The life of a college student is filled with deadlines and projects that can overwhelm even the strongest minds. Having a life outside of the classroom, much less a career, takes effective concentration and time management. Luckily, Harrison Rhodes, a sophomore in business administration, excels in those areas and more. Rhodes recently qualified 15th in the NASCAR Nationwide race in Daytona, and he is the only full-time student and driver in the league.
Rhodes said his love for racing started when he was 10 years old and was allowed to drive a go-cart owned by NASCAR veteran Bobby Labonte and his son Tyler. After watching Tyler in a go-cart race, Rhodes knew he wanted to try his hand behind the wheel. The Labonte’s gave him the opportunity to race the go-cart at the area track.
“It just kind of started from there, and I’ve built up to where I am now,” Rhodes said.
Rhodes said he enjoyed playing baseball and basketball as well in middle school, but when he entered high school, he realized he needed to pick only one.
“I couldn’t do it all,” Rhodes said. “I had to make a choice, and racing was what I wanted to do.”
Life on the track takes a lot of mental stamina, and because racing is not a typical sport to practice, Rhodes said he has to use different methods in preparing for a race. He said he uses racing video games to prepare for racing on a new track, and with advancements to the games, he is able to experience almost all the bumps and characteristics on the new track.
After driving in several races across the country, Rhodes says his favorite track is Darlington Raceway in South Carolina because of how the track is laid out.
“Most tracks you go in high and then you stay in the low part of the line, but at Darlington you go in low and ride against the wall the whole time,” Rhodes said. “It’s pretty intense and is more of a driver’s drive.”
Although many of the drivers are physically fit, Rhodes said it is not as physically demanding as other sports, but drivers are exposed to high temperatures.
“It’s 130 degrees and above in the cock pit, and we have on a full driving suit in the car,” Rhodes said. “We sweat anywhere from six to eight pounds during a race. People always ask if I have to pee in the car; it’s the most common question! I just tell them we go before and sweat the rest.”
Being a first-generation racer, Rhodes said he leans on his family for support to face the challenge of being a professional driver and college student.
“It’s almost harder for people like me to make it in the sport now because most of the young people you see in the sport are older NASCAR drivers’ kids,” Rhodes said. “So it’s more of a challenge, especially with being in college as well.”
Rhodes said he is not naive to the nature of the sport. Even with his recent success in the series, Rhodes understands the uncertainty associated with racing and the importance of going to college.
“You could be driving for this team one day, and then after that season, they could say, ‘We don’t want you anymore,’” Rhodes said. “It’s not very dependable. I always planned on going to college and making it work with whatever I was doing racing-wise. If I were even to get a full-time deal for this year, I’d probably just have to decrease my workload, but still be here as much as I can.”
Rhodes said a lot of what he learns in the classroom is applicable to how he promotes himself as a racer.
“I always say it’s like 80 percent of my time is spent in the business world finding sponsors and making them happy, and 20 percent of it is actually racing,” Rhodes said.
Rhodes said he also enjoys living in the state capital because it has a lot to offer.
“One of my favorite things about Raleigh is there is just something everywhere,” Rhodes said. “Every restaurant you could think of is here. I like that there are a lot of options.”
Even with his busy racing schedule, Rhodes said he still finds time to have the life of an average N.C. State student. During the fall, Rhodes said he attended a few football games. He said he enjoys rooting for a big school’s team. Having transferred from High Point University, the larger campus offers more of what Rhodes said he wanted in a university.
“I like the fact that there’s new faces every day,” Rhodes said. “It’s kind of cool to be able to be in another state but see N.C. State stuff everywhere. It’s like having another family.”
