Mike Hull was reared in the Inland Empire and used to beat the heat by traveling to one of California’s beaches. He’s resided in Indiana – with partial winters in Florida – for the past 25 years, so the disparity between the desert heat and the arctic temperatures experienced throughout the Midwest this week is striking.

In this installment of “Ask me anything,” the managing director of Target Chip Ganassi Racing comments on how long it took him to acclimate to the Midwest weather.

“It took me a couple of years to be honest.  It’s hard to describe to somebody who grew up in the Midwest and don’t go through this. When your life is flip flops and a T-shirt and you experience your first real winter it’s very, very claustrophobic.

“You don’t know what clothes to wear. You don’t know what to do with your car. You watch people driving in it on a daily basis. It’s such a unique and different experience. I understand why all those people from the Midwest that came out to the Rose Bowl decided to move to Southern California after going through a few winters. I’m here because I enjoy racing first, but I really appreciate what goes on in the Midwest. I really like it here.”

So does Hull consider himself a Hoosier?

“I consider myself a native Californian so I’m not a native Hoosier but I’ve lived here long enough to at least apply for some status,” he said.