User:Kbriney
Zach Veach (born December 9, 1994) is an American auto racing driver, currently competing in USF2000, an important open-wheel stepping stone to a career in the IZOD IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500. Born and raised in Stockdale, Ohio, Veach is a driver for Andretti Autosport,[1] the winningest team in open-wheel racing. He was named to CNN's list of "Intriguing People" in May 2010.[2], is the national spokesperson for FocusDriven, an advocacy group for victims of distracted driving fatalities, and is set to release his first book, "99 Things Teens Wish They Knew Before Turning 16", on his 16th birthday.
Racing Career[edit]
Veach began racing at age 12 when he was "discovered" by current IZOD IndyCar Series driver Sarah Fishers' dad, Dave Fisher. In just 19 months Veach had gone from go-karts to the cockpit of an open-wheel Formula BMW machine. Near the end of 2009, while testing a BMW, Veach continued to turn heads, when Atlantic Championship team owner Eric Jensen, the 2009 Atlantic Championship Series “Team Owner of the Year”, took notice of his talents. Jensen then signed Veach to his team for the 2010 Atlantic Championship season,[3] the Series known as the launching pad for Danica Patrick. In early March 2010, the Series seized operations.[4] Veach then received a call from Andretti Autosport to compete in the 2010 U.S. F2000 National Championship.
2010 USF2000 National Championship Series[edit]
In his first year as a driver in the USF2000 National Championship Series for Andretti Autosport, he has had eight top-five finishes and three podium results. Despite entering the series after the season-opener (St. Pete) and therefore missing out on two rounds of race points, he has managed to stay in the top-five driver championship point standings. His performances have also contributed to Andretti Autosport’s first place points standing in the team championship for the 2010 season.
Mission To Save Lives[edit]
While Veach can't even drive to work to drive "at work," he has been very outspoken about his interest in putting an end to distracted driving. On April 30, 2010, Veach attended the taping of The Oprah Winfrey Show's focus on the No Phone Zone program. At the program he met Jennifer Smith, founder and president of FocusDriven, the official beneficiary from Winfrey's No Phone Zone, and later became FocusDriven's national spokesperson. In May 2010, Veach campaigned to gain support from professional racecar drivers to support Winfrey's No Phone Zone.[5] Veach announced on June 4, 2010, he had added 33 Indy 500 drivers support of the No Phone Zone.[6]
In July 2010, Veach released an anti-texting app, urTXT, which automatically responds to a text message received by the phone.[7]
On Sept. 21, 2010, Veach attended the 2010 National Distracted Driving Summit where he was honored by United States Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, in addition to the Jonas Brothers and Jordan Sparks for their collective efforts to put an end to distracted driving.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ Reynolds, Tim. Andretti adds to his USF2000 team, USA Today, March 26, 2010
- ^ Kernis, Jay. Wednesday's intriguing people, CNN.com, May19, 2010
- ^ Atlantic: Jensen MotorSport signs 15-year-old driver, Racer, December 11, 2009
- ^ Atlantic Championship forced to take hiatus, Motorsport.com, March 03, 2010
- ^ 15 Year-Old Racer Zach Veach To Campaign For Oprah Winfrey’s No Phone Zone By Adding The Indy 500′s 33 Drivers To Her Petition, Catchfence.com, May 13, 2010
- ^ 33 Indy 500 Drivers Join Oprah Winfreys No Phone Zone, paddocktalk.com, June 04, 2010
- ^ Drell, Lauren. Zach Veach: A 15-Year-Old Takes on Texting and Driving, AOL Small Business, Sept. 23, 2010
- ^ Racer Zach Veach Participates in National Distracted Driving Summit with Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, SPEEDtv.com, Sept. 21, 2010