Oh hey, there, you….
Look at you, all classy and fancy and loving racing… I like that about you. Thanks for coming over.
It’s Winner Wednesday!!! Once again, I’ve conned a feature winner into “sitting down” with me for a quick interview. I really like this project because it gives me the opportunity to make new connections as well as learn what’s going on inside the heads of the talented drivers who wheel it to Victory Lane. And then, I get to share it with you. :)
This week, I badgered AJ Flick until he said yes. Okay it’s not true, there wasn’t any badgering, but I still feel weird asking these guys to take time out of their schedule to give me some feedback... truth be told half the interview was delayed due to him working on the car. Anyway, without further delay and no more ado, here is AJ Flick:
Class: People’s Natural Gas-- #2 AJ Flick (11 career feature wins between street stock and sprint classes)
How old are you?
23
How long have you been racing?
I raced karts from age 4 to 16. Raced street stocks from 17-20. Raced 410 sprints from 21 to present.
Who are your sponsors?
I have a ton. Ferguson Heat and Air Conditioning, Coopers RV Center, Champion, Chenega Construction, Stanfords Glass Service, JD Byrider, Alternative Power Sources, Rheem, Showtime Designs, Townsend Gas and Oil, Smith Automotive, State Farm, My Place Bar and Grill, Deans Towing, Automotion, Fence by Maintenance Service, Ed Fish Machine Shop, Sevic Landscaping, Dr. Neff Eye Care Center, Star Autobody, Amato Financial Services, Brammell Excavating
What is your favorite color?
Blue
Who is your favorite fictional character?
I like Butters from South Park. Hahahahaha Batman. Garfield. So many good ones!
Who is your hero?
My hero is definitely my father and grandfather. People say I drive like my grandfather more than my father, but he passed away when I was 6 months old so I never got to see him race. But my father has proven to be the smartest and hardest-working man I have ever met. And without him, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Now, if you ask my who my IDOL is, it’s Brian Birkhofer.
What else do you want the public at large to know?
Oh goodness. I race, eat, sleep, and race again. I graduated from Penn State with a degree in petroleum and natural gas engineering.
Favorite racing memory?
Winning my first stock car race. First sprint car race. Winning the sprint championship last year. Winning on Dow’s tribute night—a bunch of memorable ones.
Any advice or wisdom you want to impart? Something maybe to say to young racers who are coming up through?
A lot of young racers quit because they don’t have success the first year, or they put in weeks of work and don’t see improvement. Well, racing isn’t an easy sport like some people think. Keep working. Keep grinding. Keep building up your program. And NEVER quit. It may take some time, but you’ll get there.
So there you have it, the words of AJ Flick. Last Friday was AJ’s second trip to VL in 2016. While I haven’t known him long, I hope to have made a new friend in racing. He seems like the kind of guy we all are: bit by the racing bug, and really hooked in. Some people call us lifers, some people call us addicts…
Anyway—whatever you’re doing, wherever you are, if the weather’s nice and you’re not already headed to the track this weekend, cancel your plans and go racing.
Talk to you all soon!
<3/ Lainey
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