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ESTERO, Fla. — For 16-year-old Cody Krucker, the dream of being a racer began when he was a child and stumbled across the NASCAR Cup Series on TV. This racing series inspired Cody to become involved in automobile racing, which he has been participating in for 11 years.聽

鈥淢y dream is to make it to NASCAR,鈥� Cody said. 鈥淚 love everything about my sport: the speed, adrenaline rush, fans, competition, working on race cars, camaraderie, concentration, travel and meeting new people and racers.鈥�

To pave the way for his goal of making it to NASCAR, Cody has moved out of the Pro Truck division and into the Super Late Models division in the beginning of the 2021 season. He also plans to compete in the World of Outlaws Dirt Sprint Car Series, the Trans Am America鈥檚 Road Racing Series, the NASCAR Tour Modified Series, the K&N series and the ARCA Series in the future.聽

Currently a junior in high school, Cody plans to attend college and earn a degree that he can use within the racing industry.聽

Since getting involved in racing, Cody has developed his own set of pre-race habits. 鈥淚 always go and see the track ministries for a blessing before each race,鈥� Cody said. 鈥淓ver since I had set a track record about a year and a half ago in the Pro Truck qualifying, I drink a Mountain Dew before qualifying to hopefully bring me a little extra luck.鈥�

For most of his racing career, Cody has worked closely with his parents. His father helps to work on the vehicles that Cody races with, and his mother takes charge of odd jobs like grabbing tools, getting gas and charging headsets.聽

鈥淭o be honest, I have never really had the feeling of being with a team. It has always been my parents, myself and maybe a couple other people helping out, but having that experience has taught me that a big team isn鈥檛 needed to compete with the best,鈥� Cody said. 鈥淩acing can be expensive, which is why, for us, the biggest challenge is finances and raising or earning the money to continue my passion for racing. My family sacrifices a lot in order to keep me on the track. We are continually looking for sponsors from local and national brands to help offset costs. In return, it鈥檚 my job to represent the brands well and finish on the podium so my sponsors have maximum exposure and recognition.鈥�

Despite some financial burdens, Cody continues to find joy in racing and competitions. But even for a seasoned racer of over a decade, there are still obstacles that he comes across. Each mistake on the track comes with a lesson for the young racer.聽

鈥淎 lot of the time, I tend to ask too much from the car at the wrong times,鈥� Cody said. 鈥淭his can be anything from too aggressive of an entry to a corner, too early getting on throttle, etc. To move past these mistakes, I try to find my groove to make my equipment last anywhere from 75-100 laps while still running a competitive pace plus having a little something extra at the end for a strong finish. Just focus on yourself, and don鈥檛 let the other factors going on around you get into your head.鈥澛�

Outside of racing, Cody spends most of his time focusing on school and holding jobs in pressure cleaning services and as an assistant project manager at his family鈥檚 construction business, Direct Contracting Group. He also enjoys being outdoors and partaking in activities like camping, fishing and boating.

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