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About Jacob
At six years of age, Jacob Gomes got his interest sparked in racing. How? Well every son looks up to his father, right? So if dad's
into racing, "crew chiefing" for a friend, then of course the son is going to get into it. And that's how it began folks—the very beginning of
the current life of Jacob Gomes.
Getting his start in Box Stocks, Jake began his lifelong dream of becoming a NASCAR driver. With his first win, he was bursting with excitement with the reality that
the dream might one day come true. Because just that one little win was the shining beacon of hope towards Jacob's bright future. With his first win under his belt,
he was ready and willing to make the next step and move up to a Minicup. That day was the day he had made up his mind that this was the one thing that he would
never give up on. No matter how hard, how exhausting, how difficult it may be, he would never abandon the dream. And it was only getting closer and closer.
Each win was one little stepping-stone he needed to keep the dream alive. Each championship gave him the confidence that he needed to continue forward.
After four years in the Minicup, and after four championships, he decided it was time to move up and make his way to the top. At only fourteen years old he was
moving up to the bigger, badder racecar: the Baby Grand—a true racecar and a bigger challenge for Jacob. With the Baby Grand, unlike the Minicup, he needed
to learn how to shift. A huge milestone, for this was the preparation he was going to need to become the future NASCAR driver. He quickly learned the "ins and outs"
of his car and won the championship a year later.
In 2009, Jake entered Late Model racing in the Whelen All American Series racing at Madera Speedway, All American Speedway and Stockton 99 Speedway. Catching on quickly, he
capitalized on his previous 8 years of racing experience and soon proved he had what it takes by earing the National Rookie of the Year title in the series. In all, in his first season
racing in a late model, Jacob placed 32nd overall in the Nation with 32 starts, 3 wins, 20 top 5 finishes and 28 top 10 finsihes with 637 points.
Receiving his awards and jacket at the NASCAR Champions Week in Concord, North Carolina was a great highlight for Jake and his sponsors and team.
At the close of the 2009 season, the team decided to branch out a bit and entered the SRL Racing Series where Jake again mastered the higher horsepower car bringing in
8th, 11th, and 3rd place finishes.
To cap off the year, jake entered the Stockton 99 Speedway Fall Classic Late Model event racing against many veterans and took the checkered flag for win number 4 for the year.
Future plans include SRL and Camping World West Series racing.
"To aspiring drivers: I've found that my one secret to success is to stay strong and try your hardest. Hang around racing as much as you can, know what you're
getting yourself into, and prepare yourself for what's next. Stick it out and be positive. If you're having a bad day, don't let that affect your driving or your
attitude. Having a good sponsor that's been with you since you were just getting your start is a good thing too. I would be nowhere today if I didn't have a great
racing partner there with me every step of the way. I owe them a HUGE thank you for everything they've done for me. And lastly, perseverance is a key in racing and
will get you where you want to go." -Jacob Gomes |
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