Pretorious bursts onto sprint car scene

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Fort Wayne’s NBC) - On Friday nights, one of the top young racers in the state, Zack Pretorious, has been bursting onto the sprint car scene at Gas City Speed Way.

Before shifting gears into sprint car racing, Pretrious dominated the karting world. The 19-year-old was no stranger to collecting accolades, bringing home nine Karting Championships.

“He’s shown the ability to adapt to different tracks and different styles,” Zack’s father, Jeff said. I truly believe that he will be successful when it’s all said and done, but it’s a process.”

After a successful career in the in karting, Pretorious decided to make the transition and take on the challenge of racing 410 sprint cars. Typically, racers slowly transition for years through different series and sprints.

“I definitely know that i’m the only one from the go karting world, that has went straight into this that I have heard of,” Zack said.

Pretorious continued his trend of winning, becoming Gas City Rookie of the in 2020 along with receiving the USAC Quality Driver Award for Indiana Sprint Week last year.

The 19-year-old and his father have an unique operation, as they are a team of two, while many other race teams have far more people contributing.

“Me and him try to be hands on and learn as much as we can...You’re only going to learn by doing it,” Zack said.

Pretorious is a full time college student with the interest of being a pilot, but his ultimate goal is to become a professional racer full time.

“That’s my dream to become a part of the Indy 500, to drive in NASCAR, to be a part of a NASCAR series, Zack said. Anything that’s going to let pay the bills and drive a race car.”

It’s pedal to the medial until Pretorious finally reaches the highest level of racing.

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