 How many of these did you guys get???
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 I ordered 3 of them! (I ordered more than that, but 3 off the list)
By: Tom Luttermoser  Camping World Truck Series: Hailie Deegan 2x Winner Xfinity Series: Noah Gragson Cup Series: Chase Elliott 5x WinnerBetween the 3 winners, there are 8 MPD awards in their respective series
 Original Story By: Tom Luttermoser w/ Image Credits: Paul Productions & Paul Wiedeler Last week it was announced that German race team 3 Friends Racing would field their first stock car in the US at this past weekends South Carolina 250 at Florence Motor Speedway with young driver Christopher Tate behind the wheel. With my limited knowledge of the South East's Late Model scene I had to figure out who this kid was. So, I hit him up on IG and got to chatting. Hailing from Decatur, Texas, Christopher Tate attended his first NASCAR race at 4 years old and was hooked instantly never wanting to miss seeing a race on TV or hearing it on the radio. Tate loved racing he started racing Motocross and trail racing at 12 till the ripe old age of 17. Tate had several wins and even a couple runner-up title finishes in his day on 2 wheels. He took his share of bumps and injuries before it finally figured (in his words) "It'd be best if I got a roll cage around me" and decided to chase his NASCAR dream. About his Junior year of high school he never even thought it was possible, he just never got his big break until now. In 2019 Tate got the opportunity to run the Myrtle Beach 400 which he credits as the race that truly cemented that he wanted to race as a career. With so few laps and a rainy week, there were a lot of firsts for Tate during that event and having to learn many of them on the fly. He started 37th out of 38 cars but managed to race his way up to 18th which is a result that should make any inexperienced driver happy. It has now been 3 years since that last race in a Late Model and since 2021 Tate has moved to North Carolina to pursue that dream I think all boys have in their childhood, to drive a race car. On top of that, also in 2021 Tate joined the United States Marine Corps and serves as a landing Support Specialist. He credits the Corps for teaching him the perseverance that he has today that allowed him keep on pushing to make his dreams come true stating that he could not be more thankful for that. At the Coke 600 weekend at Charlotte in 2022, Christopher may not have known it, he got a huge opportunity. Tate was a guest of David Starr at the event where he met Paul Wiedeler doing videography with Starr who introduced him to Dennis Hirtz who own 3 Friends Racing and the trio hit it off from there. Christopher Tate even began being listed as 3F Racing's development driver and over the last several weeks, Tate and 3F Racing's conversations started picking up steam about potentially fielding a car at the Thanksgiving Classic but ultimately deciding to attempt the South Carolina 250 at Florence Motor Speedway. The South Carolina 250 is the Limited Late Model event held at Florence every year and this was only Tate's 2nd start.. EVER... in a Late Model. Being first to qualify he unfortunately started P.23 of 26 starters. But with support from Xfinity Series driver and friend Ryan Vargas and the guys over at 3F Racing, Tate managed to keep the nose of the car clean and drive his #30 to a very respectable P.16. Talking to Christopher Tate he did mention that as of now there are no solid plans for 2023, but he did however say that he is eyeing an ARCA debut at Daytona. They are looking for funding, so if you can help... Give these guys a hand!
By: Tom Luttermoser
This NASCAR season has been insane no matter the Series. Broken records, dominations, first winners, first in a long timers. This NASCAR season has also been rejuvenation for others, 3 names stick out to me for drivers who have rebuilt themselves or their careers. Ty Majeski in the Truck Series, Josh Berry in the Xfinity Series and Ross Chastain in the Cup Series. All 3 drivers have had spectacular seasons in 2022 all transforming their lives around the race track. I went to the open house for the defending Camping World Truck Series Champion Ben Rhodes last season at the ThorSport shop in Sandusky, OH. Sitting in the machine shop was Ty Majeski, I recognized him but even the friend I went with did not. Very few of the attendees seemed to know who he was back in December of 2021 and he became arguably the Championship favorite. Although it didn't pan out as he came 4th in the standings, it was still a career season for Majeski with 2 wins and 15 Top-10s. It was total redemption. Before racing brought in enough income, JRM's short track star Josh Berry was a bank teller. Berry Made 5 Xfinity Series starts for the boss Dale Jr from 2014-2016 and a small handful of of starts for other teams in the mean time scoring 2 Top-10s with a best finish of 7th. Berry got his shot though in 2021 racing the #8 and #1 Camaros for Jr scoring his massively popular first win at Martinsville and a second at the late Las Vegas race he wasn't even scheduled to run. Then 2022 marked his first full time season in an Xfinity car where he once again impressed with a Final 4 appearance, 3 wins, 11 top-5s and 20 Top-10s showing that he Is here to stay. Prior to 2022 Ross Chastain has run in the NASCAR Cup Series 114 times only finishing 20th or better 7 times. Ross is a racer, he loves the sport and has proven he can push his equipment to get that checkered flag. But it took years before he could finally bust that first watermelon, and he did it in 2019 at Kansas in the Truck Series. Fast forward a few years to 2021, Ross got his first real shot with a Cup team signing on with Chip Ganassi Racing to drive the 42 car and halfway through an 8 Top-10 season and CGR announced a deal to sell to Rookie team TrackHouse Racing. We never expected to see that team explode onto the scene like they did. Ross managed to bring himself and the Sophomore team to their first ever Cup win at Circuit of the Americas in Texas, then again at the spring race at Talladega. Ross's season was a season of consistency, irritating his fellow drivers and what very well could have been a championship had the chips fallen his way at Phoenix. Let's not forget the "Hail Melon" move at Martinsville in a move that (although it didn't need to happen) locked him into the Final 4 for the first time over season rival Denny Hamlin. With 2 wins, and series leading 15 Top-5s and 21 Top-10s Ross Chastain has reignited his career at just the right time! |
