How a karting trip led Austin Green to the NASCAR Xfinity Series

by Jonathan Fjeld and Dominic Aragon

Even as a second-generation racer in a prominent NASCAR family, the path to the top isn’t paved with gold.

Hard work and a chance karting trip have helped Austin Green get to where he is now.

Green and his Peterson Racing Group from the Trans Am Series are off to a quick start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. With the help of Jordan Anderson Racing and their No. 32 entry, Green and PRG have finished seventh at Circuit of the Americas, 15th in Portland, fourth at Sonoma Raceway and 10th at Chicago.

“Thankfully, I’ve had success on road courses, but I wouldn’t consider myself a road course ringer by any means,” Green said.

Born to NASCAR Xfinity Series champion David Green and Diane Green, it’s no surprise that Austin Green started cutting his teeth on ovals at age four, eventually moving on to bandoleros, legend cars and late models.

Even in a racing family where his uncles were an Xfinity Series champion and a proven series veteran, Green had nothing guaranteed to him. A lack of sponsorship cut his 2018 season short at 10 late model starts.

Over the next four years, Green said he focused on other endeavors. He started working toward a degree in business management from Appalachian State, which he completed earlier this year.

All the while, he still raced a few times. One of his races was at Road America in 2021. A chance go-karting trip with current Xfinity Series competitor Sam Mayer and his family led to a ride for the weekend.

“Sam, I think that was one of his first Xfinity Series races,” Green said. “And Scott (Mayer, Sam’s dad) didn’t want me to just sit on the sidelines. Sam was also running the TransAm race that weekend, and they put me in an extra car. And yeah, just kind of went on from there.”

A year later, Green was racing there again but with NASCAR veteran Scott Lagasse Jr., the owner of Team SLR. According to Green, Lagasse knew about a possible opening at Peterson Racing Group. He told him to talk to team owner Doug Peterson.

“[He said] ‘Look for the older guy and go introduce yourself,’” Green recalled. “I’m a bit shy, a little nervous, but okay, I’ll do it. I went over and introduced myself.”

One thing led to another.

Peterson and Green talked and exchanged contact information. By the end of 2022, Green raced with Peterson at COTA. That went well enough that PRG offered him a full-time ride for 2023.

“I was still up at school, I was in a class and my phone rang,” Green recalled. “It was our team manager, I’ve got to take this. I didn’t get in trouble, but the professor let me know it wasn’t very nice of me to leave in the middle of her lecture. But I figured, ‘What the hell? It’s for business.’”

After a year full-time in TransAm competition, Peterson called him to race in the Xfinity Series. Green made it to NASCAR – in a very unusual way.

“It’s kind of like a little spiderweb,” Green said. “I was talking to Scott (Mayer) the other day, and we’re just kind of reminiscing on everything. I thanked him for everything that he’s done. And, I think like, if that party trip was a different week, or if I never went up to Road America that week, then it’s like dominoes.”

Now in the Xfinity Series with a group of “2-3 people” at Peterson Racing Group, Green helps make phone calls and plans and strategizes with the team before every race. Green said their results “makes a statement to how hard we work behind the scenes.”

The team has more attempts in the pipeline. Green and the No. 32 team plan to attempt the Xfinity Series races at Bristol, Watkins Glen, the Charlotte Road Course and Martinsville with more attempts possible.

“I’d like to think that when we got to road course races, my name comes up in conversation, but I’m primarily focused on completing all the laps, not tearing up the car, racing good, whatever happens at the end happens,” Green said to The Racing Experts. “Hopefully I can keep improving.” 

Green hopes he can keep improving – and prove himself on the ovals.

“Everyone’s saying (on Twitter that I’ve) done such a great job on the road courses, but don’t hold your breath, just wait till he gets on an oval,” Green said. “If we can go out and run just as good on an oval, then I think that’ll show we’re versatile and can do both.”

Next year is still a ways off but success can lead him toward his big goal.

“I’d like to go full-time in the Xfinity Series,” Green said. “But as of right now, I haven’t heard anything.”

Green, while just 23, has had a long journey in racing and life already.

“If I could do it over again, I wouldn’t change anything,” he said.