Fast Track Tabs Presley Sorah For ARCA East Debut

Presley Sorah (Jacob Seelman photo)

PENSACOLA, Fla. – For 20-year-old Presley Sorah, his sim-to-reality journey in motorsports will culminate in a long-awaited opportunity next weekend at Five Flags Speedway.

Sorah, a native of Cambridge City, Ind., has landed a drive with Andy Hillenburg’s Fast Track Racing team to make his ARCA Menards Series East debut March 23 at the half-mile Pensacola short track.

It’s a watershed moment for Sorah, who grew his love for motorsports through the iRacing simulation service after growing up as a fan in racing’s Midwestern hotbed.

“This came together late, but I can’t thank Andy enough for working with me and giving me this opportunity,” Sorah told Motorsports Hotspot Sunday morning. “I’d had some other plans in the works that didn’t quite come together, but just kept digging because I wanted the chance.

“Fortunately, things all worked out.”

Sorah will wheel the No. 12 Toyota Camry, powered by a Robert Yates Racing Engines motor, with support from Otwells Extreme Motorsports of Pensacola, Tatanka Sauce, CF Moto, Bad Boy Mowers, the Layin Coin Podcast, Running’s Racing Designs, and B Blaze Vintage.

The chassis Sorah will pilot is the same one that Stephanie Moyer earned a top-10 finish in last fall during the ARCA Menards Series national finale at Toledo (Ohio) Speedway in October.

Though Sorah has worked as a spotter for Fast Track Racing in the past, serving as the eyes in the sky for drivers Stanton Barrett, Brayton Laster, and Zachary Tinkle, he tipped that his ultimate goal has always been to earn an opportunity to showcase his skills behind the wheet.

“I’ve been working so, so hard at this … not only over the last few months with trying to put sponsors together for this year, but for my entire life, this has been my only career goal,” said Sorah of reaching the national stage in motorsports. “People would tell me that this probably wasn’t the smartest choice in the world, because it’s such a hard path to get where I’m wanting to go, but I feel that I’ve been up for it and I relish the challenge and the effort it takes.

“If you want something bad enough, it doesn’t matter how hard the journey is, because the end result is worth it,” Sorah added. “I’ve made so many phone calls [over] the last few months trying to put a deal together and gone to so many races to help out and just be present, because that’s the kind of drive it takes in order to be successful in this sport.

“Really, everything I’ve ever done has been with one single thing in mind, and that’s racing in NASCAR. That remains the mission.”

Sorah’s name first came to the forefront after winning the season five championship with the Monday Night Racing league on iRacing, besting such talent as NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series star Corey Heim and NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Anthony Alfredo in the process.

Presley Sorah in action during Daytona Int'l Speedway ARCA testing in January. (Devan Mello photo)

He was able to parlay some of his ARCA garage presence from last season into a chance to drive during ARCA’s preseason test session at Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway in January. That was the moment, Sorah said, he began to see a genuine pathway from simulated competition toward real-world stock car racing.

“I did (see myself some behind the wheel before iRacing), but it was more of a dream than something that was actually feasible,” Sorah admitted. “I don’t come from a bunch of money and I’m a first-generation racer; it’s not something that I was just born into. With opportunities from iRacing, I’ve been able to show my skills, and that’s really what’s been the difference maker in putting that dream into reality.

“Prior to that I raced go-karts for a couple of years, but ultimately just didn’t have any money to move anywhere else,” Sorah continued. “iRacing was the cheapest alternative and my success from that gave me opportunities in the real world.”

Though Sorah has dabbled with simulation work in advance of his Pensacola debut, he explained that his bigger focus has been watching recent ARCA footage from the track in an effort to learn as much as possible.

“I’m probably going to have the entire 2023 race memorized by lap by the time I get to Pensacola next week,” Sorah chuckled. “I’ve done a little bit of sim stuff, but unfortunately the ARCA car is not totally up to date on iRacing, so I don’t know how well the feel will translate to the actual race car. I’m more trying to gauge different visuals at the track, so I know some of what I’ll be dealing with come race day.”

As for his goals for the 150-lap race, Sorah noted “it’s all about learning” while focusing on bringing the car back home in one piece when all is said and done.

“I’m just going to be happy to be there, but I want a solid, easy weekend with no extracurriculars,” said Sorah. “I don’t want to have to worry about a crashed race car or anything like that. I just need to go there, get done what I’m there to do, and move on to work on more for the future. I know that I’m not going to jump in straight out of the gate and set the world on fire. There’s a learning process to it, and that’s going to partially be next weekend and continue throughout everything else I’m able to do this year.

“Where I’m at in my [driving] career next weekend is pretty much entirely about learning. Honestly, I’m not worried about the result on paper at all,” he added. “Whether it’s last, 10th … whatever it ends up being, it doesn’t really matter to me as long as I’m learning and helping myself for future races. That’s what I’ll consider as a successful weekend.”

Live coverage of the Pensacola 150 for the ARCA Menards Series East at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla., is slated for March 23 at 8:30 p.m. ET, streaming exclusively on FloRacing.