I have been passionate about racing since I first saw a NASCAR Cup Race on television when I was five years old. “There was just something about those cars whizzing around the track that mesmerized me”.

Fast-forward 16 years to now, and I am still mesmerized by racing, and feel truly blessed that at 21 years old, I am currently competing in the NASCAR truck series and late model CARS TOUR series. The journey really started for me at age eleven. That’s when I started karting competitively in a junior league at F1 Boston. After sweeping two championships there, I was ready to move up to high performance go-karting, racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. But at 13, I needed a bigger, faster, more expensive kart for that type of racing. Instead of asking my parents for the money, I worked with the owner of a local karting company, who is also one of my mentors, to build my own go-kart. With the owner's help, I purchased the parts and we built the Briggs and Stratton LO-206 high performance kart from the ground up. I continued to work for the shop's team to repay my debt. But for me it wasn’t work, because “Any day at the track is a good day for me.” I was in middle school at the time, and not earning a big paycheck. So, I also started knocking on doors, asking for sponsorship from local businesses. I was able to land a dental practice, gas station, hardware store and pizza shop to cover my karting costs. After that I won a regional New Hampshire karting championship competing against adults, and decided that was as good a time as any to apply for the NASCAR Diversity program.

After a really tough NASCAR international competition and karting combine, I landed one of four spots on the 2019 NASCAR Drive for Diversity youth driver development team. Being a high schooler at the time, this was a dream come true for me. During my driver training, to save money, I lived in a borrowed RV, parked across the street from the Charlotte Motor Speedway. I was so grateful that all of my other racing costs in the program were covered by NASCAR. After two years racing Legends cars for the Rev Racing Diversity team I left with a Top 5 Championship from the Charlotte Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In 2021 I knew it was time to take the next step. I moved from Legends cars to late model racing. I was lucky enough to be picked up by Mike Darne Racing out of Mooresville, N.C. And after only 4 racing events, I won my first late model race at Hickory Motor Speedway. I can’t explain what an exciting night that was. When the announcer asked me how I felt in victory lane, I said, “I must be dreaming. This is amazing.” For me, racing really is amazing, but it’s also expensive so I continue to work hard to get sponsorship. Once I find a sponsor, I work even harder to meet the needs of that sponsor. I could not do this without them. When I’m not racing myself, I work at local tracks, helping young racers perfect their racecraft. I also speak to school kids about reaching their goals. Hopefully I can inspire other young minority drivers who have a passion for racing. For myself, I know that to continually improve my racecraft, more time behind the wheel is a must, and that is costly. In the past I have run three truck series races, but I’m hoping to increase that number in the coming year. That's where you can help. Currently sponsorship opportunities are available as I prepare for upcoming starts in the nationally-televised NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. And if you choose, your sponsorship money can be tax-deductible through the Wings and Wheels Foundation.

Blake Lothian

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series