Bergenty Returns Home for NHMS
The Plainville, CT native grew up around the sport. His Uncle John competed at Riverside and Stafford. His father worked with Mike and Ted Christopher. Bergenty is glad to be home in New England where he started observing the sport. He appreciates his progress from watching in the stands to working in the industry.
Bergenty moved to North Carolina in 2005 to pursue a career in the sport.
“When I moved down in North Carolina, the only thing I knew I could assure myself of was work ethic. When you just constantly are hard after something you really want, eventually an opportunity’s going to present itself. A few steps along the way, opportunity presented itself. And then just that, along with taking (the) opportunity, not being afraid of failure. I’ve been very, very fortunate, very lucky and grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had.”
Bergenty joined Chip Ganassi Racing in 2014 and is the Car Chief for Jamie McMurray’s No. 1. Bergenty calls the 38-race schedule grueling. Monday through Wednesdays are at the shop. Thursday is a travel day and the rest of the weekend is at the track.
“It’s a lot of hours, a lot of work. But it’s also a lot of fun. Keep a smile and just keep working as hard as you can.”
With the amount of time away, social media has been helpful for Bergenty to stay updated with his family.
“This morning my cousin Brianne’s got a little boy now and they posted a video last night of him working on the race car in a garage with Uncle John and staying up through social media has made my career a little easier because I stay really tightly with my father and my family.”
Bergenty spoke to the team effort supporting the Joplin, MO veteran and former Daytona 500 winner.
“When you work with Jamie, you realize that he’s got a ton of talent in everything and his record speaks for itself, really. But he’s a great family guy. And he’s a great teammate and everything. Between him and Matt McCall, we’ve developed a team that’s essentially a really good group of people, hard workers, but they love their families, they love their wives and their children and everything. They come to work every day with a bunch of go-getters that are driving as hard as they can to build a career. You also know that you’re around really, really good people. That starts with Jamie and that starts with Matt. It trickles down and it’s something that Jamie has really helped instill in all of us as a group.”
Technology is a big part of the series and teams are constantly working to improve their cars with new parts.
“Everybody’s got their niche and everybody’s trying to take what they’re doing and be the best at it. From a simulation and an aero department and all that, everybody is looking for thousandths of inches, and just trying to be better at their job. And then like in any sport, you need to have the full team, and everybody has to operate at 100 percent efficiency at a really high level to compete, and then go for wins in the Cup series.”
Bergenty feels his work ethic was instilled from the age of 5-6 when he didn’t want to get screamed at. He visited the race shop in Plainville once-twice a month to work on the race car before going to school the next day.
“I’d go with Teddy and spend the night at his house, and we make spice cake, and do a bunch of guys things at 10 o’clock at night, and the next day he’d bring me to school.”
“You had to work the hours. You had to be better than the next guy and then when we went to the track … you competed to win. In this sport. If you don’t have to drive to be perfect and to win every single thing at every time, you just fall one step shorter than the guy that wants that.”
The last six months have been difficult for him since Ted Christopher died in a plane crash last September.
“When you come here with him being such a big part of my life, you’re missing something. We used to get up on top of the hauler here and watch the modified race.”
Bergenty keeps in touch with the family. He attended Stafford on an off weekend and saw Mike Christopher, Jr. win his first SK Modified® race.
“It’s important to me to stick to my roots and know what I had, as a kid and stuff like that. I still follow them and I’m still hard on them because big Michael call me screaming and hollering about why we qualified 20th or why we had a top-five car and finished tenth and stuff like that and I do the same to him little Michael blew up last week I called him screaming Why didn’t you have a backup motor?”
Bergenty raced modifieds using the NASCAR Racing 2003 Season game with the Kickin’ Asphalt Racing Series. One of his competitors was Ryan Preece of Berlin, CT. Bergenty joked that he was the only driver Preece couldn’t beat. He tried to win every week and enjoyed the series except when he was suspended by administrator Wayne Wildermuth.
Bergenty appreciates Preece’s rise from local Modified driver to NASCAR XFINITY Series winner.
“He’s done fantastic with his career and I wish him the best and the most opportunities and everything ’cause he’s a racer and knowing him a long time. It’s nice to see one of the northeastern guys that’s got pure talent be able to have an opportunity at the level that we’re at . here.”
Bergenty and his wife Ashley are expecting their first child in February.
“Everywhere you look you’re trying to relate a display or any kind of literature to a baby name and you’re looking for something a little different. It’s gonna be something challenging for my wife and I but we’re really excited and it’s the next step in our lives that we’ll take and maybe in a few years we’ll have another race car driver.”
Sources: Nicholas Teto/YankeeRacer.com