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Hard Work and Faith Steer Nick Baran to Success
By: Rich Murray
(MORRIS, IL – August 4, 2014) It’s been quite a journey for Nick Baran to get to victory lane after winning his first career D’Arcy GMC STARS National Midget feature. He started out attending races with his family as a pup before he cut his teeth on racing by competing against his younger brother in go-karts in the backyard. His status today as one of the top contenders in the pavement midget racing ranks was finally vindicated last Saturday when he added the Illinois State Championship to his resume after an intense race-long battle with Austin Prock. The Northern Illinois University graduate and mechanical engineer, by trade, has had to overcome a lot of growing pains along with the rest of his team during his transition to midget racing, but the hard work has paid off and Nick can finally enjoy the fruit of his labor.
Nick Baran was born on November 27th, 1987 to his mother, Barbara, and his father, Scott, in Plainfield, Illinois where he still resides. Like many other racers, Nick didn’t discover auto racing on his own; his family had already established deep roots in the sport, albeit of the fendered variety. Nick’s grandfather, Len, has a resume that includes campaigning stock cars in the USAC and ARTGO series. Scott eventually began travelling around with Len’s racing team to the paved and dirt bullrings of the Midwest which began a long career as a crew chief for such local stock car stars as Biff George, Tracy Schuler, and Pat Kelly. When Len hung up the firesuit for the last time, he put on the owner’s cap and hired Larry Schuler to drive his late model in the ARTGO and ASA series at tracks such as Grundy County and Illiana.
Growing up at the racetrack from the time he was only a few months old only whetted Nick’s appetite to get behind the wheel. At the age of seven, Nick was finally given that opportunity. From the first time he sat in the driver’s seat, Nick knew he was right at home. Success came early for young Nick during his first season when won a go-kart race at Norway Speedway in Sheridan, Illinois. Nick went on to earn two consecutive championships in the Junior Pro Series Legend Car division at Grundy County Speedway. Eventually, he was able to advance to the Super Late Model ranks on Friday nights at Grundy County Speedway. That was where he achieved one of his biggest racing thrills when he got his first win in the division during his senior year of high school in 2005. While he admits that the details of the race have slipped from his mind, it was the moment of victory that is burned into his memory forever.
“I do not remember much from the race other than nearly crashing into a lapped car in the final laps,” Nick admits. “My memory is vivid when I got out of the car and stood on the door facing the grandstands. That is a very special moment to me and I hope that memory doesn’t fade.”
Since the invention of the automobile, brothers who race against each other have had their moments of tension that have created disagreements. In the world of NASCAR, brothers have had their run ins on occasion with the most notable being the Bodine brothers’ incident during the Inaugural Brickyard 400 in 1994 when Brett punted Geoff out of the lead. Nick and his younger brother, Tyler, have never taken it to that extreme, but they have had at least one moment where their competitiveness came to a head.
“Tyler is a fierce competitor and he does not back down for anyone. I learned this while racing against him in Legend Cars,” Nick said. “While I was battling Nick O’Dell for the championship, I was also trying to outrun my younger brother. I remember one race where I was behind Tyler and faster than him, although I could not find a way around him. After the race, he and I had a ‘discussion’ and he informed me that, while we were teammates, the last thing that he was going to do was treat me any different than any other driver. Every inch has to be earned and fought for while racing Tyler, although I know that he will always race me clean. ”
After the 2011 CRA Super Series season concluded, Nick began to adapt to life away from the track. He had just gotten married to his high school sweetheart, Brittany, and had sold all of his racing equipment save the trailer and a few odds and ends. It was at that time that his grandfather, Len, proposed a deal that was hard to refuse.
“My grandfather, Len, approached my brother and me and asked if we would be interested in getting back in the driver’s seat in a National Midget,” Nick said. “Both Tyler and I jumped at the opportunity and we made our debut late in the 2012 season at Grundy County Speedway.”
After having driven several types of cars, it was time for Nick to dive head first into open wheel midget racing for the first time. After the first race, Nick and the team quickly found that the learning curve in midget racing was a bit steeper than they first thought.
“When we began racing midgets, we thought that it would take less effort on a weekly basis to maintain than the Super Late Model, but we quickly discovered that that was not the case, Nick said. “The midgets have so much power in a small package; we have found that we really needed to step up our game to be frontrunners.”
Nick’s first full season of midget racing took place in 2013 when both he and Tyler took on the challenge of running the full STARS National Midget schedule. Expectations were high at first, but were tempered when the team struggled through the first half of the season with mechanical trouble as well as trying to figure out the set-up for the ever-changing track conditions throughout the night. Nick pinpoints the USAC/STARS co-sanctioned races at Illiana and Grundy County as the turning point for the team’s season. In the remaining four STARS races at Grundy County, Nick earned a career-best 4th place finish on August 24th and concluded the season by scoring another 4th place result on September 21st. The multiple top-five finishes moved Nick into the 5th spot in the final standings which earned him the 2013 STARS National Midget Rookie of the Year award.
In 2014, Nick was not only hoping to compete for top-fives, but was ready to take the next step and park his car in victory lane. His season started off with another solid 4th place run in the feature, but it was the second race of the season where the team hit a major roadblock. As Nick was running in 2nd place in that night’s first feature, he had a catastrophic engine blow up that took him out of the race and put the car out of commission for an extensive amount of time. For the second feature, Nick jumped in his brother’s car and started dead last. After carving his way through the pack up to the 6th position, the drivetrain broke on the car. Now, both of the team’s cars were parked with damage.
After a series of rainouts and taking a week off of racing to attend his brother’s wedding, Nick finally returned to the racetrack six weeks later, one day after the birth of his son, Luke. Nick promised one-day old Luke that he was going to bring the winner’s trophy home to his nursery. The car was running well all night and Nick had the #87 in 2nd place in the feature when the engine expired as he was coming to the white flag. It was yet another engine failure that Nick feared would have relegated the car to the shop and sent Nick fishing at the lake for the remainder of the summer. Luckily, the damage, while severe, was not enough to keep the car away from the track for too much longer, yet it would not be available for Nick to run during the 50-lap Illinois State Championship at Grundy County.
However, a phone call from Tyler on the night prior to the race changed Nick’s weekend plans. Nick now had a ride for the race in his brother’s car. After suffering a few mechanical issues early in the night that caused him to miss the second hot lap session, the team got the car prepared fast enough for Nick to qualify 3rd fastest in time trials. Due to the three-car inversion for the feature, Nick would start the race from the pole position. Nick was able to hold off a nearly race-long challenge from Austin Prock that persisted lap after lap to take his first career STARS National Midget win. The victory was a huge relief to the team after a trying season, but, according to Nick, it does not come close to comparing to the birth of his son.
Through the perilous nights of mechanical frustration and all-nighters in the garage during June and July, Nick was anticipating the joy of becoming a new father. On Friday, July 25th, Nick and his wife, Brittany, welcomed Luke Baran into the world. All the blown engines and broken driveshafts didn’t mean squat at that point.
“I was able to be very involved in the birth and my Great Uncle told me to pay attention to Luke's first breath,” Nick said. “Brittany and I were able to hold Luke right when he was born and our lives were instantly changed for the better. Watching him take the first breath added a new breath and purpose to my life.”
The new baby has changed the daily routine for Nick and his team. Arrangements have been made to have the car at his own home so that he can be more present to help Brittany with everyday tasks. The time spent in the shop this season has been extensive and the price paid for new parts has been expensive. Nick acknowledges that maintaining the balance between fielding a racecar and raising a son is going to put a strain on him.
“My ‘Daddy List’ of things to accomplish in the week that I took off for his birth has one item checked off of it,” Nick said. “It hasn't translated to the racing/money side yet.”
Nick would not have been able to single-handedly keep the team going during his wife’s pregnancy and the recurring mechanical issues if it wasn’t for his father, Scott, and car manager, Bill McGowan, who came to the team midway through the 2013 season and made an immediate impact on their performance as shown by the results.
Nick is celebrating his 20th year as a racer in 2014 and no other year may have been more eventful on and off the track for the 27-year old. The height of victory that Nick and his team clawed its way to just one week ago after all the season’s misfortunes just goes to show the amount of perseverance and level-headedness it takes to succeed in auto racing. Racing presents a continuous, challenging series of long nights, exhaustion, and heartache interspersed with a handful of sighs of relief after a good finish, if you are lucky enough. If you ask Nick, all of it is worth it. In fact, he feels that midget racing has reinvigorated his career and would like to stay involved in this form of racing as long as he possibly can.
“I have been rejuvenated since I began racing midgets and have found it to be the most fun that we have had as a team since we were racing Legend Cars at Grundy,” Nick said. “I would like to continue to race midgets for the rest of my career unless a full-time ride became available in another series. I would like to try a National Midget on dirt at some point in the near future as well. After I gain some more experience behind the wheel I would like to design my own chassis and components.”
A deeply spiritual man, Nick relies on his faith to overcome the obstacles that he has encountered on the track this season.
“Scripture says that it's a matter of ‘when’ the storms of life come, not ‘if’ they come,” Nick said. “It is a guarantee that issues will come and they will eventually pass. The only thing that we can do while in a valley is press on towards the next peak and follow the one that lights the path, we don't walk the path alone.”
*EXTRA TIDBITS*
**What is the most difficult part about racing to you?
I do not find any of the on-track activities to be the most difficult; it is too much fun to be difficult. It is the late nights away from my wife that take the biggest toll on me.
**What is your favorite track?
My favorite track that I have visited so far would have to be Anderson, although Grundy will always be home. We had a lot of success at Anderson while running with the CRA Super Series, the track presents unique challenges but I feel that it suits my driving style well.
**What are your thoughts on the competition in the STARS National Midget Series?
I am very impressed how the competition level has jumped up this season. I feel that there is a great urgency to make the next stride to be at the front of the pack from all of the competitors. However, with that effort comes more strain on equipment and I believe that all teams are struggling with equipment failures that were not an issue in previous seasons.
**What has been the biggest factor in your success as a midget racer?
I attribute my success to the diverse driving experience that I have gained to this point and the equipment that I am in. Whether it has been in MWR Technologies car or one of the BBOYZ cars, I know that the equipment is capable of running at the front of the pack on a regular basis.
**Best racer you've ever competed against?
While racing in the CRA Super Series, I had the opportunity to race against my grandfather’s previous driver, Larry Schuler. We had a great side-by-side battle at Illiana and I know that was a special moment for my grandfather. Larry had a lot of success while driving for my grandfather and it was a unique experience for him to see his grandson battle like that.
**Can you please list all your sponsors you want me to mention?
REMAX – Rita Liberatore Managing Broker, Main Street Chiropractic, PRY-BAR, Inc., PAR Insurance, Turk’s Collision, Harmonic Designs, Bill McGowan’s Horsepower Emporium, and MWR Technology
**Do you have any interesting hobbies away from the track?
I have a 1966 Mustang that I like to cruise around town with and take my wife out for ice cream. I spend most of my time away from racing doing home improvement projects and woodworking.
**Last book you read?
It was either Wild at Heart by John Eldredge, a Daddy “How To” book, or the book of Judges in the Bible.
**Last movie you've seen?
Turbo
**Favorite food?
Hands down – Cheese Pizza
**Favorite midnight snack?
Hands down – Cheese Pizza
**Favorite TV Show?
I’ve been watching a lot of Andy Griffith reruns lately.
**Favorite sports teams?
Sorry in advance to all fellow Chicagoans, but it’s the Green Bay Packers.
**Do you have any pets?
We have a Border collie mix named Penny and a Bernice Mountain Dog named Chromoly (Moly for short).
**Favorite band/type of music? First CD/Cassette/Vinyl record you ever purchased?
My music taste is pretty diverse. It is either Christian or Country Music. My first CD was probably one of those “NOW” CD’s featuring N’Sync, Brittany Spears, etc.
**If you weren't a racecar driver, what would you want to be?
Automotive designer/fabricator
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