Zach Veach - Zach Veach Shirt For Sale

Name of team and car number:

Andretti Autosport #7 Team Zakosi Data Backup

Born:

December 9, 1994

Resides:

Stockdale, Ohio

Profession:

High School Junior

Career:

Race car Driver/Athlete

Height/Weight:

5' 2"
100 lbs.

Family:

Father: Roger
Mother: Angie
Brother: Brandon

Education:

11th-grade student with K-12, an online school program.

Interests:

Racing anything with wheels on it, going to the racetrack, plus hanging out with friends and family

Favorite food:

Depends on the day, but overall I would have to say pizza

Least favorite food:

Broccoli

Best advice ever received:

To always greet and talk to people no matter what, always smile, laugh and have a good time

Favorite TV actor:

Sylvester Stallone

Favorite movie:

Driven, Days Of Thunder and James Cameron's Avatar

Funniest movie:

The Hangover

Favorite TV show:

Two and a Half Men

Favorite street vehicle:

A blue Mazda RX-8

About me:

I'm just like any other kid chasing their dream

Role models in life:

My father Roger Veach, plus Sarah Fisher and Michael Andretti

Favorite race driver:

Sarah Fisher, because she is always grateful to her fans and after everything she has been through has always kept her head up high and pushed forward

First time in any kind of racecar:

When I was five my parents took me to the Indianapolis 500 Museum, where I sat in a show car they had, and remember thinking how awesome would it be to drive one of these

Best racing moment:

Winning the 125cc Shifter Kart Class at New Castle with an 80cc engine

Career 10 years from now:

As long as I keep working hard and things keep going smoothly, I hope to be in Indy Car

Motivations:

I have always looked up to the guys you see on TV climbing into their incredible racecars. From a very young age I have been telling myself "You can do this." Also knowing that a lot of people have went out of their way to help me do this is motivation for me to do my best on and off the track.

Physical preparation:

Run three miles a day, bike ride five miles, plus 30 minutes of boxing, P90X core training and several hours on a racing simulator. Also holding a 25-lb weight at eye level to simulate a steering wheel

Pets:

Nine month-old German Sheppard named Annie

Favorite travels:

Las Vegas, because there is always something going on

Best part about being a race driver:

Getting to meet all the different types of people that share the same passion I have for the sport

Best friends in life:

My brother and parents

2010
Signed with Andretti Autosport to compete in the USF2000 National Championship Series

2010
Named to CNN's "Intriguing People" list in May

2010
Named the national spokesperson for FocusDriven

2010
Recorded 10 top-five finishes from 12 starts

2011
Was the youngest speaker on Capital Hill during American Public Health Association's annual celebration of the National Public Health Week

2011
Appeared on NBC's The Today Show

2011
Released his first book, 99 THINGS TEENS WISH THEY KNEW BEFORE TURNING 16

2011
Won the inaugural Cooper Tires USF2000 Winterfest Championship after recording two race wins, three pole positions and four top-five finishes

16-year-old Zach "Ziggy" Veach is a race car driver for Andretti Autosport in INDYCAR's "Mazda Road to Indy" developmental ladder system in the USF2000 National Championship Series, an important open-wheel stepping stone to a career in the IZOD IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500.

In 2011, Veach won the USF2000 Winterfest Championship on the heels of being named one of CNN's "Intriguing People" as well as a semi-finalist for Sports Illustrated "Sports Kid of the Year" award in 2010. Constantly included in articles involving other "amazing teens" including Justin Bieber, Willow Smith and Dakota Fanning, Veach appears a normal teenager at home in Ohio. The 11th-grade honor role student can be found indulging in homework, remote control racecars, playing with friends, or training his German Sheppard Annie. However, daily activities also include training on a high-end racing simulator, as well as a cardio and strength training regimen.

In just 19 months, Veach had gone from go-karts to the cockpit of an open-wheel Formula BMW machine. Near the end of 2009, while testing a BMW, Veach continued to turn heads, landing a spot to compete in the 2010 Atlantics Championship Series, just months before it seized operations. Michael Andretti then handpicked the teen racer for a coveted spot on one of the most successful American open-wheel teams, Andretti Autosport, beginning with the 2010 season.

In addition to his racing, Veach is leveraging his youth and unusual occupation as a platform to expose fellow drivers to the dangers associated with driving while distracted. He is the developer of urTXT, an Android application that aims to fight texting behind the wheel, developed through his phone-app building company, ZaAPP. He's also an advocate for safer driving in conjunction with Oprah WInfrey's "No Phone Zone" and is the national spokesperson for FocusDriven, an advocacy group for victims of motor vehicle crashes involving drivers using their cell phones, in partnerships with the Department of Transportation.

In March 2011, he released his first book, 99 THINGS TEENS WISH THEY KNEW BEFORE TURNING 16, and will enter his Junior year of High School this Fall 2011.