Become a Driver
WHAT'S EXPECTED
If your thoughts and dreams of becoming a race car driver are part of your life, then we will help prepare you for that goal.
You will have to be totally devoted to your endeavor by following a program that has worked for so many talented drivers before you. Some of our successful drivers include Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, the late Kenny Irwin, Jr., David Starr, Reed Sorenson, Justin Allgaier, Bryan Clauson and many more.
As you know, auto racing is totally driven by money. You will prepare yourself to please and dedicate your efforts to the sponsors.
It is also very important to have someone like Charlie Patterson represent you. Through our agents years of experience they can explain in detail the nessesary steps that it takes to become a top flight race driver. All our agents are trained by Charlie Patterson and have the ability to excell your career in motorsports by cutting your learning curve in half. All of our agents are well known in the racing industry and they will assist in networking with the racing community on and off the track. Our background of success in helping bring quality and experienced drivers into the racing world can be very helpful to a driver’s career.
TIPS & TECHNIQUES
Here are some basic Tips & Techniques that we at NexGen include in each of our driver development programs. These Tips & Techniques are just the beginning to developing a driver. We highly recommend purchasing NexGen’s: “Yellow Stripes: Making the Driver” educational DVD, or downloading it from our website: www.makingthedriver.com. We provide in-depth details regarding the items listed below and you can receive advice from the professionals who are in the industry.
• Appearance: Your personal appearance is a must to create a marketable image for everyone involved in your career. Appearance items that are sponsor driven are as follows; no earrings (on males), caps are to be worn with the bill forward to a shade eyes, collared shirts neatly pressed with appropriate jeans or slacks.
• Public Speaking Ability: It is important to learn how to public speak with proper language, and limiting your pause words, will help increase your effectiveness to communicate with the media, car owners and sponsors.
• Education: Your education is very important, the more the better. Higher education, such as in the field of engineering, can help with the setup of your car and improve communication when working with engineers within the upper echelons of racing. One setup item that is very important to understand are Suspension Settings, such as understanding shock absorption settings as your input from a driver’s stand point will help engineers create a proper handling race car.
• Eye Contact: When speaking to anyone you should speak clearly with eye contact at all times.
• Attitude: It is important to maintain your cool during competition. When something goes wrong try to maintain proper attitude and discipline, you are be watched by many.
• Networking the Garage Area: Even after you have left the racing surface and parked in your pits and after you have exited your car and have been debriefed by your mechanic and engineer, take time to spend talking and greeting other competitors and fans who are near. You never know who might be in the area looking for someone to put sponsor money into.
• Skills Behind the Wheel: It is important to hone your skills by coming up the proper way because your driving ability will increase tremendously as you take the proper route. The drivers who make quick strides to get to the top at some point did some dirt track driving, as it teaches you to finesse the steering wheel and throttle to get the real feel of the car. After you have mastered the dirt then the next step is to go to asphalt as it is the path to the big time. There are various types of racing series such as many open wheel programs and several stock car type races to hone your skills. By the time you are 15, or 16, years of age you should try to attempt to compete in a heavy body stock car series, as it will prepare you for fender type programs. If the open wheel type of racing appeals to you, then there are many series of rear engine type race cars which have developed several top drivers into the Indy Car program.
• On-Track Instruction: To perfect the skill and mastery of driving a race car there are several driving schools with top flight instructors who can bring you to the top of your game. We work closely with some of the best names in the industry, Mike Loesher, Bob Bondurant, Skip Barber, etc.. and we can help cut your learning curve in half by setting up time with these instructors through our development program.
• Health & Diet: Enhancing your physical fitness is one of the most important things that you can do to be a winner. Upper body strength is very important to give you the ability to finish up front. Proper diet goes along with your fitness routine to keep you healthy and strong.
• Business Management: As your career grows you will need to plan ahead in various fields, such as someone to manage your affairs. Being in the management business for a number of years and over 50 years involved in auto racing in various rolls we have team members that can give you one-on-one advice in this area.
• Financial Planning: Appropriate financial planning is also important as your career grows. We recommend putting a program in place to manage your assets as there will be considerable money both coming and going and it will also need to be properly handled.
• Insurance: This is an important issue that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. There are several agents we have worked with and built relationships with for many years and we have arranged them to handle insurance and guidance for several of our drivers around the world.
• Family Involvement: We applaud your family for raising you to be the best person and driver that you can be. However, as your career grows, and you leave your family run racing operation to driver for a new car owner, you must remember they are hiring you to drive their car. This is the time of transition where family members must stand back and let you work with the new owner and mechanic. We try to prevent too much family involvement because it can indirectly cause friction with driver, sponsor, car owner and mechanic relations.
• Stay Up To Speed: To keep your racing skills sharp you should take the opportunity to drive anything competitive to keep your skill set up to speed.