Juan Pitta isn’t a second generation race car driver. In fact, no one in his immediate family had an interest in NASCAR until he started racing a go-kart when he was 15 years old. Now, ten years later, Pitta’s family is full of race fans cheering him on every lap.
Pitta, of Galt, Calif., began his racing career in a hand-me-down 1982 Emmick Race Kart purchased from his next door neighbor. Growing up, he was an all-around athlete, playing football, soccer, golf and baseball. He also had an interest in mechanics and learning how things worked, and quickly took an interest in karting.
“Growing up I was always tinkering with my toys,” says Pitta. “I’d take them apart, figure out how they worked and put them back together.”
“I’ve always had an interest in mechanics, and karting was my first real introduction to the mechanics involved in racing.”
Racing quickly turned into a passion for Pitta. At 16, when he got his driver’s license and first vehicle – a small pick-up truck – he’d load his kart up and go racing every chance he had.
Racing wasn’t easy for Pitta, though. His mother, Ruby, is a program analyst; his stepfather, David, is a painter. Neither knew much about racing and the family didn’t always have extra money to dedicate to Pitta’s racing career.
“I didn’t have a ‘first-generation’ racer to look up to,” says Pitta. “I’d see all of the other kids at the track with their dads coaching them, teaching them. My family has always supported me in my racing 110%, but I didn’t have that built-in racing encyclopedia that a lot of my competitors had.”
The challenge didn’t keep Pitta from finding success, though. He won seven karting championships at the local and regional levels from 2001 – 2003. In 2005 Pitta moved from karts to Ron Sutton’s Driver Career Development Race Team, a West Coast-based talent scout and driver career development program.
The career development program helped to fuel Pitta’s passion for a career in racing. In 2006 he began testing late models for local West Coast teams. He also began raising funds to further his career in stock cars. By early 2007 he had raised enough money to purchase his own late model stock car, which he worked on in his garage.
“We didn’t have a fancy shop or tools, we just did the best we could with what we had,” Pitta says. “Sometimes times were tough, we may not have had money for new tires, but we loaded up the car and went out and raced on old tires anyway.”
Pitta was racing at Altamont Motorsports Park in Tracy, Calif., and All American Speedway in Roseville, Calif., running against some of the top late model teams on the West Coast. In his first season as a late model driver/owner, Pitta scored one top five and six top 10s in just 10 races.
Pitta continued to chase his racing dream, raising funds and working to improve his race car. Last season he finished fifth in the All American Speedway Late Model division standings and was invited to the Drive for Diversity Testing and Evaluation Combine presented by Sunoco.
Pitta was selected to participate in the Drive for Diversity program by Bill McAnally Racing, one of the multi-car teams he competed against last year.
“I’m trying to make the most of the opportunity I have with Bill McAnally Racing and the Drive for Diversity program,” says Pitta. “BMR is one of the top teams in the program and is one of the best teams on the West Coast. I’m proud to be driving these race cars.”
Pitta is no longer racing his own car out of his garage. He’s in the Bill McAnally Racing shop working on the No. 16 101.9 The Wolf Toyota every Tuesday and Thursday, in addition to his full-time job as a bus tire mechanic for the local school district.
After eight races with Bill McAnally Racing and the Drive for Diversity program, Pitta is third in the All American Speedway Late Model division standings, just 48 points out of first.
“My passion, desire and dedication to racing keeps growing,” says Pitta. “It’s hasn’t been an easy road; I’ve worked hard to get where I am and will continue to work to get where I want to be in this sport.”
Visit the Drive for Diversity online community at D4D.tv for more information.
