Francis’ success in Trans-Am caught the attention of the NASCAR fraternity. He made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in 2017 at Road America in Wisconsin, but he failed to finish the race due to an engine issue.
In 2018, Francis was named to NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program, which is designed to provide opportunities for women and minorities to pursue career opportunities in the driver’s seat and on pit crews.
Francis, an African-American, was a natural choice for the program. He joined Rev Racing, NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity race team, and made two starts in the ARCA Menards Series East. He turned heads with a pole and runner-up finish in his first start at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
“The main differences for me is just the way these cars drive,” Francis said of the NASCAR stock cars. “The Trans-Am cars, they’re a lot more nimble and more agile. The stock cars are big and they’re heavy. They’re brutes out there and they really tear up their equipment quick. We can go through a set of tires in 15 minutes if you want, just like beating the crap out of the car. So there’s a big adjustment there of how hard you can get on it and run it from the beginning versus pushing and waiting for the end of the race.
“I think they’re both really awesome in their own ways. The Trans-Am cars are insane. Just the horsepower they have and the grip levels and how fast we get around the race track,” Francis noted. “But there’s something fun about the stock cars being a lot slower in the turns. You’re sliding the thing sideways everywhere. You’re always nose to tail, rubbing on each other. I think it definitely is a fun driving environment. I don’t know I could really pick which one is more fun. They’re both really fun in their own way and exciting to drive.”
What’s next for Francis? A career in sports cars seems like a natural fit given his success in Trans-Am competition, but he admits he isn’t going to be picky. If he gets a call from Roger Penske to come drive for him in NASCAR or IMSA, he would jump at the chance.
Racing is racing as far as Francis is concerned.
“I think, honestly, I want to race anywhere that I can. Anywhere that I can get behind the wheel and be a driver I think I want to go and do it,” Francis said. “I don’t really have a preference if it’s going to be a NASCAR or IMSA car. I’d love to be a factory driver in IMSA doing that, but I would definitely not say no to a NASCAR ride in Xfinity or Cup or anything at that level. I think anywhere that I can go I’d be extremely happy.
“As long as I’m driving a race car, I think I’m going be set.”
Francis has been working on some potential deals to go racing in NASCAR again this year in addition to his schedule in the Trans-Am Series. He’s hoping his vast experience in Trans-Am leads to more stock car opportunities with the introduction of the new NASCAR Cup Series car in 2021.
“I’ve been trying to work with a few teams to see what we can put together for this year,” Francis said. “I’d love to go and do some more road course races out there. Seeing some of the new stuff come out for the next-gen Cup car coming out, it’s pretty exciting. It definitely seems like it’s gonna be more of a road course based car with the way that it’s going to be set up.
“I think there should be some more road courses on the schedule in the next few years and I think it’s gonna open up some doors for some road course drivers to be coming into the series,” Francis said. “I think over the next year or two you’re going to see a lot more of me coming out there and doing some more road course races in the series and more drivers in general coming into it.”
But what if this racing thing doesn’t work out? What if Francis doesn’t land a factory ride in IMSA or a stock car ride in NASCAR? What would he do instead?
That’s easy, according to Francis. He’ll work on race cars.
“I’m getting ready to start some different schooling with the engineering for motorsports. I’m really into working behind the scenes on the cars. That’s what I do full time here at our shop,” Francis said. “I’ve always had a passion for working on cars and the engineering side behind them. So I think that’s always kind of been a backup plan for me. It would be something in the motorsports world, but maybe more on the mechanical side of it.”