I live in the Dallas area. When Mark Cuban took over the Mavericks, they were bottom of the barrell. His end game was a Title and even though it took 10 years, he kept at it.

Racers, we are going to jump head long into some of my favorite mental training materials over the next few months. You might notice that we go from mental training, to physical, and then to nutrition. The reason is we want to regularly cover all aspects of being pit fit for racing. Racers Workout is the Race Car Driver Workout to turn to for more wins. But it can't begin to cover all aspects of what it means to be at peak performance and also continuing that growth.  That's why this Racer Fitness Magazine experience is so vital to what we're trying to accomplish with you all.

Today will kick off a special 5 part intensive mental training series. The focus today is attitude. Specially, that "can do" enthusiasm of youth. I want to illustrate the attitude to adopt through a young racer/friend of mine named Garrett. Notice he starts with the ideal end in mine and notice how all the little things that you must do to get to that end, are treated by Garrett like they are just part of the road. I truly believe that most of reaching our best in life is about seeing obstacles in a way that are beneficial rather than painful to us.

Garrett was even kind enough to throw in his tips for getting sponsorship. I get a lot of letters and emails about that. Enjoy Garrett's story.

Start with the End in Mind

Garrett Park has been involved in racing by being at the track or on a team since he was in his fathers arm 2 months after birth. Garrett always had his eye on racing but was actively involved in any sport you could think of. At the age of twelve Garrett’s father purchased a 250cc Micro Sprint. This was not the average beginning class and he was racing with adults and those much older than him. He ran 9 races and finished 5th in points. The last two races of the year he progressed to a super stock class and ran in two races. They sold both cars to make the next step into the big bad 305 sprint cars, his dream since he could remember.

Rick Salem of Oberlin, Kansas started the United Rebel Sprint series in 2006 to bring back affordable sprint car racing to the Midwest. Garretts father thought that this would be his next best oppurtuinity to propel him into his future of racing. Garrett then gave up all of his athletics in high school to attend online school. He ran 9 races with limited funding and was top 5 in points until the last 2 races he had to miss due too not having the finances. He ended up the season 9th in points still capturing the Rookie of The Year title. Garrett had raced in three states at 7 different tracks to reach that mark. Garretts’ dreams had been made by racing that season. Garrett had withdrawn from school to work a full time job to help pay for racing at just 15 years old. At the end of the 2008 racing season Garrett had the opportunity to race the next season on asphalt in a late model. He ran the first 3 races of the season and held 7th in points but his team consisting of just his father and he just could not handle the “big team” “big level” of asphalt with a father-son team. He then went Legend Car racing for 3 races until catastrophic failure hit his motor ending his season. The GVP Racing team geared up throughout the winter to take a full blown path to winning the legend title.

That march Garrett attended the state culinary competition for Family, Career and Community Leaders of America and won the competition making him the 2010 culinary state champion. The begging of the race season was plagued with many problems that were finally resolved. Garrett and his legend car had begun to get dialed in when once again disaster struck Garrett’s team with the motor expiring by unknown reasons still to this day. Garrett has taken the last part of the 2010 season through the winter to finish up his high school courses and graduate in the May of 2011. Garrett was able to take his football team to the firs round of the playoffs as well. Throughout the winter Garrett and his father have begun putting together a new sprint car to make a run in the URSS. He will be featuring the “Back in Black” Maxim Sprint Car with a Meyer’s Engine Service power plant that propelled him to his 2008 Rookie of the Year title. Garrett will take on Russ Bohaty’s Racing Workout to help give him that extra edge on racing fit and being racer healthy in hopes of hitting the winners circle. Garrett hopes that with a solid run and solid sponsorship he would love to make a quest to the Chili Bowl in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In October he will begin studying high Performance auto technology at the University of Northwestern Ohio with his sights set on gearing up to be a “Deans” list student while being on the highly honored Motorsports Team. After college Garrett is planning to set up his own shop based out of Denver, Colorado servicing all engines and being a full blown Sprint Car Fabrication Shop that would help engage him through the winter when he would not be running his dream with the World of Outlaws.  Garrett can be reached by email at garrett.park@hotmail.com if interest in sponsorship or future endeavors.

 

A Quick Note on Gaining Sponsorship


Garrett has not had the best of luck with gaining any magnificent sponsors but is always on the prowl to find his next big break. Garrett  has learned several key aspects in the sponsor hunt.

  • Be polite and portray a good image for your team when on the hunt
  • Start with relatives and friends that have businesses or are acquaintances with business owners or operators
  • Don’t look for the million dollar sponsor
    • 5 hundred dollar sponsors are better than no sponsors at all
  • Its not what they do for you but what  you can do for them
  • Take it as a marketing partnership not a sponsorship
  • Stay to your word if you say your going to do it, DO IT
  • Be Thankful, Be polite, Be Respectful, Look sharp, Do your job
  • Its all about the Smoke and Mirrors
  • Keep hunting sponsors are out there

 

Happy hunting Garrett Park

 

A Champion in whatever he does. It is inevitable with the right attitude.


 

Filed under: Motivational Messages • Workout Tips

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