Proud of Adam Lowe and his contributions to our race team, great story from ARCA RAcing.com. TP 
TOLEDO, Ohio (Nov. 26/27, 2016) - Chesterfield, Michigan's Adam Lowe has done what no other University of Northwestern Ohio (UNOH) student has done before. Lowe crew-chiefed a driver on the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards national tour to a top-five finish in championship standings.
Lowe is a two-year member of the UNOH Race Club, a University-supported internship program that allows students to receive real-world experience working with ARCA Racing Series teams as crew members. The 23-year-old has served as a volunteer for Max Force Racing for the last four years. In fact, the completely volunteer chief hasn't missed an ARCA race since his debut at Daytona in 2013. He's been the team's crew chief since Daytona 2015.
"I'm really proud of what we accomplished...really proud of that team," said Lowe. "I'm really proud that I've worked with him."
The "him" part is in reference to Thomas "Moose" Praytor who finished fifth in ARCA Racing Series standings in 2016 with Lowe as crew chief atop the pit box.
"He really is remarkable," said Praytor. "He's worked full-time all the way through college and races at the same time. He's like a robot...he'll be at a race and up till two or three in the morning doing homework. If he's not doing homework, he's working. It says a lot about the program at UNOH. Every kid I've had the chance to work with has had the drive and determination to go the extra miles. I wouldn't trade my UNOH guys for anything."
Lowe, right on schedule, has already graduated from UNOH's High Performance Program with an Associate's degree in Applied Science. Lowe is currently pursuing his bachelor's degree at UNOH in marketing. He's on track to graduate in March 2017. Lowe also works full-time in addition to his full academic schedule and racing program.
"It's been great having Adam here at UNOH," said Steve Klausing, UNOH Automotive Division Head and Race Club Coordinator. "He's been a model student...gets good grades, works hard and always goes above and beyond the call of duty. If I have extra students, he's who I go to because I know he'll take them on and do the right thing. He's been with the ARCA team for four years. That's an amazing run and he should be commended for it."
Lowe's life changed forever when a UNOH Admissions Representative came to his high school his junior year.
"I watched NASCAR all my life," Lowe said. "It's all I ever really wanted to do. I saw UNOH as a necessary connection to get me where I wanted to go."
In order to get where he "wanted to go", he moved to Lima, Ohio to attend UNOH right after he graduated from high school. Lowe had to earn his own way.
"I worked full-time through high school to pay for college. I've paid for every penny of my tuition."
Lowe started working at Walgreens when he was in high school, saving money to attend college. He worked his way up from cashier to manager and currently works in a local store in Lima. And there's the third thing of course - chasing ARCA's national tour around the country non-stop.
"Fortunately, Walgreens is really flexible with my crazy schedule. If I can only work four days a week, they give me extra hours to get me to 40 hours so I can get to the races on schedule."
Lowe has driven to each and every ARCA race since he started in 2013.
"I've driven to every single track...81 consecutive races. I've gone a few times by myself, but I usually travel with someone, or they travel with me."
Despite the grind, Lowe says the journey has been well worth the effort.
"For me, crew chiefing for Thomas is a huge deal. I'm way further along than I thought I'd be in six years. What was once a dream is turning into a reality. Until I went to Daytona, I never touched a race car. Tommy and Thomas have taught me everything. I look at myself as an intern crew chief. When Billy Gerhart came to Kentucky and helped us, I took a lot of notes...I took about four pages from Billy."
While decisions often ride with Lowe during the race, he admits it's still a team effort.
"It's not just me making decisions...it's group decisions more than anything. It really relieves the pressure. If I say something, they'll call me out if they don't agree...it takes the pressure off.
"The biggest thing I've learned is to always give your best effort. If you make a mistake, you gotta own it. You can't beat around the bush...especially working for Tommy."
If some decisions are a group effort, others are not.
"As I've gained their trust, I've made most of the adjustments on the car. When it comes in from practice, I make the adjustments, or at least oversee all the adjustments."
After he graduates in March, Lowe plans on making the big move to Alabama to work in the shop with the Praytors.
"We hope to have him move here after he graduates," Praytor said. "We sure could use him in the shop. We'll always have a spot for him here no matter what. He's taken so much pressure off me. He's the man in charge now and everyone knows it."
Lowe definitely has goals beyond ARCA.
"The ultimate goal is to work in the NASCAR ranks, but my immediate plan is to move to Alabama to work in the race shop once I graduate," Lowe added. "I can still work at Walgreens down there...still trying to get all that in place."
Lowe also says that the best path to NASCAR is through ARCA.
"You can't beat ARCA for what it teaches you. I really love the diversity it offers. You literally have every track there is out there all on one circuit. There are a lot of different things you need to learn about the car coming from Daytona to a Winchester or Toledo."
In the four years Lowe has been with Praytor's team, they have not finished outside the top-10 in driver points.
"I'm just so proud of what our team has accomplished. I'm really looking forward to what's ahead."
Don Radebaugh
dradebaugh@arcaracing.com
