About Zach: Bio, Stats, Supported Causes & More...

Zach Veach

Team & Car Number: Belardi #5

Born: December 9, 1994

Resides: Indianapolis, IN

Education: Graduate K-12, an online school program

Profession: Race Car Driver/Athlete

Racing Goal: To become an IZOD IndyCar Series & Indianapolis 500 professional race car driver

Sponsors: ADS IT Solutions, The Young Marines, Zakosi Data Backup, Bell Helmets, OMP

Personal:

21-year-old Zach "Ziggy" Veach is a race car driver for Belardi Auto Racing in INDYCAR's "Mazda Road to Indy" developmental ladder system in the Indylights presented by Cooper Tires Championship Series, an important open-wheel stepping stone to a career in the IZOD IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500.

In 2012, Veach won the Formula Car Challenge presented by Cooper Tires Winter Series championship, using four race wins and four pole positions to capture the title. In 2011, Veach won the USF2000 Winterfest Championship and was voted the "Most Popular Driver in USF2000," on the heels of being named by ESPN The Magazine as a NEXT athlete in the motorsports space as well as a semi-finalist for Sports Illustrated "Sports Kid of the Year" award in 2010.

In just 19 months, Veach had gone from go-karts to the cockpit of an open-wheel Formula BMW machine. Near the end of 2009, while testing a BMW, Veach continued to turn heads, landing a spot to compete in the 2010 Atlantics Championship Series, just months before it seized operations. Michael Andretti then handpicked the teen racer for a coveted spot on one of the most successful American open-wheel teams, Andretti Autosport, beginning with the 2010 season.

During his first semi-pro season in 2010, Veach finished fifth in the overall USF2000 driver championship points, despite starting the season two races behind the rest of the field yet also helped his team secure the team championship title. In 2011, he finished fourth in his first full season in the USF2000 National Championship series in which he again helped his team secure the team championship title for the second consecutive year with one win, five podiums and three pole positions.

Zach's Supported Causes:

In addition to his racing, Veach is leveraging his youth and unusual occupation as a platform to expose fellow drivers to the dangers associated with driving while distracted. He is the developer of urTXT, an Android application that aims to fight texting behind the wheel, developed through his phone-app building company, ZaAPP. He has also campaigned for safer driving in conjunction with Oprah WInfrey's "No Phone Zone" and is the national spokesperson for FocusDriven, an advocacy group for victims of motor vehicle crashes involving drivers using their cell phones, in partnership with the Department of Transportation.

Zach is also an advocate and judge in the Cyber Safety Academy's "No Bull Challenge" along with Dr. Oz and his daughter Zoe Oz campaigning against bullying. The 5'2 teen has also fought on Capital Hill in Washington as part of the Public Health Association's work to secure additional funding in schools to combat bullying.

In late 2011, Zach was added as an ambassador for "Pencils of Promise" alongside One Tree Hill's Sophia Bush and musician Justin Bieber in a Youth-Helping-Youth movement to build and provide schooling to 75 million kids who don't have access to even a pre-school education

Zach released his first book, 99 THINGS TEENS WISH THEY KNEW BEFORE TURNING 16 , in 2011 and graduated from highschool this past Spring 2013.

Career Highlights:

2012:
- Used four pole positions and four race wins to secure the Formula Car Challenge presented by Cooper Tires
- Winter Series championship title.
- Signed to return to Andretti Autosport to compete in the Star Mazda Championship Series.
- Named by The Huffington Post as an "Amazing Teen Who Changed The World In 2011"
2011:
- Named the Most Popular Driver in the USF2000 National Championship by INDYCAR Nation
- Named by ESPN The Magazine as a NEXT athlete
- Awarded "Superstar" status with the Century Council alongside Shaquille O'Neal and Apolo Ohno
- Named a national spokesperson along with Dr. Oz's daughter Zoe in the first National Anti-Bullying Campaign
- Earned his first podium result in the Star Mazda Championship Series in only his second start (qualified fourth and finished third)
- Placed fourth in the USF2000 National Championship Series season benchmarked by one win, three pole positions and eight top-five finishes
- Nominated as a Gatorade Athlete of the year
- Won the inaugural Cooper Tires USF2000 Winterfest Championship after recording two race wins, three pole positions and four top-five finishes
- Youngest speaker on Capital Hill during American Public Health Association's annual celebration of the National Public Health Week
- Released his first book, 99 THINGS TEENS WISH THEY KNEW BEFORE TURNING 16
- Appeared on NBC's The Today Show
2010:
- Recorded 10 top-five finishes from 12 starts
- Semi-finalist for the 2010 Sports Illustrated "SportsKID of the Year" award
- Nominated as a CNN Hero
- Named the national spokesperson for FocusDriven
- Named to CNN's "Intriguing People" list in May
- Put a podium finish (3rd) in the books in only his second USF2000 race
- Signed with Andretti Autosport to compete in the USF2000 National Championship Series
2009:
- Signed to compete in the Atlantic Championship Series, before it folded in early 2010, of which he would have become the youngest competitor in the Series' 37-year history
- Test driver in Formula BMW and Formula Atlantic Series
- Indiana Karting Series New Castle Shifter Kart Champion
- GLSS New Castle 80cc Shifter Kart Champion
2008:
- Mid-State Ohio Karting Club Points Runner-Up Yamaha Jr. Class
- Set Mid-State Ohio Karting Yamaha Jr. Track Record
2007:
- Set Yamaha Jr. Sportsman Track Record at Circleville (Ohio) Raceway Park
- Mid-state Ohio Karting Club Points Championship for Yamaha Jr. Sportsman Class
- Mid-State Ohio Karting Club "Rookie of the Year"
- Commercial Point Grand Prix Champion (Ohio)
- Scored 12 feature wins and 26 heat wins in the MSOKC circuit (Ohio)