NOLASPORT’s Jason Hart, Racing on Home Ground at NOLA
For GT4 America driver and coach Jason Hart of NOLASPORT, the news that the SRO Motorsports Group America racing series would be coming to the team’s home circuit, NOLA Motorsports Park, was a welcome surprise.
Hart, last year’s GT4 America Pro-Am Cup champion, said he learned of the change in venues ‘when it was first announced,’ the same as many outside of SRO America who were working to put a deal together to replace Ozarks International Raceway on the calendar.
“I had no recollection. I honestly thought we might end up at some other track,” Hart said. “But when I saw the announcement come out publicly that we were going to NOLA, it was a pleasant surprise.”
The former welder and fabricator, turned driving coach, turned championship-winning sports car racer, is ecstatic to see the circuit roar back into life for a professional automobile race for the first time since 2015.
“I feel like this track has worked hard to take people’s feedback that have raced here the past few years, and make a lot of improvements, and I’m excited for a pro paddock to experience that. And it seems like everybody I’m talking to really enjoys the track, the facility; obviously New Orleans, it’s like 15-20 minutes away. It’s just a great place to come race.”
“Hey, I love the cuisine, right?” laughed Hart. “I love going out to eat in New Orleans and around the New Orleans area. But also the people here are just wonderful folks.”
Sure, Hart may originate from Texas – but he’s been an integral part of NOLASPORT as an ace driver and coach long enough to be considered an adopted New Orleans native!
And, it’s a big race for NOLASPORT as an organisation: With three cars entered across the Pro-Am and Am Cup categories in GT4 America, and coming off the back off Hart and Matt Travis’ championship run in 2021, they’re certainly fired up to score a good result at the track where they regularly test at.
“This team runs a lot like a family. They do a lot of things together. So, it’s fun to let other people kind of experience what we experience on our home track,” Hart remarked.
Not only do NOLASPORT have their racing shop based right at NOLA Motorsports Park in the town of Avondale, they also have a service shop in downtown New Orleans – which serves a number of people who are getting their first exposure to top-level motor racing this weekend.
“Their clients – who don’t really have scope of their racing efforts – a lot of them are coming out to this race event and realizing like, holy cow, this is real racing. It’s pretty cool. ”
“I certainly hope it’s an option,” Hart said, about the prospect of NOLA returning to the SRO America calendar in the future, “for any of the series to come next year – after realizing how well the racing, and the event overall is going – and how fun it is to come to the New Orleans area.”
Images © Brian Cleary, Fabian Lagunas / SRO Motorsports Group America
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