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It’s not too often that a young
man packs everything he owns into his truck and
heads 20 hours north to start a new career
without something set in stone.
That’s exactly what 24-year-old
Bryn Gohn did last year as he uprooted himself
from his sunny Malibar, Florida home, packed up
his race trailer with his race car, parts, tires
and a suitcase and an air mattress and set sail
for Pennsylvania.
Gohn did this because he is
Chasing his Dream of being a full-time sprint
car driver and figured there was no better place
to try and accomplish the feat by moving to
Central Pennsylvania, the hotbed for 410 Sprint
car racing in the world.
But it wasn’t all foreign to Gohn
as he has family in the Red Lion area and many
friends that he’s gotten to know in racing via
his step-father Kenny Adams. But what was scary
for him was the unknowing of what would happen,
especially in a time when the world seems to be
going in rewind instead of fast-forward.
From staying with his aunt, to
staying in a motel he described as “scary” to
spending over a month in a Quality Inn, to
staying in an old chicken coop (aka mancave)
before securing a job and finding an apartment,
Gohn and his best friend/mechanic Dusty Crump,
it’s been quite a journey so far for Gohn, whose
father Daryl was fatally injured in a sprint car
crash at Williams Grove Speedway in 1988.
“We had some interesting places
where we stayed including the old chicken coop
behind the home of Ken Kauffman,” Gohn said. “It
was the last place we stayed before getting our
apartment and he had put carpet, a TV and window
AC unit and called it his “mancave.” So we owe
him a big thanks because it was a month of free
place to sleep and shower. We stayed with my
Aunt Karen two different times as well. I also
have to thank Troy and Tammy Godfrey for
immediately giving me a friendship and a place
to work on and keep my race car.”
The racing season didn’t go quite
as Gohn was hoping for either. He wanted to race
the URC tour as well as some 358 and 410 races.
But thanks to his uncle Glenn and Chubby from
CnB Mushroom, he was able to compete in a fair
amount of 360 sprint car events in 2009.
“We thought once we got up here,
because of family connections between Kenny and
my dad, we figured eventually we’d get some
sponsors and thought this was gonna be the
greatest thing in the world,” he added. “Of
course, you gotta have that kind of mindset and
a positive outlook to make the kind of move we
did. It was a little bit of a letdown that
nothing came of it yet but you gotta be
realistic and understand that it doesn’t happen
overnight. There were several times that I
missed how it used to be, racing all over the
country, my family, my friends, the beach but
every time I get depressed about it, I think
about what I’m going after and cheer up thinking
about the future.”
Some pretty strong words and a
definite positive attitude for someone who was
basically at rock bottom and had depleted what
small savings account he had.
Gohn, a six-time feature winner
and the 2005 USCS Sprint Series Rookie of the
Year, is hoping 2010 will be a better year and
would like nothing more to be able to jump in a
410 Sprint car and be competitive in his dad’s
memorial race at Lincoln Speedway later this
summer. After all, it will be the 22nd annual
Gohn Memorial and that is the same number his
dad raced when he owned his own sprint car back
during his racing career.
Gohn, who has since acquired a
job as a CNC machinist is welcoming any
opportunity for a possible ride or sponsorship
for the new racing season. He has assembled a
crew (Crump, Nick Aldinger, Glenn Gohn, Jr.,
Chuck Dell and Brett Worrel) and is more than
eager to go racing.
But he needs help to continue
chasing his dream.
“This is my deal now and I think
people still think that Kenny funds it,” he
stated. “This is my dream and I will keep after
it. I moved up here for a reason and I am not
going to look back on it now.”
Bryn Gohn’s dream is to someday
be one of the greatest sprint car drivers ever.
But right now, he knows it will take baby steps
to make that dream come true. But with his true
determination, positive outlook and sheer
passion for the sport, someway, that dream will
come true.
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The
"Chasing the Dream" campaign continues into the 2010
racing season for Bryn Gohn Racing. Bryn and his
entire race team are gearing up for the upcoming
race season with a new look changing the face of
team BGR. 2010 is a very special year as it marks
the 22nd anniversary since the passing of Bryn's
father Daryl Gohn and grandfather Glenn Gohn Sr. The
reason this year and 22 are so special is because
when Daryl Gohn raced for himself, his number was
22. After a brief discussion between Bryn and his
team, they came to the agreement to change the
familar red #4B into the yellow #22 sprinter to pay
tribute, honor, and remember Bryn's father.
