ABOUT RYAN

BIOGRAPHY

In possession of hawk-like focus, Zen-In-The-Zone calm, a daredevil disposition
and the advantage of being introduced to the thrilling sport of race car driving at a young age under the tutelage of a father who is a forever afficionado, Ryan Nash is on a high-speed course for championship supremacy in the wide world of racing. The Montebello, New York native - now in his mid-20s - has been preparing most of his life to take on the globe’s most perilous courses and to snatch the top prizes. Equally as impressive, Ryan is blessed with a mature mindset of benevolence and mentorship, intending to usher in the next generation of world class racers and the teams that align them for dazzlingly calculated winning finishes. “I want to be the best,” Nash states, “but winning also has to do with higher things. I’m not racing for my ego. From being born 24 weeks premature (weighing 1.8 ounces) with nurses telling my mother I’d never survive to being bullied while I was in school, I’m standing up for all of the things people said I could not be or would not do. Every time I’m on a track, I’m proving to myself and the world, ‘Yes, I can!’ And anyone else fighting their way from similar situations can, too” Entering the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) as a currently rare breed of African American driver, Lucas Oil School of Racing graduate Nash completed a two-month eight-race campaign, earning five runners up and one first place win at the Lime Rock Park Raceway during his inaugural year of competition in 2017. The following year, he placed five times as the runner up and had two overall race wins to become the Vice Champion at the Lucas Oil Formula Car
Winter Series. In the ‘Summer Series,’ he placed eight times in second or third
place, and won three races. In 2019, Ryan raced professionally in IMSA’s 10-race Michelin Pilot Challenge series. During his very first race at the prestigious Daytona International Raceway, Ryan set the race lap record in the Touring Car Class (TCR) as a rookie. And on an exceedingly hot day in Watkins Glen, Nash faced his toughest challenge to date. “That whole morning, I was suffering from a near-migraine due to dehydration,” he shares. “We were worried because this was a 4-hour endurance race. Even after 20 minutes of an IV plus chugging Gatorade, I still felt crappy as I went to the pre-grid to start the race. I pushed through by zoning all negativity out and staying focused. I got my team up to third place and when I came in for driver switch, I was in first. The only reason we didn’t win that race was fuel issues with the car.” Later that season, Nash claimed his first professional podium: a third-place finish at the historic Mid-Ohio sports car course – an especially impressive and revealing result because it took place in inclement weather. “Rain is the great equalizer,” Nash states. “Everyone has to drive cautious and smooth. I drove my butt off, racing against top level pros. It was my first time there in that car and we took third-place.” Citing his heroes as Ayrton Senna (Brazil’s 3-time F1 world champion profiled in the acclaimed documentary, “Senna”) and Black British driver Lewis Hamilton (a 7-time F1 world champion for Mercedes), Ryan understands the balance of courage, stamina, strategy, steadiness, intuition and teamwork to bring home the trophies.
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Ryan Nash got his passion for racing honest - from his father, Richard Nash, who
grew up near Watkins Lake in upstate New York where all the flashy cars for races
paraded up the main road. With dreams of becoming the first African American
racing champion, Richard earned his pro-certificate from the Skip Barber Racing
School and competed professionally for almost three years in the mid-`80s before
sponsorship from Maurice Cranes (Kraco Industries) ran out. He wound up becoming a pillar of the Black Music industry as an executive at Atlantic Records promoting then-hit artists such as Chic, Sister Sledge and Roberta Flack, However, in 1995, he and his lovely wife Vida had a baby boy, Ryan, and Richard passed his passion for racing down to him. Ryan remembers, “I was about 5 when my dad started taking me to races…around the time I saw Paul Walker driving that green Eclipse in ‘The Fast & The Furious’(2001). Dad started me on go karts when I was 8. I did pretty well… until I had an incident in Cuddebackville where my car flipped over. Karting great Mike Doty was there and insisted I get right back into a kart which I did…but my confidence was shaken. I didn't start competition karting again until I was 13... but I worked hard and won the track championship, and was the Vice-Champion in the North East Rotax Max Senior category.” While attending Don Bosco Prep High School (where he also ran track and cross country), Ryan advanced to race car driving as the only person of color in his class, earning his certificate at Skip Barber Racing School – like father, like son. “Ryan is a far better competitor than I ever was,” Richard confesses modestly. “He’s more innately calm and smooth with his hands. Ryan is a champion talent who is a good listener, thus, a great learner. He also has compassion for others, and aims to be a leader and a messenger. It’s incredibly rewarding for me to watch Ryan making a name for himself. Plus, cars are built safer now, and although it can still happen, injury is drastically reduced. I hold my breath more when he goes out with his friends because of the racial injustice of today's social climate. Ultimately, I have faith in God who is watching over him.”Ryan Nash is enjoying seeing his popularity grow on social media and with heightened media coverage with his races broadcast on the NBC Sports channel. His immediate goals are to hone his skills and become the best driver in the series so he can become a First Place Champion at the prestigious Rolex 24 Hours at Dayton, 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. "Right now, I'm taking things as I can get them," Ryan concludes, "hopping into whatever car I can and getting the most driving time I can. My plan is to work my way up in class then roar all the way to the top".