After moving to Indianapolis as a teenager with hopes of simply getting a chance to work with race cars, Justin Grant now finds himself heading into the seven-race NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series West Coast Swing looking to become just the eighth driver in history to win the USAC Triple Crown.
Grant has already secured this year’s USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car Championship and he won the USAC Silver Crown Series title in 2020.
Grant won three races in last year’s swing, and he enters the final seven races second in points, trailing Buddy Kofoid by 194 markers.
The California native has deep California roots at tracks such as Tehama District Fairgrounds in Red Bluff, Calif. and Cycleland Speedway.
“I ran against Kyle Larson, who was a little bit younger, as well as the Becker brothers, the McMahan brothers, Tyler Wolff. Basically, the generation before all the guys that made it out of the karts,” Grant said. “When I ran karts, it was a pretty tough crowd to race with. Jimmy Ellis always calls me ‘the forgotten kart kid.’ I won the inaugural West Coast Nationals and raced karts for a handful of years, then went midget racing in 2006.”
Though for the ‘forgotten kart kid,’ Grant was noticed while competing in midgets, prompting his move to the Midwest to pursue better opportunities.
Justin Grant (TWC photo)
“I was racing on the West Coast running midgets and I made some connections and met Jeff Walker, who had a sprint car team in Indiana. So, I moved to Indiana and lived in his shop and worked for his team when I was 18,” Grant said. “I worked for him while Chris Windom was driving full time for him, then we had some other amazing drivers running part time like Levi Jones and Dave Darland. I worked for him for a year and a half and got to work with these great drivers and I learned a lot from Jeff and the drivers. Then Jeff let me get in a car at the end of 2009. Then I was hired by a team to run the last couple of events in 2009 and we ran full time in 2010. I’ve been racing full time ever since.”
Currently in his second season with the RMS Racing midget team, Grant feels he’s able to perform at his best with the organization.
“RMS is just a great group,” Grant said. “They give Thomas (Meseraull) and I everything we could want or ask for. All you have to do is say you need something, and they provide it. RMS shows up to win races. They’re a great group of people who work hard and have fun. Maybe a little rougher around the edges than some of these teams and I kind of like it that way. It’s a little looser atmosphere and we have fun and win our share of races, but there’s no shortage of focus or opportunity here.”
Since last season’s Western Swing, Grant and the RMS Racing group have notched seven national victories, along with a Shamrock Classic win at the Southern Illinois Center in Du Quoin, Ill.
“It’s pretty awesome. It’s really fun to show up at the racetrack and know you’re in the hunt every night,” Grant said. “I spent a lot of years just hoping I could do enough to get in a better car and now I’m in the best car and it’s awesome to show up with confidence and a little bit of swagger. When I first got going, I was driving around to midget races and sleeping in my car and spent what money I had to get a pit pass.
“And now I’m rolling in with semi-trucks and trailers and so much support. To be with a top-notch race team and have NOS Energy Drink plastered along the side of it and Toyota engines in the car, it’s crazy to have this much support. I was a kid scratching and clawing trying to get noticed and now to be in this situation it almost takes a little bit of adjusting, but I’m trying to make the most of it.”
Keyword: Justin Grant: Clawing To Glory