I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing EJ Tamayo, an 18-year-old race car driver in the Carolina Pro Late Model Series, for his family team Tamayo Cosentino Racing.
I hope y’all enjoy the Q&A and follow EJ on his racing career!
1. What are your favorite hobbies outside of the racing world?
ET: Outside of the racing world, I like to play video games, as well as mess around with RC Cars. In terms of video games, I like to play mostly Minecraft, iRacing, and Roblox. For RC Cars, I am the President and one of the drivers for my high school’s Ten80 team, in which we compete in RC Car races that take place throughout Florida and the Country.
2. What is your favorite racing memory?
ET: I have a few favorite racing memories, but my top 2 are getting my first Go Kart win back in 2016 and getting my first late model podium this year in the Carolina Pro Late Model Series. These memories mean the most to me because, at the time, they were my biggest achievements in my racing career.
3. What is your pre-race routine like or favorite pre-race activities before a race?
ET: Before a race, I like to just sit in the toter home by myself and listen to some music. In terms of music, I really like to listen to bands like Disturbed, Shinedown, and Godsmack. Additionally, I pray with my family before every race to help calm me before getting into the car. I also like to do a quick prayer to myself once I am in the car.
4. Who was your racing idol growing up?
ET: Growing up, I had multiple racing idols. My top 3 are Lewis Hamilton, Scott Dixon, and Brad Keselowski. Another idol I had growing up is Ken Block. The reason they are my idols is because they are some of the best, most respected drivers in their series.
5. What is it like running for your family-owned team?
ET: Running for my family-owned team has been nothing but a blessing. When I first got into racing, I always wanted to own a race team, no matter what series it may be. My parents starting this team has given me the opportunity to do what I love, which a lot of kids unfortunately never get that chance, no matter how much they want it. Running for my family team also gives me the opportunity to have an ownership stake in it once they think it is time to pass the team down to me and my future kids someday.
6. If you could have 1 sponsor onboard for a race, who would it be and why?
ET: If I could have a sponsor onboard for a race, it would be the band Disturbed. One reason is because you rarely see a band sponsoring a car in today’s racing world. Additionally, they are my favorite band of all time. I had the chance to go see them live in concert during the summer, and it was by far the best concert that I have ever been to. It would also be cool to me to see their mascot, “the guy,” on the hood of a racecar.
7. If you could make a racetrack and had an unlimited budget, what would you name the track, and what type of track would it be?
ET: If I could make a racetrack with an unlimited budget, I would build an asphalt short track down in South Florida. In terms of what I would name it, my top 2 names are I-95 Speedway and SoFlo Motor Speedway. The reason I would build it in South Florida is because most short tracks are in central Florida and upwards. There used to be a track in Hialeah called Hialeah Speedway, which was a paved short track that opened in 1954. Unfortunately, they closed their doors in August 2005, which left no short tracks in South Florida. I would make it an asphalt short track because most short tracks that I know of in Florida are dirt tracks, and a lesser amount of them are paved tracks.
8. What has been your favorite moment from this year as a driver from your perspective?
ET: From my perspective, my favorite memory was getting my first podium at the Carteret County Speedway. I am what they like to call a “road course ringer.” Due to my road course experience, I typically find myself running better on tracks that are relatively flat, and Carteret County is one of those. What makes this memory even better is that my clutch broke early in the day, which forced me to miss qualifying. However, I was able to pick off drivers one-by-one and work myself up to a third-place finish.
9. If you could race at any track for your debut in Trucks/ARCA, where would it be and why?
ET: If I could race at any track for my Trucks/ARCA debut, it would be at the Mid-Ohio sports car course. I grew up racing go-karts on road tracks throughout Florida, and I even had the opportunity to race in the Battle at The Brickyard at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. From people I have talked to who have raced at Mid-Ohio, they say it is one of the most fun tracks in the country. It would be a great track to test my road racing skills in bigger, more powerful cars. I think I would do very good there.
10. What are your racing goals for 2024?
ET: My racing goals for 2024 are to show what I am really made of. Even though my equipment is not the very best, I am still able to hang with the ones with strong equipment, which goes to show how good my driving skills are. I also want to put myself out there, which means racing in bigger, more well-known series, like Cars Tour for example, and possibly ARCA as well.
You can follow EJ and his team on their social media pages down below to follow him on his journey!
Facebook: EJ Tamayo / Tamayo Cosentino Racing
X: TamayoCosentino
Instagram: Ej_Tamayo22 / TamayoCosentinoRacing / TamayoSportsFL