Mooresville, NC — John Freeman is a little bit racing. Driving various race cars throughout his young career, he is considered one of the most talented up-and-coming drivers racing in the NASCAR Busch East Series.
Steve Harwell is a little bit rock and roll. As the vocalist and front man in the ultra-popular rock band Smash Mouth, Harwell has been successful over the years and known as one of the best entertainers in the mainstream music world.
Now, Freeman and Harwell are teaming up to bring a new style of”rock and roll racing” to race tracks across the country by bringing Harwell’s”Mr. Mouth” clothing line to the racing world and Freeman’s racing knowledge to the rocker’s world so they can both compete… competitively… in the NASCAR ranks.
“My manager Brandon Hinson first introduced me to Steve Harwell,” said Freeman. ”He is a good buddy of mine now and he wants to go racing and obviously I am in the racing world. We got hooked up at Michigan a few weeks ago and tried to start putting some stuff together. He said he needed to get some seat time so I told him to come on over to John Freeman Racing. We still have a stable with Late Model Stock Car equipment.
“We decided to go to Concord Motorsport Park (Concord, NC) to let him test since I have quite a few laps around there and I could give him some good pointers at that place. We have been there for the past three days. Steve has impressed the heck out of me and I think he can already go out and contend for a pole position. For not being in a Stock Car before, he is really rockin’ and rollin’.”
Harwell’s aspirations of driving a race car didn’t start on a whim. Harwell has been a fan of motorsports for years and has plenty of experience working with cars.
“I have been running shifter karts (a popular form of go-kart racing) for years,” said Harwell. ”I grew up building hot rods and have always been a ‘gearhead’ and a big NASCAR fan. I have had major success with my band Smash Mouth, and I came to the point in my career where I wanted to step into something different. My friend Brandon Hinson, who owns Hinson Sports Management, introduced me to John Freeman. We hooked up and came out to Concord in his Late Model. I am on my third day of testing and it has been going really well. Driving is a natural thing for me and it is something I really want to do.
The experience through the ranks of racing has been key to Freeman’s success on the track, which has helped Harwell adapt quickly to the size and power of a Stock Car.
“John Freeman has been a great driver-coach,” said Harwell. ”He and his father came out of the Legends series and have been there for years. Also, his mom is out there making lunch too, so it has been fun.
“With Concord, they say if you can get around there you can pretty much get around anywhere. We are having a good time and we will see what happens. We are talking to Fitz Motorsports, and Armando Fitz is really excited with doing something with myself and, of course, John is already hooked up with them. It is a cool marriage.”
The partnership between Harwell and Freeman has already paid dividends for both with the knowledge each has gained about the other’s careers. Now, Harwell will have a chance to further his clothing line business by supporting Freeman in the NASCAR Busch East Series event at New Hampshire International Speedway on Friday, September 14th.
“We will be entering the New Hampshire Busch East race in a Fitz Motorsports entry sponsored by Mr. Mouth, which is Steve’s kids clothing line for five- to 11-year-old boys,” said Freeman. ”It’s a really hip clothing line he is doing and we are going to try to promote it up there in New Hampshire on the Busch East car. It is a good tie between the two of us. We have a good history there at New Hampshire. My first time there I had a top-10 finish and have qualified in the top-10 all three times I have been there. We are going to go and finally get that win we have been itching for.”
Both driver and rocker are looking forward to New Hampshire, but both are also focused on their future as teammates on the track.
“Steve practiced the John Freeman Racing car three times, but for Steve, we are partnering with Fitz Motorsports,” said Freeman. ”He is looking to run a Busch East schedule next year and give him some seat time and exposure next year. We look to be teammates next year on and off the track with me being his driving coach and another announcement coming in the future with where and what I will be driving.”
While he is not giving up his music career, Harwell is looking forward to the challenge of driving a race car, especially with the exposure it will provide to his clothing line company as well as having a driving coach with him along the way.
“I am definitely still doing the Smash Mouth thing,” explained Harwell. ”I am actually heading out to perform in Phoenix (AZ) on Friday and we are actually talking with SPEED about doing some shows after some races. We do some things with them already like having a concert after the race. We just did Michigan, which was fun.
“Mr. Mouth will be on John’s car at New Hampshire, which will be fun. It will be the first time Mr. Mouth will be on a car, which is already in stores. It will be easier for me to bring on some sponsorship stuff (in the future). I am talking with Fender Guitars about coming on board with me and they are really excited about it, so there are some really cool things.
“I am not trying to be a (NASCAR Nextel) Cup driver. I just want to run some Busch East races this year and run the full schedule next year, and maybe by the end of ’08 run some (NASCAR) Truck and a couple Busch races. For me, I am going to be smart and do it the right way. John is a pure race car driver. He is the next superstar. He has been walking me around the track, and I have already driven over 250 laps in the car. It is rock and roll racing; that is how we do it.”
John Freeman and the #2 Mr. Mouth Dodge will take the green flag at the New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire for the NASCAR Busch East Series race on Friday, September 14th.
For more information on John Freeman, please contact Jason Buckley at (704) 788-2134 and be sure to visit the John Freeman site at www.JohnFreemanRacing.com.
# # # #