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- Freestyle
motocross pioneer Brian Deegan.

- Oh Deegan.

- For most of
his life his own wellbeing

was not forefront in his mind.

Both on the back of a dirt
bike and his lifestyle off

of it, it made him one
of the most glorified,

honored, and admired action
sports athletes in history.

A legend, an icon, a hero,
and to some a villain.

The story could've
easily ended there.

But eventually taunting
death led him to see life

as something bigger than
just himself and a place

to battle his demons.

That the true definition
of hardcore and extreme

means more than just
twisting the throttle

without a care for
the consequences.

That in the seemingly ordinary
there's a the extraordinary.

And it's a story that
begins in the most unlikely

of places, the wind swept
cornfields of Nebraska.

- Brian Deegan.

- You know growing up in
Nebraska, it's hard to explain.

You know it's just
not much there.

Do you remember begging my
parents for a dirt bike.

As a kid, I was always small.

Football really
wasn't an option.

I always loved sports.

Like I as super
athletic, always outside.

But moto was perfect, you know?

You get on a dirt
bike, and you're kind

of equal with everyone.

- He's said let's go buy a bike.

So I bought a little MR 50.

- They got it from my
neighbor, and we were

so excited and just
always were working on it,

cleaning on it.

We had to share it,
me and my brother.

Christmas the next
year, my dad bought me

a Yamaha 60.

I finally had my own bike.

That's where the
adventure began.

And the local track was
called Fort Calhoun.

And I got to see all
these other kids.

I'm like whoa there's
all these other kids

that ride dirt bikes.

It was just a whole new world.

Eight, nine, 10 is when I
really got into dirt bikes.

And then that's the
time I think when my mom

and dad were starting to
not get along so great.

- We started going to
races to get involved.

She went to a couple
races, but she always acted

kinda, her mind
was somewhere else.

- My parents started
arguing a lot.

I remember when my mom
told me she was leaving.

She came, and she's
like, "I'm gonna go

"back to Texas."

And I was like what?

And I thought about it.

I was like am I going?

Is that what's gonna happen?

Am I going with her?

It didn't make sense to
me as a 12 year old kid.

I was like oh man, I
gotta talk to my dad,

and dad was distant.

You know like dad was, I
couldn't just run to dad

and go, "Dad, what's going on?"

And so my mom basically told us.

I can't believe this.

Like I don't want
my mom to leave.

And you think like so
many people get divorced,

and if she, I don't
know I just feel like

she should've stayed, you know?

I never did get over it.

It's hard to deal
with your mom leaving.

And not just leaving.

She didn't move down
the street and divorce

and like, "Oh come see
your mom half the time."

She was gone, and I felt
like we did something wrong.

I felt like maybe it was
us and then we got mad.

We just moved on and
focused on dirt bikes.

Which sucks, so that's
not how it should've been.

- 12 years
old, Brian loses his sense

of security with
family, but the trauma

of abandonment sends
him down a new path.

He finds that his first
taste of the narcotic

of fame helps him
escape the pain.

- I just wanted to be
the center of attention,

and I knew that being
the best was the goal.

Moto brought me the
first sense of fame,

first sense of people
knowing my name.

- Number
three is Brian Deegan.

Again, that's the second place.

- It was so cool to
show up to the tack

and people like, "Oh my
gosh, Brian Deegan's here."

It was like a local
track in Nebraska

with a cornfield.

There was a sense of
urgency at some point.

You know being in Nebraska,
and my mom leaving,

and having this anger
and this aggression.

And I'm like, "Man, I just
don't wanna stay here.

"This place is too slow."

And then I started seeing
okay there's way more stuff

going on than Nebraska.

When I graduated high
school, I told my dad.

I'm like you have
to give me one year

to chase this dream of racing
in supercross and motocross.

I'm gonna chase this dream.

- We went up to
the Ford dealership

and bought an old Ford
pickup, and he put

the bike in the pickup.

He loaded everything in.

I gave him a box
of tools to take

and said, "You can
go out to California

"and see if you can make it.

"If you can make it and
stay with this, kid.

"You can stay there."

- And he said well all
right it you can't do it

in a year come back
and go to college.

He was really adamant
and really against me

not going to college.

I went to California,
raced a year.

I did get in, I was
top 10 on the points.

- Brian's
performance on the bike

catches the attention
of a well-funded team

which seems to be his big break

and a ticket for his
dream to come true.

But it turns out
opportunity sometimes comes

with unexpected obligations.

- So Chaparral was
like you're fast.

You're the first kid on
our list for results,

and you come ride this
Honda, and we'll pay

for everything, but you
can't have colored hair,

no piercings, no tattoos.

They gave me a whole
contract to sign.

I hated it.

But I was like I have no choice.

I'm gonna have to go home.

I have no money.

I don't have any way
to live if I don't.

So I sign the contract,
and then I'm like

okay, shave my head.

And I went out and raced and had

a not great year.

I was just so bumped.

I'm like, man, I just
wasted a whole year,

and that's when
Moto XXX was around.

- The loss
of a legitimate ride

seemed a dead end, but
he was quickly embraced

by a team that fit his
punk rock attitude.

The rag tag team of Moto XXX.

Though they didn't
have the resources

of a full fledged
factory backed team,

it still was a stepping
stone towards that goal.

- We talked to Deegan,
and we decided to start

this team, and we
were gonna make a team

that was gonna make a statement.

And we came in with all
of our punk rock ideas.

- And they were an
edgy team, Jordan Burns

and some of his
musician buddies.

When I knew that they
were kinda buddied

up with Deegan, and I
kind of got to know Brian

a little bit more.

Know their box
band would show up

at the supercross races,
and there would be

punk rock blaring out
of the back of it,

and they'd be throwing
stickers in the crowd

and basically
pissing people off.

- While
the Moto XXX team

provided the perfect image
for the angry young rider,

if not the best
equipment, winning

was still Brian's focus.

So he went outside
the team looking

for some premium horsepower
from the legendary

motor builder Mitch Payton.

- I remember Mitch
Payton telling me

oh you have the same stuff
as Carmichael, on yeah, yeah.

And I got mad I remember.

I remember grabbing
Carmichael's bike off the stand

and pushing on it
and feeling it.

I'm like dude, that
is not like my bike.

It was freakin'
totally opposite.

And Mitch, I remember
Mitch going, "Fuck you!"

Then I was like, "Fuck you!"

And we just got into it.

- And I'm like, "Really?

"Like why?

"What's the deal with that?"

- Super bad decision,
super bad career decision.

- Brian
was holding out hope

that his dream of riding
with one of the big four

Japanese factory
race teams, Yamaha,

Kawasaki, Suzuki, or Honda
would come to fruition.

Despite his punk
rock attitude, Deegan

remained serious about
training and winning

hoping that results
alone would land him

that coveted factory
ride and the chance

at a real racing career.

Heading into the
1997 season, Deegan

looked to make his
mark at the historic

LA Coliseum, the
former Olympic venue

hoping to scratch
out a top 10 finish

to catch the eye of one of
the big budget factory teams.

- So I go to the
start line for the main,

and all the heavy hitters.

It's like Windham, Vuillemin,
Carmichael, Ramsey.

- We're
set and ready to go

for the 25 main event--

- You come out of the
gate, and then someone

just banzais, hits
the whole pack

and takes down a
lot of the guys.

They all go off to the right.

I come out on the
inside, and I come out

like third place.

And then I end up passing,
I think the guy for second.

- Brian
Deegan in second place.

And Vuillemin is
starting to close in now

on Brian Deegan, number two.

- The leader's Robbie Reynard.

He's gone.

He's out, and I'm like
nervous 'cause I'm in second.

I'm going I'm gonna
get on the podium.

Deegan riding good.

This is the best I've seen
him ride in a long time.

He's starting to close in a
little bit on Reynard now.

- So I remember kind
of hanging, hanging,

but he was fading so bad
that I had to go by 'em.

- Reynard
has got a battle

on his hands from an
unexpected rider Brian Deegan.

Whoa, what an upset of
events right here for Deegan.

- I could hear the
crowd cheering,

and like the whole
stadium erupting.

And my heart just started
racing super fast.

- The spotlight
is on Brian Deegan.

And he looks inspired.

He's starting to pull a lead.

- It's coming to
the finish line,

and all these ruts.

I'm like trying so
hard not to crash,

and the finish line
double, and I don't know

what to do.

I'm like, "What do I do?"

- The checkered flag

as Deegan lets his
bike fly into the air.

- I just ghost rode my bike.

- I hadn't really heard a crowd

erupt in that way maybe ever.

- Stylin'
with his arms in the air.

- It was such a euphoria
of like my whole life

compounded into this
one accomplishment.

- Now to
Davey Coombs, Davey.

- All right,
thanks people.

Hey listen, Brian
Deegan congratulations.

- God declared this to
me, kick everyone's ass.

- Okay, thanks Brian.

- And the
excited win as we see him

launch the bike in
the finish line.

- That was a big
FU to the industry.

The AMA chased me
back to my truck,

took my prize money,
tried to DQ me.

And at the track, it
was AMA ran the show.

Like AMA had all the rules.

You didn't cross the AMA.

If you mess with them,
your career was done.

- It was a pinnacle
moment for Moto XXX to win

and Brian Deegan to have
that kind of fuck you guys.

This is how I'm doing
it, and I don't care

what the rules are.

Made his statement right then.

- Let's get somethin'
straight, that moment

when Brian launched his
bike I think that was

the kick start of his career.

- Still to this day,
that's the most brought up

moment in my career out
of everything I've done.

That moment, I go to
the grocery store,

I go here, I go there,
always someone will roll

up to me and go, "I
was there that night

"you ghost rode your bike."

- Greatest thing ever!

Yeah!

- That's it, no
one's done it yet.

My kid'll do it next.

- Despite
ruffling feathers, Brian

was under the illusion
that performance

alone was what counted
and a full fledged

big budget factory ride
would finally materialize.

A ride where the best bikes
and a healthy travel budget

were all part of the deal.

The days of being a
struggling privateer

were hopefully over.

With the Coliseum supercross
win under his belt

and a timely spot opening
up on Team Suzuki,

Brian was convinced his factory
ride had finally arrived.

- And I remember kinda talking
to Suzuki a little bit.

And they're like,
"Yeah well, you know,

"we'll give you a call."

Next thing I know I look on
the roster for the next race,

and it says factory
Suzuki bike, Ryan Huffman.

That must be wrong.

That dude's like nowhere near
me in the points or speed.

That is the final straw.

- If you didn't know Brian
and you weren't in his group,

He wasn't a fun
guy to be around.

Like he didn't like nobody.

So people were probably
like I don't want

to work with that dude 'cause
he's got a bad attitude.

- This would've
likely been the last

anyone every heard
of Brian Deegan.

But instead of fading
into an obscure footnote

of supercross,
timing is everything,

and along came a
new video medium.

VHS tapes and the
Crusty Demons of Dirt.

Two snowboard filmmakers John
freeman and Dana Nicholson

in the era well
before social media

released a tape that took
not only the motocross

world but youth
culture by storm.

In a pre YouTube
era, VHS was a medium

controlled by the
viewer and the creator.

And motocross riders
found a way to express

themselves with raw honesty.

And the Crusty films
became a platform

for Deegan and the
birth of the sport

of freestyle motocross.

- Crusty Demons really
took the industry

which was the people
with the suit and ties

that had money invested
and shook 'em up.

- That was the stupidest
thing I've ever seen.

- I know.

- Pro circuit Mitch Payton,
one of the biggest voices

that screamed out in
the industry says,

"Those guys are fucking idiots."

- I was one of the naysayers
you know in the beginning

for sure, and I
said that those guys

are just wasting their time.

They're just jacking around.

They're gonna be nothing.

They're just blowing it.

And they're all partying,
they're having fun,

and they're still
riding dirt bikes.

They just don't wanna get a job.

- The Honda and Yamahas
and Kawasakis of the world,

it's like oh my God this
is a liability nightmare.

This is not what
you do on our bikes.

- People in racing were like,
"Oh my God man, chill it out."

We're not supposed
to let people know

we really have fun.

- While
dirt bike manufacturers

feared for the image of
their industry, rebel riders

like Brian finally
had a way to let

their punk attitude shine.

- The early days
of Crusty Demons

was purely just having fun.

Back in those days, you
didn't have the internet,

and to captivate
some of that stuff

in one film, you
know from the skills

to the thrills to the
destruction all in one

was like whoa, people
just couldn't walk away.

- The explosive
popularity of Crusty

brought the intoxicating
fame that Brian desired.

The only thing that
would take away his pain

from childhood and keep
his dirt bike dreams alive.

- Crusty one I
think set a standard

for really showing people
like this is who we are.

This is the characters we are.

- We really like to tune
into like what that athlete's

character is like.

You know Travis is the
clean cut American kid.

Deegan's a little bit
darker with the spikes.

- It was really the start
of my career and really what

people thought, man,
this is a freestyle kid

when really I was just trying
to impress Brian Deegan

and have a little
fun out of Beaumont

with stuff that I'd
never seen before.

I'd never experienced
anything like that.

- We had no clue that
filming these videos

would lead to birthing
a whole new sport

called freestyle motocross.

And actually making a way
for us to make a living.

- This became such a discipline

that it separated and
became its own style

of motorcycle riding in a sport.

- The punk rock music,
the videos, the jumps,

the big air, and the
dirt bikes, I mean

there was such a
cool movement there.

And that's when I
was really realizing

that there's a future there.

- ESPN had
launched a new network, ESPN2.

And the center piece
would be a global

Olympic style
event, the X Games.

In 1999, they took
it to a new level

by bringing dirt bikes
and provided Brian

with the media platform he
instinctively understood.

He jumped at the
opportunity to monetize

his persona and attitude.

- Hi above
the sea, San Francisco Bay

look down there pier 30,
32, I give you MotoX.

- We show up with dirt
bikes, and all black, spikes.

Like I was like we're
going to the biggest crowd,

the biggest TV time.

Like we have to
just take it over.

- Representing
all that is evil

in the world, Brian Deegan
busting the mini spikes.

- I wanna say I don't
think X Games knew

what they were in for.

They were the rogue athletes.

They're not the ones
that you could control.

- I felt like I had
to carry the torch.

I was the guy that
was close enough

to Pastrana to try to beat him.

- And you
have to see this guy

right now Travis Pastrana.

If you wanna see someone
that knows how to jump.

- And it made this good
versus evil mentality

that people just, they loved it.

And it brought
freestyle motocross

to a whole 'nother level.

- He
is on the staff.

This is the first time he's
come back to .

Oh my God, did you see that?

- The Motocross
background Pastrana

will not stop.

In between hits, he's wide open.

- I can't even
say anything when he's up.

- You know
Dan, just lean back.

- X Games made Freestyle
Motocross official.

Here's this new sport, and
look what they're doin'.

- He
hangs out a run,

and Ray Charrule says
he's always smiling

when he does it.

- We were the first
motorized sport at X Games.

Skateboards, BMXes,
they're all quiet.

And then all of a sudden,
pop, pop, pop, pop.

- Check it out.

Deegan out there.

He wanted to blow it
up, move out from third.

Look at the stalled superman.

Look at him hold it.

Look at that.

Listen to 'em.

Let the wusses keep
walking, and the crowd

do the talking.

- Brian placed
himself on the podium,

and Travis won gold with
the first of two runs

sparking their
decades long rivalry.

But the day would be
remembered for something

entirely different that
even Deegan would respect.

- He was unassailable.

Travis Pastrana
was going to win.

So his second run
was for the glory,

and he's in the start
house, and it's like

oh yeah, have a good time.

Slap him, and he's soft.

And he's put on
about 20, 30 pounds.

It was the sudden realization

of like oh my God, he's got
something underneath his jersey.

So I start sprinting.

And I'm literally
running as Travis comes

past me and just
disappears in the air.

- Pastrana always had
to one up everyone.

So he takes off and back flips
into the bay in the water.

At that point, we were
anti Pastrana just because.

And I was like that
was pretty sick.

That was pretty
cool when he flipped

into the ocean and
almost got arrested.

- Despite
Travis's victory, Deegan

announced himself
on the world stage

by introducing the
idea that theatrics

are the perfect
complement to athleticism.

- You can call it It.

Certain people just
have whatever It is.

And people want to emulate them,

or they wanna be around 'em.

Right away, Brian just
seemed to have It.

You know after I
met him in person,

it was clear that
what he was doing

was in part an act.

You could liken it to
big time wrestling.

You know when the
guy went on, when he

gets in the ring, he
puts on the character.

And to a certain extent
you know what you saw

Brian perform under a bad
boy, that was his character.

You know he was a businessman
underneath that probably

early on thoughts of
making this into a career.

- We started talking about
X Games and freestyle.

He was really into
Ffeestyle and thought

the movement was cool.

And I was kinda
like, wasn't sure

'cause it was this business guy.

Then he's like, "Well
would you be interested

"in doing a deal with
Hansen's Energy?"

What does this entail?

He's like, "Probably around
25, 30 grand a year."

And I was like, "What?"

From that point, I was
like, I'm gonna make money.

I'm actually gonna
be able to do this.

- While the
X Games would provide

the premium platform
for global exposure.

Ongoing coverage of
the sport and lifestyle

had continued in a
steady stream of Crusty

and other films as Brian
expanded his character

into the VHS medium.

- What's up?

- Yo, ghetto man, me
and you are battlin'

all the way to Harlem.

- Oh we can do this, baby.

- Crusty Demons was probably
one of the sickest movies.

It showed the lifestyle of
what guys were really doing.

The partying, the crazy stuff
along with the free riding.

It wasn't about racing.

It was about just having
fun and being yourself.

Within the Crusty Demons movies,

we had the Militia who was
just a little more edgy,

and a little more uncensored
than everyone else.

And so we used Crustys as a
sounding board to carry us.

We weren't dumb.

We knew.

- Brian was able to have a
business mindset early in.

That's why I think
he was smart enough

to birth Militia as a business.

And we didn't even think that.

I wasn't thinking of business.

I'm thinking these
are my boys, dude.

- I think the whole
group of the riders

who got together
with the Militia

had a big flare and a big
style and a big impact

know that they were written
into the storylines.

They were talked about
everywhere they went.

It almost like a movie
role was made for them.

All the guys had the attitude,
the swagger, the style,

the walk, the look.

- Yeah what?

- Everyone had black
vehicles, black Harleys.

No one wore anything but black.

Like no one could ride
it, like we set up

so like we had a whole
look, but it was us.

We weren't fakin' something.

At that time, that was who
we really enjoyed being.

- Whatever you
like, we don't like.

Whatever you are for,
we stand against it.

That's kind of the
way it started,

and honestly just turned
into a kind of a family

like a group of guys.

And all these guys
I feel like came

from just to be honest
dysfunctional families.

Like that was our crew.

- Besides emerging
as a marketing juggernaut

and the basis of a lifestyle,

the Metal Militia was also
a surrogate family for Brian

and a group of lost
boys on dirt bikes.

- It's crazy how the
need for attention

and fame overtakes you.

- It started getting
wild pretty quick.

You know between the
punk and all the girls,

and all these people from
the action sports world

and all these companies.

Everybody was starting
to get in on it,

you know the glitter,
and the party, the girls.

People were partying.

People were partying.

- We had this high
of getting noticed

and having people yell
and scream your name

and wait in lines to
get your autograph.

When you show up, people
are in tears crying

because they think
we're rock stars.

Like we took full
advantage of that.

- Along with
the often wild lifestyle,

the other constant was
progression in the X Games.

- Yeah basically I came
here with the Metal

Militia behind me.

We don't accept
losing or losers.

So I had to come
home with a victory

or don't come home at all.

- Deegan played the game
better than everybody else.

He became this larger
than life character.

You know he shows up at the
step up in San Francisco

in an open faced helmet
with a cigarette.

- You know open faced
motocross helmets

had gone out of fashion
you know 20 years ago.

And he comes riding out,
and he's got a cigarette.

And he's smoking a cigarette.

And he rolls on top of the jump,

smoking his cigarette.

- And I had a cigarette
chilling out in my mouth

like kinda cool guy
style just hanging

out the side, you know?

In front of all the
cameras, and in front

of the whole crowd, and
I pull up to the start.

It's just one of those
moments where I look around

and half the people
are just bumped,

and like the other
half think it's funny.

I take off, and I
remember I hit the step up

like to see me and
cleared the step up.

And something in my head told me

you need to put on a helmet.

And then the next round,
I put a normal helmet on.

I took the step up,
looped out, crashed,

and knocked myself out.

But yeah, all that
really mattered

was me and my friends
were laughing at the time.

- Brian
found that the closer

he lived to his
hardcore persona,

the more he fell into
fame and success.

But riding the knife's
edge comes at a cost

which Brian would become
far too familiar with.

- The crazier I am,
the better it is.

I go all right this
is pretty cool.

Why did I not get
scared to get hurt?

Why did I tough it out?

Why did I build this
personality of not being scared

to take chances?

It really was about
who cared less

about their wellbeing.

Those are the guys
who rose to the top.

It escalated so fast.

For awhile it was
just him and Joe K.

You just do a few tricks
and you had an image,

and that was the thing.

Then all of a sudden, the
sport started progressing.

- In 2000,
Freestyle pioneer Carey Hart

set out to push the progression
of the sport even further

attempting a trick
that most people

thought was impossible.

- This has
never been attempted before.

Carey Hart.

- While he may
not have ridden out of it.

Carey Hart proved the
back flip was possible.

A new bar had been
set and created

two paths for freestyle riders.

Evolve or get
buried in the dust.

Inspired by Carey Hart,
another leading rider

of the era, Mike, the
Godfather, Metzger

would push freestyle
even further

by setting a new
standard of what was

possible in competition.

- I had been thinking
about doing a back flip

since the movie Rad
came out as a kid.

You know like I can remember
being like 14 years old

probably seeing that
movie and being like

dude they're doing
back flips on bicycles.

I'm gonna do a back flip on
my bike one day I know it.

It was always in
the back of my head.

- Metzger
took his dreams

to his backyard and
pulled a back flip

in front of an ESPN camera crew.

- And we worked a deal
out basically for them

to come to my house and
film me actually doing

the first flip in any
game in my backyard

riding away from it.

- I get this call that
Metzger's gonna do

the back flip.

Could I come out to his house?

And if he can prove
he can do it, he wants

to do it at the X Games.

- ESPN shows up
with all the camera men,

and by the time they
got there, I was

already in the
backyard watering,

prepping the landing,
prepping the runway.

- Role
Camera, action!

- Yeah.

- Next thing you know
Metzger's upside down,

in the air, and pulls
off the 45 foot back flip

smooth as silk, and
everybody's jaws just dropped.

- But a
backyard is one thing.

It doesn't mean a damn
thing until you've pulled

the trick for real on command

with the cameras
rolling and the crowd

putting on the pressure.

- Look at
this crowd, people.

There is only one rider
left in this competition

here in the X Games, and it
is The Godfather himself,

Mike Metzger.

- I had a handful of
big tricks leading

up to knowing that the
run was coming to an end.

And I set up for
the rhythm section.

- All
right, under 30 seconds,

looks like he's
thinking about it.

Travis, here we go.

Back flip number one.

Will he do it again?

- Wow, that
was a perfect back flip.

Here he goes.

Oh my gosh!
- Oh my gosh!

- Ladies and gentlemen,

I'm not even waiting
for the judges.

- I couldn't believe it.

Like when he started doing
it over and over and over.

I'm like man the dude
makes it look so easy.

- It was that moment
that set the ground rules

for what everyone was
going to have to do

in freestyle from that point on.

- This is somethin'
everyone's going to have

to learn if you
want to be relevant

in the game of freestyle
motocross, game changer.

- If you wanna do it, you're
gonna have to just find

somewhere that's somewhat,
I guess, safe and go for it

to where you think maybe,
you know you're going

to crash for sure.

So can I survive 10
crashes or 20 crashes a day

and just keep trying it?

- So there was no
foam pits, and X Games

was comin' up.

I just remember I have
to learn to back flip.

If I don't, I'm losing.

There's no way I'm gonna
even come close to winning.

I might as well not even go.

Piled wood chips in my
backyard, hit the ramp up to it.

- And I watched him
create all kinds

of sketchy setups.

I saw the determination
that he had.

- I'd go up to the ramp.

I just didn't know what to do.

And I go up the ramp,
and I just like hang on,

and I couldn't.

I couldn't hang on.

I had to let go.

I just couldn't force
myself to hang on.

- I watched him
have so many gnarly,

sketchy crashes to
where I'm like wow.

- I couldn't, just
couldn't commit.

And I did it two or three times.

And man, dude, if you do
not learn this, you're done.

What are you gonna do then?

Like what's your next step?

You know?

- When the
back flip was introduced

to Freestyle in 2001, it retired

half the field fearing
serious injury and even death.

Deegan wasn't the only rider
struggling with the flip.

Top rider Nate
Adams first attempt

to go upside down did
not go according to plan.

- Probably one of
the toughest things

I ever had to do
learning the flip.

But just decided to go for it.

I probably hesitated
with my throttle.

I just didn't have it
pinned off the ramp.

My body positioning
wasn't right.

The whole thing was just
extremely embarrassing for me.

- There's a lot of guys
that just packed it up.

- That was a tough
part of Freestyle,

and it retired probably
half the field.

Half of the guys retired
because of that deal,

and I wasn't ready to retire.

- I saw it in his eyes
like he would not give up.

- Put the ramp up,
and got a filmer

'cause I'm like I'm
probably gonna crash,

so I might as well film this.

Just remembered
sitting there going

dude, you're about
to get really hurt,

or you're gonna pull this off.

And if you ride away right
now, your career's done.

You're done.

Like it's over.

I just remember sitting
there going, "Ah,"

getting so mad that
I was just like go.

And I turned the ramp,
and I go up to it,

and I just hanging
on up the ramp,

and I just held it wide open.

And I just remember looking
back and hanging on.

And the bike's all,

and I remember before I knew it,

I was like and land.

And right away I was like
whoa, I can't believe

I did that.

And I was like I don't
even know how I did that.

I don't even know
how I did that.

Like it just happened.

So I forced myself to do
it again, do it again.

And I just sort of kept
flipping and doing it.

And eventually

coming in on the front
wheel and just smashed

myself and crashed super hard.

But that was when I was
like okay, okay I got

it good enough.

I'm in this game.

And that's when I came to
that event in Bakersfield.

- While Brian
had the back dialed

in his backyard, coming
into an LXD X Games

qualifying event in
Bakersfield, Brian had

to take it to a pressure
cooker of a full fledged

competition to keep
his career on track.

- And I come out, and I was
all right, I'm gonna flip.

And I went
and I didn't gas it enough

'cause I hadn't had it
mastered, and I just came up,

flipped and was upside down.

I remember pulling
and revving the bike,

and I under rotated it
and came down and crashed

into the ground.

I remember it tore my knee up

and jacked my ribs up.

It like knocked me out,
and it was a bad one.

That was like a bad crash.

Like back flips are
really, really bad

when they go wrong.

When you under
rotate, it is bad.

Right after that, I'm
like okay I got away

with a few injuries
nothing too crazy.

- Brian
had the back flip,

but he also didn't.

With his career in
limbo, a phone call

would put Brian's skill and
his determination to the test.

Later that week or so
was when I got the call

from Crustys like we
want you to back flip

on every show, every night,
and when the show ends,

you're back flipping.

And that was the big
crossroads where I really had

to think about it and
say all right dude,

well you're gonna man
up if you're doing this.

You sign this contract.

It's game on.

You're gonna go there
and do this thing.

There's no backing out now.

So that's what I did.

I signed the contract
and went to Australia.

- So the first show went
off, and it was crazy.

It was like every
Australian wanted a slice.

- We feel like we're
these mini celebrities,

and like we're gonna tell
these people what's up.

They're having private
parties for us.

We're owning it.

We're like this is cool.

So we're having fun
tearing up the hotel rooms,

freaking getting nuts,
and you know limos

take us out to the course.

And we start riding.

We're hitting jumps, and
it's just a big, open field.

And it just starts filling in.

There's thousands and
thousands of people showing up.

We're doing burnouts
and flipping the bikes

and just destruction, blowing
stuff up, fire, explosions.

- We'd bring him out.

He'd shoot the gun.

You know he'd come out in a
tank, and the whole thing.

But I think in the
back of his mind

there was something
else going on

through Brian Deegan's head.

Like what did I
signup to do here?

I'm going to go out and do
a back flip every night?

You know that's a gnarly trick
that I don't quite have yet,

but he's the guy that
you know if he says

he's going to do something.

He isn't gonna back out of it.

- Every night, I was so
nervous to back flip.

When you come out
in front of a crowd

that's cheering, you
have 10,000 people,

20,000 going, ah,
freaking announcer

saying your name that I
was gonna do the flip.

Everyone hype him up.

Something about that
energy makes you go

all right, I'm throwing
fear out the window.

I could break myself off
right now for these people.

I don't even care.

That's freestyle motocross.

You're going all right I'm
in front of this crowd.

Hey if I crash, whatever,
they're gonna cheer anyway.

And you're ready to
break bones for it.

It's a weird feeling.

- The
general has landed.

Metal Militia Chief Deegan.

- We're gonna do this!

Line up to the ramp
and .

- Let's
hear it for Deegan.

- Before even
halfway through it,

you can hear the
crowd just going nuts.

Landing it is such a
feeling of excitement

that you can't
even put words on.

It's like you're the
hero for that moment,

and the crowd's lovin' it.

- Brian would
go on to pull the back flip

for two weeks landing every one.

And his career forged on.

The flip became a required part

of every riders repertoire.

Brian reestablished himself
as part of the vanguard.

However, the essence of
the sport is progression,

and the notion of a new
trick even more perilous

than the back flip started
filling the rumor mill.

- So I mean there is things
that will beat the flip.

People just have to step
up and do it, you know?

It's just gonna take one
of the OGs to step up

and shut everyone down.

- The trick
was the 360, a flat spin

on a horizontal axis on
a 250 pound dirt bike.

No one was sure if
the rules of nature

would allow this to be possible

or whether trying it was going
to be radically hazardous

to your health.

- I remember seeing
Travis before X Games

doing some tricks
in his foam pit.

And I was like man,
what's he doing?

I was kinda trying
to figure it out.

It looked like he was
doing 720s and 360s,

and I'm like, man, studied it.

And I'm like all
right, well I see

what he's bringing.

- X Games is like this weekend.

That week Brian
went to the foam pit

and started doing 360s.

He didn't have 'em by any means.

Like that trick's hard.

- I was always working,
always trying to be better,

always trying to
learn new tricks.

- The setting
was a familiar one

to Deegan, the LA
Coliseum where he had made

his mark with his
infamous ghost ride

during an AMA supercross race.

Now the question would
be whether he would be

making history again or
be going to the hospital.

- The two guys that are really
at the top of the sport.

There's the obvious
Travis Pastrana

who's everybody's darling.

But there's this
awesome marketing force

of Brian Deegan with the
Metal Militia behind him.

So everybody wants
to play this up

as the bad guy versus like
the good guy, Travis Pastrana.

- But he
needs to nail a good run.

In his first run, he
kinda stunk up the place.

I don't want to
dis him too hard,

but he needs to nail it much
harder here in this final.

- I wasn't even sure
if I was gonna do it,

but I just knew
like through my run.

I was like I need more.

This ain't gonna win.

And I knew that there's
not a great chance

I was gonna land it.

But figured, cameras are on,
the ambulances are there.

And if I'm gonna crash,
it's gonna be on TV,

and if I get hurt, the
ambulance is right there.

So it's kinda that's
the way I justify it.

You didn't master
it before you left.

That was the old
way of freestyle.

- When you're doing
something you haven't landed

to dirt, you're scared.

- He's gonna
bust something new.

Oh Deegan, he landed the 360.

- The whole
place went crazy.

- Brian
Deegan has just landed

the first 360 on a motorcycle
ever in competition.

Listen to the crowd here.

- The crowd knew the
energy that I was feeling

that this is a big trick.

No one's ever seen it.

No one even knew it was
gonna happen at all.

No one knew.

Jerry, unbelievable.

I can hardly speak.

People said back flips
would be impossible.

360s we thought were way harder.

- How do you feel?

That just catapulted
you into first place.

- Well let me tell ya, I
never done that on dirt,

and no better place
than here in front

of this crowd to
either crash or go big.

- I don't know how
you rode out of it,

but it looked amazing.

- Skills, baby, skills.

- Brian Deegan.

- Five minutes before I
go out for my final run,

Jim, my best friend
comes in and goes,

"Deegan did a 360.

"It was the coolest thing ever."

What?

You're telling me
I'm risking my life

to go out here and do this trick

that I think's gonna
set the world on fire,

and Brian Deegan's
already done it?

And he named it
the Militia Twist.

So a trick that I invented
and figured out how to do,

I now have to call
a Militia Twist?

He was like, "Yep,
it was awesome."

- Pastrana lines up,
and in his head, I know

what he was thinking.

He was like now I
have to do that.

I have to do that trick.

- Cameron what's
he gonna do to beat Deegan?

- We know that
the 360 is possible.

We know Travis Pastrana
has been working on it.

Will he throw it
down in the game?

Oh, Travis Pastrana upping
the anti on the flips.

- He goes out, and
he's stomping his run.

And he's hyping the crowd up.

I'm like all right he's
gotta do the 360 now.

- Let's
see what he's got here.

He's slowing down.

He's making the turn.

Will we see the 360?

- The bike gets away
from him, and I'm like

yeah for surely he's toast.

And he gets up
Travis style running,

all like telling the
crowd, waving the crowd,

claiming timeout,
stop, stop, stop.

And standing there going,
"What's this dude doing?"

- Travis, 'cause
he's a smart kid.

He knows the rules.

He actually calls timeout.

And officially when
you call that timeout,

you get two minutes
to figure out

what your problem is.

- So of course my
levers were bent.

So I had to knock my
levers back straight.

So I got one more jump
according to the rules.

- And he gets on his bike,
then he comes around.

We're like he's
going for it again.

- For
the bonus session.

And he pulls it off.

Gets a little squirely
into the wall.

- I landed the trick,
crowd goes nuts,

ended up winning the gold medal.

And Deegan will never
let me live it down.

Every time something
happens, he's like

oh timeout guys, timeout.

- At that moment, I think
it was just a cool moment

for the sport.

Two guys competing
against each other.

It wasn't about the money.

I don't think at
that point it was

about much more than
the old school style

of I'm gonna one up you.

And now it's
freestyle motocross.

- Even after landing the
360, even after having

thought up the trick,
even after having

figured out all the
bugs on the trick,

the Militia Twist will always be

Brian Deegan's baby.

And whenever people
talk about the 360,

the first person they
think of is Deegan.

- All the props to
Brian Deegan, man.

I usually don't want
to support the Militia.

But dude, throwing it
down first that's awesome.

- I claim it 'cause
I did it first,

and that's the rule in
freestyle motocross.

Whoever lands it first
to dirt, claims it.

- As the
first rider to ever land

a 360 on a dirt bike,
Brian found himself

leading the progressive charge.

- Oh
Deegan, he landed a 360!

- With Deegan's
name now solidified

in the freestyle history
books, a sobering reality

for the young, edgy
star starts to emerge.

- The pressure was on.

Look at that.

People want more.

I gotta step up my game.

I gotta back this up.

- ESPN then took
the sport to another level

bringing dirt bikes to the snow.

There may have been
reasons to think twice

about staging an
event for desert rats

at altitude in an
alpine environment.

But once it was on,
Deegan was on top

of the FMX world
drinking in the fame

and still motivated
by the lingering

inner demons from his
childhood abandonment

would do anything to stay there.

- And they started
building these ice jumps

'cause they don't
bring ramps out there.

It's just straight ice.

They water the jumps
and they form 'em

out of snow and keep watering
and watering and watering.

- If you're not
scared, you should be.

Cam, look at this.

The snow deck landing, it stands

about three stories
above my head.

- I shoulda at that
point just said,

hey really at this event
you're not feeling it.

This is not right.

Because the variables
are too gnarly.

Line up, okay it's time to go.

I just remember them calling me.

All right go, it's live TV, go.

So I start going at the takeoff

really like second,
third, hauling ass.

I think I got so
nervous and so excited

that I just kept gassing it.

I come off the lip, and
I'm just going forward.

I'm not like turning.

The rotation's not happening.

And I'm like kinda going
backwards at this point.

So I got real
nervous, real quick.

And I remember landing
on my hip on the ice,

and it was like
landing on a blacktop.

Hit the ground and
slid on the ice.

And I went to try to get up,
and my arms were crooked.

You know both arms were crooked.

Hard to explain, but
it was unbearable.

Like where I had so much pain
that I couldn't handle it.

So they come up
with the stretcher,

and everyone's quiet.

I'm like, man,
why did I do that?

That was so dumb.

And I went straight to
the hospital into surgery.

They ended up putting
plates and rods

and pins in my arms and hip.

So I was at the Aspen
hospital for a long time.

Everyone went
home, and I didn't.

I learned a little bit of
like you know not pressuring

myself into a
situation for nothing.

Like that was a
little bit, but still

not enough, not enough.

Broke my femur five weeks ago.

What's up now?

- Think
of all the things

going through Brian's
head right now.

Well Brian obviously
suffered last year.

He called us every week talking

about the build of this course.

He was very
concerned that we get

some of the ramps smaller
and more consistent

than last year.

- I mean a lot of
riders pulled out.

A lot of riders didn't
even go back to Winter X.

But for me, I felt
like it's a big event.

I need to go back.

You know the fame and the
money and all the press.

So I train for it, and
I go back the next year.

- Well Brian
Deegan is the most decorated

X Games medalist in
Moto X including summer

and winter together, he
has nine total medals.

- Crazy blizzard
happening, and I'm like

you can't even see the jump.

Like I can't even see it.

- Ladies
and gentlemen,

now's a good time to stand up.

- Coming back a year
later to win the gold,

it was a huge
accomplishment for me

just mentally to go
all right you went

through a career ending crash,
and you came back to win.

It could've almost
been bad in a sense

'cause it let me go okay let's

get back into this.

- With Winter
X redemption behind him

and perhaps the most
dramatic comeback

in action sports'
history, Brian struggled

to learn from his past mistakes.

Unable to let go of
his teenage angst,

and with an air
of invincibility,
Brian's blind thirst

for fame continued.

- My career, I always
felt like I was

trying to impress everyone
with the next trick,

or you know trying to
make everyone happy

with what I was
doing on a dirt bike.

You go through that whatever
it takes to get famous.

Whatever it takes to
be the most noticed guy

in this whole spot.

And as I got it,
it was like a drug,

and you just keep
going, going, and going.

And you're like at what
point are you famous enough?

I got a call from Bam
Margera to go to his house

and do this MTV
show, Viva La Bam.

And it was me Bryce
Twitch, Beau Manly,

Colin Morrison.

They're wild.

They're crew's
wild, but our crew,

we're gonna show 'em
we're even gnarlier.

So we go head to
head, and we start

doing all this stuff.

- I wanna be in Metal Militia.

What do I gotta do?

- I came down to the shoot,
and Gwar's playing, the band,

and the bam's skating.

And they're like oh
we need you to flip

at the end of the show, you
know over the whole show.

And I was like yeah all right.

- It was windy that day.

I remember I didn't
even want to ride.

Brian's like, "Dude, let's
just get it over with.

"Let's just get it done,
so we can be done."

- It's gonna be a magical day
in the history books here.

Once again, my mind
going ego over brains

and just going I can do it.

Line up for the jump,
go

come normal, take off the ramp,

and I just try to flip,
and it just doesn't rotate.

And it comes in short.

And then the handle
bars quick go like bam,

jab my stomach real hard.

It felt like I got shot in
the stomach with a shotgun.

Like it felt like
just .

I hurt my ribs.

I didn't cut my stomach,
but inside I had

internal bleeding.

I tore my artery, and Ronnie
I remember standing there,

dude, I can't my stomach's.

And I'm like dude,
get an ambulance now.

Minutes were going by.

- Dude, I'm dying like
get the medics here.

It's almost like he knew
something was wrong.

- I could barely talk, and I'm
like I think I'm gonna die.

I can't like stay awake.

And I was thinking
about my wife, thinking

about my daughter Hailie.

- I got the call from the doctor

that said your
husband's gonna die.

And I remember just dropping
everything and running

out of the house like panicked.

In my head, I'm
thinking oh my God

my little girls' at home.

My husband's dying
in the hospital.

Like what's going on?

I was so scared.

- They run me into the
emergency surgery room.

The doctor's like is
there anything you want

to tell your family?

Whoa, this is it.

Just tell 'em I love 'em.

I can't believe this.

I can't believe I'm gonna die.

And I let the
pressure get to me,

and all the stupid,
stupid decisions.

I just remember going please
God, please if you're real,

don't let me die.

And I woke up, and there
was tubes everywhere.

Like my stomach was
cut all the way down.

I just remember
looking up, and I'd see

Marissa standing in the
room, and I see my dad.

- I just sat by his
side and just you know

I remember him
saying like I'm done.

I'm not doing this again.

Like I gotta change you know?

I gotta find a new mission.

I gotta change my ways.

That was it, you know?

That was the big
turning point for sure.

Like 100% I will
never forget it.

I built what I have
through the risk I took.

I took a lot of risk
and did a lot of things

most people wouldn't do.

For me it was finding a
new focus and surrounding

myself with positive people.

Through freestyle
you know I was able

to meet Jeremy Lusk you
know I invited him to ride,

and we started riding together.

And at that point, I
was kinda on my way out,

and he was on his way in.

So I thought, man, this
would be kinda cool

to hand off a lot of the
stuff I earned to him

and help him elevate quicker.

He put in the work.

He always rode at my house.

He got better and better,
and he ended up rising quick.

He goes to X Games, and he
just starts laying it down.

One run left, Matt or Beau
or whatever has got the lead

or however it pans out.

And he's gotta stick a good run.

And I'm like dude this
is a lot of pressure

on this guy right now.

- I wanna
see him stomp it.

He needs this.

This could launch his
whole career right here,

gold medal.

- Lusk just came
out and put it down.

- Under flip.

- Under flip.

- I think the world
was just like holy crap

Jeremy Lusk is the guy.

- Flip
neck, getting it over,

close out of the bike.

I'm gonna say he took it.

You know it's still close,
but, his wife's nervous.

- He
needs an 89.01--

- Oh, he did it.

- And a
gold for Lusk at 92.40.

- That's
what's up, gold medal.

- This dude just won X Games
like his second time there.

- This guy
Jeremy Lusk just added

his name alongside of Mike
Metzger, Travis Pastrana,

Nate Adams, and Adam
Jones as the only people

to ever get gold in
Freestyle Moto X.

- Just a ramp kid
coming out of the middle

of nowhere and coming
to the top that fast

was pretty cool, and
we got pretty close.

Like we became
really good friends,

and his wife became really
good friends with my wife.

So I just saw this relationship
going on for a long time.

He went down to an even
down in Costa Rica.

Someone called me
and left a message

like hey you need
to check on Lusk.

He's at the hospital.

I'm like whoa really?

He had a lot of good crashes.

I mean he'd crash really hard,
but he always got up, always.

So I was like how bad can it be?

- You get like kind
of a scattered report.

You're not really
sure what's going on,

but it was real serious.

I felt like I
needed to go there.

- We have to go down there.

So we booked flights,
got on a flight,

and we go to the hospital.

We walk in, and then
walking down the hallways,

there's like holes in the walls.

And there's dirty floors,
and this place is just bad,

like a bad movie.

He's in the corner by himself.

Like no one's around.

He just didn't look
like him at all.

It was real at that point.

What can we do?

What can we do?

And there was just at that point

all I could think of
how can we help him?

And there's really nothing
you could do at that point.

His dad got there and was
talking with him and praying.

I was just freaking out,
and then just that was it.

And then an hour or two
later it was just red line.

And I sat there, I'm like
dude this stupid sport, man,

freakin' killed my
best friend, you know?

It made me hate
the sport really.

It affected a lot
of people you know?

But I think the positives
that came out of it

were that it opened a lot
of people's eyes I think

I mean that was probably
one of the heaviest

moments of my life for sure.

I just remember sitting by
the bed in pain with him

just sitting there
going, man all this shit

in life that I thought
was so important,

all this stuff that
was so big in my life

that I put so much detail
and attention into,

at that point, I was like
it doesn't mean shit.

It made me think
that the only thing

that truly mattered are your
family, you know your friends,

and the people your love.

And all the other
stuff was nothing.

I was like it's not worth it.

I looked at him, I'm
like that could be me.

That could easily have been me.

And like it could've been
my wife standing there

or my kids.

And I'm like it's
just not worth it.

It was kinda that
moment where I'm like

if I'm gonna continue
to make a living

with what I built, I
gotta do something safer.

So I started finding
a new direction.

- Between
the harsh reality

of Lusk's passing
and the awareness

that the risks of FMX
outweighed the rewards,

Brian needed to find a
way to take his childhood

passion of racing and
forge a new career.

It's said with age comes a cage.

And Brian turned
to off-road trucks.

But success was by
no means assured.

Many before him had
tried and failed.

It's expensive, technical,
and brutally competitive.

And newcomers aren't
welcome were seeking

their piece of the prize
money, sponsorships,

and the limited limelight
of legit but niche sport.

But he was at a
crossroads and determined

to succeed at any cost.

- So I got into four
wheels, and I was

able to start racing
trucks, rally car.

Rally car got big into X Games.

- When Brian made
that transition

to go to off-road
racing, I think

more than a couple
of us scoffed at it.

We were like no way.

- I couldn't look back.

I had to make it work.

I got an offer to race
trucks, and I remember

I sat for weeks and
months and studied tape.

I studied the best guys.

I studied their equipment,
studied the tracks,

and I said how do they win?

And I started figuring it out.

When I first started truck
racing, I was mid pack.

I was like 18th, 20th place.

I sucked.

My first full season, I realized
I needed good equipment.

Car and truck racing,
I'd say it's like

50% driver, 50% equipment.

I have to make this work,
so I bought the truck.

I took the money out
of my savings I had

from dirt biking,
and I went all in.

- Despite the
many hurdles that came

with adapting to four wheels,
the once angry young man

had learned to refocus
his aggression.

Brian used a methodical approach

to give himself a
competitive advantage.

In doing so, he paved
a new path for himself

in both rally car and
winning championships

in off-road truck racing.

- It worked.

I won the championship,
and then sponsors came.

- Brian's a smart guy.

Brian knows what sells.

Brian knows what
works, and he has

an authenticity about him.

What Brian accomplished
and the things

he did in motor sports
and continues to do racing

is the real thing.

- A lot of competition,
you got all the top guys

here in off-road.

I mean you gotta be
on your game to win.

And then you gotta run
a team on top of it.

- What's great about
Brian is that he's made

that conscious decision
to keep it going

instead of letting it go.

- I reinvented
myself in four wheels

and brought my image
with it, but I was

able to kind of
reinvent my image.

I didn't have to bring
the '90s Militia thing.

I brought the Deegan thing.

I brought Brian Deegan.

I am a racer.

I've always been a racer.

You know going into
a sport, I realized

that I didn't wanna
just be a paid racer

just to have a spot.

I knew I had to run the ship.

So I invested in my
own team, brought in

all my own sponsors,
same managers,

same people that helped
me and my same system

around me that from
moto came to trucks,

and we rebuilt it our way.

Here everyone's
working as hard as me.

- Brian used
his three plus decades

of dirt racing
experience to launch

both his Deegan 38 brand,
and his signature tire line

with Micky Thompson tires.

His new attitude paid
off winning X Games gold

in rally cross as
well as nothing less

than six off-road
truck championships.

None of it would've
been possible

if not for the love and
support of his wife Marissa.

- Marissa and I, we've
been together half my life

and through a lot of crazy
stuff and every injury,

all the events, and all
the tours and parties.

She hung in there that
whole time, you know?

And so that was cool, you know?

'Cause easily she
could've bailed.

- I don't take his crap.

Maybe because I dealt with
his crap back in the day,

and did deal with it.

And today, he's a
totally changed person.

He's a Christian.

He's a dad.

- I don't think anything
could be thrown at us

that we couldn't deal with.

I don't know hopefully
at this point.

I mean you get married,
you get married,

and you become one.

But once we had Hailie
you know the direction

I've really focused on
the family, the kids,

their upbringing.

There's time I spend with them.

That's good time invested.

And when you don't, it's
time you'll never get back.

- Brian and
Marissa have dedicated

themselves to building
a home and raising

their three children,
Hailie, Hayden, and Hudson.

They had hoped the
kids would stay clear

from racing, but dad's
status as a motorsports

legend combined with
an ironclad work ethic

paved the way for his
children's futures.

- He was on a dirt
bike at a young age.

And I honestly didn't want
him to race motocross.

- Being that
that's what Brian always did,

I always said no way
my kids ever gonna

race their bikes, never.

- He kept asking me
to go to a motocross

track to race, and
I was like nah.

He just kept asking,
asking, asking.

Finally I said okay.

So I took him to
a beginner race.

He had a blast.

He raced, did well.

- And he comes home
like freakin' out.

Like Hayden's got it.

He's got it.

He can race.

I'm like what?

I remember.

I was standing in the
kitchen right there,

and he was so excited.

And I'm like wait I
thought like we were

not gonna have our kids race.

- He was just unnaturally fast.

He ended up being the
best kid in the nation.

So once that
happened, it was on.

- Went from Hayden
putting in the yard

to this full, gnarly race
schedule at seven years old.

- Well it's Sunday.

It's gonna be a good day.

I'm just gonna go win.

- He's got so many
championships it's crazy.

Like I raced amateur
motocross as a kid.

And he won more
championships in one year

than I won in my
whole amateur career.

His training, the way
he takes it serious

is super motivating.

I mean it's cool
that we get to spend

that time together.

- I just want to do supercross.

That's like my main goal.

I want to make it in
supercross and win

as many championships as I can.

- This
year, Hayden put on

a dominating performace
and swept all three motos

at the national
championships to remain

number one in the nation.

Brian and family were there
to support and celebrate.

Despite Hayden's
dedication to racing,

he still wanted to pay homage

to his dad's freestyle legacy.

At 10 years old, he
became the youngest rider

to ever pull a back
flip on a dirt bike

becoming a social media
sensation overnight.

- I'm sorry.

My only kid.

- Freestyle.

I wanna be the first one
to do like a quadruple

back flip on a dirt bike.

- Racing runs
deep in the Deegan family.

Brian's story might have
started with dysfunction,

but he was at heart a racer.

The passion and
lifestyle has been passed

to his daughter
Hailie, and the Deegan

legacy is now moving
the to biggest stage

in motorsports, NASCAR.

- With Hailie, she's
been such a good kid,

perfect at school.

Her grades have always,
she always got A's.

She's just really easy going.

And I'm glad Hailie
came about first

'cause her personality
really helped

you know like get
through the times we had

when she was young.

We got her into
car racing for fun

like when she was like
seven, eight years old.

Here comes Hailie
practicing in Milestone

in her car.

Each year, she started
getting better and better.

And then at some point,
she started winning races.

And we where like whoa.

When she races, she's a
totally different person.

She's super
competitive and started

beating all the boys.

- Hailie
excelled through the amateur

ranks for four
wheeled racing up to

off-road trucks where
Brian would become

her teammate and
coach teaching her

the importance of mastering
dirt as a fundamental step

in a racing career.

- Main thing is think in
your head straight exits,

both wheels to the ground.

Once I engage the cushion
I went

and come off straight.

- How see I
am behind, so I can

open up my corners
a little bit more.

- Very good,
running, running, running.

Good job.

Good job, good job.

- Despite
her pleasant, easy going

disposition, on the race
track, it's a different story.

Like her dad, Hailie has
the mindset of a champion

focused on her
goals and the dream

of one day racing at
the highest levels.

At the age of 16, Hailie
is one of a handful

of female drivers Toyota selects

to evaluate for the
NASCAR Next Youth Program,

the gateway into auto racing's
most prestigious series.

- Toyota sought her
out, found out about her

and tested her.

I think she'll surpass
everything I've ever done.

She doesn't get affected
at all by pressure.

It's weird.

- In a
high stakes tryout

at Irwindale Speedway,
all eyes were on Hailie

as she strapped in
behind the wheel

of a 650 horsepower
K&N race car.

- The philosophy my
dad has passed down

is to look for these moments
in your racing career

where it comes down
to the last moment.

The pressure's on, but
to not let that pressure

make you crack.

You live for those
moments to come down

to the last head to head
race where it's tied

for the championship
and winner takes all.

- Putting
up impressive times,

her high racing IQ, and
her ability to communicate

with the team,
Toyota taps Hailie

for their NASCAR program.

Starting the 2018 K&N Pro
Series West with confidence,

Hailie gets seven top
10 finishes including

a second place finish at
Douglass County Speedway.

Hailie's racing prowess
quickly gathers media attention

turning heads like
NASCAR 44 time winner

and cup champion Kevin Harvick.

With her goal to be
the first female driver

to win a K&N Series
race, Hailie has become

a role model for
female racers creating

her own, unique
personality in NASCAR.

- You're already being
compared to Danica.

Do you get asked
about that a lot?

Or what's that like
being compared?

What's your thoughts?

- Yeah I get compared to
her a lot 'cause the thing

about it, she's the only
girl that's ever made it

in NASCAR to the
big show of Sundays.

But I'm my own person.

I wanna be a whole
different personality,

came from a different
background of racing,

different type of driving style.

We don't really act
the same off the track.

So I'm kinda making my
own image for myself.

I don't really wanna
follow someone else's.

- During
a Q and A promotion

for the NASCAR Next
program, Hailie passes

on racing advice she
inherited from her dad's

racing experience.

- The biggest thing my
dad's told me I feel like

is just go out
there and have fun,

but remember you're having
the most fun when you win.

I feel like that's
the kind of thing

we always say before the race.

And it kinda just sticks.

And hey, you always have
the most fun when you win.

My parents are the
reason why I am racing,

the reason why I
have this career.

They're the ones that
got me into racing.

They're the ones that supported
me to fall in love with it.

- I would hope that
like with the strong family

foundation that we
have and she has,

and we've all kinda built
together that our racing

is like a family
sport that it will

always continue to
be a family sport.

- Hailie
takes a hopeful glimpse

into the future by
visiting pit road

at the Monster Energy
NASCAR series race,

the Daytona 500, a
place where she aims

to take the Deegan
name mainstream.

- He's evolved
to that crazy party guy,

what he looked
like on the outside

to this guy who wants to raise
his kids in the right way.

- For Brian,
what matters more

than endorsements and
results is instilling

strength of character
in his kids.

- I try to explain
to Hayden who's got

a massive social
media following.

I said D at the end of the day,

that's nothing.

That's all just hype.

The way you talk to people,
treat people, that's everything.

What honors me the most is
when you're a good person.

- Brian's
investment in the growth

of his children
demonstrates that the heart

of a champion racer
is one that balances

competitiveness with compassion.

- You okay?

You okay?

You okay?

You okay?

Okay.

- They're gonna have a lot
bigger influence then me.

Hailie's influence is gonna
be way bigger than mine.

So I have to make sure she's
got that instilled in her

that she's gonna wanna
be a positive role model

and do the right things.

- If you looked at him,

all the tattoos, scars
he had, you'd think

oh this guy looks
a little scary,

maybe a little
cautious around him.

Don't judge a book by its cover.

It's like what's
inside really counts.

- Brian has
transformed himself

through his hard work
and determination

to grow as an individual.

Jaded at first by
his hardcore persona,

even Brian's
father-in-law has learned

from Brian's transition.

- In time, I understood that
tattoos don't make the person,

the haircuts don't
make the person.

And now I look at these guys
and Brian past the tattoos.

I look at the person himself
and understanding him

as a person that's
what I look at.

Mostly the inside of a
person, now the outside

doesn't matter to me anymore.

- Brian
had taken the angst

of abandonment and
launched and nurtured

a career where the
price of fame was

to disregard his own wellbeing.

One final brush with death
and then the actual death

of his closest friend set
him on a path of change.

And he became a
father and a husband.

But there was an
unclosed chapter

to his life, closure
with his mother Irma.

He brought her to his
house to explore their past

which revealed not
only a surprising
ethnic family heritage,

but that in fact, she
never stopped caring.

- Growing up in general
I know dad was Irish.

The Deegan name comes
from Irish, and his mom

was Agretkin was German.

- French and Indian,
and the Indian had

a Hispanic surname.

- Oh really?

So I have part Indian in me?

- On both sides.

- Really?

- Yeah.

- That's cool.

I had no idea.

- Here is your grandmother
when she was 15.

Older brother's uniform
from World War II

when he was in the Army.

- Yeah I recognize
her face, you know?

She had that certain look.

- This is the only
picture I have

of grandpa Tony
when he was older

which is my dad's dad.

- This is
down at the house.

- This is in front
of where I was raised.

- I wish I would've been
more involved in the family

like getting to know
everyone, you know?

But once I started
riding dirt bikes

I was just so on a mission.

- They all followed you.

Looking at those pictures
not only helped me,

but also helped me
understand Brian.

I'm relieved and
happy that he wants

to get involved with
my side of the family

and learn more about himself.

In that sense, it gives me peace

that he has come a full circle

and is coming back
to his mother.

- Brian
returns to X Games

to pay homage to
the sports property

that truly launched his career.

- Oh
Deegan, he landed a 360.

- First thing that comes to mind

when I think of Brian
Deegan is legendary

as it relates to
the X Games brand.

- Brian Deegan
is the most decorated

X Games medalist in Moto X.

- Some of
the memories are sweet.

Gold medals on two
wheels and four,

but it also brings
back some pain.

- This sport is a
dangerous sport.

At the end of the
day, you know I had

one of my best
friends, Jeremy Lusk,

freestyle motocross
end up getting him.

I miss Jeremy so bad
like sitting there

watching the crowd,
just all the memories

we coulda had you know
up until this time

was taken away you know
because of freestyle motocross.

- He finds
special joy and some angst

in once again mentoring
a young freestyler,

another edgy young
man willing to put

his physical
wellbeing on the line

for X Games glory.

Aussie bloke Jackson,
Jacko, Strong.

Ironically, it was
a 10 year old Jacko

who was inspired to first twist

the throttle and
dream of the big time

when he saw Brian back flipping

amid the maelstrom of the
early Australian Crusty shows.

Now Jacko finds himself on
the global X Games stage

with Brian supporting him.

- This is my favorite event.

It's best trick.

It's where the guys
go the biggest.

Jackson is the guy,
gold medal last year.

He's gotta step it up this year.

I'm sure he's nervous.

Jackson has the fever,
you know, like I did.

Jackson wants to win.

He's got that fever.

He's won gold medals, so
now he's on that mission.

Whatever it takes, I
gotta win the gold medal.

This year at X Games,
he went out and was

gonna do this double
back flip trick

that I knew was crazy.

And to top it all off,
he had a broke wrist.

But he was still amped on going.

- I just pretty much
just like being scared

and like being nervous.

It makes you feel
something real.

I think it's one
of the only things

that you can feel that's real.

- Getting ready to send it.

The calm before
the storm you know?

It's like nerves are going.

This is always
the gnarliest part

before going and competing.

You can always pick
the easier trick

that like yeah I can do that.

Yeah at times I'm like
is this where you're

just pushing him into an injury?

Is this the wrong thing?

Has he pushed it enough?

Has he done enough
up to this point?

Get it done all day, all day.

Handle it.

The whole point of best trick

is thinking of something
different, man.

I'm really nervous for
this kid right now.

He's a good dude.

- Here we go.

- Come on, Jacko.

There you go.

Come on, Jacko.

Yeah, he got it.

Yeah!

Yeah!

Yeah!

Fuck yeah!

Yeah!

I knew you had it.

Once you took off, I
was like he's got it.

- Punk kid to
an action sports legend,

now champion racer,
devoted husband,

doting father, and a
role model to a past

generation and to the next.

Exactly how the Deegan
legacy will unfold is untold,

but one thing is for
sure, it will be written

with passion that's
in the blood.