Everything is OK

So, we are halfway into our 2017 racing season.  If you follow Mason Ludwig Racing at all, you will see that our team is struggling right now on the track.  That's OK though.  Do you know why?  It's OK because the struggle is forcing our little 4 person crew (dad, mom and 2 young men) to learn the setup and adjustments of our racecar.  Our 14 year old driver and his twin brother are down in the shop right now as I type this wrenching on the race car alongside their crew chief (dad).  Mason is adding to his skill as a driver and Trenton is learning mechanical skills.  They are learning what each and every adjustment does and why and in which situations they will be needed.  And eventually, (my guess is by the end of the season) Mason will have a very good grasp on the adjustments and be able to make the setup decisions on his car.  He's truly working on becoming the whole package as a driver.  Of course it’d be nice to have more bodies and brains on our crew but the reality is that we are a 1st generation race team.  Most of our friends and family simply don't have the knowledge to contribute and help eliminate our struggle.  And again, that's OK.  Why is it ok?  It’s OK because we are proud of what we have accomplished so far on our own and with guidance from our fellow competitors and experienced friends at the track.  We must be doing something right when fellow drivers that we don’t really even know are willing to give us advice.  We are making connections through this process.  If we were running at the top every night, these connections wouldn’t be made.  So for that, we are thankful and we will continue to hold our heads high. 

2017 - The Future Awaits

Here we are sitting on the outskirts of the 2017 racing season.  This will be Mason’s 8^th season startup with 2010-2013 in karts, 2014 in a Bandolero and 2015-2016 in a Legends race car.  This sport definitely keeps us on our toes.  We are doing everything we can to keep Mason moving forward in his racing career.  Just like in 2014, he is currently in limbo.  Toward the end of last season, Mason was in an accident that wrecked his Legends race car.  Putting money into fixing the car was a decision we chose not to make.  We will instead, be looking at moving Mason into a late model series.  Where and how is still yet to be determined.  Currently we are researching all the possible avenues and working on building valuable relationships with businesses that would profit from a partnership with our team.

None of this is easy.  The countless hours of time and energy nor astonishing amounts of money we sink into Mason’s racing compare to the emotional devotion we have invested into making our son’s dreams come true.  We hear it all the time.  “You’re crazy!”.  To us, it’s not crazy.  Crazy to us are parents not willing to put time or effort into their children’s futures.  It just so happens that the path Mason chose isn’t easy and it isn’t cheap.  So does that mean we should tell him he can’t do it?  I know for a fact that many parents would, but that’s not us.   We see the talent in our son and we are devoted to his racing career.  We use it to strengthen our family dynamics.  We work together as a team and rely on each other for support. 

Throughout the past 7 years, we’ve done some amazing things and some extreme things.  We’ve cheered and cried tears of joy.  We’ve been crushed and cried tears of sorrow.  I’m not going to lie, there have been times, even quite recently, that I’ve thought about throwing in the towel.  Our lives would be so much easier if we didn’t have this one (huge) thing on our plate.  But, Mason is 14 now and this is a very critical point in his career.  If he is going to succeed, we have to keep working and keep pushing forward.  Drivers his age are being sought out for the future of the sport.  If a driver isn’t making a name for him/herself even before they are of legal driving age, they are already behind the eight ball, as they say.

What most people don’t understand is that being a good race car driver isn’t all about winning races.  There are loads of great racecar drivers out there that will never get a shot at their dreams.  The reality is that money controls that sport of auto racing.  However, this doesn’t mean that if a driver has a lot of money, he/she is guaranteed a racing seat either.  Eventually, the money will run out.  More importantly, is to get people to recognize the driver and know the driver’s name and what he/she is all about.   Because, that is what potential racing partners (sponsors) want in a spokesperson.  They want someone that others recognize and can relate with to sell their product and be the face of their brand.

Mason is entered into the 2017 Search for a Champion contest and sure, we’d love to win the sponsorship.  However, if that doesn’t happen, this is also a great means to spread the word and promote him and his ongoing racing career.

Please plan to vote for him every single day from Jan. 5^th – Feb. 2nd in the first round.  Hopefully he’ll make it to the second round and we will once again, need your vote every single day from Feb. 23^rd – March 23^rd.