So, obviously, in a previous post, I told you about how I got into NASCAR, IndyCar, F1, racing in general, going to races, really growing my interest in the sport, right?
Well, what if I told you that that interest fueled into a passion, and pushed me to even become a racer myself?
It all started around August 2015, a few months after my NASCAR fandom blossomed. I was 12 years old at the time. My grandfather was aware of my growing love for racing and offered to take me to a nearby go-kart track, Dallas Karting Complex, that was about 10 minutes from where I lived. Needless to say, I obliged.
At the track, which is a 4/5 mile outdoor road course, I ran 3 races which were approximately 7 laps each in a little 30 mph kart, and it wasn't long until I worked my way up to the 60 mph karts, which were mainly for adults, not typically a 12-year-old 7th grader.
The races were determined by lap times, rather than by positions, and my grandfather began to notice some skill surfacing from me behind the wheel, as I was winning races by as much as 4-5 seconds, which in racing is what some might call a "country mile."
My grandfather and I began making friends with the guys that worked at the go-kart track, as well as the owner, Mike, who was a former racer in his own right. They would even let me stay at the track with them after hours and we would all race together and I would even help them close the track for the night. Experiencing all of that as a teenager was something else.
Soon, I would garner a fast enough time to drive one of the 70 mph karts, which had an upgraded engine and actual race tires on it. It ran at the same time as the 60 mph karts, but didn't have a time sensor on it, because that would just be unfair, to be honest.
While I went back and forth racing between the 60 and 70 mph karts, I remember stopping and watching some of the league members practice at the track. League members were racers that participated in club races at the track, and had their own go karts that went 90 mph, and in between the normal kart races, the members got a 10-minute practice session to test their karts out. I wasn't exactly wanting to become a member, but if opportunity presented itself, then I really don't know how I could turn it down.
Well, in October, opportunity presented itself.
One Friday night, after a long and successful night of racing, my grandfather said that he had a surprise for me, and brought me into Mike's shop, where Mike himself was waiting beside an object covered by a blanket.
I throw the blanket aside, and sitting on a stand is a DD2 shifter go-kart, with a big 1 stickered all around. My grandfather had found the kart from the owner of Pole Position, an indoor go-kart track that we had also had the privilege of visiting. Why did he choose to put number 1 on there? "Because that's where you were always finishing. Those other people couldn't even touch you," said my grandfather.
After a few months of practice and making friends and getting words from the wise from the other racers in the shop, I finally decided to join DKC's club races and really see just how good I was against drivers that were my age and older, some with much more experience.
In my first club race, I don't know if it was just nerves or I didn't warm up my tires enough, but I got loose during the qualifying, crashed into one of the barriers, and twisted up my steering on my kart. Devastated, my grandfather and I went to an auto parts shop and also found some parts that Mike was willing to give us, and it was fixed up good as new in about 2 days.
At the next club race, about 3 weeks later, I actually made it through qualifying and qualified 3rd out of 16 other racers. These races are determined by position, as everyone starts at the same time. In the 20-lap race, I fell back to 9th at the beginning of the race, but I was able to pull through the remainder of the race and finish 5th.
Knowing what I was dealing with and what my competition was gave me a mindset to have while I was doing practices and seeing how I performed both solo and in a group. What to work on during a race, what to tell myself, etc.
At the next club race, I finally secured my first pole position, which means you start first, and I led most of the 20-lap race, but I was hunted down by an older, experienced racer with 3 laps to go and finished runner-up. I was angered at myself. I had done almost everything right except for the last few laps. Was I ever going to get a win?
Next race, I qualified 4th, and this race was 25 laps. I was able to slide right into 2nd on the start into turn 1, and the longest cat-and-mouse game of my life took place. The leader and I traded 1st and 2nd for most of the race, us getting the better of each other in specific parts of the track. But around lap 17, I was able to pass him, and I finally drove away to take my first-ever win in the DKC club races. My parents, aunt, uncle, and grandparents were all there to witness it. It's a day that I will never forget. June 4, 2017. I cried when I received the trophy in Victory Lane.
I was able to win 4 more club races while I raced at DKC, and I made lots of racing friends, some I stay in contact with to this day to talk about NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula 1, and other types of racing.
Sadly, I never was able to enter into any levels of racing past this. I was growing fast, high school began taking up much of my schedule, and left almost no room for me to continue to hone my race craft. Trips to the track became less and less frequent, and in February 2020, my grandfather passed away after a fierce battle with colon cancer.
After his passing (and COVID), I didn't go back to DKC until the summer of 2021, after I graduated high school. I was slightly surprised to learn that I still had it. I was still putting fast laps in the 60 mph karts, and I was able to meet back up with Mike and catch up with him. This is the most recent time that I have been to the track.
Since that visit, the track has been reconfigured, and I am looking forward to hopefully going back there over the summer and hopefully Mike is still there (and still remembers me). As for my kart? It's sitting in a trailer in the backyard of my parents' house. The engine hasn't been fired since January 2018, so some work is definitely in store. I might have just found my project for the summer. Is a comeback tour in store for me? You just never know...
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