Name: Eric
Hometown: Lakeland, Florida
Current City: South Riding, Virginia (currently deployed in Afghanistan)
Member since: 2016
Getting to know ERIC
Q. Why did you join the Official NASCAR Fan Council?
“I wanted to participate in the NASCAR Fan Council since it provides the fans an active voice and engagement directly with the sanctioning body, as they try to ensure the quality of competition is always top-notch.”
Q. How did you first become interested in NASCAR?
“My grandfather raced in the 1950s at short tracks throughout South Florida, and I was the first-born grandson. Naturally, when I was old enough, it was straight to karts and we would spend Saturday nights at our local tracks, and Sunday was watching or attending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.”
Q. What makes NASCAR special for you?
“To me, it’s the camaraderie and competition in the garage among the teams. There is nothing greater than cars racing into Turn 1 every week. The personalities, and being able to relate to them, is what makes NASCAR great — the never-give-up attitudes, and the underdog story we all pull for every week.”
Q: Do you have any favorite NASCAR memories or traditions?
“I have many fond memories at the racetrack. The 1998 Pepsi 400 at Daytona, which was delayed due to the wildfires. I had the opportunity to meet Dave Marcis and spend several minutes talking with him about how far the sport had come at that time. The 2012 spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway, I had the opportunity to stand in the bed of the truck during the parade lap at driver introductions with Kyle Busch and Marcos Ambrose. By far, my most favorite memory was being able to talk with NASCAR Hall of Fame Driver Bobby Allison about races in the 1950s at Medley Speedway, Key West and other locations in South Florida. My wife (who wasn’t a fan until her first race at Bristol in 2012) and I make a point to attend Richmond and Martinsville for both races every year, because of the hospitality Dennis Bickmeier and Clay Campbell provide to the fans!”
Q: Do you have a favorite in any of the following categories?
Tracks: “Martinsville and Watkins Glen”
Q: If you could go to any NASCAR race/track, where would you go?
“Sonoma and Talladega”
Q: What do you like to do in your free time?
“I love spending my time at racetracks. I race Legend cars on ovals and road courses throughout the mid-Atlantic, and when I’m not doing that I’m a spotter in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series for David Polenz at Dominion Raceway in Virginia.”
Q: Tell us about your family. Do you have children and/or pets?
“My wife, Christine, and I have been married for two years. We don’t have kids yet, but we do have a beagle, Max, and a basset hound, Sadie Belle.”
Q: What’s your dream car?
“A McLaren 650S, but I’m trying to convince my wife the new Corvettes are practical.”
From all of us at NASCAR, we thank Eric for his continued support and look forward to hearing from him in 2016.