The Martinsville Speedway and Kaulig Racing hosted students enrolled in Patrick & Henry Community College’s motorsports program on March 13 at Martinsville Speedway.
Josh Williams, a current Kaulig Racing driver, Chris Rice, president of Kaulig Racing, and Clay Campbell, president of Martinsville Speedway discussed the sport and fielded questions in the informal atmosphere of a fireside chat. Most of the focus was on providing students with a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to get into motorsports and some stories about each speaker’s past.
When recounting his experience creating Kaulig Racing, Rice explained that he was on his way to establishing a business after working in the racing scene for years. This plan quickly changed when Matt Kaulig, owner of Kaulig Racing, contacted Rice about starting a racing team. That was about 8 years ago.
Rice told students that he went to work on pulling together his newest business ventures and even ran into some troubles while the process was in its early days.
“I learned the ins and outs of how it works from sweeping the floors to being able to win races or not win races,” Rice said.
Williams noted his past racing experiences and his path to NASCAR.
The chat began light-heartedly with Williams underscoring his intent to bring home the grandfather clock that’s up for grabs for the winner of the DUDE Wipes 250 on April 6.
Of course, he’ll be in the field, Williams said.
“I’ve never done anything else. I’ve raced for a living my entire life,” he said and added that he worked for only $250 a week and slept on couches to make his dream a reality.
Even his hobby is working on cars outside of the sport, Williams said, adding that he’s always thinking about racing and cars.
Campbell recounted the story about his grandpa, who built Martinsville Speedway, and how he began working for him in the 70s. He went over his experience working around the various parts of the racetrack, and how he eventually tried his hand at racing.
“When you grow up around a track like this, you don’t dream of sitting behind a desk and running a track. You dream of driving a racecar,” said Campbell. Despite his grandfather’s wishes, Campbell ended up behind the wheel of a car and met with victory before deciding that he wanted to be on the other side of the fence.
“I enjoy what I do,” Campbell said of running the track for the last 40 years.
Students interacted with the three speakers, including questioning them about what they felt was important about work ethic in the sport.
Rice explained that while drivers focus on their mental state, working behind the scenes is different. He then described his rigorous day-to-day routine: “You will eat, sleep, and think about it all the time. It is your work ethic in anything you do, whether it’s NASCAR or going to the grocery store. I always tell my guys and my girls, look good, feel good, race good.”
A student also asked Rice how managed to own his own business.
Rice explained that the race team initially had nothing. He walked the students through how he got the team’s first 10 race cars, the first truck and trailer, and how the team lost its first location due to a lawsuit.
“We basically felt our way through it,” Rice said and cautioned students that it’s best to have a plan when starting a business. Not having a plan may lead to having to invest more money than is needed, he cautioned.
Rice also directed students to ask themselves how they can do a task instead of just saying ‘no’ to it if it might seem difficult.
The speakers also encouraged students to keep pushing forward, adding that there were a lot of great opportunities in NASCAR, even if it may be hard to picture at the current moment.
Campbell listed several examples of different careers in NASCAR, like marketing and communication, that students may pursue.
But, he told students, “it’s going to take time.”
