Chase Austin
Austin atNashville Superspeedway in 2007
Born	(1989-10-03)October 3, 1989 (age 35) Eudora, Kansas, U.S.
NASCARXfinity Series career
6 races run over 3 years
Best finish	89th (2009)
First race	2007Sam's Town 250 (Memphis)
Last race	2010Carfax 250 (Michigan)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 0 0
NASCARCraftsman Truck Series career
3 races run over 2 years
Best finish	63rd (2009)
First race	2009NextEra Energy Resources 250 (Daytona)
Last race	2010VFW 200 (Michigan)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 0 0
Statistics current as of November 19, 2011.

Chase Austin (born October 3, 1989) is an American professional racing driver. He is a former development driver withHendrick Motorsports andRusty Wallace Racing, racing inNASCAR'sNationwide andCamping World Truck Series. He also competed in theFirestone Indy Lights series from 2011 to 2014.

Austin started racing when he was 7, in an old worn out go kart he built with his father. He earned over 60 wins while racingkarts in the late 1990s to early 2000s.^[1] In 2001, he raced in micro sprint cars and won 16 features in two years.^[1] Then he moved up to full sizesprint cars,dirt track racingmodifieds, andlate models on dirt and asphalt.^[1] While competing in the Kansas area, he won over 100 features in karts, sprint cars and stock cars.^[1] He won the "Future Dirt Track World Championship", a dirt late model race for around a dozen of the United States' top teenaged drivers.^[2]

In late 2004, at age 14, Austin signed adriver development deal withHendrick Motorsports.^[1] Hendrick assigned him to race for the team's ally SS Racing in theASA Late Model Series.^[1]

In 2009, he won two races with one top five, six top ten finishes and apole position.^[2]

Hendrick dissolved its driver development program in 2006.^[3] Originally backed by the new STAR Motorsports team, the deal fell through after STAR failed to fulfill its financial obligations. Austin's family was given a race shop and car parts, so they used the parts to race in numerous series. While a 16-year-old inhigh school, Austin was the driver andcrew chief for the family effort. He raced in 23 events in the season, with 3 wins, six top fives, and eight top tens.^[2] He competed on dirt and asphalt. He competed in his firstUSAR Hooters Procup Series race.^[2]

Austin made one start at the 2007Sam's Town 250 atMemphis Motorsports Park for RWI, finishing 41st after crashing out.^[4] In that start, he became the firstAfrican American driver to start in aNASCARBusch Series (then the name of the XFINITY Series)oval track race, and the second African American driver to start in the series' history.^[5] He started in elevenNASCAR Grand National Division, Busch East Series races, with four top ten finishes.^[2] He had his first start inARCA that season. He was scheduled to run 15 races for RWI in the Nationwide Series in 2008, but those plans were postponed. He left the team later in the season. He was announced as the driver of the No. 32Trail MotorsportChevrolet Silverado in 2009, but the team closed very early in the season. Chase Austin picked up a ride withXxxtreme Motorsport to drive the #07 Chevrolet part-time. During the Nationwide Series race atBristol Motor Speedway on August 21, 2009, he crashed heavily withKyle Busch andReed Sorenson while dropping down the track following a punctured tire.

Austin ran a Camping World Truck and Nationwide race in 2010 for the newly formed United Racing Group with sponsorship from Walgreens and Forgotten Harvest.

When unable to find a ride in NASCAR in 2011, Austin signed on with African American former IndyCar driverWilly T. Ribbs in association withBrooks Associates Racing to make hisFirestone Indy Lights debut in theFirestone Freedom 100 at theIndianapolis Motor Speedway. Austin also competed in the Freedom 100 in 2012.

In August 2012, it was announced that Austin would drive forA. J. Foyt Enterprises in the2013 Indianapolis 500.^[6] However, the second Foyt Indy 500 entry was ultimately driven byConor Daly.

Austin is the son of an African American father and aCaucasian mother.^[3] He lives in Eudora, Kansas.

(key)

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time.Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time.Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

• Official website
• Chase Austin driver statistics at Racing-Reference

• Living people
• 1989 births
• People from Eudora, Kansas
• Racing drivers from Kansas
• Indy Lights drivers
• NASCAR drivers
• African-American racing drivers
• ARCA Menards Series drivers
• 21st-century African-American sportsmen
• 21st-century American sportsmen
• 20th-century African-American sportsmen
• Belardi Auto Racing drivers
• Bryan Herta Autosport drivers
• Juncos Hollinger Racing drivers

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