I’m an oral surgeon doing this for fun, so to have an opportunity to run Mustang Challenge this year was a dream.
I’ve been with Spark Performance three of my eight years in racing, and in that time, my driving abilities and confidence grew. So much where, Nathanial “Sparky” Sparks and I decided to throw our hats in the ring for a chance to race Dark Horse R.
The inaugural Mustang Challenge season was such a memorable journey for me.
I actually flew from Italy to the series opening event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and my first time in the seat was practice. Could you imagine the anticipation I felt during that plane ride?
Our championship in the Dark Horse Legends class goes to show that you don’t always have to be the fastest but the most consistent. Sparky was very meticulous in providing me a consistent car, and this series pushed me to be my best as a driver at every stop.
Mustang Challenge with Dark Horse R teaches you to be smooth, making you a better driver overall. It goes back to grassroots racing.
The car has no traction control so in low traction conditions, you really have to feel that car. To be fast, you must always be at the limit. If you’re not on that raggedy edge, you’re slow. But you can’t be on that edge if you’re not a good driver.
I love the real-world application of motorsports; You have failures, crashes and moments when you’re disappointed. All those moments have translated to growing my business, teaching me patience and perseverance.
A great example of that was during the season’s second event at Watkins Glen International.
A penalty had unfortunately sent us to the back of the field, but I have such a vivid memory of driving the heck out of that car – until there was nothing left – to second within the first four laps.
The last race at Indy was bittersweet. Zach (Zachry Lee), who is such a good friend of mine, unfortunately wrecked in qualifying and honestly should have won the title if it was not for that incident.
But (Mike) Stillwagon and I went at it to the end. There was exciting, tight racing between the two classes. You pay for any mistake you make because there is a small margin of error in these cars.
Winning the championship was the most epic motorsports moment in my life.
It was such a defining moment because it showed that all that hard work and refusal to quit really paid off. It is a moment I’ll take to the grave with me, and it motivates me for what’s ahead in 2025.
Ford has been such a great supporter in making all these opportunities possible to its customers, especially the Le Mans Invitational next year.
It’s reassuring that they are investing in motorsports. So much so that even their CEO, Jim Farley, joined us in racing at Mid-Ohio. It just goes to show their commitment to motorsports and its future.
