Joseph Burris is a race car driver from Georgia. Our sales representative, Victor Gollahon, had the pleasure of meeting Joe in Gainesville, GA, and introduced him to Tripak! Joe is also an Army Veteran and a Retired Firefighter.
Joseph Burris
This video from Joe Burris's YouTube channel talks about his life and how he came to racing in an unconventional and inspirational way.
Here is Victor's account of meeting Joe and bringing him on to Team Tripak:
"I was in a rural area of northern Georgia working on another project soon after I started working with Tripak to help in marketing. I stopped at a small building a little ways off of the beaten path and there were two or three small businesses in the building. I went around to the back side and entered a door and was introduced to Joe Burris.
I sat down and as I always do, I looked around at the office to see what is on the wall or tables. I was surprised to see one shelf completely covered with racing trophies. Someone was obviously having some good success in some part of racing, so I asked Joe about it. Joe told me that he was a driver in a road racing series and that yes, he was having good success. He also told me there was a story to go along with his success.
This all takes place near Gainesville Georgia which is just down the road from the Atlanta Motor Speedway. I had seen the track which is also close to where I was living at the time. Joe said he really liked being around racing and had a car of his own that was pretty fast, but since he was in his late thirties, it was just a dream. His wife surprised him with a gift of a racing program for the Speedway that included lessons and then at the end the ability to actually be in a race.
Joe relayed how excited he was about the gift and how much he enjoyed the lessons, but on the day of the race, it was a downpour. Undeterred, Joe went out and started. He said he actually does good in rain and seems to be a good fit for his style of racing. At the end of a race a gentleman came up and commented that Joe had been putting down some good laps and then asked what team he raced for. Joe responded that he was not on a team and that this was his first race.
With that the gentleman responded that Joe should come with him and meet a few people. Next thing you know, Joe is on a racing team and on his way.
It was a really fun story, and I began to tell Joe about Tripak and the idea that it might be something he and his team might be able to do some testing with. He agreed and I left him a variety of products to try out. I kept in touch with Joe, and we talked about his racing and the progress of Tripak from time to time. Then Joe called and asked me if I would like to be in a race. I had no idea what he was talking about, but he explained that Atlanta Motor Speedway had something called Track It, Track Days. I could ride along with him in an actual race on the Speedway track.
I said I was all in for the adventure and met him at the track. I had to sign a disclaimer of course saying that if I were injured or killed in the race that Joe nor the track were held liable, but after that we got started. I took a parade round first in his streetcar along with a lot of other people who just wanted to be on the track to see what it was like. Then we waited for our race to come up.
After thirty minutes or so in the pits talking to the crew and looking around, Joe said it was about time and asked if I was ready. I replied that since I was not wearing a diaper, I might want to make a quick trip to the nearby port-a-pot just to be safe. I was just kidding and was really excited to be in the race.
We got started and it was a real rush. I have driven fast and spent years on a dirt bike racing with friends pushing our machines to the limit, but that did not prepare me for this. We took turns at eighty that I would not attempt at fifty. We passed much faster cars and came up behind vehicles so fast I was about to push a hole in the floorboard. Joe kept looking over at me and asking if I was okay and I always replied or give him a thumbs up. When he asked me again, I replied that you can tell if I am doing okay and enjoying what I am doing if I am smiling. I told him I had not stopped grinning since we started. It was such a great experience and I am preparing myself for the next race in a much faster car."
Joe Burris in the Red BMW
We are proud to have Joe Burris on Team Tripak and wish him the best of luck in all his races! Follow Joe and learn more about him from his website and social media:
