Nur Ali is the first Pakistani race car driver to compete in National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing or NASCAR.
With little resources and no connections in the racing circuit, Nur toiled his way to success with just family by his side.
At 38, he has achieved what many can only dream of. With his own Ali Motorsports, he now competes with the best drivers in the U.S. Nur holds the unique privilege of being Pakistan’s first A1 GP driver.
Here, he talks to Pique about his career, life and passions.
So, arguably the first Pakistani to become a professional racing driver, how does that feel?
Exciting! Racing has been a passion of mine since I was four years old so to be able to live my dream is incredible. But I also enjoy opening people’s eyes to something new, something different.
What was the moment you realized that competitive racing was your true calling?
Racing is all I have ever wanted to do. Honestly, there was no single moment in my life. It’s been in my blood since I can remember. I can recall switching on the TV when I was a boy growing up in Germany and watching Formula 1 races. I would get really close to the TV and watch these supercars whizzing by at over 320 kph, giving me such a rush. I was sold!
Did you have a role model?
In my youth, Ayrton Senna. I found his driving style to be very smooth. And one thing I learned from watching him was to keep my eyes open to everything around me all at once.
Talk us through your early career and the struggles in Skip Barber Formula Dodge (98-99)
Unlike other drivers, I had not been doing this since I was young and I had no network within the racing community. I had no coaching, no team, not to mention any idea on how to even get started. I didn’t even know we needed sponsors! Through online research, I learned about the Skip Barber School of Racing and just a little bit about the business of racing.
I arrived in Florida to drive for the Skip Barber Formula Dodge Racing Series with literally a handful of days of experience in a race car, and my passion and drive. I wasn’t always up to speed; I was spinning out a lot. I generally finished in the middle of the pack — mid 20s out of 40 or so cars. I learned just how difficult racing can truly be.
Setting up Ali Motorsports with your brother in 2000, how critical was family support in enabling you to be the racer that you are now?
When I came back from Florida to Texas, my father gave me a pad and a pen and told me to start writing letters to potential sponsors. In the meantime, I needed to continue my career. Being a businessman, after figuring out the costs, my father decided that we should build a race team. My brother came in as my manager and the CEO of Ali Motorsports.
My father’s decision to start up a race team is what kept my career going at full steam. I am where I am in my career today only because of my father and my brother’s hard work, and my mother’s prayers.
You won back-to-back championship titles in 2001 and 2002 (Southwest Formula Mazda). How did you handle the pressure in 2001?
For my 2001 season, I had finally picked up my first sponsor — a local food and beverage distributor out of Dallas, Texas. So, from the beginning, there was more pressure to do well for the Sponsor. Having a sponsor on board changed everything. It legitimized my entire racing organization. I was now a real and true professional race car driver. I had arrived! The racing community took notice. But also, our local Pakistani community took notice. Up to that point, people thought my racing was a joke, a hobby.
Coming into the 2001 season, I had won some races in the Legends Racing Series, but none in the Star Mazda Southern Race Series as it was known then. What was different about this season, though, was my newfound confidence. I won my first race early on in the season, and from there we just picked up momentum. I won another race, and another, and another.
As I started taking the checkered flag more and more, it just became easier and I became more relaxed. I could see the championship was within my grasp.
I went into the last race of the season third in points for the championship.
The only way I was going to win the championship was to win this race. That’s when I finally felt the pressure. This race was taking place just outside of my hometown of Dallas, Texas. My whole family and all our friends were there to cheer me on, some 70 or so people. I wanted to win this, not only for me, but for them for supporting me through it all. And, of course, I wanted to show everyone that I could do it and that racing was very real to me.
I started the race in third position. I decided that I was going to let first and second fight it out, and then wait to make my move at the end. About a quarter through the race, first position spun out. He slid back in behind me, so now I was running second. He quickly came back and passed us to get back in first. First and second continued to fight it out and with just a few laps remaining, they spun each other out. These guys were good, though, so I couldn’t back off any. I ran just as hard, flat out, all the way, knowing that they could very easily come back and win this thing.
I even told my Crew Chief that I wasn’t going to slow down until he told me the race was over because I wasn’t sure that I would believe it when I saw the checkered flag.
I did see the Checkered Flag but I still wasn’t sure the race was over. My Crew Chief came on the radio and said, “Checkered flag is out! You won the race! You won the Championship!” I looked up to the sky and said Shukar.
Did you feel more pressure in the follow up season after being crowned Southwest Formula Mazda Champion?
We had a change in Crew Chief for the second season so there is always a period of adjustment and learning to work together. John and I just connected really well. John had a calming way about him. He loved to tell stories, joke and just created an overall relaxed atmosphere around the team. Working with John I didn’t really feel more pressure the second season.
How was the step up joining A1 Grand Prix in 2006?
Exhilarating. Nerve-wrecking. Intense. Pressure filled. All of these things, all at once.
How was it different from races driven in the past?
I had been driving in smaller, regional development series in U.S. and Canada. This was now a global platform. I was representing my home country. There was definitely more pressure and more eyes watching me.
The cars were much faster and more powerful than what I was used to driving. I was racing alongside some top up-and-coming drivers in the world, guys that had been doing this since they could barely walk.
In late 2007, you decided to switch to stock car racing. What was the motivation behind that? How was your subsequent experience of ARCA Racing Series?
Here in the U.S., stock car racing is much more popular than any other type of racing, namely the NASCAR series. The ARCA Racing Series is often used as a developmental programme for NASCAR.
In preparation for my switch to stock car racing, I did a test with Cunningham Motorsports and we determined that I was ready to race at their biggest and fastest track for the first race of the season at Daytona International Speedway. I had to learn a new style of racing and it was thrilling! I loved stock car racing.
I became the first Asian American driver to compete in ARCA. I have run five races in the series and plan to run more in 2013 to continue training for growth in my career.
Texas Governor Rick Perry presented you with an official commendation. Mayor of city of Southlake, Texas proclaimed Jan. 25, 2008 as NUR ALI DAY. Tell us about that?
It was a very humbling moment. Governor Perry sent me a letter recognizing that as a Texan of Pakistani descent, what I was doing was unique. He wanted to honour that, as did the Mayor of Southlake, the Honourable Andrew Wambsganss.
For someone born in Pakistan and seeing the situation drastically change in the U.S. post-9/11, how do you view the future of Pakistanis in the U.S., especially those wishing to pursue professional race car driving?
Racing is still racing, regardless of ethnicity or even sex, as evidenced by Danica Patrick’s success in Motorsports. At the end of the day, I am a race car driver. I just happen to be doing something no-one from my country has ever done before. It is always refreshing to see something different and that is how my racing is viewed here in America.
Whether someone wants to race here in the U.S., in Pakistan, in Europe, or elsewhere, it is not easy. I hope by reading my story, they see how difficult it can be. I want everyone to chase their dreams. That is what my story is about.
In 2012 you made your debut in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Would you call it a bigger achievement than racing for Pakistan in A1?
Not a bigger achievement, just a new achievement. Both are fantastic racing series with extremely skilled drivers — just on different platforms.
Were you ever tempted to pursue Formula 1 — ever considered competing for a place in that format?
I briefly considered Formula 1 before A1GP but knew that there were more opportunities here in the U.S. to get into stock car racing.
It’s not every day you see a race driver with a degree in International Relations. What pushed you to pursue the field?
Education has always been a high priority for my family and for me so I couldn’t imagine not getting a higher education. Politics was my second love after racing, so it seemed obvious to prepare for a future career in that — post-racing, of course.
Do you see a future in Pakistan of hosting racing events?
After seeing what the country was able to do for my presentation at Fort Lahore for the A1GP Team Pakistan launch, I most certainly believe Pakistan is capable of putting on a great show.
Do you at some point see backing the creation of a racing circuit in Pakistan with foreign/U.S. collaboration?
At some point in the future, I see it as a real possibility.
You’re 38 now; do you consider hanging your racing helmet and retiring in the foreseeable future for some much-deserved family time?
Recently at NASCAR Speedweeks in Daytona, there was a 71-year-old driver, as well as a 55-year-old that competed in NASCAR’s top series, finishing third in the Daytona 500. I have no intention of hanging up my helmet in the foreseeable future. I have an incredibly supportive family so as long as Allah graces me with good health, I will keep racing.
What would be your advice to aspiring racing drivers especially Pakistanis?
There are no short cuts to a successful racing career. Start small with go kart racing. Work your way up, slow and steady. It is all about gaining “seat time”. What we do is dangerous, so please DO NOT try it on public streets. Racing on a track is a different experience, and we have specially crafted cars and safety equipment. Whatever your passion, go for it!
The writer is a journalist based in Islamabad.
