Racing is a business and everybody knows that running a business can be tough. For those who are still learning about the sport of auto racing, drivers need to market themselves as a brand, pitching to sponsors, selling shirts and expanding their social media presence, sometimes combing two or all three of these together. On-track performance is just as important as your off-track presence. Presley Sorah does all of these well, laying down a great performance during his home race in late-July during the Circle City 200 at Indianapolis Raceway Park, before a mechanical issue sent him into the outside retaining wall going into Turn 3. Sorah was running strong in the top-20 when his day ended on lap 48, proving that he has what it takes to race in the ARCA Menards Series possibly on a weekly basis in the future. The soon-to-be 21-year-old is proud of his progress since he ran possibly the biggest race of his early career and took a lot of things away from his most recent event.
“The whole-day went pretty good in my opinion. When we started off at practice, I had to build up some confidence in running the track. With each run allowing me to go out on the track, I got a little bit better every time. We made some pretty good adjustments throughout the day, but right off the trailer, the car felt really good.” Sorah recalls.
As a race car driver, you have to know if your car drives well before the race, and that’s why there’s practice before every green flag of a given weekend. Teams prepare a car days, weeks and sometimes even months before a specific event, in order to be competitive for every race throughout the course of a given season. Sorah’s #12 Fast Track Racing Toyota was prepared diligently prior to the race at IRP and the team did everything they could to ensure they’d get the highest finish possible.
“We didn’t have to do too much and I believe our car was the second-fastest of our five cars. I think I messed up in qualifying and cost myself a shot at landing a two or three positions better. My lap was great in Turns 1 and 2 and going into 3 and 4, I got loose on exit and decided to back out of it (the throttle) and forfeit the lap, rather than try to hold onto it for a couple extra tenths (of a second)”, Sorah elaborates. “For the race, our car was more of a long-run car and I was starting to turn it up right as the accident happened. I was running my best laps of the entire day, and I hate that it happened. I feel like we had a great shot at a top-10, or anywhere from 9th-12th (place). I hate it, but it’s a part of racing, and I’d prefer it happen the way it did, as a mechanical failure, rather than me making a mistake as a driver. There’s some pride in me knowing I didn’t do anything wrong and the incident was not self-inflicted, just one of those freak racing deals.”
This race isn’t just a huge milestone because Sorah got to run his first hometown race, but also because he got valuable track time for future races, which are planned for him, pending sponsorship coming on board.
“Like I said during our last interview, every time I sit behind the wheel of an ARCA Menards Series car I get more comfortable behind the wheel, and honestly at Indy, that was the most comfortable I’ve ever felt in a race car, period. I think I felt more comfortable in the car than I do in my home simulator.” Sorah praises his team for providing comfortable race cars. “I’m at a point now where I pretty much know what to expect, but I’m still learning. I feel great after all I’ve learned in the garage and with the experience I’ve gained and at this rate, I believe that I can hop into a car anywhere and make good speed with it, especially at short tracks. I’ll be interested to see how I do on bigger tracks in the future, but I believe short tracks at this point will allow me to be ready to roll at any time.
Being a successful race car driver takes a lot of hard work and seat time, as well as lifestyle changes, as stated in previous articles. Sorah gave some great advice to those who want to make it big in professional auto racing, as he’s currently practicing what he preaches about working hard and getting behind the wheel.
“Just keep working at it. It’s a long process and this is not something you’re just going to be able to do right at the get go. This takes a lot of time, effort and sacrifices. You’re not just gonna wake up and be a NASCAR or ARCA driver. You have to create your own success, as long as you put in the work and effort, then you’ll see the results.”
Sorah is currently selling T-Shirts, commemorating his recent start at Indianapolis and is currently looking for sponsorship to run more races. To purchase a shirt, you can use this link to place an order, and if you or anybody you know is interested in sponsoring a race car that’ll be seen on national television, you can contact him via email, presleysorahracing@gmail.com.
Every Man on Every Crew, LLC. 
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