Zach Herrin

Zachary John Daniel Herrin (born November 17, 1995) is an American professional stock car racing driver who currently competes part-time in the ARCA Menards Series driving the No. 12 Toyota for Fast Track Racing.

Zach Herrin
Herrin at Phoenix Raceway in 2022
Born	Zachary John Daniel Herrin (1995-11-17) November 17, 1995 (age 29) Glendale, California
ARCA Menards Series career
3 races run over 1 year
ARCA no., team	No. 11 (Fast Track Racing)
First race	2023 BRANDT 200 (Daytona)
Last race	2023 General Tire 100 at The Glen (Watkins Glen)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 2 0
ARCA Menards Series West career
1 race run over 1 year
ARCA West no., team	No. 01 (Fast Track Racing)
First race	2022 Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 100 (Phoenix)
Last race	2022 Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 100 (Phoenix)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 0 0
Statistics current as of August 22, 2023.

Racing career

Early career

Born in Glendale, California, Zach began racing motorcycles at the age of 5, competing in amateur championships until the age of 16. In 2012, Zach began his professional career in the AMA Pro SuperSport Championship.^[1] Zach then moved on to superkarts in 2013, competing in the SKUSA Pro Tour and SKUSA SuperNationals. In 2014, Zach competed in legends cars in the INEX Winter Nationals series.^[2][3] For the 2016 season, Herrin returned to the SKUSA Pro Tour and SKUSA SuperNationals.^[4]

Personal life

Herrin left the motorsports industry for 4 years after discovering that he needed time to realize his authentic self as a member of the LGBT community (he is openly gay).^[5][6][7] He began a career in real estate^[8] and in 2022 returned to motorsports competing in the 2022 ARCA Menards Series West finale at Phoenix Raceway.

He is the younger brother of former Moto2 rider and 2013 AMA Superbike champion Josh Herrin.

Return to racing

ARCA Menards Series

On January 16, 2022, Herrin began his ARCA series career at the Daytona Pre-Season practice,^[9] driving for Fast Track Racing, marking his return to professional racing since coming out.^[10][11] He plans to compete in a limited schedule in the ARCA Menards Series in 2022, then expand to a larger ARCA/NASCAR schedule in 2023.^[12]

Racing Pride

Zach is a member of the founding class of the North American expansion of Racing Pride.^[13][14]

Awards/Accolades

In 2023, Zach was named to Out (magazine)'s 2023 Out100: a prestigious compilation of the year's most impactful and influential LGBTQ+ people.^[15] Zach is the first motorsports athlete to receive this honor.

In 2024, Zach was honored by NASCAR's Drive for Diversity Awards in the "Developmental Series Driver" category. Zach is "an exemplary advocate for LGBTQ+ people in the motorsports industry, integrating inclusion into his ethos through building partnerships with organizations such as Lambda Legal and representing the sport in a positive light both on and off the race track."^[16]

Motorsports career results

ARCA Menards Series

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ** – All laps led.)

ARCA Menards Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	AMSC	Pts	Ref
2023	Fast Track Racing	12	Toyota	DAY 33	PHO	TAL	KAN	CLT	BLN	ELK														44th	82	[17]
		11									MOH 9	IOW	POC	MCH	IRP	GLN 8	ISF	MLW	DSF	KAN	BRI	SLM	TOL

ARCA Menards Series West

ARCA Menards Series West results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	AMSWC	Pts	Ref
2022	Fast Track Racing	01	Toyota	PHO	IRW	KCR	PIR	SON	IRW	EVG	PIR	AAS	LVS	PHO 18	38th	76	[18]

References

1. "AMA Pro Racing 2012 Media Guide" (PDF).
2. "2014 INEX Winter Nationals – Day One Coverage – Tim's Corner Motorsports". Retrieved 2022-02-15.
3. "Advance Auto Parts - Waving the Rainbow Flag at the Finish Line". shop.advanceautoparts.com. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
4. "SuperNationals XX MyLaps Results". superkartsusa.com. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
5. Reimer, Alex (2021-12-16). "This gay auto racer quit when he came out. Now he's returning to the track as his true self". Outsports. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
6. Duaine Hahn, Jason (2022-06-08). "Out NASCAR Driver Zach Herrin Says the Track Is an Equalizer: 'We're All the Same at 200 MPH'". People. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
7. "Zach Herrin". Unleashed LGBTQ+. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
8. Haas, Leslie. "NASCAR driver Zach Herrin chose a dark and moody palette for his favorite room". The Greenville News. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
9. Walters, Shane (2022-01-17). "Daytona Practice Results: January 2022 (ARCA Menards Series) - Racing". Racing News. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
10. Reimer, Alex (2022-01-18). "This gay NASCAR driver just raced at Daytona for the first time since coming out". Outsports. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
11. Lamunyon, Kylie (2022-01-20). "Zach Herrin Makes Daytona Debut as Out Gay NASCAR Driver". Gayety. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
12. Walters, Shane (2022-01-17). "Daytona Practice Results: January 2022 (ARCA Menards Series) - Racing". Racing News. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
13. "Racing Pride launches in North America". www.motorsport.com. 24 January 2022. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
14. "Zach Herrin – Racing Pride". Retrieved 2023-08-15.
15. "The 2023 Out100: Zach Herrin". www.out.com. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
16. "NASCAR honors diversity and inclusion advocates, taps Ally Financial as first-ever presenting partner of NASCAR Drive for Diversity Awards". 2024-02-02.
17. "Zach Herrin - 2023 ARCA Menards Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
18. "Zach Herrin - 2022 ARCA Menards Series West Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved 2022-11-07.

External links

• Zach Herrin Racing - Official Website
• Zach Herrin driver statistics at Racing-Reference