The Chronicle Herald (Provincial)
Naugle’s love of racing a family affair
Dartmouth driver excited for Saturday's season opener at Scotia Speedworld
Nicholas Naugle loves to race. The thrill associated with the start of a race is one of the feelings Naugle finds mesmerizing. "I love the sport," said Naugle. "There’s no feeling like getting ready to start a race. It’s like your heart slows down and it’s quiet and then you’re fired out of a gun. It’s the only way I can explain. It’s an amazing feeling."
That rush helped him develop a passion for the sport early as a first-generation racer. With the support of his father, Brian and mother Connie Tessier, it turned into a family affair.
“When I was 11 or 12, I told my father I wanted to race Bandolero cars,” said the 24-year-old Dartmouth driver. “We made a deal. If I could save up $2,000, we would go race. So I swept the floors at the shop to save and we started from scratch.
“We’re both learning by the seat of our pants. We didn’t have a racing background or a big push. We were basically trying to figure it out as we go and learn as much as we could.”
Brian Naugle recalls the early days of Nicholas’ racing career with great pride. That it became a family affair was the icing on the cake.
“Once we decided with Nicholas to make time for racing, it became a commitment that we chose to do as a family,” said Brian, who owns Brycon Construction. “In the bando days, it was me and his mother. The most important thing we knew it was Friday night and I wasn’t working late because we had this commitment. It was something we did together and grew together. And to this day, we still do it as a family.”
Their dedication to the craft helped Nicholas run his No. 08 Vandoorn car near the top of the pack last year in the East
Coast International Pro Stock Tour. The team placed third overall in the points standings behind first-time winner Craig Slaunwhite and runner-up Cole Butcher.
“I really appreciate that because I feel we have a very vast knowledge of how the cars work, how the sports works," said Naugle, who started racing on the tour in 2016. “We really understand what is going on with the car. We understand if something is not right, we make an adjustment and try to dial it back in.”
SEASON OPENER
The family, along with their dedicated crew, will be back in action with Saturday’s seasonopening Fleetrite 150 at Scotia Speedworld.
Twenty-two drivers are expected to take the green flag, with the Atlantic Tiltload heat races starting at 4 p.m.
“We’re looking forward to getting back to a normal racing season,” said Naugle, echoing the thoughts of all drivers. “The previous two seasons were interrupted with COVID and shortening of the season big-time. For us to get to run a full season with the pro stock tour will be really nice.”
Naugle is champing at the bit to hit Scotia Speedworld on Saturday following a successful tune-up in the United States two weeks ago.
He finished sixth in the North South Super Late Model Challenge on May 8 at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.
“That was a cool experience,” said Naugle, who recently graduated from Dalhousie University with a degree in engineering. “That was my first time at that racetrack. I have to thank Butch and Johnny Van Doorn and the whole Van Doorn crew. They are helping us out down south, getting our program rolling.
“We qualified in a field that had a spread of two tenths across the whole field. Then got to race with some of the biggest names in the sport, Bubba Pollard and William Byron. We came out sixth in
the ordeal, and we are proud of our showing.”
Naugle hopes to continue the early success at Scotia Speedworld on Saturday.
“I’m excited to get back to racing here. I don’t want to go in cocky, that’s not the kind of person I am, but I definitely want to go in confident. We have a good car for the weekend and I’m just looking forward to getting back to racing here.”
GROWING FAMILY
As Naugle raced through the Bandoleros and Legends circuit, his racing family also grew.
To run on the pro stock tour, more hands were needed and Naugle is thankful for those helping hands.
Joining his parents on the racing team are Madison Harpell, Kenny Labelle, Marc Blackburn, Nick Kerkhof, Mike Macdonald, Dave Morgan, Tyler Beach and Nathan Blackburn.
The team is enjoying success and has picked up a win in each of the last two seasons.
“Over the last two seasons our program has really picked up,” said Nicholas Naugle. “In the previous two seasons, we started to get on it with the set-up. What we needed to do to run upfront and that’s
a big thanks to my father and the crew. I can't thank them enough. They are the reason I get to do this.
“I truly enjoy this. I don’t look at it as a job, I look at is an experience I get to do with my family and friends.”
He also wants to add to the team’s win total.
“We are going to work hard and start trophy chasing. That’s the plan. We want to get as many wins as we can.”
“I truly enjoy this. I don’t look at it as a job, I look at is an experience I get to do with my family and friends.” Nicholas Naugle
FINISH LINE
Naugle is looking forward to a busy summer of racing with some lofty goals.
“We just eat, sleep, and breathe racing. We intend to do as much racing as possible this year to make up for the racing we missed. We are running the full-time tour here and we plan on running a handful of races down south. Hit up some tracks like Pensacola and Nashville again. Just try and do as much racing as possible.
“I’m not just focused on racing here. I want to race against the best in the sport. The hope is to go down there and race the Bubba Pollards, the Chandler Smiths, all the boys down south that are dominating.
“I’m hoping to keep accelerating as the season goes on.”