I grew up going to Nazareth every year with my dad to watch the Indy cars race.  There’s a lot of those thrips I can’t remember because I was so young, but what I can is something that has shaped and molded my entire life. The noise. The speed. The way you could just walk up to any of those drivers who seemed to be superheroes, and just say hello and that you appreciated what they were doing. That is one of the things that has always attracted me to racing, how accessible it is to the fan.

In third grade a close friend of mine brought in a trophy from the local(ish) dirt go kart track. I asked to go see him race, and I was immediately hooked. Within a few days I had a kart of my own, an old jacket, a helmet, and was ready to go. I was nine years old.  This was in 1994. I had no idea what I was doing, we didn’t know set ups to save our lives, but exuberance was enough (luckily) to have some fun, go fast and even have some success here and there.

In ’98 we made the jump from karts to cage karts, and I began to gather experience being harnessed in and having a cage around my head. It changed everything. It was incredible. The cages made the chassis so stiff, and being strapped in just added to the experience. I felt like a race car driver. We did very well in cage karts, and I started to acquire a good feel for driving and really started pushing the limits of what I, and the kart could do.

Two years later, I shattered my left arm, requiring two titanium bolts through my elbow, and six bolts and a titanium plate in my humerus. This was accomplished with the aid of a large hill, a skateboard and a gross overestimation of my skills. Lesson learned, gravity. The injury took me out of racing for a full season because of the extensive nerve damage, all the way down to my fingertips, on top of all the broken bones.

In 2001 we picked up a 600cc mini sprint and started racing full time again, fighting it out regularly at Whip City, in Springfield Mass. That car was an absolute rocket ship. It was the only time I ever stomped on the throttle for the first time and got dizzy from the acceleration. Warp speed. It was unreal. We ran really well at Whip City for a couple of years, just picking up more skills and putting the time in behind the wheel for Stupid Monkey Racing. We had a lot of success there, we were always fast, and we always ran hard. It didn’t matter if the car was perfect, or wouldn’t turn at all, or wanted to lead with the right rear. I like a loose car. Loose is fast. It was also the first place I ever really wrecked hard at.

The past few years I’ve taken some time off for school, and we’ve run with various sprint car and midget organizations, both on dirt and on pavement, off and on. We’ve run 305 sprint cars, 360 sprint cars, and a NEMA focus midget. I’m incredibly excited to have this chance to try my skills in a formula car with the F2000 series, and I can’t help but think back to those days at Nazareth, waking up in a tent on the infield to the track dryers. Watching the formula cars run. No matter the outcome of the coming season, this is a dream come true.

Date of Birth:   01/28/1985

Place of Birth:    Mount Kisco, NY

Nationality:    I’m a mutt. Everything except Italian, mostly English.

Place of Residence:  Mahopac, NY.

Marital Status: SINGLE

Sponsors:    CellMark, SOS Children’s Villages

Pets:  Jet The Cat

First Job: cashier at a hardware store.

Worst Job: Anything that isn’t driving a race car.

Perfect Day Off: Doing as little as possible.

Personal Vehicle(s): 2000 Trans Am

First Street Car: 1988 Mazda RX-7

Favorite Street  Car: Ever? Oh geez. 1969 Oldsmobile 442

Favorite TV Show: Family Guy, South Park, Dexter

Favorite Book: The Stand, unabridged – Stephen King

Favorite Quote: “When you’re going through hell… keep going.” – Winston Churchill

Music you like: The metal.

Really enjoys... sunny warm weather

Can't stand... going slow

Coolest New Acquisition: a formula car

I'd be lost without my... blackberry

Favorite Race Track: Laguna Seca

Favorite Race Car Driver: Ayrton Senna

Favorite Race Car: Mazda 787B

Tell us about your first time driving a race car: It wasn’t memorable in the slightest. I went out, went at a moderate pace and did alright. At least I didn’t crash.

Best moment in your racing career: Every single time they give the signal to fire up the motor.

Most embarrassing moment in your racing career: I can’t remember ever being embarrassed in racing.

How did you get into racing? : When I was in 3^rd grade a buddy brought in a trophy from a go kart race. Next weekend my father and I went to watch him race and from there it all spiraled out of control.

Specifically, F2000? : Decided it was time for a change and formula cars are something that always seems like it would be a pipe dream until you actually do it, so we made it happen.

Race Weekend Rituals: Relax as much as possible.