For Oliver Askew, winning the Mazda Scholarship Shootout in 2016 followed up with a championship in USF2000 in 2017 was quite an accomplishment. In addition, another scholarship from Mazda eventually led him to go to Pro Mazda this season. “Winning the USF2000 Championship plus winning the scholarship shootout the previous year, has really propelled my career forward,” Askew said. “I don’t think I would be racing at this level if it wasn’t for this program, and I’m just so blessed to be a part of this program to get to where I want to go,” Askew continued.
This year, Askew is running in the Pro Mazda Series with Cape Motorsports and says it’s the fastest car he’s ever driven. “I’m having a lot of fun running in the Pro Mazda series with Cape Motorsports for the last two seasons. We have had our highs and lows this season which is not really where we want to be. We want to be more consistent this season and there is still a lot of opportunities for wins. We just have to push forward and see if we could put a couple of wins on the board before the year is done,” Askew remarked.
Askew started racing go karts when he was just 7 years old. He would run at the local go kart track where he lived. He started getting serious about racing when he was just 11 years old. In 2015, he made his car racing debut in the Formula Masters China Series where he scored four top 10 finishes in 6 races. “It kind of gave me a head start to go to the Mazda Road to Indy where one day, I would get the chance to compete in the Indycar Series since I was 12 years old. My step from carts to cars was difficult and a lot of that was being in the right place at the right time,” Askew added.
Heading into this race at Mid Ohio, Askew is excited for the two races coming up in Pro Mazda especially since he is coming off a podium in the last race in Toronto. “I am always excited to go racing, no matter where we are going. Mid Ohio will be particularly exciting, for a few reasons. I am interested in carrying our momentum that we built in Toronto, and I am also looking forward to competing on a technical, flowing, permanent road course like Mid Ohio, where we have had success in the past,” Askew commented.
This year, Askew is working with Cape Motorsports once again which has taught him a lot during his time with the team including taking a USF2000 Championship in 2017. They have taught me almost everything I know about car racing, since this is only my second full season in cars. With that said, it would be hard to put my finger on all of the experiences we’ve had together.” Askew stated.
“If I were to take one thing away from my experience with them, it would be to always carry a positive, hard-working mindset into every hurdle or task that lies ahead. Every race day counts for a very small percentage of the amount of days we have to work to compete at the level we do,” Askew continued.
Pro Mazda will run two races this weekend during the Mid Ohio Race Weekend. Pro Mazda is the second step in the Mazda Road to Indy on the path to the Indycar Series.