Rev Racing has some of the most loyal fans in NASCAR, who support our drivers day in and day out. The support and encouragement that our drivers receive is unparalleled. Thus, in an effort to connect with our fan base on a more personal level, Rev Racing is distributing a
Get To Know Your Driver series. Each of our drivers has worked hard to reach this point in their career. And while a career in NASCAR is their dream job, it does not define who they are. For each of our drivers, there is a story behind the helmet, behind the fire suit, and behind the car. We want to share that story with you…
Concord, N.C. (July 25, 2014) —For Jay Beasley, it all started at 7-years-old with a Go-Ped. His father, Rod Ronnow, was asked to fix two Go-Peds for a friend, but instead, he was told to keep the two-wheeled motorized scooters. Ronnow had a knack for repairing motors and loved to race motocross, street bikes, and drag boats, and Beasley shared that same passion.
“When I was really young, I always said that I was going to be a NASCAR driver,” he said. “It was weird because I was racing everything with two wheels, but I kept saying I was going to be a NASCAR driver.”
As a child, Beasley played other sports, including football and lacrosse, but nothing could quite measure up to racing.
“Football was fun…I loved lacrosse, but I just wanted to go fast,” he said.
The Las Vegas native became such a talented rider that he was sponsored by Go-Ped in 2002 and went on to become a five-time Go-Ped Scooter Cross champion.
After racing Go-Peds, he transitioned to Supermoto, but only for about a year. During a race, his back tire failed to make it over a jump. The bike sent Beasley flying, landing on his chest and breaking his collarbone.
He then contemplated racing street bikes because he loved racing on asphalt, but his dad wasn’t in favor of any more two-wheelers for the young racer. Instead, he wanted something more stable that his stepson would be contained in, so Beasley began racing Legend cars.
“I miss two wheels, but I’m enjoying NASCAR and four wheels. Plus, it’s safer,” he said.
Every day Beasley exercised to stay in shape for racing. He also practiced riding his Go-Ped and dirt bike around the neighborhood and worked on his racecar after school.
“I would spend so many hours on the track. In the winter time, when it was 20 degrees outside, we’d wear leather jackets and just go on the track and mess around,” he said.
His mother, Evelyn Beasley, supported him throughout his childhood and career, and he credits his father for much of his work ethic and success.
“He taught me how hard to work for it at such a young age, so, now it’s not hard work. It’s every day life,” he said. “It was really frustrating at some points, but I’m really grateful he did that.”
At the beginning of his career, one of Beasley’s biggest setbacks came his senior year of high school in 2009. He was at a friend’s house talking outside with classmates when two SUVs pulled up to the crowd of people.
“A whole bunch of people got out, and they were all wearing black. Then I saw these girls beginning to run up the street,” he said. “Right when I turned around I saw someone standing next to me wearing all black. Then everyone started running in a panic.”
The gang in black began shooting at the crowd, and the person standing next to Beasley aimed a gun at his head and fired.
“I barely missed it. I heard the bullet zoom right by me.”
He continued to run from the gang but couldn’t find anywhere to hide, and a few of the members caught up to him.
“One of the guys pointed the gun right at my face, but his buddy ended up telling him not to shoot me, and then they left,” he said. “It was crazy.”
Beasley left the incident with a gunshot wound to the leg that shattered his fibula. Fears of paralysis and death continued to cross his mind.
At the time, Beasley had also been training to become a firefighter as a back-up plan if racing didn’t work out, but the incident solidified how much he wanted to succeed in racing. It also became one of the reasons why he tries not to take anything for granted.
“I’m glad it happened because it made me focus more on my career,” he said. “It also made me a better person, and now, I don’t let little things bother me.”
Though he was forced to keep the bullet in his leg to prevent an extended recovery time, he refused to let that stop him. After four months of physical therapy, he continued to race in the INEX Legend Series accumulating two wins and 17 top-5s in 2010.
In 2011, he began racing super late models where he achieved much success early on, but in 2012, he suffered a severe concussion after crashing head-on into a wall during practice, destroying the racecar and causing Beasley to miss the rest of the season.
Despite the delay in his career, he came back ready to conquer the 2013 season, but he did more than that. Beasley made history and became the first African-American to win a race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after capturing the Super Late Model title. He also won the prestigious Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, and later joined the 2014 Rev Racing team.
“Accepting the Wendell Scott Award was a big deal and meant a lot. It was a blessing,” said. “To be able to be a trailblazer just like him this past year was amazing. It was such an honor.”
Off the track, Beasley enjoys the outdoors, fitness training, watching movies, and traveling, especially when he gets to visit different racetracks. He also loves listening to hip-hop and rock music.
“I love anything that gets me to swaying!”
While Beasley loves to have fun, he also enjoys giving back to the community. His traumatic experience has motivated him to support individuals who have been confined to a wheelchair due to a permanent injury. To help support this cause, please make a donation to The Carolina TarWheels.
The Carolina TarWheels is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of individuals with disabilities. By promoting health and fitness through sports, recreation, and social activities, the organization allows individuals to maintain an active lifestyle while offering a program that is enjoyable and meaningful to its participants.
ABOUT REV RACING: Headquartered in Concord, NC, Rev Racing, owned by Max Siegel, operates the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program, which is the industry’s leading developmental program for ethnic minorities, women drivers, and pit crew members. For more information about Rev Racing visit https://revracing.net and follow us on Twitter @RevRacin.
Concord, N.C. (Aug. 15, 2014) — Devon Amos starts every day by writing down ten things he’s thankful for. One of those is his opportunity to drive for Rev Racing. He traveled more than 1,400 miles from his Rio Rancho, New Mexico home to drive for the team.
Amos became interested in racing at 9-years-old after watching a cartoon called, “NASCAR Racers.” The show had an ethnically diverse cast as well as both male and female drivers.
“The cars were going upside down in these circles, and they had these rocket boosters. They were flying, and I said I was going to do that someday.” His stepfather later introduced him to the real world of NASCAR, and he was automatically hooked.
Amos began racing quarter-midgets at 12-years-old and then moved on to race a 4-cylinder Volkswagen Beetle.
His mother and stepfather, Christi and Michael Feery, raised the young Italian and African-American driver along with his older sister, SaRae. The 23-year-old learned the importance of work ethic and responsibility at a young age. His parents only allowed him to race if he made good grades.
“My parents did a great job guiding me and my sister as kids,” Amos said. “They brought me up to work hard. They taught me that I needed to work for the things that I wanted.”
At 15-years-old, Amos stopped racing altogether, but after graduating from Independence High School in 2009, he knew he wanted to race professionally.
He worked at Home Depot and in 6 months, Amos saved $6,000 to buy a racecar to pursue his dream of becoming a NASCAR driver.
“I bought my car, but I didn’t really think everything through. I didn’t know how I was going to do it. I just knew I was going to do it.”
He bought his car from Wim Dons who was heavily involved in racing. Dons allowed Amos to travel with his family to compete in races and let Amos keep his car in his garage. Even with a three-year absence from the sport, Amos excelled with help from the Dons, which Amos refers to as his second family.
He first applied for the Drive for Diversity Program in 2010 but needed more racing experience, so he went to racing school in Hickory, N.C. He did well and was invited to the 2011 combine, but was not selected to the team.
“I was really frustrated, but it just pushed me more. Each time pushed me to be better and make it to the next level,” he said. “I was devastated, but then I was like, ‘I’m going to go to the combine next year and not give them a choice but to pick me.’”
And he did just that. Amos persevered and was selected to the 2013 Rev Racing team.
He now balances full-time racing and working 25 hours per week. When he’s not at work or racing, he helps out as a mechanic on teammate Daniel Suárez’s crew to learn as much as he can about all aspects of the sport.
As a driver, Amos believes that his ability to work on the outside of the car will help him develop better communication, as well as a stronger chemistry with his own crew, which is vital to team success.
“I have a high standard for myself. I want to do everything that I can to just go fast,” he said. He started racing in the Legend Series his first year, and despite a significant transition from mini-sprints, he secured four top-5 and seven top-10 finishes. Amos advanced to the Whelen All-American Series for the 2014 season.
With a competitive drive to succeed, Amos says he always strives for greatness and optimism. Despite his many accolades in racing throughout the years, Amos, just like every athlete and every person, is sometimes frustrated with his performance, but he refuses to let negativity interfere with his potential and success.
“I give myself positive affirmations. One thing I do is look at my trophies in my apartment. I remind myself that I’ve succeeded before and tell myself that I have to focus on what I want to get to,” he explained. “Then I understand that I just have to continue to have faith in God and move forward.”
Because his passion for racing requires much of his time, Amos is unable to visit his family and often misses his Southwest home. He says his mother is his biggest supporter, and they talk often. She sends him inspirational books that he reads almost every night.
Though most of his support system resides in New Mexico, he is still able to rely on his girlfriend, Christine, who moved to Charlotte with him when he was selected to the team.
One of the main things he misses about home is looking at the stars. Unlike Charlotte’s busy metropolitan area, Amos lived on the outskirts of Rio Rancho, where he could see the stars for miles.
“I remember spending just about every night sitting on the back wall, looking at the stars. I would just connect with everything and be one with life,” he said. “It just felt so good. I would think a lot about being successful and where I wanted my career to go.”
To Amos, racing is more than a sport. He believes racing is his purpose.
“I look at racing, and it can help people in many ways, especially with what we’re doing with the Drive for Diversity. There are so many people that can be pulled from different places to achieve goals they never thought they could and make a difference in the community.”
He hopes NASCAR’s diversity continues to grow on and off the track. Amos was happy when he learned that Wendell Scott, the first African-American to win a NASCAR race, would be inducted into the 2015 Hall of Fame.
“I think it’s great. I hope there’s more to come,” he said. “He paved the way for what we’re working on now. I couldn’t imagine what Wendell Scott went through back then. He’s a true inspiration.”
While he admires Scott’s legacy, Amos’s favorite NASCAR driver is Jeff Gordon. He hopes to race for Hendrick Motorsports someday, just like Gordon.
Amos loves watching the Miami Heat and enjoys giving back to the community. He participated in Habitat for Humanity’s effort to build homes earlier this year. And with his experience on both dirt and asphalt tracks, he also mentors Rev Racing’s bandolero drivers.
ABOUT REV RACING: Headquartered in Concord, NC, Rev Racing, owned by Max Siegel, operates the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program, which is the industry’s leading developmental program for ethnic minorities, women drivers, and pit crew members. For more information about Rev Racing visit https://revracing.net and follow us on Twitter @RevRacin. 
