Paulie Harraka
Paulie Harraka | |||||||
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![]() Harraka at Dover International Speedway in May 2014 | |||||||
Born | Paul Peter Harraka September 15, 1989 Wayne, New Jersey | ||||||
Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||
Weight | 165 lb (75 kg) | ||||||
Achievements | 2008 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Champion | ||||||
Awards | 2009 NASCAR Camping World West Series Rookie of the Year | ||||||
NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
1 race run over 1 year | |||||||
2013 position | 75th | ||||||
Best finish | 75th (2013) | ||||||
First race | 2013 Toyota/Save Mart 350 (Sonoma) | ||||||
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NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
5 races run over 4 years | |||||||
position | 64th | ||||||
Best finish | 64th (2014) | ||||||
First race | 2010 NAPA Auto Parts 200 (Montreal) | ||||||
Last race | 2014 Buckle Up 200 (Dover) | ||||||
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NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career | |||||||
11 races run over 1 year | |||||||
2012 position | 28th | ||||||
Best finish | 28th (2012) | ||||||
First race | 2012 NextEra Energy Resources 250 (Daytona) | ||||||
Last race | 2012 Pocono Mountains 125 (Pocono) | ||||||
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Statistics current as of May 31, 2014. |
Paul Peter "Paulie" Harraka (born September 15, 1989) is an American professional stock car racing driver and entrepreneur. He is a graduate of Duke University and a former representative of NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program.
Personal life[]
Harraka was born in Wayne, New Jersey, the first and only son of parents Paul Harraka and Donna Dikdan. His parents separated during his infancy, and later divorced, but held joint custody of Harraka throughout his childhood and adolescence. Harraka's mother remarried, and Harraka has two sisters[1] from his mother and stepfather. Harraka attended Wayne Valley High School from his freshman through junior years, but spent his senior year at Lake Norman High School to be closer to NASCAR team Joe Gibbs Racing, where he worked as an engineering and research and development intern.[2] During this time, Harraka lived with Kenny Francis, crew chief for Kasey Kahne.[1]
After graduating from high school with a 4.38 GPA. Harraka opted to attend Duke University, stating “I think that in the modern age of racing, knowing all aspects of the business is crucial to being successful."[3] After beginning his studies in Mechanical Engineering, Harraka transferred to Duke's Trinity School of Arts and Sciences, where he studied Markets and Management, Sociology, and History.[4] Harraka is one of only two NASCAR drivers with University degrees, the other being Ryan Newman.[5]
Racing career[]
Early career[]
Harraka first sat behind the wheel when he received a backyard fun kart from his family and started driving it around abandoned buildings. Harraka entered his first race on June 1, 1997 at Flemington Speedway, and despite being underage (Harraka was 7 and New Jersey law required that drivers be at least 8 years old), Harraka won.[6] In a karting career that spanned from 1997 to 2005, Harraka amassed a World Karting Association Triple Crown, the Holley Future Star Award, 13 National Championships, and 6 World Championships, and 158 total wins in go-karts. In 2005 he moved from kart to legends car racing, where he won multiple races.[7]
Harraka also won a popular karting event at Mark Dismore's karting facility in Indiana, the RoboPong 200 (now known as the Dan Wheldon Cup after the 2005 winner was killed in October 2011) karting event, teamed with on-sabbatical NASCAR driver Ricky Rudd.
NASCAR[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Paulie_Harraka_NAPA_200.jpg/220px-Paulie_Harraka_NAPA_200.jpg)
Harraka was invited to the Drive for Diversity Combine in the fall of 2006, where he impressed team owner BIll McAnally. McAnally hired Harraka to compete for his California-based team, despite Harraka still being in high school in New Jersey. Harraka traveled back and forth between New Jersey and California every weekend, and ultimately finished second in the All American Series in Roseville, California that year, winning the Rookie of the Year title. Harraka returned to the team in 2008, this time holding the duties of both driver and crew chief. The team would win 11 out of 23 races as well as the NASCAR Championship.[8]
At the end of 2008, McAnally elected to move Harraka up to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series for the final two races of the season as preparation for a full run in 2009. In the last race of the season, second race for the team, he qualified on the pole and led 40 laps.[9]
Over the next two seasons, Harraka competed full-time for McAnally, first under the NAPA Autocare banner, then with NAPA Filters sponsorship, with crew chief Duane Knorr. The team has won 3 races and has 15 top 5 finishes in 30 total races.[10] They finished 4th and 3rd in the series championship in 2009 and 2010, respectively, with Harraka winning Rookie of the Year in 2009 and Move of the Race in 2010.
Harraka took 2011 off from racing to further his studies, but did run the K&N Pro Series West race at Infineon Raceway. For 2012, Harraka competed in the Camping World Truck Series, running for Rookie of the Year driving for Wauters Motorsports.[11] Midway through the season, Harraka left Wauters Motorsports after numerous poor finishes.[12]
In September 2012, Harraka drove for Go Green Racing in the Nationwide Series at Richmond International Raceway.[13]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/PaulieSonomaCrashAftermath.jpg/220px-PaulieSonomaCrashAftermath.jpg)
Returning to Go Green for selected races in 2013, Harraka made his Sprint Cup Series debut at Sonoma Raceway in the team's No. 52 Ford.[14] Unfortunately, he was involved in a strange accident with Alex Kennedy on pit road prior to the start of the race, causing damage to both cars. The team spent the first 21 laps of the race making repairs, but were able to get back on the track and finished 39th.
Entrepreneurship[]
Paulie Harraka LLC[]
In 2011 Harraka sought out a group of Fortune 500 CEOs, venture capitalists, and professional sports executives as a partner to launch innovative technology platforms that challenge conventional approaches to the sport and business of NASCAR. The investor group, Paulie Harraka LLC, both supports Harraka's NASCAR racing activities and entrepreneurial business ventures disruptive to NASCAR.[15] In November 2013, Harraka delivered a talk chronicling his entrepreneurial ventures at TEDxBeaconStreet in Boston, making Harraka the only NASCAR driver ever to deliver a TED presentation.[16]
Motorsports career results[]
NASCAR[]
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Sprint Cup Series[]
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | NSCC | Pts | Ref |
2013 | Go Green Racing | 52 | Ford | DAY | PHO | LVS | BRI | CAL | MAR | TEX | KAN | RCH | TAL | DAR | CLT | DOV | POC | MCH | SON 39 |
KEN | DAY | NHA | IND | POC | GLN | MCH | BRI | ATL | RCH | CHI | NHA | DOV | KAN | CLT | TAL | MAR | TEX | PHO | HOM | 75th | 01 | [17] |
Nationwide Series[]
NASCAR Nationwide Series results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | NNSC | Pts | Ref |
2010 | NEMCO Motorsports | 87 | Chevy | DAY | CAL | LVS | BRI | NSH | PHO | TEX | TAL | RCH | DAR | DOV | CLT | NSH | KEN | ROA | NHA | DAY | CHI | GTY | IRP | IOW | GLN | MCH | BRI | CGV 29 |
ATL | RCH | DOV | KAN | CAL | CLT | GTY | TEX | PHO | HOM | 124th | 76 | [18] |
2011 | Randy Hill Racing | 08 | Ford | DAY | PHO | LVS | BRI | CAL | TEX | TAL | NSH | RCH | DAR | DOV | IOW | CLT | CHI | MCH | ROA | DAY | KEN | NHA | NSH | IRP | IOW | GLN | CGV | BRI | ATL | RCH 25 |
CHI | DOV | KAN | CLT | TEX | PHO 21 |
HOM | 130th | 01 | [19] | |
2013 | Go Green Racing | 79 | Ford | DAY | PHO | LVS | BRI | CAL 35 |
TEX | RCH | TAL | DAR | CHA | DOV | IOW | MCH | ROA | KEN | DAY | NHA | CHI | IND | IOW | GLN | MOH | BRI | ATL | RCH | CHI | KEN | DOV | KAN | CHA | TEX | PHO | HOM | 85th | 9 | [20] | ||
2014 | TriStar Motorsports | 44 | Toyota | DAY | PHO | LVS | BRI | CAL | TEX | DAR | RCH | TAL | IOW | CLT | DOV 19 |
MCH | ROA | KEN | DAY | NHA | CHI | IND | IOW | GLN | MOH | BRI | ATL | RCH | CHI | KEN | DOV | KAN | CLT | TEX | PHO | HOM | 64th | 25 | [21] |
Camping World Truck Series[]
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | NCWTC | Pts | Ref |
2012 | Wauters Motorsports | 5 | Ford | DAY 19 |
MAR 22 |
CAR 26 |
KAN 27 |
CLT 30 |
DOV 17 |
TEX 28 |
KEN 17 |
IOW 33 |
CHI 19 |
POC 24 |
MCH | BRI | ATL | IOW | KEN | LVS | TAL | MAR | TEX | PHO | HOM | 28th | 223 | [22] |
1 Ineligible for series points
K&N Pro Series West[]
NASCAR K&N Pro Series West results | |||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | NKNPSWC | Pts | Ref |
2008 | Paul Harraka | 04 | Chevy | AAS | PHO | IOW | CNS | SON | IRW | DCS | EVG | MMP 26 |
IRW | 29th | 382 | [23] | |||||
Bill McAnally Racing | 12 | Toyota | AMP 8 |
AAS 6 |
|||||||||||||||||
2009 | 17 |
AAS 3 |
PHO 8 |
4 |
IOW 2 |
DCS 13 |
SON 14 |
IRW 3 |
PIR 16 |
MMP 2 |
CNS 1 |
IOW 12 |
AAS 1* |
4th | 1951 | [24] | |||||
AAS 1* |
PHO 29 |
IOW 18 |
DCS 5 |
SON 2 |
IRW 13 |
PIR 3 |
MRP 11 |
CNS 2 |
MMP 3 |
AAS 4 |
PHO 25 |
3rd | 1707 | [25] | |||||||
PHO | AAS | MMP | IOW | LVS | SON 12 |
IRW | EVG | PIR | CNS | MRP | SRP | AAS | PHO | 77th | 132 | [26] | |||||
2013 | Bill McAnally Racing | 20 | Toyota | PHO | BIR | IOW | I44 | SON 5 |
CNS | IOW | EVG | SRP | MMP | SMP | AAS | KCR | PHO | 50th | 39 | [27] |
ARCA Racing Series[]
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
ARCA Racing Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | ARSC | Pts | Ref |
2012 | Venturini Motorsports | 55 | Toyota | DAY 26 |
MOB | SLM | TAL | TOL | ELK | POC | MCH | IOW | CHI | IRP | BLN | ISF | SLM | DSF | KAN | 128th | 100 | [28] |
References[]
- ^ a b Senior Writer. "Paul Harraka: NASCAR Drive for Diversity Ace and Master Juggler". Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
- ^ http://insiderracingnews.com/Writers/RG/111212.html
- ^ Merritt, Richard. "NASCAR Winner | Duke Engineering News". Den.pratt.duke.edu. Archived from the original on March 1, 2014. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
- ^ Bridget Booher (May 9, 2012). "Paul Harraka: Pursuing the Pole Position | Duke Today". Today.duke.edu. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
- ^ Senior Writer (October 25, 2008). "Paul Harraka NASCAR's Next Martin Truex, Jr.?". Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
- ^ Caldwell, Dave (August 9, 2008). "From Go-Karts to Nascar, and Now Heading to College". The New York Times.
- ^ "Motorsports Seminars by Victory Marketing Team - Guest Speakers - Paulie Harraka". Victorymarketingteam.com. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
- ^ Thursday Sep 11 2008 (September 11, 2008). "Harraka wins track championship in final week | The Press Tribune Newspaper". Thepresstribune.com. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
- ^ Cunningham, Jason (October 25, 2008). "Qualifying: Harraka Earns 1st Pole | NASCAR Home Tracks". Hometracks.nascar.com. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
- ^ "Paulie Harraka Career Statistics". Racing-Reference.info. September 15, 1989. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
- ^ "Wauters Joins Team Ownership Ranks". SPEEDtv.com. Fox Sports. January 26, 2012. Archived from the original on January 28, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
- ^ "Paulie Harraka and Wauters Motorsports Part Ways Effective Immediately". YardBarker. Fox Sports. August 30, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
- ^ Adamczyk, Jay (September 3, 2012). "Harraka to drive for Go Green at Richmond". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN. Archived from the original on February 15, 2012. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
- ^ Spencer, Lee (June 12, 2013). "D4D driver gets Sprint Cup chance". Fox Sports. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
- ^ "The NASCAR dreams of Paulie Harraka - Magazine". The Boston Globe. June 23, 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
- ^ Welch, Maura (November 13, 2013). "An Independently Organized TED Event | NASCAR Confidential". TEDxBeaconStreet. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
- ^ "Paulie Harraka – 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- ^ "Paulie Harraka – 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- ^ "Paulie Harraka – 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- ^ "Paulie Harraka – 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- ^ "Paulie Harraka – 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- ^ "Paulie Harraka – 2012 NASCAR Camping World Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- ^ "Paulie Harraka – 2008 NASCAR Camping World West Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- ^ "Paulie Harraka – 2009 NASCAR Camping World West Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- ^ "Paulie Harraka – 2010 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- ^ "Paulie Harraka – 2011 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- ^ "Paulie Harraka – 2013 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- ^ "Paulie Harraka – 2012 ARCA Racing Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Paulie Harraka. |
- Paulie Harraka driver statistics at Racing-Reference
- Living people
- 1989 births
- People from Wayne, New Jersey
- Wayne Valley High School alumni
- Racing drivers from New Jersey
- NASCAR drivers
- ARCA Menards Series drivers
- Duke University Trinity College of Arts and Sciences alumni
- American people of Syrian descent
- Sportspeople from Passaic County, New Jersey
- Businesspeople from New Jersey
- 21st-century American businesspeople
- Stanford Graduate School of Business alumni
- Stanford MBA Class of 2018