Out of Office: Ashley Burt

I started [racing] in 2008 … I drive in a sanctioning body called National Auto Sport Association (NASA). I drive in a class called Spec Z that is a Nissan-supported Spec class where we race modified Nissan 350Zs. We strip them back to the tub and put in race suspensions … It’s quite a bit lighter than the original car.

We race on road circuits, predominantly in Colorado but also all over the country and at a lot of famous tracks and places. … A race season runs from about April to the end of October. During that period I do about 32 races a year, usually eight weekends with four races a weekend. It’s a series, so I do all the races in the series and try to beat all my buddies!

I’ve wanted to do this since I was a little kid, playing with Matchbox [cars]. I finally got the opportunity to get involved when I was a bit older. … I knew a few people that did it, and I went to the racetrack one weekend and just started meeting people and hearing about the sanctioning body.

[Racing] teaches you a lot about life. It teaches you how to deal with the highs and lows—racing delivers plenty of those—how to stay calm under pressure, how to work with and compete with people you might find challenging. It’s a really good metaphor for life, and it’s not just gas and throttle.