2024 Season & The Future

With an unofficial diagnosis of Autism at age 2, and formally diagnosed with Level 1 Autism at 20, Austin has lived “two-lives”. Being undiagnosed for his entire childhood contributed to his emphasis on awareness and acceptance of the disorder. At 24, he is the first openly diagnosed autistic driver in his series’ and plans to achieve many more firsts during his bright career. 

Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by difficulty with sensory processing, tolerating and focusing on stimuli, and social/communication challenges. While these conventional signs may stifle Austin’s dream of being a professional racing driver, autism may contribute to Austin’s talents. Autistic people can host extraordinary skill sets such as a fierce propensity for learning, relentless focus, enhanced sensory processing, and a tenacious personality.

Austin is a real-life example of these traits. As soon as he could walk, he could drive. At 3 years old, he strapped on a helmet and never took it off. By 10, he had set youth karting track records in Southern California. Austin graduated to racing cars in the fall of 2020 after winning SCCA’s Roy Mallory License Scholarship. In 2021, Austin progressed quickly, earning three podiums in his first season, and leading USC FSAE’s the international competition in Las Vegas.

Racing History: 2022 brought 3 wins including a national Hoosier Super Tour feature, 13 podiums, and 3 official lap records in 16 races. Austin won Rookie of the Year, Spec Miata Championship runner-up, First Gear Mazda Challenge Champion. He was nominated for Mazda’s prestigious Road To 24 MX-5 Shootout. During the season, Austin tested an F4 car at COTA, and earned his FIA Bronze license before driving for Close Racing at Silverstone in the opening round of the BRSCC MX-5 Championship. Austin graduated from USC in May 2022, and was invited to represent them in the FSAE cockpit again at Michigan International Speedway where they placed in the top-10 in his driving categories. 2023’s season was a season of additional firsts. Austin earned another national Hoosier Super Tour win and 11 podiums in 14 starts, placing Vice-Champion again and earning another Road to 24 MX-5 Shootout nomination. Beyond Spec Miata, Austin made his professional endurance debut in the Palomar Racing BMW M3 in two rounds of the World Racing League GP1 Championship and Mark Francis Racing in the Western Endurance Racing Challenge.

Race4Autism was launched in October, 2022. “Some of my core memories as a kid were at the track. I want to share that with others, and make racing a sensory-safe place for the next generation to experience what racing is all about.” Over 100 families attended the inaugural event with Kern Autism Network, and over $5K was raised for autism related non-profits in 2022 through the R4A program. Austin was invited to speak at the Autism Speaks LA Walk and host another R4A event for about 5,000. Shortly after, he was named “Hero of the Week” by 97.1 KNX and was featured in his home paper, the San Diego Union Tribune. Since inception, Race4Autism has impacted the lives of over 10,000 families in Southern California and raised almost $10K for local non-profits.

2024… and beyond: Austin will be racing a limited schedule in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Spec Late Model series with Special Needz Coffee as a primary sponsor, in addition to a full schedule of Spec Miata, World Racing League, Western Endurance Racing Championship, and more.

When he is not racing, he is a full-time ambassador of his sponsors, Special Needz Coffee and Atoll Vodka, and a professional high performance driving coach. With sights set high for the future, Austin plans to continue supporting grassroots motorsports, but is working towards advancing his career in professional sportscar and stock-car series’ via corporate partners and factory support. Though his career is just getting started, Austin’s successes on track and experiences living with autism aim to teach and influence positive change in sports and society at large.