April 25, 2013 - The Long Road to Success

Nick Esasky, automotive technician at The Performance Factory in Concord, N.C., always had a passion for cars, but NASCAR Tech launched his successful career.

Nick Esasky, automotive technician at The Performance Factory in Concord, N.C., is like a lot of other guys.  He enjoys Atlanta Braves baseball and fast cars. The only difference? Nick Esasky knows how to transform everyday vehicles into high-powered performance machines. While Esasky is talented and worked extremely hard to get where he is today, he always remembers how NASCAR Technical Institute (NASCAR Tech) helped him achieve his goals.

Growing up in Atlanta, Esasky was into a lot of different activities. He had a passion for sports and participated in almost everything imaginable under the hot Georgia sun. But it was his love for motorcycles, dirt bikes, Jet Skis® and racing related video games that he attributes to his passion for cars.

“I wasn’t always interested in cars, but as I got older I realized the potential that existed to make [car] engines unique,” Esasky said. “It was just that blood-pumping adrenaline feeling that I had already experienced that drew me into the career that I have today.”

Esasky recounts spending time with his father and grandfather in the driveway of his childhood home receiving his first lessons in maintenance and basic engine building. 

“My grandfather worked on airplanes and my father had always been able to navigate his way around an engine, so I did receive inspiration from them,” Esasky said. “But my biggest inspiration comes from my father-in-law. He was the director of aircraft maintenance for Bell South and really gave me the confidence to follow this path.”

However, before Esasky decided to make a career as an automotive technician, he first realized what it was he didn’t want to do.

After high school graduation, Esasky and his wife enrolled at the University of West Georgia. Esasky explained that even after three years, countless hours studying mechanical engineering and a still burning passion for cars, he didn’t think he was at the right school. But instead of looking for alternative routes to pursue an automotive related career, Esasky then studied and worked as an artist for about two and a half years.

“As I was molding and creating metal sculptures on a regular basis I started to believe that if I can do this with metal to create art, there is no doubt I can apply this skill-set to engine building,” Esasky said.

And with that realization he was off.

There was an automotive shop nearby that was his first real entry into the career he wanted to pursue. Esasky quit school and began working there full-time, but recognized that without the proper credentials his opportunities for advancement would be limited.

“I said to myself if this is what I really want to do then I should get some sort of formal training. That was the tipping point that led me to NASCAR Tech.”

Atlanta and Mooresville, N.C., where NASCAR Tech is located, are nearly 270 miles apart. But the school’s pedigree and rich racing partnerships and curriculum were enough for Esasky to venture far away from home.

“The NASCAR and fabrication electives were probably the biggest reason I applied,” Esasky said. “Even though I was into road racing and not necessarily NASCAR, the technical skills and application is relatively the same. Plus, the automotive and racing opportunities that exist in the surrounding area alone are unbelievable. It’s the place to be.”

Once on campus and in awe of the facilities, it was apparent that Esasky had made the right decision.

“The single biggest factor for me about my experience at NASCAR Tech is the instructors,” he said. “I became friends with a lot of them and was quickly taken aback by the amount of insight and knowledge they possessed. Every instructor took time with me before and after class and my success is a credit to them.”

A standout student and highly-skilled technician, Esasky earned himself a lot of elite employment opportunities as graduation approached.
“I worked really hard during my time at NASCAR Tech which led to great employment opportunities,” Esasky said. “But without NASCAR Tech there is no way I would have had the options that I did.”

Taking a little bit from each of his unique life and education experiences, Esasky is now enjoying his rewarding career as an automotive technician at The Performance Factory. 

“I enjoy the challenge of seeing how much power we can create. Being able to construct something so intricate with my bare hands from the ground up is a really rewarding feeling.”

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