Digging Deep With Denise: Visiting With Andy Seuss

“Digging Deep With Denise” is a semi-regular question and answer feature with local racers and racing personalities produced by RaceDayCT’s Denise DuPont

Andy Seuss – Pure Racing is in my love … Modifieds are my Home

Like so many of the current NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour drivers, Andy Seuss, from Hampstead, NH, inherited his passion for racing from his parents. Seuss started competing in go-karts running at Sugar Hill Speedway in Weare, New Hampshire. He later moved up to Late Model racing. Seuss continued to diversify his resume and has sat behind the wheel of several NASCAR Divisions: Modified, ARCA Menard, K&N Pro Series East, Camping World Truck, Xfinity and Cup Series. In 2020, he made the move to venture from behind the wheel to become a crew member on the Trackhouse Racing Team Cup Series team. Working for Trackhouse, Seuss has brought his racing talent to help the team make their positive impact on the track.

What made you get interested in racing?

“My parents were race fans and we followed it on TV. Most Saturdays we went to Star Speedway which I thought was neat. The compamy my dad worked for before starting Rockingham Boats was Middlesex Performance and they owned a Super Modified that ran at Star. Bentley Warren and Eddie West drove for them. A lot of the same guys are still in the pits at Star. I thought that it was really neat that my dad knew these superstars, at least that was what was in my mind. Eventually I started begging to go to Star on Saturday night. He was a guy that was always tinkering on stuff. He bought us a Go-Kart to run in the yard and I loved it. We all drove it. My brother and sister rode it, but I really wore it out. I just spent a lot of time on it. One day my dad said: ‘Hey, I know a place where they race these Go-Karts let’s go look.’ And my mom joked around that she knew that we were not going to just look. For sure not go just one time and just watch. Next thing you know we were just pricing them out and seeing what the best deal would be. And then we were off to the races.

“We bought a Tiger Sprint Go-Kart, which was a new division back then formed by Wade Gagner and Wild Thing Karts. We decided to run at Sugar Hill Speedway for a lot of reasons. It was a nice speedway and professionally run one. So we started going Go-Kart racing. The funny thing is my dad joked around that it was a good way to spend his Sundays. He would put a chair out and read the newspaper start a Go-Kart every now and then and let me go out and run a lap. Next thing I know we are buying scales, extra tires and motors. And I have been pretty much racing hard core ever since.”

Which type of racing do you like the best?

“I have never driven a Big Block SuperModfied, but they fascinate me the most. Growing up they ran at Star Speedway. They are just hand built machines. Then, I really fell in love with the Modifieds and I think that is my home and what I will be identified as – a Modified driver. And as I got opportunities, I wanted new challenges. When we went ARCA racing I thought that it might be a one-time deal, but, I still wanted to see if I could do it. And to also see if we could put together a competitive car. And we did and we got better each time out. Then the next thing you know we are building Xfinity cars and we are performing well. There are all those race challenges, but I think the side that drives me is the light open wheel cars – between the NASCAR Modified and the SuperModified. They are just really neat. They are really pure racing cars. … You are building it to be fast. So, I am glad obviously that I branched out and got a chance to see how far I could take my career and all that. But that is the real desire for actual race cars and pure racing brings me back to the Modified. And that is why I still do it.” 

Would you say racing is your hobby?

“Racing is both my hobby and my life. Last year when I had some big choices to make I did some soul searching. I went to Texas Motor Speedway kind of knowing that I was going to leave Our Motorsports at the end of it. And I want to see if I would miss it. I really took in the week and I did miss it. I really loved it. It is funny when you do racing as a job, you don’t get it the same as at the Modified level, the passionate level. It doesn’t even seem like you are even a racer when you come to the track because you absolutely love it.

“So it is my hobby and I can also say it is my profession. I have done nothing but work in racing for the last ten years. In some instances, I could say I was a professional race car driver because I was getting paid and I did not have another job. Other times it was building race cars and I got paid for the hours in the shop. So it is both [hobby and life]. There is not much else we like to do. I thought with the kids getting bigger that I would have to do less racing, but it is neat how much they enjoy it. So I get to be selfish and go racing but I can incorporate in the family time which is really awesome.” 

Can you talk about your first win ever?

“My first win was in a Go-Kart which took me four year to win. We had the Tiger Sprints for a little bit. And then we had a Champ Kart at Sugar Hill Speedway. It was funny, I was about 14 years old and my parents said: ‘At this point we have never bought a brand new Go-Kart or motor, we think that we can buy you the best now. This is the chassis that we think is the best, this is the motor that we think is the best and we are going to make a real effort into this. If it does not work out and you do not win, you are probably not going to be a successful race car driver. So you can still do it with the money you are making mowing lawns and working at the boat shop racing as your hobby. But we are not going to invest a significant amount of money if there is no potential there.’ So we got the new Go-Kart chassis and we went out and we won five races that year. And the next year we went and we won 20. And it really started to take off. My dad joking said: ‘Man if I had just told you that one year sooner, I would have saved all this time and money.’ Which obviously was a joke.

“The first win my mom was not at. It was a race that we were not planning on going to. We were running Saturday night at Sugar Hill Speedway and they had a special non-points show. So we did not have to go, but we said hey let’s go. It was just my dad and I and we ended up winning after having been close all year. My mom was doing something with my sister which they put a big effort into doing because the family was so spread out they ensured nobody was forgotten. So that was it. Me and my dad at Sugar Hill Speedway. The stars aligned and it happened. I did not know if that was going to be my first ever win and last, but it felt really awesome.

“One thing that I have been fortunate to have is my dad has been a racer. He raced snowmobiles and was a race fan. Every now and then he had to remind the family that he was not just doing it for me, he loved it too. He always wanted to have race cars. He said he would get another driver if I did not perform, because racing is definitely a burden on the family. And some days I was just his driver. He would tell me when I screwed up and he would just get another driver.”

What is your goal for 2021?

“My 2021 started in 2020. My life got turned upside down. I put all my eggs in the basket of the [Our Motorsports] team and it just did not work out. I kind of alienated myself from Modified rides and other opportunities. The kids were getting bigger. Financially there was day care, home expenses and other things. I had to stop and look at myself in the mirror in the middle of 2020 and said – ‘Is it time to work towards the profession side of this?’ because I did not have any driving opportunities other than the [Our Motorsports] which did not work out.

“So, I dug myself into a hole and I had to get myself out. I signed up for a job in late 2020 with Trackhouse and it is awesome. I have learned a ton about little details and ways to approach different things. I would like to think that I have brought a lot to Trackhouse Race Team. I told them that I would do a good job, I told them I would commit for a year and that is what I am doing.

“Right now it looks like I will be racing at Richmond in the [Whelen Modified Tour race] after the good run at New Hampshire Motor Speedway [on July 17]. It is hard to show up at these races part time, a couple of time a year, after a good run it feels good. I have more motivation to go home and work on the car and get it ready. In the weeks leading up to NHMS, I was in the garage and my dad came down to work on the car. Even Jenn, Peyton and Lyle chipped in to help us. It was awesome and it lit a fire that I needed there.

“… I am going to follow through with my job at Trackhouse and see what 2022 offers. Obviously they have big things going on with the purchase of the Ganassi team. Right now there are a lot of details unknown, but they told me they want me back, I want to stay and that is good.

“So, I want to go Modified racing, getting to as many races as I can, but Cup racing makes it tough. I know I can do Richmond and there is a Hickory [Motor Speedway] race in October and hopefully I can do the night before the Cup race at Charlotte. Then maybe Florence, SC. So I am looking for opportunities. I am 34 years old. I joke that I put off getting a real job for 33 years, but I had to do what I did. Definitely the good run at Loudon kind of makes me wonder if there are other good driving opportunities back out there.”  

Where did the #70 used on your Modified come from?

“My dad’s snowmobile that he owned when he started Rockingham Boat (Rockingham Performance) was the #71. I started with the #71 in the Go-Karts and then the SuperModifieds. When we went racing with Jerry Morello he was the #10. Then the following year he could not use the #10 so we took the 7 from the 70 and the 0 from the #10 and we had the #70 which was only the next number down. So far there have not been any other 70’s that have taken our number so we have made that our identity.”  

If you had to do it all over again, would you?

“Oh, absolutely. And there is not much that I would change. There were really not many other ways to get where I am at.  I would though, focus on me a little more and take care of myself more. Eating better and exercising more. I was never good at promoting myself like the media side of the business, but that being said, I had to work on the cars. I had an incredible support system with my father, my family and all the people that help, but a lot of it still fell on my shoulders. I had to spend long nights to get the cars done. I never have been effected by being out of shape, but I kept putting it off and maybe I should have focused on myself. But even looking back there was just not time. We built cars and race teams out of nothing so it took all of our time and attention.”