Chase Austin is Back

Austin to Drive Camping World NASCAR Truck

NASCAR.com - The former racing phenom, who signed a development deal with Hendrick Motorsports at 15 before that program was disbanded in the aftermath of the airplane crash that devastated the organization in 2004, was announced Wednesday as the driver of a Camping World Truck Series entry for Trail Motorsport, a new organization run by former Nationwide team owner Armando Fitz.

CHASE AUSTIN - "Making it in wasn't the hard part. It's trying to stay here that's been the hard part. Everybody knows that," said Austin, now 19, who has been racing his family's late model after a series of deals went bad. "When I was 15 I got that great deal with Hendrick Motorsports, which most people never get the chance to do. That helped get my name out there and introduce me to a lot of people. That's carried me a long way."

Art Shelton, a commercial loan consultant based in Chicago, who joins Randy Moss as one of the few black team owners in NASCAR’s three national series, owns the new team. The organization expects to field three vehicles, with Austin on the truck circuit, Jarit Johnson -- younger brother of three-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie -- on the Camping World East tour, and a driver yet to be determined on the Nationwide Series.

"Trail Motorsport will race as a team that happens to be minority," Shelton said. "We're going to race as a team that's going to be competitive and happen to be minority. If you want to label that as diversity, then yes. But we diversify only for the point of being successful. That's the only standard."

Should the team get on the race track at Daytona, Austin would join Marc Davis -- who will occasionally race a truck for Joe Gibbs this season -- as the only black drivers in NASCAR's three national series.

"I hope to make a better pathway for more minorities to join the sport," Austin said. "Art's really being a pioneer for that also, starting his own team and willing to fund it with sponsors or without. I'm really looking at him being more of a pioneer than me, because he's the one really making the way for it."

The team did not unveil any corporate sponsors Wednesday, but Fitz said such announcements are forthcoming. "We've got verbal commitments," Shelton added, "and assurances that they'd be coming on board."

That has to come as a reassurance to Austin, who has struggled to find a national series ride since the Hendrick development program was tabled. A deal with Star Motorsports disappeared because of funding, and a supposed split ride with David Stremme in a Rusty Wallace-owned car never materialized.

"There's been times when I second-guessed it, with a lot of disappointment like that," he said. "Sometimes I thought about all the disappointments, and I was like, man it's not good. And then I thought about all the positive times I've had, all the people I've gotten to work with, and thought, I wouldn't have this many chances if not for a purpose."

Chase Austin and Rusty Wallace Racing End Relationship

Dec 08 - Chase Austin took his first green flag at the age of eight in a worn out little go-kart that he pieced together with his father. Chase went on to make history ten years later when he became the first African American to make the field of a NASCAR Busch Series oval track event. Determined to "earn" his way up the racing ladder, Chase participated in every possible level of racing; go-karts, micro sprints, full size sprints, dirt modifieds, dirt late models, asphalt crate and super late models, Hooters Pro Cup cars, ARCA and finally the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

Running the majority of his career in the equipment of his un-sponsored, family owned team, Chase managed to win races in almost every type of car he drove. He set a trend that has influenced stock car racing to this day when he moved up to a 750 horsepower dirt late model as a young teen.

Chase won the "Future Dirt Track World Championship as a thirteen year old; One of the youngest competitors in the race against a dozen of the country's top teenage Dirt Late Model drivers. By age fifteen Chase had posted more than 100 feature wins and acquired several Points Championships and Rookie of the Year honors.

Chase also made history when he was signed as a fourteen year old to a driver development contract with NASCAR power house, Hendrick Motorsports. The first season he moved from dirt to asphalt, he earned two wins, one top five, six top ten finishes and a pole award. Sadly, Chase lost not only good friends, but also the Hendrick opportunity, in the tragic plane crash which took the lives of several key Hendrick Motorsports executives, including those responsible for Driver Development.

Chase went on to join another NASCAR team when he was signed to Rusty Wallace Racing in 2007. Even with his limited experience on asphalt, he managed to post four top ten finishes in the NASCAR Busch East Series. The highlight of the season for Chase was his sixth place finish at one of the most imposing and difficult tracks in NASCAR; the high-banked Dover "Monster Mile". The plans for 2008 were to enter Austin in a minimum of 15 NASCAR Nationwide Series and 7 ARCA Series races in 2008.

Unfortunately, Rusty Wallace Racing and Chase had to end their relationship in 2008 due to the economic climate. “Chase has a lot of talent, and with enough seat time and the right financing, he can definitely be a star in NASCAR,” said Rusty Wallace in making the announcement. “Unfortunately for all of us, the sponsorship we expected for Chase’s program just hasn’t materialized because of what’s happening in the economy.” “I told Chase ‘I love you to death, but there’s no reason to string you along hoping that we’ll find sponsorship,’” said Wallace. “Chase is a great young man, and definitely has the skills to be successful in this sport.”

Eighteen year old Austin is disappointed, but remains undeterred, “I was really looking forward to running the Nationwide Series with RWR, but you can’t race at this level without sponsorship. This is a tough business; you have to work hard, never give up and you have to have a lot of faith. Until we put something together, I’ll keep running our family late model. That gives me a chance to work on the cars and learn even more, which will only help me in the long run.” Austin’s name is already being mentioned in connection with at least three Nationwide Series programs for 2009.