In two years of competitive karting, junior Evan Strawser has fought through mental and financial challenges. Through these challenges, he has finished top three achieving podium placement many times throughout his career.
ROOKIE SEASON
Strawser said he has been fascinated by karting his entire life, but it wasn’t until two years ago that he started competing and taking his passion to another level. Strawser competes in the KA100 series which is the type of engine required. These karts reach up to 80 mph and partake in 20 minute sprint races.
“I started picking up karting in late 2023, but I’ve always been into racing like Formula 1 and different types of endurance series,” Strawser said.
Strawser’s mother Charla Strawser noticed her son’s passion for racing at a young age. Ms. Strawser said Strawser had always been fascinated by cars and everything related to them.
“From a young age Evan was really interested in cars and the speed and the mechanics of it,” Ms. Strawser said.
When karting got his interest, Strawser and his parents went to the Atlanta Motorsports Park (AMP) to explore the sport.
“He rented a kart and drove [at AMP] and loved it so much,” Ms. Strawser said. ”The AMP has a karting academy where they teach kids how to race competitively, and Evan joined it, and after the academy, he was truly hooked to karting.”
Strawser started racing for IZUP Racing in 2023, beginning his journey in competitive karting. Coach Steve Frank saw Strawser’s potential early.But one thing Frank said Strawser lacked was confidence.
“I thought Evan was a little timid,” Frank said. “He was very cautious, and was very calculated, and he was not a very big risk taker.”
DEVELOPING TALENT
Frank said Strawser’s growth as a driver has been evident across his career and his time with IZUP Racing.
“When he first started racing with us, he obviously was quicker than some of the guys that were in front of him on the racetrack, but he was a little tentative or cautious to pass,” Frank said. “He didn’t want to get in an accident and was a little cautious. But he grew as we went to different tracks ;his confidence grew, and he worked his way to the front. Now he races at the front of all of his events, either local or national.”
As Strawser has progressed, Ms. Strawser noticed significant growth in his driving skills and understanding of the mechanical aspects of the sport.
“In the beginning, he was focused on speed and driving,” Ms. Strawser said. “How I’ve seen him grow was through his understanding of the mechanics and what it takes to shave even a tenth of a second off your time. It not only takes the skill of driving, but the mechanics of the kart.”
Strawser dreams of racing professionally and is confident that his abilities and skills will help him to compete at the next level with the right support and sponsors.
“I truly believe I can compete professionally with the right funding from sponsors and the right team,” Strawser said.
Ms. Strawser believes Strawser has what it takes to race professionally, though she understands the challenges he will have to face.
“I think, if he puts his mind to it, this will be a sport that he will be able to race professionally. There’s all kinds of different circuits for his entire life,” Ms. Strawser said. “There’s many different circuits out there; so, if you want to race, there are definitely opportunities all over the United States and the world to be able to do it.”
Frank believes Strawser has the ability and talent, but the coach said it requires a lot more than just talent.
“The guys that make it to the professional level are the ones that hustle hard and work hard to make opportunities happen,” Frank said. “I think Evan can race at a professional level in some kind of sports car racing. Evan will certainly make and have a long career in some kind of professional sports car.”
Strawser believes he has the skill, but struggles in the funding side of the sport. Strawser said when he competes, other racers have higher performing karts and have an advantage on him.
“Currently, and through my time racing, everyone has always been on newer karts than me,” Strawser said.” Also, the sport is super expensive; so, the main hold back for me is keeping up with the money for the sport to get the highest performing kart.”
The financial demands of competitive karting have required a family effort to keep Evan racing and pursuing his dreams in the sport.
“One aspect of the sport is it is very very expensive,” Ms.Strawser said. “So, we insisted Evan get a job to pay for it, and he did. He has contributed financially to it, and so have we. The thing that he and his coach have done well is create a good kart for the budget he has.”
BREAKOUT SEASON
In Strawser’s second season racing he placed second in the GKSA 2024 Championship. Strawser said he was able to place second because of his hard work and determination.
“In my first few practices leading up to the tournament, we were really far behind our pacing and how fast we were,” Strawser said. ”Then, in qualifying, we did not do very well. But in the finals, there were a lot of collisions, and I handled maneuvering through the track well and also some penalties helped us out.”
Frank provided additional context on the GKSA championship race, explaining the team’s strategy and adjustment throughout the event.
“I think we qualified third out of 15 guys in the race; so, we were at the front; we had a good qualifying,” Frank said. “In the pre-final, we finished fourth or fifth, and then we made some changes on the kart. When we went back out, Evan raced well and got from fifth, I believe, to second in that event.”
FINAL LAP
Coming into the 2025 season, Strawser and his team had high hopes looking for another high finish. Unfortunately, Strawser and his team came up just short of top three and finished fourth at the 2025 AMP Championship.
“This season I felt like I lacked the determination that got me second place last year. I wasn’t going to as many practices and was just not racing as well as normal,” Strawser said.
Frank acknowledged that Strawser’s practice attendance had dropped off during the 2025 season.
“This fall he missed a couple of events,” Frank said. “I’ve been trying to get him to light a little bit of fire on his butt to come up and start doing some practice with us.”
Strawser said he tried to go to as many practices as possible but the demand was overwhelming. Going into his fourth season, Strawser is aiming to finish on the podium in regional races and start competing in more races across the country.
“Next season I really want to start competing in more races nationally and finish in the top three in my regional races, as well,” Strawser said.
Frank emphasized what it will take for Strawser to achieve his goals in the upcoming season and reach his full potential as a driver.
“For Evan to prepare for 2026, he needs to come out and practice; he’s got some natural ability, but he’s got to come out, and he’s got to burn hard for it, and in the winter time when its cold, he needs to come out and push himself and work hard If he wants to perform at a higher level next season,” Frank said.
