Racing is in Darin Mock's blood, so no one should be surprised that he began his career at the age of 5 when he first climbed on a BMX bike. From there, he turned to karting, first competing at Trackhouse Motorplex, his home track in Mooresville, N.C., and then taking on iconic circuits like the Daytona Road Course and Charlotte Roval through the WKA Road Racing Series.
As a young teen, Mock joined the NASA Southeast Spec Iron Series where he raced a SI Mustang. In just hissophomore season with the series, he was a constant front runner, winning 9 races and executing a last-lap pass atthe season finale to claim the 2021 Championship title. That same year, Mock made his Trans Am debut whilecompeting in three Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers TA2 Series races. Accomplishing a top-10 result in his series'debut, Mock decided to step up to the series full time the next year. With two more top-10 finishes under his belt in2022, he signed with Nitro Motorsports to drive the No. 51 Ford Mustang in Trans Am's TA2 Series in 2023.
A second-generation racer, Mock's racing roots run deep. His father, Butch Mock, was a former NASCAR driver and winning team owner in the NASCAR Cup Series, where drivers like Neil Bonnett, Todd Bodine, Dick Trickle, Lake Speed and many others competed.
Recording a career-best finish and multiple top-10 results, Mock ranked 6th of 76 drivers in the final championship standings in Trans Am’s Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers TA2 Series. He was named the 2023 Trans Am Iron Man, recognizing his accomplishments, success and growth as a driver. He looks to return to the series in 2024.
At the helm of Nitro Motorsports, you'll find Nick Tucker. A true racer, Tucker has an accomplished resume and winning record of his own, racing in NASCAR's Xfinity and Truck Series, as well as ARCA. Today, he uses his passion for the sport to help drivers build their careers through his team, Nitro Motorsports.
Having driven and built cars for both asphalt and dirt competition, Tucker's background includes everything from karts, late models, stock cars and open wheel sprint cars. The organizations' talent goes beyond just Tucker, to people like Ron Otto, who is Mock's multi-series winning crew chief with experience in both NASCAR and ARCA. It's no surprise that Toyota Racing tagged Tucker and his diverse experience to assist with the Toyota Racing Driver Development Program in karting and the Trans Am Series. Nitro Motorsports' winning Trans Am TA2 Series team is built on the success of Nitro Kart, a multi-time championship team in multiple levels of karting.
“I see a lot of potential in Darin and he’s a great fit with our team, ” Tucker said. “Road courses are being added by many series. Darin has a knack and we are looking forward to bringing out the untapped potential we see in him.”