My name is Thomas Schwarz.  My friends and fans call me "Lil' Red".  My family calls me Tom or Tommy or Lil' Red - depending on their mood and where we are!  I am a Freshman at Franklin high school and I am a very good student.  I followed in my big brothers' footsteps in February of 2013 when I started Novice School at Garden State Quarter Midget Racing Club.  I won 5 heat races and 3 A-mains my first year.  We also traveled to Georgia for the QMA Eastern Grands where I finished 3rd in my Novice A-main.  I also raced at Oaklane for the States Race that year and finished second in the A-main.  We didn't travel as much in 2015 as we used our funding for local races, equipment and the occasional new set of tires.  I started 2016 in the Junior Honda and, new to me, Junior Animal divisions.  What was even more successful - my entire team went to New Smyrna Quarter Midget Racing Club in July and I came home with a GRANDS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!  I won the Junior Honda A main at the QMA championship.  To finish my Grands, I finished second in my Junior Animal A main.   September of that year, as I turned 9 August 30th, I moved to the Senior divisions.  Even with missing the last 5 points races for the Junior divisions, I finished 3rd in Junior Honda season points as well as 5th in Junior Animal.  With only 4 races in Animal, I placed 9th in Senior points; 12th in Senior Honda points with only 5 races.  It was, by all accounts, a fairly successful season at my home track.  In 2017, I ran in the Senior Honda and Senior Animal divisions.  The year started off slowly as I continued to get accustomed to this with older drivers and faster cars.  We ended up successful as I won a feature in each of my divisions late in the  year; as well as setting fast time and the track record in my Senior Animal at Jay Butler.  I also had two heat wins, when they counted most, at Turkey Derby in my Senior Honda - I came up one place short of the win for the feature.  This past season, 2018, was a rough one.  I moved to Light 160 and remained in Sr Animal as my sister, Cookie, took over driving duties in Sr Honda.  I didn't win any races this year, but progressed steadily over the season - finishing 4th in points for Sr Animal and hanging onto a podium finish of third in Light 160.  I finished up the season racing a Sr Honda for Pat, Kim and Ethan Brown.  While I didn't win in it, we had some really strong showings those last two weekends.  The only traveling we did was to the Little 500 at NSQMRA in Samsula, Florida.  It was a rough weekend but we worked hard and are ready for the 2019 season to start.

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The upcoming 2022 season is looking great - we are working on the cars already.  I will be racing Heavy 160 and World Formula this season. Since we are with USAC25 we have some pretty exciting 'extra' races we are planning to attend - a National Race at Darlington- and possibly Indy, if we get the funds.  Yes, you read that right- INDY!!

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This year we have been fortunate enough to add another new national sponsor to our team - RYNO.co.  We have won a week of their company's vote and continue to be in the contest for the next 25 weeks!  ALL OF YOUR VOTES MATTER - and they are a great FREE way to support us!!

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I work hard to have the strength to drive my quarter midget and I have done it in some pretty tough ways - especially in my first qualifying attempt when my big brother put the steering column back on the front axle wrong.  I was able to run 8 laps without the ability to keep the steering wheel straight in the straightaways.  This is no easy feat for me; I am quite small for my age due to a chronic illness I have related to my digestive system.  My family has a lot of work to keep my hydrated properly and fed with enough appropriate foods for energy on race days..

 

I also belong to BSA Troop 100 and, when I'm not at the track, I like to camp with my Patrol as well as my family.  I am a Second Class Scout and almost have my First Class rank.  I am looking forward to beginning a new set of stepping in the footprints of my big brother - to Eagle Scout.

 

In the 2015-16 off-season I entered a contest from Champion Spark Plugs called "Search for a Champion".  Entrants had to send pictures and write a piece about themselves - you had to show champion qualities, be inspirational and then there was public voting!  Thanks to ALL OF YOU I was a first round winner and I am now a part of #TeamChampion!!!!  This came with sponsorship monies as well as product and gift cards; and my very own TEAM CHAMPION JACKET!  While I did not win the 'bigger' prize, I spent the 2016 season representing Champion - including taking over their social media sites (Twitter and Instagram) during our club's Annual Turkey Derby.  I was honored to be featured in several of their #weekendpreview and #weekendrewind posts.

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In the off-season in 2017, we received even MORE exciting news about Champion and #TeamChampion - I earned a Personal Services Agreement with Champion Spark Plugs, their products and their affiliates!!!  At this time, I am the only quarter midget driver with a PSA from Champion.  I am excited and proud to be a member of #TeamChampion and I hope you will support them as you support me!   I am truly blessed for, as of this past October, I was renewed once again to be a member of #TeamChampion for the 2018 season!!!  Unfortunately, at this time, we will not be back with Champion.  As Champion was taken over by another company on October 1, 2018, they currently have not decided how advertising/sponsorship dollars will be spent with their new configuration.  I am proud of having represented Champion Parts and I am thankful for all the valuable experience we learned as a team.  We hope to use that to help garner other national sponsors in the near future.  Thank you do Dana Bubonovich and her entire team at Champion!!  To my Champion teammates - we are #TeamChampion for life!  Unfortunately, due to a change in ownership of Champion Auto Parts, they no longer sponsor grassroots racers.  We are, however, forever grateful for the opportunity to learn how to be a professional spokesperson at such an early age.

 

We had several wonderful businesses come on board with us in 2016.  And, again, I am honored and proud to say that many continue to come back with us for the 2021 season!!!!   

 

As we traveled to Florida in the summer of 2016, two more sponsors hopped on with us!!  Stone Creek Shepherds out of Florida became an associate sponsor for Grands; and our family friends, Al George and Alice Meyers came on board with their band Al G's Roadhouse band.  If you are in the South Carolina area, please check them out!  They're so good that the President of Darlington Speedway came over to talk to them while they were playing during the Southern 500 weekend in 2016!

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Stone Creek Shepherds has been with us and constantly stands by us as racers and a team (and family)!  Not only are they sponsors of our team, they are the breeder of our beloved Darlington that you see in some of our Victory Lane photos. We are every grateful to Debbi and the pack for their support.

 

My Uncle Kevin is back on board with his landscaping business this year - G&T Landscaping out of Hillsborough, NJ.  Uncle Kevin is kind of a jack-of-all-trades and is really good at all of them!  We don't have a link for him yet, but you can reach out to his business at 908-359-7492.

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Over the past few years, we as a family and a team, have been blessed to have the Razzano family in our corner - and racing with us!  We have been so blessed that even DAD is now racing - a 4-cylinder at Wall Stadium (the big track to our Lil Wall Stadium) - and, coming soon to Wall Stadium, our crew chief will also be racing a Fast 4 car with Razzano Racing!!  They have also come on board with sponsorship over the past year and into 2021!!  Please visit their website (there is a link on the front page) and their dealership - Chuck is great to work with and will help you out!!!

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And while we may be listing them last, these folks are some of our most ardent sponsors!  My pap - who is always willing to help us out with some $$$ when we need them.   Christina and Gina - mom's former students and locals right here.  Sherry - who really helped when we needed it early in the 2018 season when mom had her accident and we weren't sure where any money was coming from to run races. 

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Unfortunately, we have also had to say good-bye to some very special people who always supported us.  From sending money when they could to just being 'there' on our pages every single race day - we miss each of you dearly.  JoAnn - mom very much misses your race day messages and likes and comments and you sharing pictures of 'your drivers'.  We hope you are watching from the best seats in the house and that you have your beloved Bill and Buddy sitting there with you.  We hope you are proud of what you are watching.  And to Bill P and Jay - it's been many year - but your input is still invaluable!!  

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I cannot thank you all enough!!!

 

I am looking forward to this upcoming season and hope to see many of you at the tracks we visit!