“I think it was around fourth of fifth grade. We were the only two racing fans in the entire school. So naturally we had to be friends I think one of us had diecast out in the school pickup line at the end of the day, one day, and the other saw it, and we’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, another one of us’. Unbelievable.”
You never know where you might make a friend in life, but for Presley Sorah, it was the school pickup line as a kid. That’s where he met Gavin Newton, a now long-time friend and current owner of Runnings Racing Designs. The two grew up together in the same town and became friends after that day at parent pickup. After that day, their friendship grew more and more as the two started together on iRacing.
“I think his first ever paint or I know his first ever paint scheme was, was one of mine. And, he hates the old stuff. You can you can talk to him about it…It worked out well because he would use my trading paints account because he didn’t have iRacing at the time. And, you know, he started out by doing that, and then that was the first time I’d ever had a custom paint scheme in iRacing. So, that was really neat too,” Sorah added.
Now, just a few short days away, the two are teaming up once more. Sorah is set to drive the No. 12 machine for Fast Track Racing at the Circle City 200 this Friday at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, with his longtime friend Gavin atop the spotters stand.
“Without Presley, there really is no Runnings Racing Designs,” Newton said.
“Just having him be there and give me a platform, I guess, because he and I both really didn’t didn’t have, a ton of people behind us. It was kind of just us against the world. So to have Presley be there every step of the way and, you know, just be able to have somebody to bounce ideas off of. He and I would say that he and I talk a lot about life in general and maybe the moves that we’re making, and the decisions that we’re making more than when it comes to the racing stuff.”
This race weekend also marks a special one as it will be a hometown race for both Presley and Gavin.
“To do it in Indianapolis, in front of everybody, literally an hour away from where we went to school and where our friends live and everything like that. It’s just it’s just incredible,” Gavin added. He also noted this would be the first time that his family would be out in person to see him work at the track.
Both have become solid parts and backbones of the Fast Track Racing organization. Working regularly with the team and its legendary owner in ARCA, Andy Hillenburg. Gavin credit’s a crazy crash for that.
“So I would say that it really started with the (Richard) Garvey car and that whole contest because that car was, was obviously the number 10 Fast Track Car.” In reference to an accident at Talladega Superspeedway in 2022 between Garvie and Brayton Laster.
Then in June, I introduced myself to Brayton through iRacing because he joined the Mooncar session. I’m like, “Oh my God, that’s the guy that my car flew over” and I’m like, “I got to talk to him.”
Conversations between them led to a connection with Fast Track Racing driver Zachary Tinkle, who now drives a Runnings Racing Design scheme.
“Me having my hand in a lot of different places over that Fast Track whether it is working with Zachary or, working with Jon Garrett or working with, with John Szulczewski on the social media side, you know, that kind of allowed me to pull these people together.”
Sorah and Newton both feel that a top-10 is achievable in front of the hometown crowd. “We’re gonna do our best. Top-10 is the goal.”
“We had this conversation relatively often, you know, just kind of what’s next from here. You know, how do we build what we’re doing now.”
