It all started like any kid with a dream to race: a go-kart at age 3. By the time he was 10, Troutman had surpassed 50 wins at the karting level and that’s when his dad turned him loose during a UMP Modified test session at Bedford.
The learning curve had been set.
“How do you know how to do this?” D.J. Troutman recalled asking his son once he pulled off the track.
“I guess from watching you and pap,” the younger Troutman told his dad.
“I’ve had Drake in the shop ever since he was a baby, like months old,” D.J. Troutman said. “Whenever my wife worked, he would have to sit there in the stroller because I had to work on the cars. It just kind of spiraled from there.”
Drake Troutman drew the pole for his first modified race, but elected to start at the rear. He finished eighth after gridding 18th.
By the end of 2017, in the last race of his rookie season, Troutman won his first feature at The Greater Cumberland Raceway in Cumberland, Md.
The wins followed in bunches: 14 in 2018, another 14 in 2019 — including two in his first eight late model races — and 15 a year ago, despite lost time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of May 18, Troutman had won 11 features this season.
This year, Troutman is chasing the Renegades of Dirt Modified Tour championship. By 2024, though, he wants to be in the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series and eventually make his way onto the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series.
“He just needs a little more time to develop,” D.J. Troutman said.
Those goals have changed through the years. Growing up, Troutman fixated on making it to NASCAR. Recently, he received some interest from various ARCA programs, including Venturini Motorsports. The cost of such a program, however, stifled things quickly.
“I just kind of came to reality that’s not going to happen,” Troutman said. “Of course, it was kind of tough. It was like, ‘Man, that’s a bummer.’ But the more I looked at it, I’m like, ‘I don’t even want to do that deal.’ … Dirt late model racing, it’s really growing. I feel like the Lucas Oil (Late Model Dirt Series) and the World of Outlaws are standing-room only when they come to town.”
The reason Troutman is putting most of his attention to his modified program is because he and his team are reaping the harvest of winning on the national level. That is something they simply don’t want to forgo: The opportunity to sharpen their program and learn how to win versus the best.
They’ll still run 40 to 50 late model shows on top of their modified tour commitments. Next year, the late model schedule will likely double.
He’s come a long way since that summer night at Bedford Fairgrounds, where he made his debut in a UMP Modified at 11 years old. Then, he was viewed as nothing more than a kid. Now, he goes by “The Kid,” vying to be known for something more than a catchy nickname and gaudy win totals.
“I want to be that guy who’s putting on a show,” Troutman said. “Where everyone is pointing their fingers and saying, ‘Watch him.’”