On the Record Jeremy Mcgrath
ON THE RECORD JEREMY McGRATH
IGNITION
INTERVIEW
Supercross legend, truck racer, family man
Blake Conner
I THINK THE DEPTH OF COMPETITION IN SUPERCROSS IS GREAT RIGHT NOW. There
are a lot of young guys coming up who are super talented. It’s also nice to see a guy like Davi Millsaps rebound and ride like he is right now. On any day, you just don’t know who is going to win.
-> I’M A FAN OF THE SPORT AND I ALWAYS WILL BE.
I’m not sure if you can compare eras. Some may say that my era wasn’t very deep because I won all the time. There is always one guy that is going to do something special. We’re in a period right now where we’re getting a variety of winners, so I’m happy that the sport has depth.
-> JAMES STEWART WAS ON A RAMPAGE FOR A WHILE THERE, AND I THOUGHT HE WOULD BE ABLE TO BEAT MY 72 CAREER WINS IN SUPERCROSS.
Now, I think the record is safe. I think these guys make too much money to race as long as I did. The competition these days is hard, the workload is hard. I don’t think anyone has it in them to race that long anymore.
-> WINNING AN OUTDOOR TITLE ON A 250 HOLDS A STRONG PLACE IN MY HEART. Even up to 1994, I hadn’t put everything into it; I was just getting through the season, having fun and waiting for Supercross. When I finally decided to make a commitment to do what it took to beat Jeff Emig and win a title, it was quite an accomplishment for me.
-> MY MOST MEMORABLE RACE WAS MY FIRST 250CC WIN AT ANAHEIM IN 1993.1 had to pass one of my heroes, Jeff Stanton, that night. It was a home race, and the way it worked out, I won by a fair margin. It was an exciting night that I have tattooed in my head forever.
-> I HAVEN’T LOST MY CONFIDENCE. I believe that I can still go out there, do well and win races, but the Lucas Oil series is tough. There are a lot of fast guys, and it takes a lot of money to support that kind of racing, but I have a good team behind me.
-> I DON’T REALLY TREAT MY TRUCK RACING AS I TREATED MY MOTOCROSS RACING. I spent my whole life with my nose to the grindstone making sure that I won every race I could because that was my livelihood. But this second half of my racing career is more of a hobby. It’s more fun for the fapiily. t ill
“AS A FAN, IT’S NICE WHEN YOU CAN WATCH A RACE AND AREN’T SURE WHAT IS CUING TO HAPPEN. ”
MC AND MORE
NAC-NAC
Attack
-> McGrath's signature trick, the “Nac-Nac," almost single-handedly launched the sport of "freestyle motocross."
MOTOCROSS
Champion, too
-> McGrath was on the winning Motocross of Nations team - in 1993 and ’96 and won the AMA National Motocross title in '99.
JUSTIN BARCIA
The next McGrath
-> "The guy I think Is going to be the next guy is justin Barcia," says the King of Supercross.
