From a young age, Mason Massey knew he wanted to be a NASCAR driver. But multiple times, he was close to calling it quits.
“When I was about 16 years old, I started thinking it might not happen,” Massey told NASCAR.com. “I never completely gave up on it, but I started to come to the realization that a lot has to happen for me to keep moving up.
“I’ve known I’ve had the talent to be here, but it’s hard to find everything to fall into place.”
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Now, at just 25 years old, Massey is celebrating his 20th year of racing this season. Thus far, it’s been highlighted by a sixth-place run with DGM Racing at his home track, Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The breakthrough run and avoiding a chunk of late-race incidents couldn’t have come at a better venue for the Massey family, as that’s the same track he competed for victories in bandoleros and legends cars. A native of nearby Douglasville, Georgia, he won multiple Thursday Thunder championships at AMS.
In 2012, Massey worked with Bill and Chase Elliott, driving a late model for Bill Elliott Racing, around the southeast. Together, the team won multiple times, including the Alabama 200.
Following Massey’s strong run at Atlanta, the 2020 Cup champion gave Massey some words of encouragement over Twitter.
“I’ve thought (Massey has) done a really good job this year,” Elliott said to NASCAR.com. “He’s not in a top-tier car, but he’s been able to get some good results. When you’re in that position, being able to run all the laps and finish the races and keeping yourself in a position to have a solid day, I think that’s really important.”
Before running all the ovals for DGM Racing this season, Massey was with BJ McLeod Motorsports for 22 of his 23 prior Xfinity starts. He also ran seven Camping World Truck Series races in 2019 with Reaume Brothers Racing, which he believes got himself back on the map.
“I had already given up on NASCAR because I had been racing local dirt racing in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee,” Massey added. “This opportunity with Josh popped up, and (Reaume) gave us a deal we couldn’t refuse.”
For the 2022 season, Massey knew he wanted an increased role in the Xfinity Series. When contemplating the landscape, he was impressed by the DGM race shop in Florida. He also watched the team grow over the last couple of seasons, contending weekly for top-15 finishes.
Admittedly, the DGM opportunity is the best of Massey’s career. Unfortunately, however, the No. 91 car has failed to qualify in his last two events at Charlotte and Nashville. Last weekend at Road America, Preston Pardus brought the No. 91 entry home 11th.
Whenever Massey is in the race, he’s typically been competitive, running near his DGM teammates. Aside from the top-10 run at Atlanta, he has top-20 efforts at Richmond (17th) and Texas (18th).
“I think it’s been a good year,” Mario Gosselin, DGM team owner and Massey’s crew chief, said. “He’s done a good job and had a couple mishaps that were not of his doing.”
Mayes Massey, Mason’s father, has been supporting his son since he began racing at 5 years old. Being a self-employed business owner, he could take off work when needed and spend long nights on the road, going from track to track with Mason. He was hoping it would eventually lead him to the promised land.
He wouldn’t trade that grind for anything.
“I’ve had so many friends walk up to me about the time and money we’ve put into it,” Mayes Massey said. “I wouldn’t trade the money back for the fun and the relationship I have with Mason for doing all of that. You can’t replace it. I would do it again tomorrow if he was 5 years old, knowing what I know now. It’s been a fun ride. To go run sixth at Atlanta was icing on the cake. My wife was like, ‘I don’t think I can be any happier if he won the race.’ I said, ‘I think you could.’ “
Massey returns to Atlanta this weekend with additional confidence from his strong run in March. He also knows that if one day he turns the right heads and makes a good impression that he could find himself another rung up the ladder.
That would be his full-circle moment.
“I’ve wanted to be a Cup driver since I was a little (kid),” he said. “Now that I have this opportunity, it makes it seem a little more possible.”