Hard Work Pays Off - Les Epps

Les Epps who races and works with Hard Times Racing and Round 3 Racing has a smile and personality that would light up any room and truly loves motorsports and racing.

At age five his father said you can be an architect or race car driver and you know how Les answered.  His dad then bought him go kart and put an asphalt track in their front yard.

He started autocrossing and then did a three day HPDE event at Autobahn.  He was hooked.

Advice from his mom - you can have anything you want as long as you work hard at it. 

Les has worked hard and put the effort in to get where he is today.  Heck, he's delivered pizza in his race car!

His 2023 has been, in his words, smooth.  He was at the track for 33 weekends in 2022 and it was a hectic season.  As Les has worked on time management, it's helped make things smoother.  Plus, he's driven three new tracks and three new cars this season - which he has enjoyed.

Les just drove across the country in a Celica to compete at Grid Life at Laguna Sega.  We talk about T-Pain, what Grid Life is all about and his experiences driving a car with fixed seats and no cruise control.  Do all Skittles taste the same?  We discuss it!

He's won at Daytona and is looking forward to tackling the Indy road course at some point.

Why does Les bring champaign to every race? 

Advice from Les:
Nothing comes for free and you have to prove yourself
Just show up
Have fun
There's lots to do in motorsports - find what you enjoy
Kevin's first to grid reasoning

Best advice he's received...You can either drive the car into the trailer or put it in sideways.  Know your limit.

Les gives a lot of shoutouts to those who have helped him get on track. 

Connect with Les:
YouTube
Facebook
Instagram

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The racing season may be winding down, but now is the time to start preparing for the next one.

If you’ve spent this season building a list of upgrades, repairs, or performance improvements for your race car or track car, don’t wait until the first event of next season is right around the corner.

Atomic Auto Sports can help you create a plan and get the work scheduled so your car is ready when it’s time to head back to the track.

Before you head out for your next track day, autocross, HPDE event, or racing weekend, make sure your safety gear is ready.

Track First offers the motorsports safety equipment racers and performance-driving enthusiasts need to get on track with confidence. Visit their showroom in Akron, Ohio to check out the gear in person, or stop by Atomic Autosports in Wickliffe, Ohio, where you’ll find a smaller Track First showroom with essential racing safety equipment.

You know me as the host of Late To Grid, but my biggest shift wasn't on the track, it was leaving corporate life to own a Rad Air location. It gave me the freedom to turn my passion for cars into a career and actually get to the track more often. Ready to own your future? Visit radairfranchise.com and let’s get you living life in the fast lane.

Thanks for listening and taking an interest in growing grassroots racing.  The Late To Grid podcast shares the stories and inspiration that help listeners along their motorsports journey. 

Find all episodes on the Atomic Autosports website.