Auto racing: Devon Rouse ready to chase his NASCAR dream in earnest
Devon Rouse is a man on a mission.
In just over two years, Rouse has gone from a local boy racing 305 sprint cars at 34 Raceway to a nationally-known young man zooming up the charts in auto racing like a drag car heading down the track at 300 miles-per-hour.
Rouse, who recently signed a major sponsorship deal, already has announc ed that he will compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series in 2022 and will race in the One Lap of America road race at eight different road courses from April 30-May 7.
Rouse recently flew to Charlotte, North Carolina to film an "I am NASCAR" podcast with Brandon Marshall. The podcast got over 25,000 views on Youtube and helped further perpetuate Rouse's meteoric rise up the racing ranks.
"It was with ex-NFL player Brandon Marshall. It was on YouTube TV, a podcast. It was great exposure for me and gets my story out there," said Rouse, 23, a graduate of West Burlington High School. "NASCAR called me on a Tuesday at about 10 in the morning and asked if I could be in Charlotte the next day. I packed some stuff quick and left Cedar Rapids at 1 p.m. and flew into Charlotte. It was a really fast turnaround. We worked on the TV show all day on Wednesday and I flew home on Thursday."
It is all part of what has been a whirlwind last two years for Rouse, who flew overseas for a wedding in December, then flew back home to spend the holidays with his parents.
Rouse was at Daytona Speedway in Florida this past week, where he took part in the ARCA Menards Series pre-race practice on Thursday and Friday at Daytona International Speedway for Fast Track Racing and Andy Hillenburg.
At the end of the first day, Rouse was sitting atop the pole position with a fast lap of 50.540 seconds hitting a top speed of 178.077 in his Ferrier McClure Racing Chevy.
Rouse lands Gigg sponsorship
Rouse also has spent time in Salt Lake City, Utah, landing a major sponsor in Gigg, Inc., a software manufacturer out of Provo, Utah. Rouse closed the sponsorship deal with Gigg, Inc., while in Daytona.
For Rouse, it is the next step in his progress toward achieving his dream of racing on the NASCAR Cup Series.
"This is a major sponsorship announcement that is really going to help further my career," Rouse said.
Rouse already has committed to run a pair of races in Iowa this summer. Rouse will race in the ARCA Menards Series 250 at Iowa Speedway in Newton on June 11, then will run the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race June 18 at Knoxville Raceway.
"I will be back in Iowa, but it will only be for about a week," Rouse said. "I'm really looking forward to those races."
Making a move to Charlotte
In order to keep his racing career on the right track and be closer to NASCAR headquarters, Rouse will be moving to Charlotte, North Carolina on Feb. 1. He already has purchased a home in Charlotte.
"I'm ready to start the next chapter of my life," Rouse said. "If I really want to make this dream come true, I have to start taking it seriously. If I want to achieve my goal and make it on the NASCAR circuit, I have to get down to Charlotte where all the action is. I'm really looking forward to it. I can't wait to get down there and get started."
This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: Burlington's Devon Rouse will compete in 3 different NASCAR series
