Like we’ve always said… you gotta start ‘em young! and our guest tonight is a prime example of that exact sentiment.
He comes from a military family – with no real history in Motorsport apart from the recreational ATVs that they owned, his love for the sport was sparked from a young age when his mom would sit him in front of the TV on Sundays for the NASCAR races because it was the only thing that could get him to sleep.
Fast forward many years, and Brockton Packard #24 finds himself racing Go-Karts, The team lead for iRacing at Niner eSports, part of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s eSports organization. He’s been part of an underfunded NASCAR truck team Reaume Brothers Racing (RBR), and co-hosts The Pressbox Motorsports Podcast. And he’s here tonight to share his journey and thoughts on the world of Motorsports for other aspiring enthusiasts.
In our discussion with Brock, we cover topics like:
- The who/what/where/when/how of Brock? Expand on the Family-Life part from the intro. How did you get into cars? What made you into a Petrol-head? Chevy, Ford, MOPAR or other…
- So let’s talk about racing, you’ve dabbled in various ways, be it Karting, R/C, and iRacing – all of which are very different. Where do you see yourself taking the next step as a driver? Or do you even want to? What are some barriers to entry? What are some interesting alternatives?
- Let’s talk about your experience as part of the RBR team. How did you get into that?
What were some of your responsibilities? How long did you participate in the team? What did you learn from the experience? - University Life: You’re studying Mechanical Engineering. How is that going? Thoughts on programs like Formula SAE? Are you aware of Formula BAJA?
- There’s actually a debate as to whether or not SimRacing is even considered eSports – let’s face it many eSports aren’t even sports, (The 2023 Top 10 are: League of Legends, Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Fortnite, Call of Duty, Overwatch, Valorant, Rainbow Six Siege, Rocket League, Hearthstone – no where on this list is iRacing – why?
- If someone isn’t already into racing, SimRacing might be viewed as “just another video game” – How would you convince someone to become part of this eSport?
- You co-host The Pressbox Motorsports Podcast – what’s it about, what do you talk about? Frequency of release, why should people tune in, where can you find it? Upcoming #spoilers?
and much, much more!
Check out Part-2 of this conversation “Is iRacing still King?” exclusively on Patreon!
Brock’s Bio…
I come from a military family with no real history in motorsport apart from the recreational quad bikes that we owned, however my love for the sport was sparked from a young age my mom would sit me in front of the TV on Sundays for the NASCAR races because it was the only thing that could get me to sleep, and still to this day the rhythm of the cars going hundreds of miles an hour, inches apart can put me to sleep. That however is not how I treat the sport today. From a young age I have always wanted to take the cars apart and put them back together, and I always wanted to find a way to go fast. Whether it be bicycles quads R/C cars Go-karts, riding in real race cars or the seat of a simulator I’ve always been addicted to speed and how to get more out of something. I am also the team lead for the iRacing team at Niner eSports which is the university of north Carolina at charlottes eSports organization. I have also been part of a underfunded NASCAR truck team Reaume Brothers Racing (RBR) and was able to experience first hand what really goes on in making a team no matter how small or how large able to succeed on and off the track.
If you want to keep up with Brock and all his progress be sure to follow him on social @Brocktonp on instagram and @Brocktonpackard on twitter. Tune into his podcast: The Pressbox Motorsports Podcast everywhere you listen and you can even chat with him on our GTM Discord Server and tune-into his races via livestreams on Twitch at twitch.tv/Brocktonp24
Check out some of the Live Coverage from LSRTV!
Follow Brock’s races on Twitch
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