For those of you who may have some sort of social media profile like Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook…you’ve likely heard what “Throwback Thursday” is all about. You simply dig up an old photo, lingering around in your smart phone, and share a story about it in 140 characters or less to all of your followers.

Well, on this “Throwback Thursday”, I am going to share with you my very first dirt oval driving experience – and how it has evolved into an opportunity I have for 2013.

On February 20th, 2010, I drove a wingless sprint car for the first time – ever. It was also only the second time I’d ever driven any type of racing vehicle on an oval – and the first time on a dirt surface. Suffice to say, the learning curve was STEEP.

Now, I have always had respect for dirt track racers, despite the fact that I grew up around sports car, roadcourse racing.

Having experienced what it’s like to take a turn in a sprint car – essentially sideways and backwards!  - I wanted to experience it again, and again!

The following year, I was provided an opportunity to race in the inaugural season of the US Legends, Dirt Modified championship. I was a team driver with The Dirt Track Racing School’s race team, with support from Garth Stein, GoEnzo.com, Victory Lane Indoor Karting, & Liquifix – not to mention a ton of support from friends and family.

After several podiums, a flip, a WIN!, and a top-five championship finish, I was pleased with the results of my performances.

This season? Well, this season could be my biggest to date.

I have been offered an opportunity to compete with a team in the Carolina RaceSaver Sprint Car Series for 2013! There are going to be approximately fifteen races at five to six tracks throughout the Southeast, along the I-85 and I-77 corridor. Right now, I can assure you I am working harder than ever to secure marketing partners to take advantage of this opportunity.

Between a full schedule at UNC Charlotte studying mechanical engineering, with a motorsport concentration, coaching nearly a dozen clients in racing  go-karts, and hoping to go racing next season…I sometimes forget to eat and sleep.

So, please stay tuned, and I’ll see you back here in the next few weeks with news of what I’m doing – whatever that might be!

See you at the track!

“The track is my canvas, my car is my is my brush”

- Graham Hill

Thanks to my benefactors who helped me raise $1,585, I was able to make it to New Jersey and drive the Volpe Art Car at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP). The end of the weekend came way too fast – however, I am proud to say that I am now the TTE lap record holder with the NASA North East Region!

So yes, we did bring the Ian Pawelec-created piece of art work to life at the race track (oh, and nothing beats passing Ferrari’s, Porsche’s, and BMW’s in a pretty looking Mazda!).

We went into the weekend with disappointing news – NASA-NE had chosen to cancel the endurance race that Vicktor Volpe initially invited me to co-drive with him in. We brainstormed as to what to do – and came up with a new idea! I competed in the “Time Trials” (TT) which are timed competitions very much like race event qualifying. A driver and a car with the goal to drive as fast and as perfectly as possible. It was easy to get comfortable in Vick’s race car – so much so that I broke a year-standing laptime record with a time of 1:36.8 on NJMP’s “Thunderbolt” course – the version without the chicane.

Before the weekend, NJMP’s Thunderbolt circuit was a track I had never seen and the Volpe Art Car was a car I’d never driven. So, I had a lot on my plate! Given the circumstances, I am quite proud of my performance (thanks, in part, to my phone coach…Dad).

I can’t thank Vicktor enough for allowing me the opportunity to drive his car. He was immensely helpful through the entire weekend, and has been tremendously encouraging as I continue to pursue a career as a professional motorsport athlete. Given the chance to race the enduro…we feel we would have taken a win… No doubt! (Oh, and big congrats to Vicktor for his SM2 win!!)

To my benefactors…you guys rock. Plain and simple. You all will be hearing from me very soon. Words cannot adequately express how thankful I am to have such supportive group of people behind me.

In the meantime, check out the video I’ve put together – remember to look for your name on the car!

BIG thanks to Kirkham Racing and GoPro for the HD Hero 2 cameras! They made for some sick in-car footage!

Fear Less. Live More.

If you wanted to make a contribution, but forgot or didn’t get a chance to; I’m accepting them via PayPal for another 2 weeks! If you make a contribution, you can also expect some YORK Motorsport gifts in the mail as a gesture of my appreciation! Click the “Donate” button, and go from there!

My goal is to raise $1,771 by October 14th. Watch the video, and go to IndieGoGo.com/ArtOfRacing. A contribution of any amount is IMMENSELY appreciated.

I worked hard on this edit – so check it out!

Fear Less. Live More.

This is just a few of the exciting moments over the weekend packed into 3 minutes. Check it out!

In addition to continuing with my racing endeavors, I’ve been coaching several youngsters who are beginning their pursuit of racing. It has been immensely rewarding seeing these kids have continual improvement. It is also refreshing to see families and their kids become passionate for the sport that I enjoy so much.

Pictured here, is one of my rising athlete’s, Alexander Schoel, in a new Arrow kart.

With everything that’s gone on lately, I have a lot to talk about! For now, however, I’m going to make a quick post here about my trip to Washington State.

As some of you know, I am originally from Seattle, Washington. With that, I always look forward to going back to that city to reminisce on my childhood and spend time with part of my family.

Pretty much right after I landed at SeaTac, we headed east, to a family cabin in the mountains near Lake Wenatchee. Since they have a few off-road motorcycles, riding every trail I could find was an absolute must. Here’s a little look from my perspective behind the bars of the Yamaha TW 200.

After spending the week with my family, I hooked up with the guys at Car Tender and West Coast Touring Cars (WCTC), and made the five-hour haul to Spokane County Raceway for a three-race weekend at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Northwest Grand Prix – part of the Spokane Festival of Speed.

Dad was already in Spokane, where he’d been testing a BMW race car for a new project of his. He and I were to race WCTC’s Dodge ACR Neons (factory race cars!). As ever, we gave each other plenty of trash talk – even family members can be competitive! – but had tonnes of fun despite that. Of six races in three days, I finished on the podium five times – with just one DNF for a very unusual circumstance – and a first-place finish stuck somewhere in there too. Huge thanks to everyone on our team as well as all the volunteers and organizers for putting on a great race.

I had cameras in my car and got some great footage from some of the races. Soon, I’ll be making a video from it all and I’ll post it in the next day or two!

Thanks again to Car Tender, Johnny Mac, Rob Dunn, and West Coast Touring Cars for letting us have the opportunity to drive their cars.

Also, a huge thanks to Ryan and Dwain at Indocil Art for giving me a great looking piece of art on my Bell Racing GTX-2 helmet. I am very happy with the way it turned out.

Check back the next couple days for some in-car camera action!!

Additionally, I’m continuing to work on securing a drive for 2013. As you all know, I’ll drive whatever has a motor, four wheels, and a steering wheel! There are a few opportunities available to me – it’s just a matter of finding the support, and a proper marketing campaign for my partners to benefit from.

In the meantime, I have business to do for the rest of 2012. I’m taking the rest of this year as an opportunity to gain some more experience, and race whatever I can get behind the wheel of.

I had a last minute deal to run with a team in Endurance Karting’s 24 Hours of Charlotte. Even though the team was running in the middle of the pack when I showed up (after taking a brutal physics exam!), I had a ton of fun running some night stints. Thanks to BBG Racing for letting me hop on their team!

Next week, I’ll be racing in “King’s Cup”, which is a very popular charity event Richard Petty hosts for the Paralyzed Veterans of America at Victory Lane Karting. There’re going to be a ton of Cup drivers – and some wild racing. I’m really excited to go hang out with some friends and run a hard race with all of them, so be on the lookout for an update on that!

During the summer months, I’ll travel to the Pacific Northwest. In that time, I’ll not only visit with friends and family, I’ll be rejoining the team of West Coast Touring Cars!  The plan is for me to again take the wheel of one of the team’s Dodge ACR touring cars for the three-race weekend that is the O’Reilly Auto Parts Northwest Grand Prix. As part of the Spokane Festival of Speed, the event is a big one for the city of Spokane, WA. Last year I had a very successful weekend, with some podium finishes. I’ll be looking to have similar results this year!

After that, who knows what could be next!? Returning to race in the the 8 Hours of the Cascades at Portland International Raceway could be in the cards for this year too…

Beyond the racing, some other cool stuff has come together recently as well. I received my Bell Racing GTX-2 the other day. As a BELL Sponsored Driver this season, I’m looking to have my new lid well presented! On that note, I’ve been at the Indocil Art shop in South Carolina (a BELL Authorized painter as well as who paints my dad’s helmets) getting my helmet prepped for some new artwork. This one is going to be sick, so be sure to be on the lookout for some photos in the next couple months.

I have also secured a personal services agreement with The Blue Ox Jerky Co.! You’ll see the Blue Ox on my helmets from now on, and of course they’re on my website now as well. In the next week or so, we’re going to put together a video and another post on my website about The Blue Ox Jerky Co. From what I’ve been told, their jerky punches gas station jerky in the face. If you order some jerky from them, be sure to use the promo code “EvanGoFast” at checkout – it’ll give you a discount! More about that later! Time to get back to working!

Fear Less. Live More.

Getting caught up in someone’s wreck is never something a driver looks forward to. One driver caused at least five other cars (of the 11 car field) to get tangled up in a single accident just feet before the finish line.

Up until then, we were running a satisfying race given the obstacles that were thrown at us. I don’t think I’ll be back in the #3 LMOD any time soon. The car is fixed, but we do not have the funding to continue to run the championship.

Who knows what the future may hold. I’m planning on racing karts quite a lot, and I’ll surely get behind the wheel of a road racing car later this year. Besides that, we’ll see what opportunities present themselves. Until then, I can guarantee you I’ll be hunting for a ride.

In the mean time, help me pay the bills for my race car and buy a t-shirt! Go to the Store and I’ll get it to you ASAP!

Check out the video for some more news!

Keep checking back for updates.

Fear Less. Live more.

Since we still have some time, contributions to my campaign can still be made! Click the “Donate” button, and you can make a contribution. Any amount is hugely appreciated! The more I get, the more likely I am able to continue racing beyond the 1st LMOD race at Carolina Speedway. Huge thanks to everyone for helping me make my dreams become a reality!

Bad news. We were rained out…But, we are rescheduled to race this Friday the 30th at Carolina Speedway!

When I shared my story with a few people at the track, they had offered to make a contribution! So, I am extending my campaign here on my website. IndieGoGo will not let me extend it to the end of this week, so I have set up a place where you can make contributions securely via PayPal!

Click the “Donate” button, and you can make a contribution. Any amount is hugely appreciated! The more I get, the more likely I am able to continue racing beyond the 1st LMOD race at Carolina Speedway. Huge thanks to everyone for helping me make my dreams become a reality!