Eighteen-year-old Nathan Okulicz cut his teeth in motorsports with the Sports Car Club of America™, and what a wild ride it’s been. Now, his future is on the precipice of even more incredible adventures.
“I started my racing journey by working my first race at Laguna Seca with the SCCA® as a volunteer,” says Nathan. “As soon as I stepped on the track, I was hooked. I met the Timing & Scoring team who shortly became my second family and then began travelling with them to racetracks across California.”
With time and commitment also came increased responsibility. “My amount of responsibilities increased from writing down the numbers of cars that flew past the window to operating communications and lap tracking software,” he says. “Then, I applied for and won a full-tuition new volunteers scholarship to an SCCA Drivers’ School.”
That’s when everything changed.
“I only fully realized my passion for motorsports engineering when I climbed into the race car and drove,” Nathan explains. “For the first time, I felt the science behind racing when physically behind the wheel. It wasn’t theoretical anymore, it was real.”
The world of motorsports had once again expanded for Nathan, with him now feeling the sensations that he’d previously only heard others describe.
“I feel the car relax when flying down the main straight in a slipstream behind the car ahead. I feel the car dive into the corner, the turning radius tightening under braking as the weight shifts onto the front wheels. The tires speak to me through the steering wheel and chassis. I wonder what suspension geometry enables such precise feedback, clear enough for me to interpret the exact angle the tires begin to slip.
“This,” he says, “is what I want to do with my life. Not drive, but create the fastest machines the world has ever seen.”
Being 18, the future is full of possibilities, and the experiences afforded to him that began with the SCCA are now aiming him toward a future in motorsports engineering – but this is no easy road.
“I realized that if I wanted to get into the industry as an engineer, I was going to need help,” he says. “So, I found the National Motorsports Hall of Fame's SPARK Program, which set me up with a mentor in the industry.”
Nathan was paired with Ken Clapp, a legendary NASCAR promoter who co-founded the NASCAR Truck Series and is chairman and CEO of the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame, as well as an inductee into that Hall of Fame.
“After having numerous experiences with Ken, such as attending the Daytona 500, I presented on behalf of the SPARK program at the National Motorsports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in March 2026,” Nathan says.
(Nathan presented on behalf of the SPARK program at the 2026 National Motorsports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.)
This year is when things get serious for Nathan, as school begins soon. “I will be attending UNC Charlotte studying mechanical engineering with a concentration in motorsports,” he says. Therein, he’s looking to grow his budding professional career by pursuing opportunities in motorsports and business – if you want, connect with him on LinkedIn.
And to think, this all began by volunteering at an SCCA event.
This is how you, too, can work trackside at SCCA events.
Lead photo of Nathan Okulicz with his father at the Daytona 500 courtesy Nathan Okulicz.
