Underdogs in sports inspire us. Chris Golden has one of the biggest underdog stories in motorsports. Golden’s refusal to let his circumstances dictate to him has led him to his success as a driver today.
His grandparents adopted Golden at the age of three. His grandfather, Doyle Golden, sold everything he possessed to make sure Chris never spent a day in foster care. Chris credits his grandfather’s love for him as his first step to becoming a race car driver.
At the age of 10, Chris decided racing was what he wanted to do. His grandfather drove an hour from their home in Joaquin, TX, and took him to Lonestar Speedway in Kilgore, TX. Watching the cars made him envious; he decided he would make it happen no matter what.
“Good things come to those who work. Waiting never did anything for anyone.” It is a quote that Chris lives by. This value was instilled in him by his grandfather.
Work is what he did, and it paid off. His first big opportunity came in 2014 with Team Wilson Driver Development. He had a sponsor and moved to West Virginia. Tragically, his sponsor backed out. That wouldn’t deter Golden. He was determined to make it work.
“I found a job in West Virginia and rented a house from Frankie Wilson Jr.. We were 18 hours from home, but my wife and I were going to make it work. Three months later, we found out my wife was pregnant. We were doing our best, but things were stressful. The final straw was when the washer broke. My wife was crying, and I realized this wasn’t working out.” Golden said.
He thanked Wilson for everything he had done for them. He put family first and moved back home. He found a job in Oklahoma’s oil fields, but the love for racing never left. He worked for years until his next big break.
“In 2019, I found a sponsor. I used that cash and part of my tax refund to buy a car. I jumped straight to modifieds.” Golden said.
His first race came at Longdale Speedway in Longdale, OK.
“I was nervous, shifting in the car was different than what I was used to. I left the pits and couldn’t get the next gear. I spun in turn four.” Golden said.
Golden continued to work hard. He finished 3rd in the rookie standings at Longdale Speedway. He also received the Longdale Sportsman Award.
“I have two accomplishments I’m
most proud of in motorsports. I won the Longdale Sportsman Award. I have it framed in my house. My grandfather passed away on January 21st. I got my first career top 10 at Lonestar Speedway six months later. It was also the day before my wedding.” Golden said.
In 2022, his racing career became serious. Two of the biggest breaks in his career came. He was offered a new car for $2500, a godsend that he almost missed.
“I offered more. I wasn’t catching his drift that he was offering it to me to help me. I’m grateful for that.” Golden said.
He missed the first month of the season until he was able to get the new car. Disaster struck after he totaled one of the cars in a crash, but he still made the most of it.
“I bought a car for $500 and used parts from the totaled car to have something I could race. I missed two months of the season and finished 13th in the national standings.” Golden said.
His ARCA journey began after meeting Alex Clubb at Bristol.
“I gave him my business card in 2022. In 2023, Alex gave me a chance. I’m loyal to Alex; he trusted me with his one car. He trusted me even though I’d never been in an ARCA car.” Golden said.
Golden made the most of his opportunities with Clubb Racing Inc., and now he’s looking for sponsorship and an agent.
“It costs $250,000 to run a full ARCA season. ARCA sponsorship has alluded me, but I want to be an asset and pay my way. We’d like to give our sponsors an experience at the track. I also have a cool idea for them. For every $100 a sponsor spends on our ARCA car, we’d like to do a full wrap for our iRacing league. So if you were to do a $10,000 sponsorship, that would be 100 races of your wrap on the car for iRacing.” Golden said.
Chris Golden’s life has been one of hard work and perseverance. A TV show was in the making about his life, but the network folded. Chris has permitted us to share the promo link below.
