Hi there!
First I would like to thank you for taking the time to read my new post-race column.
I am 23 years old and have been driving race cars since I was 12. This year I moved down to North Carolina to follow my dream of racing professionally at the highest level.
I am driving in the Automobile Racing Club of America racing series, which boasts 20 events, 13 of which are televised. It is my first step towards the top level of NASCAR.
We recently competed at Daytona and Mobile International Speedway, the transition from local short track racing to the complexity of racing at this level has been intense.
I am learning so much about these race cars, the setups, the race strategy and social media importance, it’s been a whirlwind.
We just got back from my first short track race in Mobile Ala., where I was competitively a top-10 car. Just two laps into the race a car lost grip while racing on the inside and slid into me and we both went down an embankment and off the track.
The rain that had kept us from practice and qualifying the day before had also made it extremely slippery and hard to get back up the hill and onto the track.
We lost several laps, but when I crested over the hill I could hear the whole grandstands going wild which gave me so much determination to finish the race strong. It was amazing.
We never did make up the deficit in laps lost, but I was able to race with and even pass some of the lead lap cars who were in the top five to 10.
We had a great car and I learned a lot with my crew chief Tony Blanchard about how to adjust throughout a long race. (Editor’s note: Cornett-Ching finished in 14th position.)
We test at Talladega on April 1 and our next race is another short track, The Fairgrounds in Nashville Tenn.
I cannot wait to put everything I learned into practice in Nashville. I am truly living my dream, watch for my next column after the April 11 race.
I look forward to sharing the highs and lows of my rookie season with you.
