It is more than a long ride down the backstretch to get from Caboolture to Toledo. It takes a dream, a passion and that inherent sense of adventure associated with The Land Down Under.
Andrew Hagen will race at Toledo Speedway, but you will find his most ardent fans cheering from almost 10,000 miles away, in his hometown of Caboolture, Australia. It is near Sheep Station Creek, just east of Moodlu, and up the road from Narangba.
“I didn’t come here with much, and things got pretty bad money-wise,” Hagen said. “There were some fund-raisers back home, a local businessman wanted to help, and I got lucky to connect with some good people over here. Without those things, I probably never even get a chance to race.”
After doing some successful testing in a Star Mazda car in 2007, Hagen’s open-wheel options on American soil evaporated as the economy withered. He stayed with a fellow Aussie in Charlotte and considered giving stock cars a whirl while his finances again shrank. He was barely hanging on.
Racing superstar Dale Earnhardt Jr. owns Whiskey River in Charlotte, and Hagen went there one evening just hoping to network with racing folks. Current Nationwide Series driver Brad Keselowski was at the bar, and an introduction cracked open a window. Hagen hopes a stock car career is on the other side.
“Brad and I clicked right away, since we had a very similar story. Both of us grew up having to work on our own cars to make the race each week, and both of us know the struggles trying to find funding,” Hagen said.
“I know this is a long shot, since I came here with no stock car racing experience, and no oval racing experience,” Hagen said.
“The racing is a challenge, and I feel like each time I improve a lot, but to be honest, some of the best lessons I’ve had have been while sitting around at lunch with Ron. I love listening to him talk about racing. Ron has probably forgotten more about NASCAR and stock cars than most people will ever know. He’s been around forever and a day, and here I come from the other side of the world and hook up with him. That’s pretty good luck, I think.”
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