At age 15, Zach Veach has already been named to CNN’s “Intriguing People” list, talked racing on Oprah Radio’s The Gayle King Show and is competing in the USF2000 Championship Series, an important open-wheel stepping stone to a career in the IZOD IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500.
Oddly enough, Veach is also paralleling his 2010-racing schedule with that of a typical high school student: classroom work and a Drivers Education program. But what isn’t typical is he has already talked about his career and aspirations with media mogul, Oprah Winfrey, when he was invited to attend the April 30th taping of The Oprah Winfrey Show when she focused on “The No Phone Zone”. That then led to Veach campaigning on Winfrey’s behalf in obtaining the signatures of 33 Indianapolis 500 professional race car drivers, for Winfrey’s “No Phone Zone” anti-texting petition.
In just 19 months Veach had gone from go-karts to the cockpit of an open-wheel Formula BMW machine. Near the end of 2009, while testing a BMW, Veach continued to turn heads, when Atlantics team owner Eric Jensen, the 2009 Atlantic Championship Series “Team Owner of the Year”, took notice of his talents. Jensen then signed Veach to his team for the 2010 Atlantics season, the Series known as the launching pad for Danica Patrick. In early March, the Series seized operations, when team owners in the USF2000 Series began approaching Veach to compete, including Michael Andretti, owner and principle of Andretti Autosport, the winningest team in open-wheel racing.
At home, Veach appears a normal teenager. The ninth grade honor role student can be found indulging in homework, remote control race cars, playing with friends, or training his German Sheppard Annie. However, daily activities also include training on a high-end racing simulator, as well as a cardio and strength training regimen.
Veach is also technologically driven. His first published iPhone/Droid app, due out in mid-2010, helps teens avoid dangerous text messaging while driving, allowing Veach to further help a cause he deeply believes in, and part of a self-made campaign he hopes to bring to markets where his race team competes, named “Ziggy’s Teen Safe Driving Campaign”. Further, he’ll author a book, as part of The 99 Series, 99 THINGS YOU WISH YOU KNEW BEFORE YOU TURNED 16, set to be released on his 16th birthday, December 9, 2010. You’ll also see him in Public Service Announcements (PSA’s) for FocusDriven, an advocacy group for victims of motor vehicle crashes involving drivers using their cell phones, as Veach is their official spokesperson.
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2009 (Age 14)
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2008 (Age 13)
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2007 (Age 12)
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Name of team and car number:
Andretti Autosport #7 Team ADS
Profession:
Highschool student
Career:
Race Car Driver/Athlete
Birthdate:
December 9, 1994
Birthplace:
Stockdale, OH
Height/Weight:
5’ 2”
95 lbs.
Family:
Father: Roger
Mother: Angie
Brother: Brandon
School:
Just finished his ninth-grade year with OHDela, an online school program and currently enrolled in a Driver’s Education Program.
Interests:
Racing anything with wheels on it, going to the racetrack, plus hanging out with friends and family
Favorite food:
Depends on the day, but overall I would have to say pizza
Least favorite food:
Broccoli
Best advice ever received:
To always greet and talk to people no matter what, always smile, laugh and have a good time
Favorite TV actor:
Sylvester Stallone
Favorite movie:
Driven, Days Of Thunder and James Cameron’s Avatar
Funniest movie:
The Hangover
Favorite TV show:
Two and a Half Men
Favorite street vehicle:
A blue Mazda RX-8
About me:
I’m just like any other kid chasing their dream
Role models in life:
My father Roger Veach, plus Sarah Fisher and Eric Jensen
Favorite race driver:
Sarah Fisher, because she is always grateful to her fans and after everything she has been through has always kept her head up high and pushed forward
First time in any kind of racecar:
When I was five my parents took me to the Indianapolis 500 Museum, where I sat in a show car they had, and remember thinking how awesome would it be to drive one of these
Best racing moment:
Winning the 125cc Shifter Kart Class at New Castle with an 80cc engine
Career 10 years from now:
As long as I keep working hard and things keep going smoothly, I hope to be in Indy Car
Motivations:
I have always looked up to the guys you see on TV climbing into their incredible racecars. From a very young age I have been telling myself “You can do this.” Also knowing that a lot of people have went out of their way to help me do this is motivation for me to do my best on and off the track.
Physical preparation:
Run three miles a day, bike ride five miles, plus 30 minutes of boxing, P90X core training and several hours on a racing simulator. Also holding a 25-lb weight at eye level to simulate a steering wheel
Pets:
Nine month-old German Sheppard named Annie
Favorite travels:
Las Vegas, because there is always something going on
Best part about being a race driver:
Getting to meet all the different types of people that share the same passion I have for the sport
How it feels to be the youngest driver in the 37-year history of the ACS:
I can’t describe the way I feel having a chance to race in such a great series
Best friends in life:
My brother and parents