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Tag: Sergio Pena

  • Sergio Peña Sets Sights on Championship as Fourth Year D4D Participant

    Sergio Peña Sets Sights on Championship as Fourth Year D4D Participant

    A multi-year participant in NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program, 21 year old Sergio Peña has set a high bar for himself in the K&N Pro Series East this year. In fact, the first generation Colombian American from Virginia, along with his Rev Racing team, intends to be the champion.

    “I definitely have my goals set high this year,” Peña said. “This is my fourth full-time season in the K&N Pro Series East and I want to go out and win as many races as I can and hopefully the championship.”

    Peña already has three career K&N Pro Series East wins under his belt, as well as a pair of top-10 finishes in the point standings and 19 top-10 finishes in 39 East starts. But he yearns for the big prize in 2014, just like one of his racing idols and former Rev Racing driver Kyle Larson.

    “I know Rev Racing is capable of doing it because they’ve done it with Kyle Larson,” Peña said. “They’ve had strong programs every year.”

    “Any up and coming driver right now wants to imitate what Kyle Larson is doing,” Peña continued. “He’s kind of set the standard.”

    “So to be doing it with the same team that he had and his same group of guys is exciting,” Peña said. “Everyone works together and it’s a big family here at Rev Racing so I’m excited to be a part of it and hopefully I can follow in his footsteps for sure.”

    Although Peña is excited about working with his Rev Racing team, he admits that they are a totally new group and he and his team have much to learn about one another.

    “I’ve got a whole new group this year so that will be interesting to get to know everyone,” Peña said. “I’ve been in the shop a few times and got to meet my crew chief, car chief, and a couple of the guys who will be working on the car.”

    “I’ll have to get to know those new faces as quickly as possible so that we can click as a group,” Peña continued. “If you don’t have a good relationship with your guys, it just doesn’t work out very well.”

    “So, I’ve been in the shop and we’re getting along great,” Peña said. “I’m excited to get going here and do some racing.”

    Many, including East Series Director Kip Childress, have described Peña as a very calculating, very precise racer. So, how does Peña prepare himself for the 2014 season?

    “I go to the gym every single day,” Peña said. “That’s something that I’ve been doing since high school.”

    “I’m really into sports and I play basketball almost every day too,” Peña continued. “Staying physically fit is something that I stay on stop of a lot.”

    Peña is also very exacting as far as his mental approach to the sport. And for this up and coming driver, it is all about maintaining his focus.

    “I would say this is more of a mental sport than any sport there is,” Peña said. “When you’re driving on the edge at one hundred plus miles per hour, you definitely need to be focused.”

    “It’s something that you train yourself over the years from when you first start racing,” Peña continued. “You learn how to focus, how to stay focused in those longer races, and throughout the years, I’ve just learned how to stay focused.”

    While Peña is focused on winning the K&N Pro Series East championship, he also has his eye on another prize, that of moving up to the next level in the sport.

    “I definitely have a relationship with several Truck Series and Nationwide teams,” Peña said. “As we all know, a lot in this sport is about funding. It’s hard to find sponsorship to do that so I definitely want to leave many doors open as I can to find some rides like that.”

    While Peña has been competing since he was four years old, when his father bought him a dirt bike, he credits his success in NASCAR to date to the Drive for Diversity program.

    “My involvement with the Drive for Diversity program has definitely helped me,” Peña said. “NASCAR is trying to get more diverse and this program is proven to work very well.”

    “I believe that being a part of this program is definitely helping factor into my success,” Peña continued. “In fact, it can be the deciding factor in not only NASCAR since the whole entire country is trying to diversify in every angle.”

    “It’s an awesome opportunity to be a part of and I’m really thankful that I’m selected again to participate,” Peña said. “I’m ready to help them spread diversity through the sport.”

    “And I’m definitely ready to win that championship.”

  • Brett Moffitt Heads to Bristol with Former Mentor and New Race Team

    Brett Moffitt Heads to Bristol with Former Mentor and New Race Team

    [media-credit name=”Photo Credit: hometracks.nascar.com” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Young up and coming racer Brett Moffitt has had an interesting journey, from his racing start under the tutelage of four-time K&N Pro Series champion Andy Santerre to racing for some of the biggest teams in the sport, including Joe Gibbs Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing.

    But as he kicks off his 2012 K&N Pro Series East season in Bristol, Moffitt is back where he belongs, under the familiar wing of Santerre and with a whole new race team Hattori Racing Enterprises. Moffitt will pilot the No. 11 Toyota Camry and will join teammate Sergio Pena in the Shigeaki Hattori stable.

    “Ever since I drove for Andy (Santerre) in 2009, Andy and my dad have been in constant communication,” Moffitt said. “Andy’s been a big help to my career over the past three years.”

    “So, when this opportunity came up, Andy told Shigeaki Hattori that he knew should drive his second car and luckily that was me.”

    While Moffitt may seem a bit devoted to his old mentor, he knows that Santerre not only has the experience behind him but also has the strength of the new HRE race team with him as well.

    “Working for Andy Santerre is just really great,” Moffitt said. “He’s been there. He’s driven race cars, he’s won races and he’s won championships.”

    “So, he knows what it takes,” Moffitt continued. “Being able to work for him is really great for a driver because he understands everything you say. He’s always looking out for your best interests as a driver.”

    Moffitt has had an eventful three years since debuting as a 16 year old with Andy Santerre in the K&N East Series. Since then, he has had seven wins, four pole positions, 20 top-5 and 25 top-10 finishes and has never finished worse than 3rd in the championship standings.

    “After I left Andy last time, I went to Joe Gibbs Racing for a year,” Moffitt said. “I ran in the K&N East Series for them. We were really competitive for them and ended up second in the points.”

    “After that, I went to Michael Waltrip Racing,” Moffitt continued. “That was a huge step for my career.”

    “MWR made me feel important as a driver,” Moffitt said. “I came in every day and worked on the cars and in the shop.”

    “They put a big emphasis on my physical training and I’m still associated with them,” Moffitt continued. “I still have a trainer with them so I go there every day and still work out. That’s always a good connection to still maintain.”

    With his return to his mentor Andy Santerre, as well as his new assignment with Hattori Racing Enterprises, Moffitt is excited to get his 2012 race season underway. He just recently finished up testing at Bristol, the first race of the season for the K&N Pro Series East.

    “The test went really well,” Moffitt said. “From the first time we unloaded, we had to work on them a little bit but by the end of the day, we were pretty comfortable.”

    “We have a couple things we are working with back at the shop and hopefully when we come back to the track, we will be ready to have a good race,” Moffitt continued. “The car was real fast and I’m really looking forward to the race.”

    Moffitt has been only been guaranteed eight races with HRE Racing. The remainder of the season’s racing will be dependent on sponsorship, as is so often the case.

    “This year Hattori approached me as a driver,” Moffitt said. “They weren’t looking for a driver with a lot of money, just one that they could win races and win championships with.”

    “Right now, I’m only guaranteed eight races, with the first race at Bristol on March 17th,” Moffitt said.” That’s where the sponsorship comes into play.”

    “We’re still out there searching so hopefully we’re able to find something by then,” Moffitt continued. “But we’re just going to take the first eight and try to be the best we can. Hopefully we’ll find a sponsor and be able to finish it out.”

    Moffitt is also looking forward to working with his new teammate at Hattori Racing Enterprises. He will be paired with fellow Santerre protégé Sergio Pena.

    “Me and Sergio have always gotten along real well,” Moffitt said. “So, it’s going to be a really fun year.  We’re both obviously proven race winners so I think it will be a good year for the team this year.”

    In addition to mentor Santerre and teammate Pena, Moffitt is also looking forward to working with Dave McCarty, his new crew chief. McCarty has over 20 years experience in all kinds of racing, from the Nationwide Series to Trucks, ARCA, ASA and the K&N Pro Series East.

    “Me and my new crew chief Dave McCarty have spent time getting to know each other,” Moffitt said. “Dave was Darrell Wallace’s crew chief last year at Revolution Racing. Andy felt like he would be a good match up for me so he brought him over.”

    Moffitt has been working intensely on establishing that all important chemistry with his new crew chief, as well as their bond on and off the track.

    “We’ve just been working together in the shop,” Moffitt said of his new crew chief. “He’s been bossing me around telling me what to do. I say ‘yes sir’ and do it. We have a lot of fun but when it’s time to get things done, we get things done.”

    Owner Shigeaki Hattori, as well as HRE General Manager Andy Santerre are equally as excited about having Moffitt with their team as he is to race with them.

    “People in an organization are the key to the organization’s success,” Hattori said. “If you hire the right people with knowledge and experience, success will follow.”

    “I am excited to have Brett at HRE,” Santerre said. “He is an incredible driving talent and has matured behind the wheel in the last few years. He is more than capable of winning the championship.”

    With the confidence of his owner and manager firmly in his corner, Moffitt simply cannot wait to get back to the race track, beginning at Bristol

    “I feel like I’ve proven myself as being able to win races and be up front,” Moffitt said. “I’m just looking forward to racing. I love racing and being competitive.”

    “That’s what drives me.”

  • Sergio Pena Looks Forward to Freshman Year On and Off the Track

    Sergio Pena Looks Forward to Freshman Year On and Off the Track

    [media-credit name=”Photo Credit hometracks.nascar.com” align=”alignright” width=”262″][/media-credit]Sergio Pena, one of the graduates of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Program, is looking forward to his freshman year of learning on and off the track. The young up and comer will soon enjoy his freshman run with a new race team on the track, as well as his freshman year off the track as a student at Radford University.

    For his freshman year on the track, Pena will pilot the No. 1 Toyota Camry in the K&N Pro Series East with Hattori Racing Enterprises. The 18 year old from Winchester, Virginia had previously raced in NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program with Revolution Racing.

    “I’m really excited for this season,” Pena said. “I actually did not re-sign with Revolution Racing this year, who I was with for two years, but signed with a new team, Hattori Racing Enterprises.”

    “My crew chief and Andy Santerre all left Revolution Racing and merged with Shigeaki Hattori and created a team for me to race in the K&N East Series.”

    Santerre, a four-time champion in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, will manage Pena’s race team. He will be assisted by Matt Goslant, who will continue as crew chief for Pena, having worked with him last season, winning three of 12 races and finishing 5th in the East Series point standings.

    “I am excited to be working with Sergio again this season,” Goslant said. “He has the talent to be a champion and we are a good team together.”

    “He gives me 100% and I could not ask for anything more in a driver.”

    Although a freshman with Hattori Racing Enterprises, Pena actually will be entering his third year in the K&N Series. And with that experience, he has his eyes set on one goal for 2012.

    “My main goal is to win a championship,” Pena said simply. “The first year I struggled learning all the tracks and how to drive the cars because they were a lot different than anything I had ever driven before.”

    “Last year, I learned a lot and I caught on quicker than I thought I would,” Pena continued. “So this year, the way things are looking, I think we have a great chance to win it.”

    “My goal is to win as many races as possible and just learn a lot,” Pena said. “I want to be able to get more comfortable at the bigger tracks like Dover and New Hampshire and Rockingham.”

    “I want to gain experience and learn as much as I can from these guys.”

    Pena, like so many racers, comes by it genetically.  His father, who came to the United States from Bogota, Columbia when he was 19 years old raced go karts and dirt bikes in his home country.

    “He was a two-time champion in national dirt bike racing down there,” Pena said proudly of his father. “So, that’s pretty cool. That’s where I get my racing blood from.”

    Pena himself initially followed in his father’s dirt bike footsteps as he launched his racing career.

    “I actually started racing dirt bikes when I was five years old,” Pena said. “I got into jumping them and one time I hit a jump and my dad said, “No more, I don’t want you getting hurt.”

    “So, he got rid of the bike and got me a go kart instead,” Pena continued. “At the time, I was really upset but now I’m really happy about it.”

    “I did go karts from when I was eight years old until thirteen,” Pena said. “Then I moved to a championship series out west and ran road courses in formula cars.”

    “Then I had to switch to the ovals, where there was more of a future,” Pena continued. “When we heard about the Drive to Diversity Revolution Racing program, we thought that would be a great opportunity. And that’s how we got into this kind of racing.”

    Pena has definitely put his go kart and dirt bike racing behind him, growing fonder for stock cars and oval racing. But the young driver has never forgotten his road racing roots.

    “At this point, I like the ovals more,” Pena said. “But there still are some things I like about the road courses, like out-braking people and downshifting and all the switch-back turns.”

    “The ovals just bring more excitement,” Pena continued. “You can beat and bang and everything’s really close. It’s a lot harder to win on an oval and so that just makes for more competitive and exciting racing.”

    In addition to his on-track career, Pena’s other freshman activity includes starting his college career at Radford University in southern Virginia, where he is majoring in communications. As a freshman, Pena is facing that difficult task of balancing his studies with his new endeavors on the race track.

    “It’s a lot harder than I thought it would be with racing,” Pena said. “Missing classes in high school wasn’t too bad but here it’s a little bit tougher to get them to understand that what I’m doing is not just a hobby anymore.”

    “Some of them understand but some of them don’t,” Pena continued. “It’s the ones that want you to focus on school and nothing else that are a little tricky. But overall I’ve been able to manage it and I’ll continue to do both until it gets too hard.”

    “I really think the communications degree is going to help, like with the media and doing interviews,” Pena said. “I’m also doing media production and I’ve gotten into making videos recently.”

    “We have been making videos of the race weekend for promotions and sponsors,” Pena continued. “But being able to speak to the sponsors and the media fluently and well will help me a lot.”

    Now that he has his first freshman semester under his belt at college, Pena is looking forward to kicking off his freshman year with Hattori Racing at a storied NASCAR track, Bristol Motor Speedway, on March 17th.

    “We actually start off at Bristol this year and that will be pretty cool,” Pena said. “I’ve never even been to Bristol before but I’ve heard a lot of great things about it and watched a lot of races on TV from there.”

    “I’m really excited to get started there,” Pena continued. “I think that will be a pretty cool race.”

    “I know we will definitely be one of the teams to beat this year.”