Jarett Andretti, Third Generation Racer, Just Enjoying the Ride
Jarett Andretti may have a famous racing last name and racing in his blood, but for now he is simply enjoying the ride.
And for this third-generation driver, grandson of Aldo and son of John Andretti, the ride not only includes pursuing a college education but also racing sprint cars for the company owned by second cousin Michael Andretti.
“It started last year,” Andretti said. “Me and my dad were talking about what we wanted to do in the 2012 season.”
“And he said we should do dirt sprint cars,” Andretti continued. “And at that point, I had never even been in a dirt sprint car or driven too much on dirt.”
“We acquired different cars and we put together our best car to run,” Andretti said. “We didn’t run as good as we hoped to run.”
“So, this year we really knew what we were going to do,” Andretti continued. “We hired our crew chief, bought cars and a motor and Superior Auto came on board as a sponsor.”
“Everything fell in line to do 30 or 40 races this season in Indiana.”
Andretti’s new sponsor, Superior Auto, is also excited about partnering with the young driver as his career blossoms.
“Jarett is the next line of great racers in the Andretti family,” Chad Melchi, President of Superior Auto, said. “He’s proving himself to live in the footsteps of his great family name.”
“All of us at Superior Auto want to be a part of his journey as he continues to grow.”
Andretti actually has a unique racing resume, especially since he did not even start racing until he was 17 years old. Prior to that, he was a devoted soccer player and would have played in college except for being bitten by the racing bug.
“I played soccer for a long time and then my dad bought a go kart,” Andretti said. “He thought it would be fun to spend some time together but he might regret it after all this.”
“We didn’t know what the next step was but decided to go dirt sprint car racing,” Andretti continued. “I also got an opportunity to run Oswego Speedway in a super-modified class and won Rookie of the Year last year.”
“My career is like my father’s in a sense because I drive whatever I get the opportunity to be in,” Andretti said. “That’s why we wanted to do dirt sprint car too.”
“In Indiana you can run three nights a week,” Andretti continued. “So, when I’m not running on pavement, I’ll just get in the dirt sprint car and that will be great experience for me.”
In addition to racing whatever he can get his hands on, the young Andretti is also a sophomore at North Carolina State University, where he is studying business administration and marketing. And of course, his is all in at school where he participates in the honors program.
“It’s alright,” Andretti said about his classroom career. “On Thursday and Friday, I take online classes so I can go racing on the weekends.”
“But it’s tough to get back Sunday night or Monday morning and go to school and keep up with it all,” Andretti admitted. “There’s homework and studying during the week so I can go racing.”
“It balances out,” Andretti said. “You care about school and you want to go racing.”
“It’s a challenge to make it all work but it’s worth it.”
What also motivates the young racer is the support of his family, especially since they have allowed him to find his own way in the sport.
“There was no pressure about racing from my family,” Andretti said. “In fact, my mom has been quoted as saying “I kept him out of it this long.” So, that was her accomplishment.”
“But my family has been nothing but supportive,” Andretti continued. “My father has been supportive and has given me guidance.”
“My mom is supportive as well with me being away at college and then away racing too,” Andretti said. “She takes care of my two younger sisters and they have been supportive as well.”
“So, it’s a family effort, even with my grandfather Aldo, who comes to the track and is over there washing the car,” Andretti continued. “Mario, Michael and Marco are also supportive as well.”
“Michael let me test in October so it’s all a family effort like most things.”
So what does the future hold for the youngest Andretti racer?
“I think it’s tough to answer because it’s where the opportunity falls,” Andretti said. “I’d be happy to run Le Mans and Daytona and run dirt the rest of the year.”
“I’m not picky about where I go,” Andretti continued. “I think the opportunity will be something with fenders, either in sports cars or NASCAR.”
“IndyCar right now doesn’t seem to have many opportunities for young kids and that’s disappointing,” Andretti said. “But that’s the way it is.”
“Really, I just want to win races,” Andretti said. “And I just like to drive race cars.”
“Right now, I’m just enjoying the ride.”
Baldwin Determined to Make the Most of Rookie Season in NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour
Dalton Dalton’s love of racing began as a young child. If there was a NASCAR race on the television, he stopped whatever he was doing to watch the action on the screen. His career began at the age of nine when he began racing go-karts with his father, Bobby.
He was a natural, winning 3 feature races and multiple heat races running a part time schedule at the East Bay Raceway Park dirt track. Dalton eventually progressed to modifieds at Desoto Super Speedway and became known for his hard charging, on the edge, aggressive racing style. In 2009, he won the Flyin’ 4 Rookie of the Year award.
Dalton’s father, Bobby, was known as one of the best Florida Modified drivers in the state. In 2010, he made the decision to step aside and put Dalton in his car. It was a bold move. His son would be moving up from a 100 horsepower car to a 600 horsepower open wheel modified. Much of the racing community thought Dalton was not ready for the transition. They were wrong.
Under his father’s guidance, Dalton was soon racing up front with the veterans. He finished the season third in points and won Rookie of the Year.
He found even more success in 2011. In only the second race, he started on the pole, led every lap and collected his first win. The season ended with an impressive four wins and the Florida Modified Championship at Desoto Super Speedway.
2012 would be a year of transition as the team prepared to move forward into the Modified Touring Series. In August, they drove to North Carolina and bought the necessary car. The remainder of the year was all about gaining experience and soaking up knowledge from more experienced drivers.
This year, Dalton will run a full-time schedule in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour division. His goals are to win at least one race and to earn the Rookie of the Year award.
“But ultimately,” he says, “I’m really just trying to prove myself to everyone. So, I want to just be competitive and up front, showing that we can compete with these guys.”
Dalton also has another reason for wanting to succeed this season. He’s a proud advocate for the World Motorsports Breast Cancer Foundation and will donate part of his winnings to the organization.
“This is our first season together,” he said, “and I really hope we can make big things happen for the foundation.”
Dalton Baldwin Racing is a family owned and operated business without the resources of many other teams. When asked about the sacrifices his family had to make, Dalton offers a different point of view.
“Well, to us, racing is our lives. So, we don’t have to make many sacrifices, it’s just what we do. We don’t want to do anything else but racing. Anything we put towards this isn’t a sacrifice to us; it’s a way of life.”
What they lack in funds, they make up for with passion and the will to succeed.
“It’s taken a lot to just get here and we’re just scratching the surface,” Dalton told me. “We’re underfunded compared to a lot of these guys, especially the northern tour teams. But we make up for that with determination and integrity. I don’t believe any other team has a will to win as high as we do.”
More information on the UNOH Battle at the Beach can be found at hometracks.nascar.com.
For more information about Dalton Baldwin Racing including driver bio, race schedule, pictures and videos, please visit www.daltonbaldwin.com. You can also find his Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/DaltonBaldwinRacing and Twiiter at https://twitter.com/Dalton_Baldwin.
NASCAR Trucks to qualify, race on same day at Rockingham
