NASCAR was founded on taking chances and believing in yourself. This theory is being tested again by social media creator, Nicky Centracchio.
As we celebrate NASCAR’s 75th anniversary, Centracchio is following the path many of the pioneers took. He is betting on himself and moving everything he owns to North Carolina in search of making his own legacy in the sport.
Getting into the sport has become much more complicated in the past 30 years. The days of hanging around the shops like Steve Letarte, sweeping floors in hopes of learning a new trait have faded out. Now, teams are looking for highly-educated employees. This includes experience in the newest technology and specialized services. Additionally, they eye those who offer unique opportunities to help the team advance and grow.
The 75th Anniversary has been magical so far this season. Now, Centracchio is hoping to use a little bit of magic to bring back a nostalgia that NASCAR has been missing for years.
Centracchio is a 21-year-old from West Springfield, Massachusetts, a town nearly 800 miles from Charlotte, NC, the home of NASCAR.
Cars have always been a part of his life. When he was younger, his dad built two early Ford hot rods and they would travel around to car shows. Racing was on while in the shop, but it was more background noise for Centracchio to help his father on the hotrods.
Soccer and Social Media
Centracchio grew up in a very competitive family with two brothers and found he was very talented in soccer. He started playing in a Parks and Recreation program, but quickly found himself playing on many club travel teams.
Ultimately, he would end up playing Center Midfielder for West Springfield High School, and after graduating in 2020, he enrolled at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst. However, Centracchio’s plans changed after the United States went into a lockdown over the COVID Pandemic.
While playing soccer, Centracchio began to use social media apps such as Instagram to promote his soccer abilities and tricks. Centracchio reflected, “I thought it was cool to be able to look back and see what I was doing three months ago, six months ago, and so on.”
Knowing all the opportunities social media could present, Centracchio would try several different ideas but discovered it was nothing he really wanted to pursue. He was on the lookout for something he was passionate about for a career, and for a new adventure.
That adventure would present itself at his dad’s house.
Noticing NASCAR
Centracchio shared, “I was at my dad’s, and my little brother had started to follow NASCAR, starting with the 2020 Daytona 500. I was walking through the living room and I saw this lime green car make a move to the bottom. Looking back, it was probably a simple lane change or line change, but I thought it was a crazy move.
I was like, ‘Who was that guy? That was nuts!’ My little brother said, ‘Yeah, that’s Kyle Busch.’ They then told me some stories. From then on, I loved Busch. I started watching races.”
The next race would be one of NASCAR’s most prestigious races, the Southern 500. And, as his interest grew week by week, along came Bristol. The Last Great Coliseum is Bristol’s nickname and is the track you want to bring fans to. It’s been heard, Bristol makes people NASCAR fans. There are no words to describe the atmosphere this track presents to fans, and Centracchio’s experience for the first time was no different.
With this new love of racing, Centracchio started making TikToks about different divers or race recaps. These were instant hits with over 40,000 views. He continues to create content that generates a high level of interest among younger NASCAR fans.
Discovering a Passion In-Person
With a new passion for the sport, Centracchio now had to see it with his own eyes. He found that opportunity at Texas in 2021. His brother, who was serving in the Air Force and stationed near Texas Motor Speedway, invited his other two brothers down for the All-Star Race.
It was after this race that Centracchio started star-gazing upon how he could turn this new passion into something special. He wanted to create a brand that was NASCAR-related but also relevant to life. Soon, the idea of First Fence arose.
Centracchio shared, “First means in everything you set up to do, observe your situation and take what is in front of you and do everything in your control to produce the best possible result.
“Fence means the other option set up to achieve the best possible outcome you can or don’t try at all.”
This motto would drive Centracchio to make a move that few would be willing to take to ensure he is on the right side of the fence. If he wanted to make it in NASCAR, his opportunity would not come in West Springfield but in the heart of NASCAR county.
He packed everything up he could, got in his truck, and drove to Mooresville. He knew this journey would be challenging, but NASCAR was built on taking chances, and with the motto of First or Fence, he knew this was right.
Time for Chances
Once he arrived in Mooresville, he quickly learned that this would take much work. He wasted little time, and on the first day, he walked into a truck team shop with a resume and business card to find out that no one could help him or take his resume.
At this point, he realized he would have to get creative.
Not to be discouraged, he visited other shops, but his journey continued with similar outcomes. However, Centracchio was starting to make connections.
Soon, he ran into Joe Nemechek, who took a resume.
Then, Anthony Alfredo welcomed Centracchio into the shop. Finally, a few others came along the way.
After visiting nearly 30 shops, Centracchio finally came face-to-face with an opportunity. Nicky approached an owner of a fabrication company who was out back, moving things around. He explained to the owner that he left his family and was living in a camper, hoping to get an opportunity to get into NASCAR.
The owner took his resume and said he would be in touch. Feeling that he finally might have made a connection, Centracchio received a phone call from the owner offering him a position.
NASCAR was built by Bill France taking a chance in 1948, and that legacy continues today. While Centracchio did not go to the Univerity of Northwestern – Ohio or NASCAR Technical Institute, he took a chance on himself. And now, he is living his motto First or Fence to help get his career started in NASCAR.
Click here if you want to follow Nicky’s journey to NASCAR.
