For 19-year-old Andy Obertello, racing in the fast lane has been
his life.
For 19-year-old Andy Obertello, racing in the fast lane has been his life.
There are few weekends when he is not on the race track whether it is at Watsonville Speedway or in cities like Bakersfield or Las Vegas.
This year he hopes to finish in the top five in point standings and hopes to qualify to go to the Nationals in Iowa.
“It would be nice to finish in the top five, but there are a lot cars out there,” Obertello said. “We plan to be there (Watsonville) every weekend.”
Both his dad and mom help out in the pit crew. He has a couple of friends who assist as well.
“The other racers help,” Obertello said. “We all kind of help each other out in the pits.”
Driving car No. 8, Obertello is in second place in the IMCA Modified standings. He has 108 points, six point behind Watsonville’s Kenny Nott for the lead. On April 9, he won the featured race at Watsonville Speedway.
“I just try to stay smooth and focused,” Obertello said. “You have to pay attention to what is going on around you, and you have to how the track changes.”
Obertello started racing go-karts when he was 11 before moving to modified cars three years ago. His dad, Ron, who raced for about 20 years, got him started in the sport, and he credits a lot of his success to his parents.
“My parents help out a lot,” Obertello said. “I don’t think I would be able to do it without them.”
Obertello, who has lived in Hollister about 15 years, said he enjoys the excitement of racing at high speeds.
“I am a real competitive person,” Obertello said. “You never know what will happen. It’s a lot of fun.”
Obertello purchased his car last year after returning from a year of technical school in Wyoming, where he received a degree in custom fabrication. The car was built by Dana Stahl in Redding and took about four months.
“He is well known as a car builder,” Obertello said. “That is what I kept insisting that we wait for him. It is starting to pay back right now. It is an awesome car.”
For the most part, Obertello said he has been lucky as far as staying away from accidents. But he had a pretty bad wreck last year in Las Vegas that he was able to walk away from without any major injuries.
“The guy spun out right in the middle of the straightaway,” Obertello said. “I had nowhere to go between the wall and him, so I hit him real good. I was probably going about 70 or 80. I had to take the car back to Dana, and he put a new front on it.”
Obertello’s car is currently running about 355 horse power, he said. But for the most part, IMCA rules keep the modified cars uniform with similar requirements.
“They limit what your engine can do, so we are trying to play with the suspension,” Obertello said. “They’re making it a little more cost effective because you don’t have to spend the high dollar on the engine. You can build the lower budget one and still be competitive.”
Still, the sport is not cheap. Obertello estimated he spends about $10,000 a year for the entry fees, tires, parts and other costs associated with the sport. He has to rebuild the motor every eight to 10 races.
Obertello has a couple sponsors who help with the cost. But he isn’t letting that stop him from driving fast in his new car.
“There are only five or six races on this car,” Obertello said. “We are getting all the bugs worked out right now. We think we got it down pretty good now.”
