SOUTHAMPTON, ON- Late Model up-and-comer ‘Livewire’ Nick Goetz capped off his 2015 Sunset Speedway season with a spirited top-5 finish in the year-end 75-Lap Late Model Portion of the annual Velocity 250 weekend. Post-race, the Southampton, ON native explained how he views his team’s progress and how far he believes they still have to go.
“We’re getting closer,” remarked a stoic and pensive Goetz in his Great Lakes Concrete hauler post-race. “Every single weekend we’re getting closer to where we want to be”
“As much as last season was a struggle, I don’t think we’ve taken a single step backwards all year this time around,” continued the first-generation racer. “I can feel myself improving in this car. Now, not only am I better at making decisions and reacting behind the wheel, but I’m also a lot better at understanding what feels good and what doesn’t feel good, and that’s helped me communicate with my team on levels that I just couldn’t get to before”
With less than 5 full seasons of competition under his belt, Goetz continues to impress – having earned three victories at Sunset Speedway this season – as he moves through the wildly competitive Ltd. Late Model division.
“When you consider how long the rest of the guys in this pit area have been at this game, this is still a very new team by comparison,” explained Goetz when asked about his upstart NG Motorsports team. “It’s like trying to jump onto a moving train. I gotta work twice as hard to catch up to these guys and their years and years of experience. There are some nights that I get frustrated with myself, but I just try to remember that five years ago I didn’t even know how to fire one of these things up. We’ve come a long way”
‘Livewire’ is quick to credit McColl Racing Enterprises’ Rick McColl for the difference he’s made since joining the team as Goetz’s Crew Chief at the onset of the 2015 season.
“Rick is an absolute godsend,” insisted Goetz. “The man is a genius. I just sit in the trailer and listen and pay attention when he talks. He’s been around racing his entire life, he’s been around these cars, he’s been around the industry and he’s seen the way these things change and knows how to adjust to them”
“He’s the lynchpin of this team,” added Goetz as he leaned forward for emphasis. “There have been a lot of nights where this car is a bit of a struggle in practice, and he’s just put this team on his back and gotten us through it. Him and everyone else from MRE are absolute pleasures to work with”
When asked about his plans for the upcoming season, Goetz detailed a plan for his team to continue elevating their game.
“The plan for 2016, right now, looks very similar to what we did in 2015,” said the former Peterborough Speedway ‘Chase for the Colours’ winner. “I just want to put my head down, keep working and keep improving. We’re getting better every day, but we’re still so far away from where I dream of being eventually”
“I’m a competitive guy, you know. I want to be the best at everything that I set my mind to. I want to be the best husband, I want to be the best friend, I want to be the best business owner and now, I want to be the best driver I could possibly be,” continued Goetz. “There’s still a long road ahead of us, but I have no doubt whatsoever that we have the personnel and the equipment to get where we want to go.”
To learn more about Nick and the NG Motorsports team, visit the official Nick Goetz Racing page on Facebook or follow @NGMotorsports24 on Twitter.
Nick Goetz’s 2015 efforts have been made possible thanks to Lake Huron Rod & Gun, Mondo Car Wash, Boston Pizza, Super 8 Motel, Lord Elgin Fish & Chips, Rosner’s Service Centre, Roberto’s Pizzeria, Great Lakes Concrete, Austin Graphics, Pierson Motors of Kincardine and ImageWraps.ca.
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
Discussion about this post