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ELKHART LAKE – Scott Lagasse Jr. recalled the first time Team SLR took Tristan McKee to test a TA2 car.
The longtime road racing team is connected to the Chevrolet driver development program, and the Chevy people had had their eye on McKee for years. They were curious what a young oval-track stock car driver would do in an unfamiliar, 530-horsepower, purpose-built road race car in a strange environment at Virginia International Raceway.
“It was last minute, hey, we have an extra seat, throw the kid in,” Lagasse said. “Let’s see what happens. … ‘Just take it easy, kid.’ And he went out and flew. Everybody’s like, whoa, whoa, what?
“So what was supposed to be a year of slow lead-in to practice testing accelerated to, hey, how quick can we get him in race-wise?
“And it was wait till his 14th birthday.”
Yes.
Fourteen.
Once he was eligible to race in a Trans Am series, McKee finished fourth in his debut. On June 22, he became the second-youngest winner in series history by holding off TA2 and IndyCar veteran Rafa Matos at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. A week later, McKee’s next test comes at 4-mile, 14-turn Road America. He came into the weekend leading the standings and is on pace to become the series’ youngest champion.
But the native of Kannapolis, North Carolina, also is looking forward to the next steps on a ladder he hopes takes him to an early debut and long career in the NASCAR Cup Series.
“I’m working my way up now,” said McKee, who grew up cheering for Hall of Famers Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson and has a development deal with Spire Motorsports, which competes in trucks and Cup.
“We have some ARCA stuff this year, and trucks hopefully next year. So definitely working my way up the ranks.”
ARCA permits drivers to compete on short tracks, dirt tracks and road courses at age 15. Sixteen-year-olds can compete in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series on tracks 1.25 miles and shorter.
McKee turns 15 on Aug. 3 and will make the first of five planned ARCA starts five days later at the Watkins Glen road course in upstate New York.
“I’ve always done the oval stuff and gotten really good at that,” said McKee, who came out of Bandoleros and oval kart racing and is the CARS Tour’s youngest winner with a Pro Late Model victory at age 12 in 2023. “So this is definitely a new thing for me. So it’s really important for all the higher ranks, as far as NASCAR.”
That’s not the only reason Chevrolet has McKee road racing.
The program is led by longtime industry pro Lorin Ranier and includes former Formula One and NASCAR driver Scott Speed, who mentors drivers, and Josh Wise, a former driver who found his calling helping drivers and other athletes reach their physical and mental peak.
Their goal is to develop the whole package.
“It definitely helps when I go back to the oval, I’ve learned a lot of new techniques and a lot of different race craft,” McKee said. “This stuff, it’s a lot different than the oval stuff, so I definitely have been able to take some things away from this and use it in the oval world.”
While McKee may never need to crest the hill before Road America’s blind Turn 6 in a TA2 car again, the process of learning how to do it can only help.
“I go to the drivers and say, listen, I can fix this for you (in terms of handling), but I need you to help me here,” Lagasse said. “You challenge them mentally. Well, what we’re finding is they take that thought process and then evolve it. And that’s the goal.
“These kids are way more talented than I ever was. So why would you not give them their leash and let them go run right? Just turn them loose and let them figure it out, but guide them.”
McKee is just one of several prodigies working in the Chevy development program, which has nurtured such drivers as Carson Kvapil, William Sawalich, Sam Mayer and 18-year-old three-time NASCAR Xfinity Series race winner Connor Zilisch.
“They’re looking for generational talent, is what they tell me,” said Lagasse, who also has 19-year-old Hendrick Motorsports development driver Corey Day in his stable. “They’re not looking for the average, right?”
That’s heady stuff, especially for a 14-year-old, to hear words like “generational talent.” But the ability to deal with any pressure brought by that label is also part of that package.
McKee’s method for dealing with it is to not think about it. Don’t waste time on it. Don’t worry about it.
“Yeah, I’m pretty much just focused on me, just getting everything I can out of the car, and me being the best that I can be,” McKee said. “I’m really hard at work doing that kind of stuff and preparing for these races a lot. We’ve been doing a lot of studying and similar for this stuff, so I’m really focused on that.”
Lagasse is confident McKee will handle whatever is thrown at him. He watched the young driver exceed every expectation in his first test and first race, claw his way through the field after setbacks and now win at a national level.
“As you saw last weekend, you don’t fluster the kid, and that’s a lot of the program,” Lagasse said. “Josh and Scott are so good, Lorin, at finding the right talent and then nurturing it the right way.
“He ran 75 minutes last week with ultra-competitive people behind him, lots of restarts. Never made a mistake. Never dropped the wheel, never slid a tire.”
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