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  • Paulie Harraka Back on Track and Working Hard for More

    Paulie Harraka Back on Track and Working Hard for More

    For Paulie Harraka, being back on track in the No. 44 ‘Buckle Up’ Toyota for TriStar Motorsports this past weekend was most exciting, especially after pulling off a 19th place finish in the Nationwide race at Dover International Speedway.

    But that taste of success simply served to further whet the appetite of the Duke University and Drive for Diversity graduate, who is now working hard on his next opportunity to get back behind the wheel of a race car.

    “It was a lot of fun,” Harraka said of his Nationwide TriStar Motorsports debut. “We had a really good car.”

    “I was able to move up fairly quickly in the early going but I had an unfortunate incident on pit road with just a guy stalling out and making a mistake and miscommunicating with his spotter,” Harraka continued. “We became the victim. And that hurt us. It bent the splitter down a little bit and it obviously hurt the front fender so we lost front down force. We’d land so hard in the corner that it would bottom out the splitter. So, it made the car a little bit of a handful.”

    “But I was able to move around and we made some adjustments and got the handling back,” Harraka said. “We were able to move back up and pass a lot of cars to get back in the top-20, which was our goal for the weekend.”

    “All in all, a good day, especially for my first time in the 44 car and working with this race team. We really enjoyed working with each other and I think we built a good foundation to go and do more and run better next time around.”

    Harraka was also very grateful to have the sponsorship from the Delaware Office of Highway Safety, focusing on seat belt education, a cause in which Harraka passionately believes.

    “I’m really grateful to the Delaware Office of Highway Safety and their ‘Buckle Up’ program,” Harraka said. “We really did a unique marketing package with them. It’s a relationship that we had that we were able to put together.”

    “It’s so important to make a habit of buckling up,” Harraka continued. “You should just do it every time you get in a car because you don’t get that second chance.”

    Harraka was not the only one pleased with the sponsorship deal.

    “The Office of Highway Safety is thrilled to have a new partner in traffic safety with Paulie Harraka and TriStar Motorsports,” Alison Kirk, community relations officer for OHS, said. “We had a great weekend with Paulie and the team to bring seat belt safety education and outreach to fans at the Monster Mile. We appreciated the support that they gave us to share the Buckle Up message in the racing community.”

    In addition to his sponsor, Harraka was also pleased to join the TriStar Motorsports team, one that is deep in veteran talent with drivers Mike Bliss and Jeff Green.

    “We felt like there was a great platform here for me as a driver having a race team that has a lot of their own equipment, a beautiful race shop, and teammates that I can really lean on like Mike Bliss and Jeff Green, champions with multiple wins,” Harraka said. “We were joking around and saying that Mike Bliss probably has more laps run at Dover than I have in my whole racing career. So, to have those guys to lean on, we have a great bunch with the 44 crew and it all came together well.”

    In addition to his teammates, Harraka has yet another tool in his belt that he utilized this past weekend at the Monster Mile and at all the tracks where he races.

    “Ted Musgrave (2005 Truck Series Champion) comes with me to all that races that we do,” Harraka said. “Ted is a coach and a mentor to me. He’s great because he’s seen almost every scenario there is to see. He’s been there, he’s driven it himself, and he has a tremendous amount of knowledge about the race car as well.”

    “He’s really good at helping us when I need to be doing something differently or when we need to adjust the cars. He can watch what the other cars are doing in a way that is different because he has been in those situations so many times. He helps with information and helps us work through optimizing our race car.”

    Harraka admitted that he learned quite a few lessons from his novice run with TriStar Motorsports and the No. 44 team at the Monster Mile, the track that he considers his ‘home track’ as a Wayne, New Jersey native.

    “The first time you work with a new team and a new crew chief you have to figure how you fit into that and how I can best enhance the race team,” Harraka said. “So, when my crew chief Greg Connor and I sit down, we’ll run through everything that happened this weekend and what we can do better as a race team and how we can improve our communication.”

    “They know a little bit better now what I look for in a race car. I know a little bit more about what to expect from them. Obviously, being in a Nationwide car, you learn who you can be around, who you can expect to give you room and who not. All in all, it was a good day.”

    So, what are the plans for the future for Harraka and do those plans involved the No. 44 car and team?

    “We are working on a few different things to have me in the 44 this year,” Harraka continued. “So, it’s a step by step process and certainly the run we had yesterday was helpful to that.”

    “Without a doubt, I’m excited to be back in the car,” Harraka said. “Racing is a bug that bit me when I was seven years old.”

    “You work your butt off to have opportunities to drive race cars and you are grateful when you have them. And then you work your butt of to have more,” Harraka continued. “I’m really excited about the prospect of working with this race team, being with them more, and being in this 44 car again.”

    Harraka summed his feelings up about being back in the race car with great passion and enthusiasm.

    “It’s great to be back in a race car,” Harraka said. “It’s great to be back working with a race team and spending time in the shop with the guys.”

    “It’s fun to work again on the challenges of optimizing your race car,” Harraka said. “I’m in my element.”

    “And I’m working hard for more.”

  • Paulie Harraka: Graduate, NASCAR Truck Series Driver, and Entrepreneur

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”223″][/media-credit]In spite of being just 22 years old, Paulie Harraka is already wearing many hats, including graduate, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver of the No. 5 Wauters Motorsports Ford, and entrepreneur.

    One of Harraka’s most prized hats to wear is that of graduate, recently completing his walk for his college diploma from Duke. Harraka graduated with a double major in marketing management and sociology and a minor in history.

    “It’s amazing that it’s over,” Harraka said. “When you’re a freshman, it seems so far away.”

    “Four years just go by,” Harraka continued. “I look back and I got to do so much that I took advantage of. It’s been awesome.”

    “It’s exciting not to have to write papers and to not have to take exams anymore,” Harraka said. “But at the same time, I miss not living with all my closest friends within a quarter of a mile.”

    Now that he has had a chance to reflect on his college career, Harraka said that he learned so many lessons. In fact, there were so many, yet each and every one has made him the driver that he is today.

    “So much of what I did at Duke was about supporting my racing career and augmented what I do at the race track, whether that was networking with Duke alumni or leadership classes or marketing classes,” Harraka said. “There is no question that I would not be here right now without my Duke education.”

    Although Harraka had a double major, as well as a minor, he selected his college course with just one thing in mind, how they would impact his racing career.

    “Racing was really my focus at Duke,” Harraka said. “I took engineering classes, leadership classes, business classes, marketing classes and anything that would help me at track.”

    “If you looked at my Duke transcript not knowing that I race, you would think that’s a pretty random grouping of classes that don’t go together,” Harraka continued. “But understanding that they fit together into a racing context, it all makes sense.”

    As a race truck driver, Harraka is wearing another hat, that of debutante at Dover International Speedway, known as the ‘Monster Mile.’ And while he is looking forward to it, he acknowledged that the track is indeed a bit monstrous.

    “This is a tough place,” Harraka said. “Dover is different. You drive right off the straightaway and down into the corner and it’s like a three story drop.”

    “Matt Crafton described it as the best roller coaster ride you’ll ever have and I definitely understand what he means,” Harraka said. “It’s big. It’s fast. It’s a lot of fun, but it will be a challenge with 30 plus other trucks.”

    Harraka may be making his debut at Dover, but his Truck is sporting sponsorship from Phoenix International Raceway. Because of a close relationship between the PIR track president and Harraka, the two decided to do a special promotion for the Phoenix fall race.

    “Today is June 1st and the day that the tickets go on sale for the Phoenix fall race,” Harraka said. “So, they wanted to do a promotion around the first day of their ticket sales.”

    “Anyone that buys their tickets online or by calling today or this month gets a discount,” Harraka said. Second, anybody that tweets #GoPaulie during the race gets entered into a drawing and if we win, they get a whole package at the track.”

    While Harraka has Phoenix Raceway on the car, the Truck race driver is also sporting the familiar puzzle piece for the charity Autism Speaks for his Dover debut, calling awareness to the full spectrum of the disease which affects so many.

    “What Dover does with the whole weekend is great because they tie in Autism Speaks to the entire weekend,” Harraka said. “Everybody has met someone or has a friend or family member with autism.”

    “To be a part of that, in a micro way, is cool.”

    Harraka’s final hat, but probably one of the most important, is that of entrepreneur. And that hat is most critical as it is the basis for funding for his racing career.

    “A number of the investors will be at the race, which I’m excited about,” Harraka said. “That part of the business is going really well and I’m excited about that.”

    “A number of our investors have really become engaged in coming to a number of the races,” Harraka continued. “Our Executive Chairman, this will be his fourth race this year.”

    “We’re bringing this whole group of people as NASCAR fans that in the past have never had a connection to the sport,” Harraka said. “They are interested in getting involved both in my racing career and helping us improve our whole program.”

    “They’re not just silent cash,” Harraka continued. “They are people that are not intrusive or invasive but want to help however they can.”

    Harraka acknowledges that his business model may just be working a bit better than his on-track performance. And in many ways, he might just be the Jeff Gordon of the Truck Series, having just as much bad luck as the four-time champion.

    “At some point performance will affect the business model,” Harraka said. “But, we’re still moving forward and improving and as long as we are, we’ll be in good shape.”

    “Some of it’s been bad luck but some of it’s been self-inflicted,” Harraka acknowledged. “Some of it is situations that we’ve been put in, but at Charlotte, I screwed up.”

    “It happens,” Harraka said. “It’s the beginning of the season. It’s a new race team with a rookie driver. It’s a lot of things we need to work through.”

    “The worst thing you can do is to just put your head down,” Harraka continued. “You’ve got to keep your head up and look at what went wrong and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

    “Eventually, we’ll fix all the problems and have a good day.”

    One other hat that the young driver is wearing is that of perpetual learner.

    “You just got to keep learning,” Harraka said. “I was pulling in to the track and my phone rang and it’s Ricky Rudd, who has been a long-time mentor of mine.”

    “So, we start chatting and he said that he just wanted to remind me of something,” Harraka continued. “And he reads down the list of Sprint Cup drivers and how many cars they wrecked at the beginning of their careers.”

    “And the moral of the story is that Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch topped that list,” Harraka said. “So, he said that is what I needed to think about and work on.”

    The last hat that Harraka is wearing at the Monster Mile is that of hometown hero. In fact, a whole busload of family and friends are heading from Wayne, New Jersey to Dover, Delaware to watch their boy make his debut.

    “I have friends and family that are coming down,” Harraka said. “In fact, a whole busload with Paulie T-shirts will be filling the front stretch.”

     

  • Paulie Harraka Takes Martinsville Truck High Tech

    Paulie Harraka Takes Martinsville Truck High Tech

    [media-credit name=”Photo Credit: Scott Hunter” align=”alignright” width=”226″][/media-credit]Paulie Harraka is not only competing in the Camping World Truck Series and finishing his senior year at Duke but, this weekend, the Rookie of the Year candidate will be taking his Truck high tech at Martinsville.

    The native New Jersey driver has a new sponsor partner for his No. 5 Wauters Motorsport Ford F-150, the high tech company MC10. This company reshapes electronics to create thin systems that stretch, bend and flex, including body-worn sensors for high quality data collection.

    “We’re really excited,” Harraka said. “MC10 is certainly a company that is at the fore front of high tech development and has such wide reaching applications.”

    “When you think about what you could do if you could take all these electronics that we use and make them flexible, you realize there are applications pretty much everywhere.”

    MC10, a new company based in Boston, was looking for an innovative marketing platform for their products. After meeting Harraka, they decided that NASCAR would indeed match their company’s needs and agreed to go racing with him at Martinsville, including using him as a bit of a guinea pig for their products.

    “MC10 sensors have huge capabilities, from measuring heart rate to anything that we have a way to measure,” Harraka said. “I’ll actually have a sample of their electronics on me during the race.”

    “So, the possibilities are almost endless,” Harraka continued. “I know this is the beginning of a long partnership.”

    The partnership between MC10 and Harraka actually began at a conference and flourished from there. Although the company was not familiar with NASCAR, it was not a ‘hard sell’ once they reviewed the statistics of the reach of the sport and the loyalty of the fan base.

    “When I was up at the Sports Analytics Conference, I met with the CEO of MC10 and he expressed an interest,” Harraka continued. “We explored ways that MC10 technology is applicable to NASCAR.”

    “When they began to see how their technology applied to the sport of racing, that’s how the discussion turned to how to promote this,” Harraka said. “And the sponsorship discussion began.”

    “While the CEO was not generally a fan of the sport himself, people are generally familiar with the sport and how big the fan base is, how loyal the fan base is and what the reach is,” Harraka continued. “You can bring somebody in and they get it pretty quickly.”

    Marrying his business savvy with his racing acumen has been just one of the elements that has made Harraka unique in the NASCAR racing world. And through his education and connections made at Duke, the young driver has been committed to exposing new corporations to the sport.

    “One of the hallmarks of what we’ve done is to bring in a lot of business partners,” Harraka said. “And without a doubt, this is a unique way to approach motorsports.”

    “On one hand, it’s a great way to raise capital initially,” Harraka continued. “But on the other hand, the big pro to it is to bring these different businesses, with all their accolades, from marketing to venture capitalists, in to learn about NASCAR.”

    “They understand very quickly the opportunities and ways to bring their businesses into the sport,” Harraka said. “It’s unique and the payoff is just starting.”

    With his new sponsor in hand and planning to attend the upcoming race at Martinsville, Harraka cannot wait to get back to racing after the month-long break since Daytona.

    “Daytona was kind of a tease and then you have a lot of time off,” Harraka said. “I would much rather be racing every weekend.”

    “But the guys have been hard at work building trucks and getting us ready,” Harraka continued. “After Martinsville, we have a week off but then we go to Rockingham and then, boom, we head to Kansas.”

    “So, we go into a little stretch of racing, which is exciting,” Harraka said. “I’m excited to get into the meat of the racing season starting at Martinsville.”

    Harraka acknowledged that nothing he learned on the high banks of the superspeedway of Daytona will apply to the paper-clip shaped track at Martinsville. Yet he also feels that he will be returning to his roots, racing on a short track.

    “Daytona is most certainly a unique place,” Harraka said. “But all that we learn at Daytona really only applies there and Talladega, so Martinsville will be a completely different animal.”

    “But it is definitely one that is more in my element and where I have my experience base,” Harraka continued. “So, I’m excited to get back to a nice little half mile.”

    Harraka has no different expectations for his upcoming race weekend than he ever does when he gets behind the wheel. He expects to be in victory circle at the end of the race.

    “I expect us to run well,” Harraka said. “I expect that we can run up front and lead laps and that we can bring home a good finish.”

    “We’re going to the race track to win and I really do believe that we can come home with a great finish.”

    While Harraka may be confident about his race expectations, he is reserving judgment on one Martinsville tradition. He is just not sure about having one of those infamous Martinsville hot dogs.

    “We’ll see,” Harraka said. “I’m not sure how my stomach will do with those. So, I make no predictions there.”

    Most of all, Harraka looks forward to returning to racing with his new sponsor MC10 on the race truck and cheering him on in the pits.

    “I think everyone in this sport recognizes that the best thing for our sport is to bring in more companies that haven’t been involved in our sport,” Harraka said. “To expose them to the power of NASCAR is just exciting.”

    “To go outside the reach of a normal motorsports sponsorship and bring in a company totally outside of that to show the value of the sport is great for them,” Harraka continued. “And it’s great for us and for the sport as a whole.”

    “I expect that the relationship will grow into a lot of partnerships moving forward,” Harraka said. “We already have some cool things cooking post-Martinsville.”

  • Jersey Boy Paulie Harraka Set to Make Debut in Camping World Truck Series

    Jersey Boy Paulie Harraka Set to Make Debut in Camping World Truck Series

    [media-credit name=”Photo Credit: Scott Hunter” align=”alignright” width=”104″][/media-credit]With Jersey Boys continuing its strong run on Broadway, another born and bred Jersey boy is set to make his debut on another stage, this one in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

    Paulie Harraka, from Wayne, New Jersey will be taking his show on the road with Wauters Motorsports, a new team spearheaded by veteran NASCAR crew chief Richie Wauters. And for Harraka, this is a role that he has been preparing for since he was in elementary school.

    “Having the opportunity to jump into the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is an opportunity I’ve worked for since I was seven years old,” Harraka said. “I am fortunate to see it coming to fruition.”

    Harraka, who has participated in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West as well as the Drive for Diversity program, is more than ready to make his Truck debut, especially with championship crew chief Richie Wauters as his team owner.

    “To race with a championship crew chief like Richie Wauters and with the team he’s assembled is exciting,” Harraka said. “I’m the kind of driver that will put in whatever time, effort or work that is needed to win races and I know that Richie is the same kind of crew chief.”

    “Together, we’ll hold nothing back and that makes me confident that we’ll find the winner’s circle in short order.”

    Wauters, who as a crew chief in the Truck Series has secured 18 victories with drivers such as Shane Hmiel, Kyle Busch and Aric Almirola, shares his new driver’s enthusiasm for the team and for the competition.

    “It is something I’ve thought about for awhile,” Wauters said. “I had the opportunity to buy some trucks and have a great driver headlining the team.”

    “We’re really excited about the season,” Wauters continued. “I’m certain Paulie and the guys on this team will be in the thick of that competition.”

    Harraka, who ran just a handful of races last year, is ready to step back onto the competition stage. Although full of confidence, the young driver acknowledges that he does indeed have a few things yet to learn.

    “It’s a big step and the next logical step for me,” Harraka said of his advancement to the Truck Series. “It will come with a lot of challenges for me.”

    “I’ll be learning a new race vehicle and going to a lot of tracks that I’ve never seen before,” Harraka continued. “So, there’s certainly a number of challenges but I believe strongly in my own abilities and the group that I’ve surrounded myself with.  We will most certainly contend for wins.”

    Harraka is especially excited to kick off his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut at Daytona in just a few short weeks. While he has tested at that historic superspeedway, he has never actually raced there in competition conditions.

    “I’m really excited,” Harraka said. “I get to race in one of NASCAR’s top level series and the opportunity to do something that’s extremely exciting to me. I want to make the most of it.”

    Jersey boy Harraka is also excited to be able to take the Truck Series stage at tracks that are closer to home, enabling his family and friends to finally be able see him race.

    “Mom is really excited that I get to race close to home,” Harraka said. “Obviously home for me is still North Jersey but I haven’t gotten to race in the northeast for years.”

    “The opportunity to race an hour or so from home is certainly exciting for me, especially at storied tracks like Dover and Pocono,” Harraka continued. “It will be fun to see a lot of home-town fans that have rooted for me since my karting days who can finally come to see me in a stock car.”

    While Harraka is making his Truck Series debut, he is also completing his final act at Duke University, where he is a senior and will graduate in a few short months. Harraka will exit stage left from Duke with a degree in markets and management.

    “This is my last semester at Duke,” Harraka said. “I’ve got one class and one other paper and then I’m done.”

    “When I got into Duke, lots of people thought of it as a great back up,” Harraka continued. “But I’ve never looked at it that way.”

    “I’ve always looked at Duke as a way to differentiate me from other drivers as far as marketing and branding,” Harraka said. “It’s also an opportunity to connect with alumni and others associated with the University.”

    “So, my Duke experience is already paying dividends.”

    Whether walking across the stage to collect his diploma at Duke or taking the stage in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Harraka has just one emotion.

    “I’m really happy,” Harraka said. “This is the opportunity that I’ve been waiting and working for my whole life.”