Steven Clemons, Jr.
A majority of drivers begin their racing careers at a young age and have typically grown up in a racing family but Steven found his love for racing at the age of 17 thanks to a unique birthday gift: a High-Performance Driving Experience (HPDE) at Michelin Road Atlanta which included a lesson with pro coach Patrick Wilmot through Track Rekord. Coming from show car roots with a wide-bodied Subaru BRZ, there was audible doubt about whether or not he could hold his own on a legitimate track. It only took a few hours to unlock his natural abilities and by the end of his first ever track session, he was within 4 seconds of his coach. The decision to step into the world of racing came easily and things quickly fell into place. Steven chose to begin his journey up the Mazda ladder through Spec Miata racing and to his surprise, he stumbled across a 1999 Mazda NB Spec Miata locally, which he and his father developed together. It’s since been given the moniker “The Pink Pony”, or “Pony” for short.
Natural talent was harnessed over the 9 months he spent with his coach working on driving techniques and race craft at various tracks; Barber Motorsports Park, Road Atlanta, and Sebring International Raceway, to name a few. Countless hours were spent preparing mentally and physically for his racing debut, running with a simple enclosed trailer and the Miata. Throughout his time spent traveling to different tracks, Steven had the opportunity to spend 3 days at Apex Motor Club where he put in time driving the Pony, a Radical SR8, and a Westfield to gain additional experience. All his efforts earned him a provisional racing license with Pro Autosports allowing him to enter his first ever race at Inde Motorsports Ranch where he secured 1st place on day one, and 2nd place the following day after dodging some interesting traffic driving the reversed course.
Shortly after his dual podium weekend, he joined the SCAA with a full Racing License and entered his first race at Virginia International Speedway where he formed a relationship with BSI Racing and continues to race under their tent. After competing in both regional and national events throughout 2021, Steven entered the Majors in the Hoosier Tire Super Tour for 2022.
Your rookie year is often filled with new experiences and the occasional win, no one is expecting you to break records or match veteran achievements yet Steven found himself placing in the top 15 for a majority of the tour. He was more than just keeping up with some of the fastest Spec Miata Racers in the county at world-renowned tracks like Road America, Circuit of the Americas, Sebring International Raceway (Short and Long Courses), Daytona International Speedway, Homestead Miami Speedway, Road Atlanta.
Continuing to build seat time, Steven entered the World Racing League at Mid Ohio Raceway in a Global MX5 Cup car and Daytona in a Porsche GT4 Clubsport where he finished 2nd out of a packed field with 76 cars and by only 10 seconds from a set of pro drivers. (I need clarification here)
The plan for 2023 is to continue working on the Mazda and Toyota ladders with the intention of driving a Global MX5 Cup car and the Toyota GR86 for the Gazoo Racing 86 Cup with SRO. Steven’s entry into the world of racing may not have followed the traditional path of progression but he hasn’t allowed that to define his achievements. He has spent the first years of his career proving that when you combine natural ability with a lot of hard work, barriers can be broken and drivers in this field can go pretty far.