While Loomis is
a region
renowned for
growing
delicious fruit
and vegetables,
the area may
soon be known
for cultivating
racecar drivers,
too.
ScribnerMotorSports,
based in Loomis,
has some high
expectations for
a pair of racers
in 2009 as each
looks to fulfill
their motor
sports dreams.
Chris Scribner,
a 2001 Del Oro
High School
graduate and the
son of Rick
Scribner, a
former NASCAR
Winston Cup
driver, has
taken his first
full-season step
into the NASCAR
Whelen
All-American
Series in
Roseville.
Chris Scribner,
26, has gotten
to this next
level in his
racing career by
first excelling
on the go-kart
track, where
he’s been a
seven-time
national
kart-racing
champion,
competing
throughout the
country and
world.
Joining him in
the sport of
road racing is a
young, but
talented
15-year-old by
the name of
Rachel Jean
Brigg, a
freshman at
Placer High
School sponsored
by
ScribnerMotorSports.
In just her
second year of
racing in the
International
Karting
Federation
regionals, the
Formula One
racing fan has
had a second-,
third- and
fifth-place
finish, and
she’s headed to
nationals in
July of this
year.
Rachel is a part
of an effort by
ScribnerMotorSports
to grow a youth
racing program
that will
produce more
high-quality
drivers — Rachel
is the first to
be chosen for
the program, and
right away,
Chris Scribner
knew he had a
racer and an
ambassador for
the sport.
“She got in the
go-kart and
controlled it
right out of the
box,” he said.
“That sense of
aggressiveness
and the ability
to speak (well)
… that’s what I
wanted to work
with. I look for
that in all the
kids I want to
develop.”
While Scribner
got his racing
bug very early —
his mother was
pitting for his
father while
pregnant with
him — Rachel
came to the
sport a little a
later in life.
In fact, it was
just a few years
ago. After
watching Formula
One racing with
her father,
Andrew, they
decided to go
out to a go-kart
track one day
near Folsom.
After watching
the races and
enjoying them,
Rachel then got
behind the
wheel, and it
was love at
first drive.
“As soon I got
in the car, I
knew this is
what I wanted to
do,” she said.
For Chris
Scribner, it was
growing up
around auto
racing that
helped spur his
desire for the
sport, which has
also seen him
drive in the
Grand Am and
Rolex series.
Along with
working on his
racecar career,
Scribner
promotes auto
sports Web sites
and works in the
world of go-kart
racing, offering
lessons and
working with
drivers. His
family’s
company,
Scribner
Plastics, based
in Rancho
Cordova, also is
involved in the
racing world,
providing
plastics for the
sport.
Even as Chris
Scribner focuses
on his move up
the racing
ladder, he
spends much of
his free time
working with
Rachel — who is
also sponsored
by Leading Edge
and Intrepid —
as he helps her
become a better
kart driver. One
of the key parts
of his tutelage
has been
teaching Rachel
how to feel out
the vehicle and
understand it.
“(We’re)
basically going
over setup, how
she needs to set
up to react and
hitting the
right lines,” he
said. “You have
to be able to
feel what you’re
doing. Her sense
of what the
racecar is doing
is important.
That’s mainly
what we like to
work on.”
And since she’s
been able to do
that, Rachel has
seen her lap
time and skills
improve.
“Chris is like
my best friend,
he’s like an
older brother to
me,” Rachel
said. “When I
first started
with him, from
then until now,
I’ve improved my
lap time by like
three seconds.
We’re a good
team and we work
well together.”
Rachel hopes
this duo will
stick together
as each
progresses in
their racing
careers and
helps put
ScribnerMotorSports
and Loomis on
the auto sports
map.