Spotlight on Nick Sanchez: Homestead’s Very Own Speed Racer

Homestead native Nick Sanchez continues to represent the area in a big way in the world of NASCAR, now clutching a series championship!

With his weekend win in the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) Menards Series – taking place in Toledo, Michigan on October 8 – the 21-year-old member of Rev Racing, and a participant in NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program, also clenched the victory at a perfect time.

Amidst Hispanic Heritage Month, and as a Cuban American, Sanchez talked about the increasing spotlight and opportunities for minorities in the sport.

“If there’s a time that NASCAR has been in a position to get well represented by those communities, I feel like it’s now,” said Sanchez, “...you see the dynamic of where the sport is going, what they’re trying to do in the L.A.

Coliseum, the Chicago Street Course, you know, trying to get into more markets that have not been tapped by the sport, and that’s just going to turbo-charge this whole initiative.”

Speaking with his mom however, Shanie Sanchez, she thought he would go into a totally different sport.

“From the time he was 7, until the time he was 12, he played tackle football,” Sanchez said.

As a football family, and huge fans of the Miami Hurricanes and Dolphins, it’s still one of her son’s passions Sanchez said, but even as a kid he loved driving ATVs on their 5-acre Redland property and through surrounding trails.

At 10 and 11 years old, despite mentioning he wanted to race, Sanchez didn’t realize just how serious her son was about racing until he mentioned it again when he was 12.

“He specifically said: ‘I don’t want to play football anymore, I want to race go-karts’,” said Sanchez.

Thinking he only meant at a local children’s birthday place though, Sanchez said she was stunned to hear otherwise.

“He said literally out of the blue: “no, I want to race go-karts professionally’,” Sanchez said.

Upon finding International Motorsport at Homestead Motor Speedway (HMS), Sanchez said her son then spent the next 3 ½ years there, practicing 2-3 times a week, and racing go-karts all over Florida.

Sanchez even recalled some funny times there that would foreshadow his future.

“I remember specifically [on] NASCAR weekends, he and some of the other drivers would try to sneak in there to get a glimpse,” said Sanchez, “it's surreal.”

After seeing his progress, and realizing more money was going to be needed to further his racing goals, Sanchez said she began researching other options and opportunities to secure it.

“I started googling stuff,” Sanchez said, “I knew he needed to get to the next level, but financially it was just, what do you do?”

Looking up sponsorships and other racing things, she then found  Rev Racing, and e-mailed them about her son’s interest after seeing they were interested in minority racers.

“I emailed them and was like, my son races go-karts, his father is Cuban, but I’m American,” said Sanchez. “Does he qualify?”

After being told he definitely would, Sanchez found there might be a different hurdle to overcome.

“They really, honestly, weren’t taking kids from go-karts…they were looking for kids from a late model or a bigger car,” Sanchez said.

Nonetheless, after requesting they still send in an application – which included pictures, videos, and race stats – they liked what they saw back in 2017 and took Sanchez on.

Now, having to go back and forth from Florida to the Rev Racing headquarters in North Carolina on weekends for 10 weeks, Sanchez then worked his way through different car classes, and officially joined Rev Racing in 2018 at the age of 16.

As a result, the rest of the family including his two younger sisters and maternal grandparents all moved up with him to North Carolina, where they still live now.

And just like they were those many years ago when he first started, the family is just as in awe of Sanchez’s accomplishments along the way.

With a career record pair of top-10 finishes, one of which was a pole victory at Virginia’s South Boston Speedway in his first three East Series races in 2019, he followed this up the year after running the complete East Series schedule to finish third.

Sanchez then raced in most of the 2021 ARCA Menards Series schedule, before the move to his full-time position this season.

Having a record like this, Sanchez said the whole family is rooting for him.

“He amazes us every time he gets on the track, just to watch him from how he was in the beginning, getting his feet wet, he wasn’t born into racing,” said Sanchez.

Someone who was born into the sport was Sanchez’s role model: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Not surprisingly then, Sanchez said her son was definitely one of his biggest fans.

“From the time he started liking racing, all his shirts, all his hats, everything was Dale Jr.,” Sanchez said.

And like Dale Jr., Sanchez said her son is actually very similar in temperament.

“If you look at Dale Jr., he’s not outspoken…not flaunty,” said Sanchez, “and that’s kind of almost how Nick acts.”

Nonetheless, he still got to geek out once he finally met him, Sanchez said.

“At Homestead I was able to get a picture with him and Junior: that was literally like the highlight of his life,” Sanchez said.

With even more successes surely to come, for others interested in getting into the world of racing also, Sanchez shared his life experience as advice.

“Do your research first of all…and really, just don’t ever give up,” said Sanchez, “There [were] times in my career, where me and my family

definitely could have, not knowing where it would take me, but we pushed through and kind of went into some unknowns in some sort, but it all worked out for the better.”

On October 22 at Homestead Motor Speedway (HMS), Sanchez will be back home showing that better, and racing for Big Machine Team in his number 48 Camaro, much to the cheering adulation of family and local friends.

As a special welcome home treat for his fans, no tricks, HMS is also offering special ticket packages; along with Sanchez meet & greets to support Miami’s De Moya Foundation: a non-profit working to help find jobs for youth with unique needs.