Years After serving in the United States Marine Corps (Served: March 2006 to July 2012) I spent more time than I would like to admit ignoring the void that came with leaving the corps and the demons that came with being in an abusive marriage. A bit broken and tired from simply trying to give my son and I a better life each and every day after we had our freedom, I finally decided to buy my first motorcycle. Then I was introduced to the track realm, dirt bikes, as well as Vet2Track, which led me to MotoAmerica.
Jim (President of Vet2Track) offered me the opportunity to be a part of The Pit Crew experience at a MotoAmerica event in Sept of 2020. That weekend I met Nolan, his father Bill and Jeff. I was excited and nervous about whether I knew enough to be useful. They didn’t hesitate to put me to work and they didn’t mind all of my questions. I was in awe about how much work each individual had to put in to get the racer from the garage to the grid! When you see it on TV you don’t really grasp how much every detail matters. I left that weekend being even more addicted to the Motorsport realm.
What I got that weekend still sticks with me till this day. I have been through hell and back and for the first time in a long time, I found some peace in the up tempo and organized chaos of being a part of this crew. For the past three years I have had the wonderful invite back to the crew to help out and witnessed each time everyone’s heart and hard work. Whether it’s raining or hot as hell, they have kept up the spirits and focused on the task at hand. It reminds me so much of the Brother and Sisterhood I once had in the Marine Corps.
After you leave the service, it is rare to ever come across that feeling again, but with the opportunity that Vet2Track Offers in working with Nolan Lamkin’s Crew, I did, I hope to keep going back be it for selfish reasons and to see Nolan keep kicking ass each year!