Living the Dream.... The Nate Steadman story

Nathan Andrew Steadman is a lot like any city boy out there. He grew up in Elkhart Indiana. Enjoyed sports and hanging with his friends. You know the things any teen age boy would do. Then one day it all changed. His life as he knew it came to an end. His best friend Chad Gray took him to a race track. As us true race fans know when your hooked your hooked. That is what happened to Nate. He loved the smell of racing fuel, the roar of the engines, and the sites and sounds of local short track racing. Nate jumped into racing go karts in his teen years at Michiana Raceway Park and it did not take long for him to know racing was his dream.  
 
After high school he went on to study Automotive Technology  at the NASCAR Tech Instiute and began making his dream a reality. Nate then moved to Mooresville North Carolina to chase his dream. Nate currently works for the Orion Motorsports Team as a spotter and also drives an Allison Legacy Car which he proudly displays the #14 on. He came up with his number because his here Curtis Gray ran 4 and he wanted that and his only touch so 14 it was. Nate has been around racing 9 short years but for the 21 year old its almost half of his life.  
 
Steadman recalls a lot of found memories from the New Paris Speedway where he first began watching racing action. He was a crew member for the 4 Star team and the Gray family. Learning to turn wrenches and do set ups from the get go. Nate says with a smile , "season champ night in 2006 was awesome. Curtis had a  $500 car and started on the pole and lead every lap. He beat some good drivers and earlier that night we had a big fight in the pits so it was nice to show them whats up". 
 
Nate is early in his own racing and has not had any hard wrecks to write home about. Winchester speedway is Nate's favorite track and he talks about the struggles he has at the Myrtle Beach Speedway. Some racing idols he mentioned to us would include of course Curtis Gray a seasoned veteran, as well as old timer Farmer Joe Smith. Tim Richmond also stands out in his head as well as NASCAR champ Dale Earnhardt. 
 
When talking with Nate about things with short track racing that frustrate him he never skipped about and said "its all about money,how much you have how much you can spend, there is hardly any room for the poor folks these days". He went on to say "If the cost of fuel and tires would come down more people could be racing". With any driver or crew member you always try your best with what you have and the low budget teams struggle to keep up. In Nates case his hard work and team work is helping the Orion Team win races.  
 
This winter Nate is working on tearing cars down and making sure every thing is in mint condition for 2012. He would like to thank his car owner Scott Darnell and his sponsors Orion Motorsports and Development, Mary Kay/ Cat Darnell, and Orion Victory by Design. He looks forward to racing more in the up coming season but enjoys working on the cars just as much.  
 
Nate closed out his interview with mwracingnews.com by saying "if your young and want to get into racing save as much money as you can, and don't be afraid to spend it because thats what it takes. And never give up on your dreams...No matter if your poor or rich. Give it 110 percent, get an education, and Just have fun, because thats what is all about" Nate would also like to thank Chad and Curtis Gray for getting him into this wonderful sport of Auto Racing. 
 
 
For 21 year old Nate Steadman short track racing is not just hobby but a way of life. He is chasing the dream and knows the road ahead is rough and not everyone can make it but he takes it one day at a time and smiles as much as possible. He is living the dream.