Matt  McCall will be on the Discovery Channel for 13 weeks!!!

Check it out!! 7pm Monday Night starting October 24th 2005

Matt made it to the final four of the Roush Gong Show and what a ride even though he didn't win.

If you watched the final show, Matt chose to loosen up the truck since it was night time and cool and most tracks get tight at night. But, for Matt it didn't happen that way and the truck was too loose and hurt his time .  But, Matt never made excuses and was just glad to have made it that far. During the day time session, Matt smoked the other 9 players and this is how he made it to the final four.  Matt was a real surprise to all that watched the show as he would run good every where and win some of the off camera events, one being the intelligence test and physical conditioning. Matt was told by Jack Roush he would help him find a ride and he asked Yates to test and give him a chance. The rest is history - Matt tested and is being given a wonderful opportunity with a group of great people. He loves to get up and go to NASCAR school, Yates Style and continue to learn the ropes of the big league. Matt is living a Dream of a life time that only a few ever get to experience and we are grateful for the opportunity that Robert Yates Racing has given Matt. Matt will not let them down and will be focused on the big picture and always remember

"mizu no koko ru".." KIME"..Thanks and let's support this great warrior.......

Click here for List of Players in the Gong Show

Flip show of some of the Gong Show events 

ROUSH RACING “GONG SHOW” 

A Guide to Roush Racing’s High Speed, High Stakes Competition to Find the Next NASCAR Star 

THE SERIES:          Discovery Channel treats racing viewers and adrenaline junkies alike to an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at selecting the next NASCAR superstar with the weekly series ROUSH RACING: DRIVER X, which documents the search for the next great racing recruit who will ultimately compete for the 2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship. 

THE PROCESS:       Known as “The Roush Racing Gong Show,” this driver audition/competition — also aptly described as “Race for the Ride” — is both innovative and unique in American racing, and will be captured for the first time ever on television. Pitting a field of racers against each other in elimination rounds, it’s a uniquely democratic process spearheaded by legendary racer and team owner Jack Roush. 

WHAT IT TAKES:    As the “Gong Show” selection process unfurls, 25 young racers who share one dream, will compete on and off the track for a fully sponsored ride with Roush. During that time, candidates endure a battery of rapid succession tests, challenging their physical and mental strengths, while also evaluating their media savvy and fan appeal. 

THE FACE-OFF:      Trackwise, the finalists are taken to Martinsville Speedway (in Martinsville, VA) and Darlington Raceway (in Darlington, SC) for competitions that will show off their skills and prove their prowess.

 THE APPLICANTS:  For the first time ever, the public-at-large was invited to apply for a spot on “The Gong Show” roster. The nearly 2,000-aspiring racer applicant pool was whittled down to 150. From that number, team owner Roush, his drivers and crew chiefs poured through the entries to give their input and reduce the list to 25, who all competed on and off the track for the coveted spot on Jack Roush’s all-star race team.

NAME’S ORIGIN:   These “Gong Show” elimination rounds were coined as an ode to the same-named Chuck Barris tongue-in-cheek game/talent show, which ran from 1976-1980. On that show, an act would be cut short if one of the three judges booted it off by striking a large gong on stage. Although a bit of a misnomer for The Roush Racing Gong Show since the racers aren’t actually “gonged,” legend has it that the process was described as such when the competition started and the name stuck.

WHEN IT BEGAN:   The Roush Racing Gong Show started in 1985 and has produced such current top stars as Kurt Busch and Robby Gordon. Last year’s winner was Wisconsin’s Todd Kluever.

Click here for List of Players in the Gong Show

Q&A with Jack Roush

Q.        How did you get your start in racing?

A.       As a youngster I was always more interested in how things worked, or how to repair them when they broke as opposed to doing a traditional stick and ball sports thing. I was working on lawn mower engines and building model airplanes that were more introspective. I built my first motorized vehicle when I was 11 years old.  I took apart a lawnmower that my uncle had stopped using.  I took the engine off of it and took my wagon apart and when I was done I had something I could ride around on. I was the only kid in town with a go-kart.   

When I was 16, I got my first car and wound up in a road race on the back roads and wrecked my car.  I guess that’s how I got my start by wrecking my ’51 Ford.  When I graduated from college and went to work for Ford Motor Company, I joined a group of 10 enthusiasts called “The Fastbacks” -- we spent our weekends drag racing from 1965 to 1971.  Then I formed a partnership with another former Ford employee and we started drag racing professionally until 1976.  I stopped driving then and helped other people with their cars from 1976 – 1981 in drag racing, road racing and oval track racing. In 1981, I started road racing with Ford until 1997 and overlapped that with my first NASCAR team in 1988. 

Q.        Where did you get the idea for the gong show?   

A.       The idea for the gong show came when we realized we needed to make selections of more than one driver in a fairly predictable time frame every two to three years. We started with road racing and identified several young, talented drivers.  Robby Gordon (now drives in Nextel Cup) was very successful in our road racing cars. We found Wally Dallenbach, Jr. (who is currently a broadcaster for the NBC races) back in the mid-80’s and won a championship with him.  We’ve been doing the competition since about 1985 and have not had a competition every year, but have had many since then. 

Q.        Which previous gong show competitors stand out in your mind?   

A.        The competitors that stand out in my mind are Wally Dallenbach, Jr., Robby Gordon, Scott Pruett, Kurt Busch and of course Todd Kluever.  They were all extremely talented.

 Q.        What do you look for in potential drivers? 

A.        I like drivers that have a keen competitive instinct.  You can look them in the eyes and see how committed, focused and determined they are to be competitive.  If you have a choice between people who are equally competitive, then somebody who has a greater technical education is of more interest to me.  It is certainly equally important that a person be marketable and have good communication skills.  I think those attributes are easier to acquire than technical skill and mechanical aptitude.  Also, someone who can react in real time contentious situations and be able to prevail.  How a person reacts to a competitive opportunity or a frustration and a set-back will determine their ability to race for championships.

 Q.        How did this year’s competition differ from previous years?  

A.        I was more involved this year than previously which made me more a part of this year’s evaluation than I’ve ever been.  Based on the fact I was in there to the extent I was, I have more personal and real-time judgments myself of what was good, bad, outstanding or lackluster. 

Q.        How has the sport changed since you got involved with NASCAR?  

A.        It has changed dramatically since I got involved in NASCAR. The competition in 1988 was primarily focused in the southeast.  It was a lot of east coast racing with more than half the races and drivers from Charlotte southward.  Today the sport is across the United States.  You have to have your eye on a much bigger spectrum of competition and it is more relevant to the broader economy.  And the fan group is much more across the U.S. than it was.

 Q.        When will we see a full-time female NASCAR driver?  

A.        Whenever one steps-up that can pass over the same bar as the men.  They have to have the time in the cars and have a selection process of hundreds of female drivers who have the same level of skill and aptitude that men have.  We need an expanded group of young women who have the opportunity based on the equipment they race and the interest shown by their families and people close to them to give them a chance to develop their skills.  There is not the representation of female drivers that reflects the broader population.

Q.        What career would you have chosen if you weren’t involved in auto racing? 

 A.        I think I could have been very happy as a career military pilot.  That probably would have been my     second choice.

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