single one of them. And it was funny because I got people that were calling me after the race that that was the one spot that they were worried about. And as soon as they said they saw myself and Bayly there, all their worries went away. And for a few people, it took them to understand that I'm there to help. I'm not there to screw anybody. And it just took a couple of people to realize that just to trust in Bayly and I, and that we were there to get them through and get them through there as quickly and fast as possible, because We're racers. We understand, right? You don't want to spend any time winching or no one wants to hook up to a rope, right? We all have ego. But the safest, fastest way out of that obstacle was hook to the winch and jam out.

[01:13:43.980] - Bryan Crofts

And it was just a really fun day. I got to spend basically the whole day with Bayly and had a lot of laughs, ate some snacks, and it was just an awesome time. I ended up hiking a total of, I think, 19 miles that day and just whooped my ass. But it was probably one of the most fun KOHs I've ever had, even though I didn't really race. I raced a total of nine miles and hiked 19. But it was probably one of the most fun I've ever had at that race.

[01:14:25.130] - Big Rich Klein

So what is, besides you guys getting married, hopefully next year, what is the... And I say hopefully because you just never know what else will come about and maybe delay things. But what else is in the future for you guys?

[01:14:42.630] - Bryan Crofts

Well, an event that you always chase and or participate in is the Rebell Rally. Absolutely. Bayly just got announced this two weeks ago that she'll be running for Ford again in the Rebell Rally in a ranger raptor. Which as of right now we're still in the shop finishing that for. You got like a week. Yeah. Well, she leaves on the eighth. I'm staying home with Em January. She'll take off on the eighth. She has a new navigator, Sedona. So her and Sedona will leave on the eighth. They'll be a great team. And head up, and they'll be gone till the 19th. And We also have nationals coming up, which we should be leaving on the 15th or the 16th and headed to Davis, Oklahoma. You may or may not see me racing there. Who knows? But I may show up and see if I still got it. And after that, we're hoping to get another call back from Ford and race the Baja 1000. They just announced that they have the ranger raptor in entering into the Baja 1000, and Bayly and I are hoping to get those seats in that truck for this year and defend our win.

[01:16:11.640] - Big Rich Klein

Excellent. Well, that sounds like a plan.

[01:16:15.620] - Bryan Crofts

I mean, that's the goal. In the meantime, I'm also in the works of building Bayly, a 1988 Mustang Foxbody for doing some demos and car shows and things of that nature, and then maybe get her involved in some autocross. So we've got that going. And then hopefully next year, racing season might be a little slower. I don't know. The schedule did come out, and it doesn't look too bad. Some really cool races. But we're hoping to do a little bit more trail wheeling and enjoying as I just bought back my My old LJ that I built back in 2010. So hoping to convert that back into a family rig and see us out on the trail, and wheeling and enjoying life.

[01:17:14.330] - Big Rich Klein

Sounds like a plan. Sounds like a plan. Excellent.

[01:17:18.380] - Bryan Crofts

Yeah, that's the end goal. I mean, I'd love to see Bayly in a trophy truck, or a rally car, or something of that nature. So the goal is to continue pushing and pursuing as many avenues, and get as much seat time as we can in different types of vehicles, hence the reason we're building autocross, and all that stuff. So just to expand the driving level and vehicle dynamic handling and all that stuff. So it should be good. Great.

[01:17:57.700] - Big Rich Klein

Brian, I want to say thank you so much for sitting down this morning and having this conversation with me and sharing your life and your racing career and your family's with us. I really appreciate it.

[01:18:13.930] - Bryan Crofts

Well, I appreciate you having me on. It was great to talk about it, and you should see me out there sometime in the future. Yeah. Can't say when or where.

[01:18:25.450] - Big Rich Klein

So I do want to say thank you for one thing that you did for me, John Josh and I were up on Jambury, and we were coming out, and we were following. You were with all the Genright guys, and everybody's on big tires, going up through property line there, a big sluice. And there was quite a few holes. And I'm cruising along in the little Cherokee with 35s. And you had stopped and gotten out. And Josh had gotten out of the truck to spot caught through the holes. And I remember you looking at going, okay, well, here. And you kicked one rock into a hole and said, I think you got it now. And I did. We drove right through. And I want to say, I appreciate you kicking that rock in the hole for me.

[01:19:19.700] - Bryan Crofts

Well, anytime. I mean, one of the things that most people know about me is I'm one of the first people to always want to help. I love spotting. I love trail wheeling. Bayly hates it because I don't necessarily like sitting passenger seating the trail car. I like walking, I like spotting. I like helping. And it's just one of those things, my nature. I'll help anyone And of course, I'll always assist you in any way I can, whether it be kicking a rock in or getting you a drink.

[01:19:52.800] - Big Rich Klein

I appreciate that, Brian. All right. You take care and have a good day and say hello to the rest of the family for me.

[01:20:01.140] - Bryan Crofts

Will do. I appreciate it.

[01:20:02.340] - Big Rich Klein

Okay. Bye-bye.

[01:20:03.850] - Bryan Crofts

Bye.

[01:20:05.280] - Big Rich Klein

Well, that's another episode of Conversations with Big Rich. I'd like to thank you all for listening. If you could do us a favor and leave us a review on any podcast service that you happen to be listening on, or send us an email or a text message or a Facebook message, and let me know any ideas that you have, or if there's anybody that you have that you think would be a great guest, please forward the contact information to me so that we can try to get them on. And always remember, live life to the fullest. Enjoying life is a must. Follow your dreams and live life with all the gusto you can. Thank you.