Patrick Henry Community College graduate lands dream job with NASCAR

As Drew Ramsey reflects on how he got where he is today, he has a message to share: set goals, follow your dream, work hard, accept help, and don’t let a little thing like a serious car accident derail you.

Now just 22 years old and a K & N Pro Series East Official with NASCAR, Ramsey claims he was “born racing.” With an uncle and cousin who raced, he always wanted to be behind the wheel. As an adolescent, he and his dad started go-kart racing just for fun, and it soon morphed into competition.

“While other kids were hanging out at the mall, I was getting dirty behind the wheel of a go-kart,” he said.

At age 12, he was advised by his father that if he wanted to continue, he would have to get his own sponsors. He did that by approaching family and friends and one day on a return trip from the WKA (World Karting Association) World Nationals in Daytona, he hit pay dirt. On the plane, a stranger noticed his WKA ball cap and struck up a conversation with Ramsey and his father. This stranger soon became a benefactor and over time supplied tires, a chassis, and even an engine to the young driver. As Ramsey says, he was “beatin’ and bangin’ on a go-kart track” before he earned his drivers’ license.

Graduating from go-kart to race car, Ramsey logged some time in 2008 and 2009 as a crew member with Taylor Brothers Motorsports out of Madison, Virginia. In that job he worked with tires, race car preparation and repair in the shop, and other common race track duties.

But racing is extremely competitive, and Ramsey opted next to enroll in general education courses with an eye to go into the emergency medical services program at Central Virginia Community College (CVCC). Recognizing that his heart was really on the track instead of the in back of an ambulance, Ramsey gave up his seat in the paramedic classroom and instead enrolled at the University of Northwestern Ohio in the High Performance Engine program.

Unused to the frigid temperatures and all the snow, Ramsey soon discovered that he would have to take regular mechanic classes for one year before he was ever allowed to touch a race car. That’s when a family friend said, “Why aren’t you at Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville? They work on NASCAR late models and are right beside a truck series team. That’s where you need to be.”

After learning about PHCC’s pull-down rig, shock dynameters and telemetry system, Ramsey determined that PHCC was where he could learn more about the technical set-up aspect of the race car and expand his knowledge. He enrolled in PHCC’s motorsports program in fall 2009, and because his instructor Talmage Thomas knew about his past experience with Taylor Brothers, he was turning wrenches on a brand new race car on his first day.

In the second year of the program, students study under Lou Larosa, known in racing circles for his work as engine builder for Dale Earnhardt and Kale Yarborough. Racing engines were new to Ramsey, and he would come out of class each night with a headache. Larosa made the students think so much they would be “steaming,” Ramsey said, but he is proud to be able to say that Lou Larosa taught him everything he knows about a racing engine.

Just as he was getting a good start in the program, Ramsey – who had always wanted to be behind the wheel -- fell asleep behind it. On his way to class in his second semester, Ramsey woke up sitting in the middle of the road. He was airlifted out and en route to the hospital couldn’t help but worry: “Will I walk again? Live? My dream is shattered.”

It turned out that his physical injuries were not as serious as he feared, although they did keep him bedridden and wheelchair-bound for some time. What didn’t happen was the loss of classroom time, thanks to Thomas, who showed up at Ramsey’s bedside to give him lesson plans he could work on from home.

“He kept saying, when are you coming back? We want ya, we need ya to come back,” Ramsey said. And so he did wheelchair, crutches and all. It’s not easy poking around in a race car from a wheelchair, and Ramsey’s classmates offered lots of support, after dubbing him Bootie Barker after the Sprint Cup series crew chief in a wheelchair, and Lieutenant Dan after the character in the Forrest Gump story.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better place to be . . . to have that kind of thing happen, and to be fortunate enough to come back. When I got back, I picked right up and kept diggin’.”

Ramsey earned his Associate in Applied Science in Technical Studies – Motorsports Technology in May 2011. A friend of a friend of a friend who happened to be a NASCAR official suggested that he put his name in for a job at NASCAR. A bit skeptical (“What are my chances of ever landing a job at NASCAR?”) Ramsey procrastinated for a few months until he was urged to fill out an application again.

When invited for an interview, Ramsey – who had never had a job interview before – found himself in a chance face-to-face encounter with Mike Helton, president of NASCAR when he opened the door and wished him a good morning. “That was kind of an ‘Oh Boy’ moment,” Ramsey marvels.

After a series of interviews and multiple nerve-wracking trips in ensuing months to the mailbox looking for a job offer, Ramsey finally landed his position in the K & N Pro Series. Working with the NASCAR family is a dream-come true, he says. Not only is he employed by the largest sanctioning body of stock car racing in the United States, he gets to travel from track to track throughout the season, from March through November.

As for others who may be seeking a job in the racing industry – or following a dream of any kind, for that matter – Ramsey has this advice: Never give up. Always work harder than the next guy. Believe in yourself. Learn the work ethic. These are things that Lou Larosa taught him, he said, along with: Always be doing something and never stand around with your hands in your pockets. If you are 15 minutes early, you are late.

And this from Drew himself: “Don’t do only what’s required. Work harder and exceed expectations. If you work your butt off, you can accomplish anything.”