Work Hard, Play Harder

Ryan Reed

2012-02-15T13:46:00.002-05:00

I first stumbled across Ryan Reed when I was looking at the ARCARacing website, arcaracing.com. The story of his ride for Daytona withVenturini Motorsports was the main headline on the website. I clicked on it outof curiosity and stumbled across a great driver that I am excited to bring toyou in our first interview since Work Hard, Play Harder has come back. Ryan hasracing in his blood lines and it shows true when he is on the race track. Likemany other young racers, he started in Go-karts at the age of 4 and as he agedhe moved up the ranks. He has also raced Legends cars, where he racked up 7wins in his rookie season at the age of just 14 years old. Ryan isn’t likeevery other driver out there though, just this past February he was diagnosedwith Type 1 diabetes and there were doubts that he would be able to continuehis career behind the wheel. Now a year later and with doctor’s approval Ryanwill be piloting the #15 for Venturini Motorsports with a paint scheme that issure to turn heads. It was done by NASCAR’s own Sam Bass, who also happens tobe diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Ryan has used this platform in order to bean advocate for Type 1 Diabetes. I got the chance to interview Ryan via e-mailwhich has given me the chance to meet another unique and talented young driver.I hope that everyone goes and checks out his website and learns more about thisdriver and that you root for him this weekend at Daytona!

Noteverything has come easy for Ryan, no matter how much talent he possess. It wasenough to catch the eye of Venturini Motorsports after all. The hardest thingthat Ryan has had to deal with has to do with his diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetesand his racing career’s future, “The thought I wouldn't have the chance to pursue my dream.” Manyyoung drivers continuously chase their dream and hope for the best. The ideathat they just might have enough talent to secure a sponsor and a chance at thebig time haunts many drivers. Ryan did not have to deal with that, instead hehad to deal with a hidden medical condition that may have put an end to hiscareer. Instead he has embraced it and made himself an advocate for others.This is exactly what Ryan says makes him unique, “I am one of just a coupledrivers with type 1 diabetes”, but this also is one of the hardest parts ofbeing a race car driver for him as well. When Ryan isn’t at the race track heenjoys hanging out by the lake with his family. He also shared some advice for aspiring drivers as well, “Absolutelynever let anything hold you back! I was told after being diagnosed I'd never bein the race car again, yet here I am!”

Ryan’s story is trulyinspirational and I hope you all go check out his website, www.ryanreedracing.com.Ryan is also very active with his fans on twitter, go follow him at www.twitter.com/driverryanreed.You can also go like his page on Facebook where he stays in contact with hisfans, https://www.facebook.com/driverRyanReed. Also be sure to watch himtackle Daytona this weekend on SPEED at 4:30 on Saturday!

xoxo Kate

Peace. Love. NASCAR.

Follow me on twitter, www.twitter.com/20Kate11 and put in requests for who you want me to interview. Enjoy our first weekend back to racing this weekend!!!!!!!

A little introduction...

2012-02-12T19:54:00.000-05:00

Alright guys, let me introduce myself. My name is Kate Wedman, I'm a full time college student, studying Communications at a school in northeast Pennsylvania. Its not exactly the racing capital of the country but we hold our own with a pretty awesome asphalt track by the name of Mountain Speedway and a crazy dirt track by the name of Grandview Speedway. I spend too much time at both, especially when spring rolls around this year. I've been around racing since I was in the womb. My grandfather used to own a race car, his most popular car being the Diamond 3 that ran at Flemington Speedway. My dad grew up helping him out and when he got older he began to build sprint car motors for a friend. After he and my mom married they traveled all around acting as the driver and mechanic for the race team. I went to my first race when I was younger at Nazareth Speedway. It was the highlight of my year, the one trip we made to Nazareth. From there we moved onto going to Dover with our parents, what used to be their vacation away from the kids became a family vacation. I've been going to Dover for about 7 or 8 years now I estimate. We only go to one race though because my parents still enjoy a weekend to themselves. In 2009 I met Joey Coulter through a paper I wrote on NASCAR and ARCA and an interview I conducted for the paper. We've remained friends over the years and I've had the absolute pleasure and privileged of traveling to Pocono and NJMP with his team and getting to go behind the scenes. My father is a pit fireman/rescue worker at Dover, Pocono, and WGI so we spend our summers traveling and going racing. This is the most fun I've ever had and the highlight of my summers. No one can separate me from my racing. I especially love the passion that comes from up and coming drivers and local drivers who race, not for the paycheck but for their love of racing. Nothing beats the feeling of being coated in dirt and when you go home to shower the water turns black that runs off your body. I live and breathe racing. I have another blog that I use to comment, usually I'm not politically correct either. That's about all I have to share, any questions feel free to ask! I can't wait to get this blog going again!

xoxo Kate

Peace. Love. NASCAR.

Happy 2011

2011-01-24T11:26:00.001-05:00

Hey guys, wow, very late post. I'm thinking the blog probably will not be going again until summer, I still have interviews lined up. Stay tuned. 2011 has been whirlwind and I'm going nuts! :P Stay tuned!

Larry Spencer

2010-08-31T20:07:00.002-04:00

I’m so sorry it has taken so long for me to get a new blog entry up. Life has been a little more than hectic at the moment and distracting. The following blog is on a close friend of mine, Larry Spencer. I sure hope the name Spencer rings a bell with you and it should because he is Jimmy’s cousin. He started racing in 2007 at the age of 14 in the same class as his father. He runs at Sundance Vacations Speedway (an asphalt track) in Pennsylvania as well as my local dirt track, Grandview Speedway. Although he didn’t start racing until 2007 he has been going to races his whole life and has always loved it. Having Jimmy as a cousin he always wanted to go and see him race so he was drawn to the track.

Larry isn’t your typical race car driver though. He also announces races on the weekends when he isn’t racing. He announces at Sundance Vacations Speedway on Saturdays and Dunn Hill Speedway 2 on Friday nights. His favorite track though is Grandview because in his first ever race on dirt he led 41 laps. Larry has some very interesting influences in his racing career, one being his father, another being Jimmy Spencer and the final one being Kyle Busch.

There’s a reason they call him Rowdy for a reason and its not just because he runs the number 51 every weekend. When he races he races in the Enduro series, the same type of car that Garrett Marchant runs. Enduro is a series in which street cars are stripped and filled with roll cages so they can race safely. He races for Lucky Ducky Racing in which his father also races for.

The drivers that he tries to model himself after are Kyle Busch and Scott Speed but he likes to find a good balance between the two drivers. The drivers that he looks up to are his father, Scott Speed, and Kyle Busch. Larry raced last weekend for the first time in a month at Sundance Vacations Speedway and unfortunately I could not make it to the race to see him race in person, for the second time in a row which is very sad I know, but after a very eventful race he finished in fifteenth. I will be going to see him race in person on the 30^th of October (crossing my fingers for a great day).

Go over and follow him on twitter, www.twitter.com/larryspencer. He helps to co-host a radio with myself, Garrett Marchant and several others so check him out on there, www.blogtalkradio.com/forthewin. Our shows are on Mondays and Wednesdays, we would love to see you there. I hope you enjoyed the new blog on a close friend of mine and they will hopefully become more frequent!

Update

2010-08-17T09:30:00.003-04:00

Sorry I haven't gotten anything up in the blog as of late. I have several waiting in the wings so I hope to have some up soon! Ones waiting are for the one and only Larry Spencer, Alison MacLeod, Brandon MacReynolds and some others. If anyone wants to let me know which one they want up first please let me know. On mondays and wednesdays I am hosting a radio show with Garrett Marchant, Please tune in and I will post a link on here if we switch. Follow me on twitter for links to listen to the show. On sundays a couple of my friends and I hosting a show called Speed Chicks and Stars. I will connect you all as well. Its been a hectic last couple of weeks. I've been to Pocono ARCA race, Watkins Glen for six days and was just at NJMP for ARCA. Its been three amazing weeks. Everything seems to be turning around at the moment and I love life. Just a little update, I haven't given up but I've been really really busy. I start school the 30th and work 4 days a week, 8-9 hours at the ymca. So, yes just an update!

Public Service Announcement

2010-07-21T21:04:00.001-04:00

PSA: Next week starts the mad chaos that will become my life. I am going to try and stay on a schedule for at least one post per week and out by Fridays. I am attending Pocono with my friends at Coulter Motorsports on the 31^st and then we leave the following Wed or Thurs for Watkins Glen for the race. Then it is off to NJMP for another ARCA race at NJMP with Coulter Motorsports. Then band camp starts and my life basically ends until November but I will try and stay on a schedule. The other thing I want to share. I am going to be hosting a radio show starting in September. It is called Speed Chicks and Stars. The hosts will be myself, Garrett Marchant and Anna Brasky and I am anticipating a great show so make sure you tune in. I am going to try and get some of the people featured in my blog to call in and talk to us. Thanks so much for your love and support with my blog and now our show! Due to unknown connectivity at Watkins, I will not be able to assure I will get a post up that week. Thanks for understanding! Interviews in waiting include, Alison MacLeod, Larry Spencer and Brandon McReynolds.

Brett Moffitt

2010-07-21T20:58:00.002-04:00

For this week’s blog, I bring in another development driver for JGR, Brett Moffitt. He is currently competing in the NASCAR K&N Pro East Series in the number 20 for Joe Gibbs Racing and is trying to run for the championship. His most recent race was at Lime Rock, a road course where he finished 4^th behind our most recent ARCA winner Max Gresham. Time traveling time, we go back to the beginning for Brett Moffitt and how he started out. He was eleven when he started racing in karts and ran a kart set up by his father’s co-worker whose son also raced at the time. But why was racing the right choice for Brett? There are other sports out there for kids to excel at, why racing? “I have played pretty much every sport growing up and I was alright at some bad at some and good at some but racing was just a lot more fun for me and I was really good at it once I had a few races under my belt.” For some it just clicks and they know what they want to do.

Last year was Brett’s first year racing NASCAR in the former NASCAR Camping World Series East and he won two of the eleven races that were held that season and he already has a win of the season under his belt at Martinsville Speedway and a pole at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. To make it in this sport you need to be driven and have goals that are reachable. The harder you try the more you will succeed. “I just want to one day dominate the sport. “ Moffitt says and it is probably the driving force that makes him succeed and get better in the sport. When he is home in Iowa he drives a IMCA dirt modified.

Brett still feels that he is just a normal guy who has a different job. “Other than racing I am really just a normal kid, I just enjoy hanging out with my friends going to the lake in the summer and I enjoy going snowboarding and snowmobiling in the winter. “ For most drivers this is their mentality, they aren’t big name celebrities, just average people who get to do something extraordinary as their job and are given experiences most would die to have.

The rest of Brett’s year consists for positive of some K&N Pro Series East races, one that will take him to Dover International Speedway at the end of the season. A race which I plan on attending so I can see some of these guys race in person! Visit his website, www.brettmoffitt.com, for some more information. He is also on Twitter, http://twitter.com/MoffittRacing, and Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brett-Moffitt-Racing/375344065483?ref=search. Please check him out and show him the Work Hard, Play Harder love.

Richie Pallai Jr.

2010-07-14T07:14:00.008-04:00

Sticking with our dirt track feel this blog, we welcome Richie Pallai Jr. He is racing in his first touring division this year with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. Richie started driving only four years ago in 2006. Before that his focus was on Ice Hockey and it still is but racing has pushed it way into his life. “In 2005 I was standing in the infield at Stafford Motor Speedway and track promoter Jack Arute Jr came up to me with a opportunity. Jack told me that the track planned on starting an SK Light Division at Stafford in 2006 and he was going to field a car. He asked me if I would drive for him. I had never driven before; however I grew up around racing. I asked Jack, “Why me?” He responded by saying: “Because you have succeeded in everything you have ever done (Ice-Hockey) and I know you have what it takes”. The rest is history. “ As previously mentioned this is Richie’s first year in a touring division and he has already taken to Thompson International Speedway because of the ability to just drive at the track and not having to decrease his speed.

Richie hasn’t just started his racing career but he is also a student at NYU where he is studying Sports Management. With his degree he hopes to start a Sports Agency. While at NYU he also plays Ice Hockey as well. His focus isn’t just on ice hockey or racing, it’s on sports in general. His goals along with opening his own Sports Agency are to build up his touring team. At the moment he only has one tour car and one motor to work with.

Lets face it, racing is majorly dominated as a father-son sport. Occasionally you get a father-daughter team but mostly its father-son. For myself it’s a family thing but this isn’t me. For some drivers their father or mother is their crew chief, or a car owner but Richie’s father shocks most other teams. “My whole life it has been my Dad and I. We have traveled to racetracks across the eastern seaboard. At the same time, my Dad has always given me all the ingredients to succeed. He works on the racecars harder than anyone. It’s funny to see all the reactions of other car owners as they see him go over the wall to change a tire. Most team owners never put on the fire suit and make a pit-stop.” I’ll be honest, this is the first time that I’ve heard of a father going over the wall but I’m sure it will not be the last time. The ability for families to support each other especially in a traveling sport like NASCAR is needed because you are away from most of your friends and family nearly the whole season except for a few days.

Family support always comes with a difference of opinion of certain things though and Richie’s superstition is one of them. “I never shave on race days. My Dad always tells me I must look presentable and clean-cut, therefore I will shave the night before but never on the same day.” A difference in opinions is a common area of conflict in race teams but as long as everyone is together to get the final product in the end that’s all that matters. That isn’t his only superstition though and his second one, he wants everyone to know he isn’t being cocky, it’s just a confidence booster. “I also always tell my team with one lap before we take the green that, “There is no one better than us”. Some may say that is cocky; however if you do not believe in yourself and your team then you will never reach the top.”

Confidence in yourself and your team is key to succeeding in anything you do. Richie ran his latest race at Lime Rock Speedway which is a road course where he finished 23^rd. The next race on the schedule for the Whelen Modified Tour is at Monadnock Speedway for the Monadnock 200. I wish him the best of luck this Saturday and keep your eye on this up and coming driver! Check him out at, www.richiepallaijr.com. You can find info about the Hurricane Motorsports team and opportunities to become a member.

New Features

2010-07-08T18:16:00.000-04:00

I just added a new feature under the posts, check it out. Also if you would like to join Garrett Marchant's Fan Exclusive please send an email over to 77prforGarrettM@gmail.com with the subject of "Fan". It completely free, even better! I'm a member so go join!

Renee Dupuis

2010-07-07T08:32:00.004-04:00

As my readers know, I like to take a more factual approach to my articles and interviews; I like to get to know the drivers in a way that most people don’t get to. Then I like to share it with the world and all the other race fans. When I started this it was just a pet project but I’ve fallen in love with it. Many who follow me on Twitter or are friends with me on Facebook know I got to experience my first Modified race on Saturday night. It was on dirt which makes it an even more fun experience, but it’s the good kind of dirty as I tell everyone and I am officially addicted. I don’t know much about Modifieds and won’t pretend to know much, my expertise is in stock cars but I’m always up for learning something new. The pretense of this is because of whose interview I am writing today. Its Renee Dupuis, she races the number 90 in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. Her most recent finish was at the road course at Lime Rock where she finished in 13^th on the lead lap.

Renee has been racing since she got inside her first quarter midget at the age of five. Her father gave up racing so that she and her brother could race even though she says at five she wasn’t sure that you can make a conscious decision at five to want to do this for the rest of your life,

“At that age, you just do what your parents tell you to do. As I got older, I certainly enjoyed it and we made a family decision to continue.” Renee moved on from Quarter Midgets into a Pro Four Modified at the age of fifteen after receiving five ‘Driver of the Year’ honors in Quarter Midgets.After six years in Pro Four she secured several feature wins and a series championship. Renee moved on to the NASCAR Whelen Modifieds at the now defunct Riverside Park Speedway. While there she won ‘Rookie of the Year’ honors and seven ‘Most Popular Driver’ honors along with becoming the first female to win there in 51 years.

After an accident sidelined her for most of 2001 she came back in 2002 and started in what is now the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. Renee is the only female who competes on the Whelen Modified Tour but by her long list of accomplishments, no one would be able to tell that she is the lone female. Renee is currently 16^th in points out of 49 different drivers and has raced in every race this season with her number 90. Renee is content though in the series and sees no need to advance. “It would make me happy to be competitive in the Whelen Modified Tour. At this point in my racing (for years actually), I have had no desire to advance to another division.

All the long years of hard work have been long and taxing but worth it in the end to be able to do what she loves to do. “Sometimes I wonder what I could have accomplished in all the hours I’ve spent working on race cars. Financially speaking, if I spent all that time making money – rather than spending it – I would be in a totally different place in my life.” There is always a reason though behind what you choose to do. Whether it be your love of the sport or whatever it may be, you stick to something through all of the bumps and bruises to prevail in the end.

Check out Renee’s site for some information and FAQs, http://reneedupuis.com/.

Find her on Twitter, twitter.com/reneedupuis .

Bronson Butcher

2010-06-30T13:17:00.009-04:00

It’s time to go international for the first time here with Bronson Butcher for this newest installment of Work Hard, Play Harder, Bronson is from Australia you see. He started racing karts in 2002 and moved up to junior carts in 2006 which was the same year he made his first time to the USA. While visiting he raced a kart at Arizona Karting Association Speedway which was his first feature kart race in the USA and won. Bronson has found great success in Australia and in the USA. In 2008 he ventured back to the USA and raced legends cars at “The Bullring” in Las Vegas, Nevada with the Spencer Clark Development Team. After visiting Las Vegas he raced at Toyota Speedway at

Irwindale in Los Angeles with TEI Motorsports. In 2009 Bronson traveled back to the USA without his parents and competed in 13 races at “The Bullring” over a ten week period while winning on his 16^th birthday for the first time. In total he has won one legend development race and 3 semi-pro legend races at “The Bullring” and one semi-pro legend race at Irwindale.

Bronson says his favorite track is Infineon Raceway in California because, “being one of the only road courses I’ve driven on in the

US, it is different to the ovals that I’m used to. The undulation changes and variety of corners make for a very intense ride and creates a lot of exciting racing.” Road courses challenge everything a driver has and shows who can adjust to having to shift while racing. Sometimes it even separates the men from the boys and many drivers attend road racing school in order to get better and it tends

to be a weakness in some of our cup drivers who assume it’s going to be a hit in points for them.

Something that makes Bronson stands out when compared to other up and coming drivers is the fact that he lives in Australia and races both there and in the USA. Most drivers have superstitions or good luck charms and for Bronson it is the fact that he wears cougar socks every time he races. We love to touch on family here because for most drivers there is nothing

more important than family and their support to get them where they are. For Bronson to his family racing has become a large part of their lives and a kind of obsession. “Every day of the week I anticipate the next race day. Life is nothing like what it would be without racing. In our household we have pretty much integrated our lives with racing, we travel away most weekends, we watch racing videos and plan our upcoming races months in advance. It is pretty much an obsession.”

Coming to America refueled Bronson’s feeling toward racing and made him want to race in NASCAR even more. “The change was refreshing and rejuvenated my desire to race.” Bronson hopes to come to America after he finishes school to work on his career and dream of competing in NASCAR. Bronson Butcher Motorsport is proudly supported by SPI Entertainment, Australian Outback Plants, Churchill Transport, Oga Marketing, Sportscamera and Back Straight Massage

Further information can be found on;

Website www.bronsonbutcher.com

Twitter www.twitter.com/bronsonbutcher

Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/Bronson-Butcher-Motorsport/137890763944?ref=ts

Youtube www.youtube.com/user/bronsonbutcher3

Matt DiBenedetto

2010-06-22T17:44:00.004-04:00

Matt DiBenedetto is one of JGR’s developmental drivers but has shown to many that he is worthy of his place at JGR. He has been racing since 1999 at the ripe old age of seven years old. He started out in Boxstocks in California where he was born and raised. He and his family relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina when he was twelve years old but to this day he still misses his family who stayed in California. He has two sisters, one brother, two brother-in-laws, and two nephews who are still in California, “I miss all of them a lot and its tough being so far away from them,” DiBenedetto says, being the baby of the family (“age wise”, he points out) and so far away can be tough. He has watched NASCAR ever since he was a little kid and bugged his father until he bought him a go-kart. Before he started racing he was out daily on his ATVs and dirt bikes, always riding something but he was the only one in his family who wanted to be involved in racing.

Matt has the normal superstitions which includes the New York Yankees Derek Jeter shirt he always wears under his fire suit when he races (I won’t hold it against the guy…but it is the Yankees. Ick.). Matt does spend some time away from the track though where he is an average guy who enjoys wakeboarding and bowling along with having time to hang out with his friends. One of his friends happens to be Joey Logano who Matt looks to for advice on and off the track. “I look to Joey Logano for advice because he was in my shoes just a few years ago and we are good friends so he is always glad to help me and he has not changed a bit since becoming a cup driver. He still has a good attitude as he always has.” Matt tries to be his own person though and prefers not to be just like anyone else.

His favorite track is Martinsville, “the racing there is a blast and very tight”, which many drivers agree upon because of its tricky short track style and its compact racing. Matt has been racing for over half of his life now and says that, “not much changed except more pressure at higher levels and busier schedule.” The schedule is often where it hits drivers because when you are used to racing every weekend at home town tracks you know what you will be doing every week, school or something else. For a developmental driver at JGR it’s the big leagues and you need to be prepared for anything and everything when it comes to the media. But when asked if he ever has doubted the sport he has a very to the point response, “I’ve never doubted my commitment to the sport because it’s what I live for.”

Watch for Matt DiBenedetto in some upcoming Nationwide Races with Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), the nearest race for him with be at Gateway in the Nationwide Series for JGR on July 17^th. There are several dates after that that he will be running so check out www.mattdracing.com to find out when he will be running a car and where so you can tune in and cheer him on. Also follow him on twitter at, www.twitter.com/mattdracing and on his facebook fan page, http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Matt-DiBenedetto/354888716269?ref=ts.

Congratulations

2010-06-13T08:39:00.002-04:00

I would like to extend a grand congratulations to Garrett Marchant on his first ever victory in the great sport of auto racing. He picked up his first victory at ECMS or East Carolina Motor Speedway.

Nic Morse

2010-06-11T18:35:00.006-04:00

How did you get started? When?

I got started racing on a computer actually. Playing some racing simulators that Papyrus put out. Then I moved over to rFactor and into iRacing and ARCA Simracing. Then after doing that for about 5-6 years I got into a superstock at Colorado National Speedway and the goal was to race in the Sportsman (crate Late Model) division but I got scammed and someone took my money, the car, and split. So all of this started when I was 13 and I got into a superstock when I was 22 and now I am 24 years old.

What motivated you to start racing?

I just really enjoyed it. I liked the competition and the ability to have an entire performance rely just on me. I like that concept.

Any pertinent background information?
I am 24 years old and live in Fort Collins, CO. I am a graduate of Colorado State University and am still trying to move up the racing ladder.
Your inspirations?
Dale Sr., Rusty Wallace, Juan Pablo Montoya

Anything that makes you unique?
Unlike 99% of the drivers moving up the racing ranks right now. I don't and have never had any private funding. I have achieved what I have so far simply through tons of perstistance and pesky communication with lots of industy people. I finally got a few people to help me and it has been extremely beneficial for me. It would be nice to continue to move up without having the millions of dollars that most of the drivers in the upper series have access to through family money.

Do you have any superstitions?

Nope.

Who do you try to model yourself after?

I model myself after probably Dale Jr./Juan Pablo Montoya in terms of on track performance during the first 75% of the race. Then during the last 25% of the race I make Brad Keselowski look like Scott Wimmer.

Do you have a funny or best fan experience?

Yeah. I had a neat guy named Walter have me autograph a picture of Talladega. It didn't have anything on it and I didn't have a hero card on me to give him. So I signed it, then took out a sticky note, and drew him my own personal hero card with all my own stats on it. Then I tried to sketch a stick figure picture of myself and it just went horribly wrong. Walter thought it was funny though and kept the hero card.

What is your favorite race track? Why?

Colorado National Speedway is one. Also Toledo is a great track. I crewed for Hixson Motorsports in the ARCA Series in 2006 and have always enjoyed that track. It is a great track. I would have to say Daytona is a favorite too, but I have never raced there.

How has your family or anyone else impacted your career/ expanded your horizons?

I think my family has simply been supportive as best they could. They encouraged me to get my degree, which I did and that was the most they could help. I have Patrick Shelton helping me as my manager. Chris Jones as my Sponsor Hunter and Paul Haberman as my Lawyer. All of these people hopped on board with me, for free, even though I am still young and unnoticed. So I can't say how great it is for them to try and help me continue to move up the ladder.

What are your goals/plans for the future?

Race in the ARCA Series. If that doesn't work out, just keep racing at Colorado National Speedway. It is pretty cocky and unrealistic to make plans for things I have no clue about how they will actually play out.

What does your racing schedule for 2010 look like?

Empty but hunting for sponsors. Try to run some backend late model stuff at Colorado National Speedway during the fall.

Have you ever doubted your commitment to the sport? If so why?

Yeah, more than once. But that is just when times get tough. Just have to use that doubt to further your motivation to try harder.

Has your life changed since you became a member of the racing community?

Not really.

As an upcoming/less experienced member in the sport, who do you look to for guidance? Why?

I look to a few friends I have in real racin at Irwindale, guys who have ran in ASA, or a friend I have in the Nationwide Series. They always have good advice to keep me calm and remind me life is more than just trying to make it in racing.

Please include any information that you would like to be specifically included.

I love my wife.

Jennifer Jo Cobb

2010-06-09T21:42:00.006-04:00

Looking at Jennifer Jo Cobb the last thing you would think her job or career would be would be a professional race car driver by trade. Even from the young age of eight years old she knew she wanted to be a race car driver. When her mother placed her in dance and gymnastics classes she still preferred to be tinkering with her father on his race cars. Her father started racing when she was three years old and he has always been the force that helps her to persevere through the rough patches. Jennifer has always put her own hard work into her cars seeing as he father made her work on her own cars every night. Drivers get a new appreciation for their cars and the equipment when they work on it themselves and it brings them closer to their team and crew because a great weekend proves the effort from everyone has paid off.

Being a woman in a male dominated comes with its perks and there are often some strange things that happen to the women versus what happens to the men. Jennifer has had many interesting fan encounters but her favorite encounters have got to be the countless marriage proposals that she has received on and off the track from fans. Her favorite track though of course is Kansas Speedway because it’s her home track. There is no place better than home for a driver because you know all the secret spots to get the best food and get to see friends you would not normally get to see because they are still close to home. Traveling is a large part of a driver’s lifestyle that cannot really be changed.

Jennifer tries to model herself after some really great women including Princess Diana, Jackie Kennedy, and Dara Torres. Princess Diana and Jackie Kennedy are ladies, how Jennifer would like to be a lady but she wants to have the determination that Dara Torres, an Olympic swimmer, has. Four important aspects that

Jennifer wants to incorporate into her life would have to be to have class, style, toughness, and perseverance. Jennifer is not lacking in some quirky habits though that are superstitious for her. She wears animal print underwear even though she says it is not really a superstition but more of a ritual.

Jennifer utilizes the journalism talents that her mother taught her to help her obtain sponsorships and help her find a way to keep racing every weekend. Through the creation of her own companies www.Drivenmale.com and www.Driverboutique.com she needs the support of her fans because she doesn’t have sponsor support. Buy a shirt and support Jennifer Jo Cobb and her racing team. Along with the support of her parents she gets support from fellow drivers Carl Long and Rick Crawford along with her team manager Mike Harmon.

She has been racing since 1991 when she started at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas. Her racing schedule for this year consists of a full Camping World Truck Series schedule along with four-six starts in the Nationwide series and she was one of the over five women who raced in the ARCA series opener at Daytona in February. Jennifer is still looking for sponsorships for her racing career so if you would be interested be sure to contact her through her site, cobbracingteam.com. Jennifer is also on Twitter, her name is @jenjocobb, make sure you follow her and make sure you like her page on facebook, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-Jo-Cobb-Racing/110466598985291?ref=ts.

Garrett Marchant

2010-06-09T05:52:00.002-04:00

Garrett Marchant is just thirteen years old and is in his first year of his sure to be long career in the sport of Auto Racing. Garrett has been around racing from a young age, his grandfather raced as well as his father who still races today. Through the guidance of his grandfather and father he heads out to the race track every weekend ready to win. In his first start ever in his career he qualified second and finished second in the race. In the three races he has competed in this year he has finished second, third and fifth. Don’t let the fact that he has only run in three races in his career lead you to think that he isn’t committed to this. He has a race scheduled for every weekend up until November. If you could say that anyone has racing in their blood it would have to be Garrett seeing as he is a third generation racer.

His father inspired his love for racing, just being at the local short track fueled his passion for the sport. Watching his father race and being able to experience the world of NASCAR got him hooked on the sport. When he told his father that he wanted to be a racer and to make his career in racing he was more than supportive and built him a car. Would you be able to believe that he almost never set foot in a car after when he was four years old a piece of speedy dry flew up and hit him in the eye. After that he turned away from racing and he promised that he would never watch a race or go to the race track again. That lasted until he was ten years old; by the age of thirteen he stepped into the car for the first time and has never looked back. As he says himself, he is hooked on the sport now.

When asked who he tries to model himself after he references Carl Edwards. The traits that he admires the most are how he interacts with the fans and his attitude on and off the track. These are all great qualities that drivers need to obtain in order to survive in their jobs which are not normal compared to most people. Garrett says though that if you want to be in his pits you cannot wear green or eat peanuts. These are some normal superstitions for drivers but one that isn’t heard too often is the fact that full moons bring bad luck.

What does his racing schedule look like for the rest of the year? He plans on racing every weekend until November and he has big plans for his future. Garrett would like to be in a late model by the time he is sixteen and by the time he turns eighteen he would like to be in the ARCA Series presented by Re-Max and Menards. The young racer hasn’t put an age by which he would like to be in NASCAR but he would like to be able to race there one day. He isn’t particular about his favorite race track though, simply stating that it’s the one he is racing at that weekend.

Something he is going to have to get used to though is signing autographs for adoring fans even though he still thinks himself as a regular guy. As he continues with his top five finishes and future wins his popularity will grow and he will have to get used to signing autographs to the point that his hand hurts and he doesn’t think he can sign any more. For a race car driver there normally isn’t a better feeling than that, other than winning of course.

To learn more about Garrett Marchant you can check out his website, www.garrettmarchant.com, his facebook fan page, http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Garrett-Marchant/319657193853?ref=ts, or check him out on twitter, www.twitter.com/garrettmarchant.

Welcome!

2010-06-08T16:18:00.003-04:00

This is simply a post to introduce myself and tell you all what I am going to be doing in my spot here. I'm a seventeen year old girl who loves NASCAR, ARCA, cars, and anything fast. I also love to meet new people and new racers and I love to do interviews. I wrote a paper last year on NASCAR and ARCA which turned out phenomenal and I made some great friends through it. Once I graduate high school next year I will be going to school for communications and/or public relations. This will be informal in a way because I am not studying anything related to journalism just yet so don't bash my posts please! I'm going to get started once life settles down after finals next week so just hold on and I'll start posting at a decent time.