Telitz: A Midsummer’s Racing Story

Mounds View, Minn. (July 13, 2015) – So, I’m back! I realize it has been quite a while since you’ve all heard from me. I would have written a blog after Toronto but it would have been more sad and frustrating than the ending of the ‘Game of Thrones’ season three. Well, to be fair it wasn’t THAT sad and frustrating. A fifth and sixth-place finish usually wouldn’t sound too bad but when the two other championship contenders finish 1-2 both days it hurts. I’m not about to throw in the towel though! You better bet I’ll be back on top sooner than later and take the championship battle all the way to Mazda Raceway. But first, what does a racecar driver do when he has over a month break until the next event?

After Toronto I headed back to Minneapolis and went to work promoting different alcohol brands for Aras Promotions! I realize this likely seems strange to most people. But the fact is I am not most racecar drivers. I don’t live in my parents’ basement playing iRacing all day calling it “training.” Nor have I convinced my parents that I should go live in Indianapolis because “That’s where everyone else is and I can go to Pit-Fit everyday!” If it feels like I’m calling you out, you’re right.

I also headed back up north to Wisconsin to meet with Rice Lake Weighing Systems and plan events for the following races of the season. Finding a sponsor is just the start. Once you have one you’ve got to keep up with the program to grow it and keep everyone happy!

Thankfully, my month of no races was broken up with the series’ test at Mid-Ohio. Mid-Ohio is by far the most important track on the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda. We have three races during the Mid Ohio race weekend. That is almost 20 percent of our season at one weekend! So needless to say it is extremely important to be prepared for Mid-Ohio.

Our two-day test had a little bit of everything as far as weather is concerned. The first day was a bit damp and rainy but I managed to top the final test of the day in some pretty horrendous conditions. The following day brought a lot better weather and I was able to top the timesheets two out of three sessions. Momentum swings around a lot in USF2000 so whenever you can get it to swing back your way it always helps! I am definitely looking forward to the triple-header weekend coming up in a couple weeks. Winning the three Mid-Ohio races should be called the “Grand Slam of USF2000” and I’m swinging for the fences.

Once back in the great midwest I headed back up north to celebrate the Fourth of July with my friends and family. We were all able to take some pontoons out on the lake for a firework show and setup our own “Redneck Yacht Club!” And of course I had to go watch some racing while I was home so I went to check out some local dirt track racing at the Rice Lake Speedway last weekend.

Now, I’ve just started as a caddie at the Minikahda Club in Minneapolis. It’s honestly a lot of fun and I get to meet a lot of important people in Minneapolis. I am also heading down to Iowa Speedway this weekend for the Pro Mazda race. I’ll be spotting for a lucky Cape Motorsports driver!

Until next time, thank you to everyone who has made this season so awesome: Rice Lake Weighing Systems, Mazda, Cooper Tires, Team USA Scholarship and SAFEisFAST.com. You guys are awesome!

And as always, thanks to all of you for reading.
Aaron