{"id":90063,"date":"2023-10-19T22:18:27","date_gmt":"2023-10-19T22:18:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/from-street-outlaws-no-prep-kings-rookie-to-rising-star-nate-sayler-talks-wins-bucket-list-event\/"},"modified":"2023-10-19T22:18:27","modified_gmt":"2023-10-19T22:18:27","slug":"from-street-outlaws-no-prep-kings-rookie-to-rising-star-nate-sayler-talks-wins-bucket-list-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/from-street-outlaws-no-prep-kings-rookie-to-rising-star-nate-sayler-talks-wins-bucket-list-event\/","title":{"rendered":"From \u2018Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings\u2019 Rookie to Rising Star, Nate Sayler Talks Wins & Bucket List Event"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s late afternoon, and Nate Sayler is driving two hours through Montana to pick up a truck for his wholesale business. He\u2019ll then have to return two hours back home before beginning to pack for his 5:50 a.m. flight to North Carolina the following morning. From there, it\u2019s another hour drive to Galot Motorsports Park, where he and his team will immediately set up their pit area. Such is the \u201cluxurious\u201d life of a <\/span>Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings<\/span> driver.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI cannot explain to you how worn out I am,\u201d Sayler says. \u201cWhen I go to bed at night, I don\u2019t even remember putting my head on the pillow. This <\/span>NPK<\/span> is a whole other three jobs in one.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Not that Sayler is complaining. He\u2019s getting to live out his dream, competing against a group of drivers he\u2019s watched on television for the past 13 years. The dream began turning into reality after he met Jay Boddie, a <\/span>Street Outlaws<\/span> and <\/span>NPK<\/span> veteran, at the Street Car Super Nationals in Las Vegas.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe was really cool,\u201d recalls Sayler. \u201cIt reiterated that these guys are not just weirdos on TV. They\u2019re normal people. So I went to one of the <\/span>NPK<\/span> races, and it kind of sank in that I should be doing this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sayler quickly got in contact with Larry Jeffers Race Cars to put together a 1967 Chevy Nova with a Pro Line Racing Hemi and ProCharger, purpose-built specifically for <\/span>No Prep Kings<\/span>. From there, it was simply a matter of getting on the show.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe originally started last year in the Futures class,\u201d Sayler says. \u201cWe went to Norwalk and won, then went to Steele, Alabama, and we won there. A couple of the other drivers said, \u2018Hey, you really ought to try and do this.\u2019 At that point, I knew we had a hot rod.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sayler arrived at National Trail Raceway for the beginning of the 2023 season, still unsure whether he\u2019d be running in the Futures class again, or get drafted to a team for the Invitational. To his surprise, he was taken in the first round \u2013 fourth overall pick \u2013 by Boddie. After that, it was simply a matter of getting acclimated to lining up against stars he\u2019d been following for over a decade.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe first three races, I was so starstruck seeing guys like Kye Kelley and Ryan Martin in the other lane,\u201d says Sayler, laughing. \u201cI was so nervous, I just couldn\u2019t get over it. Those first three races I sucked ass. I could not get out of my own way, no matter what I did.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe fourth race, I finally had a meeting with all my crew guys,\u201d continues Sayler. \u201cI said, \u2018I\u2019m sorry. I\u2019ve been screwing the pooch, and I\u2019m going to get my shit together.\u2019 And that race, things started changing. We started going rounds, and I was doing what I was supposed to be doing.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Going rounds might be an understatement. In the past four events, Sayler has two $40,000 Invitational wins, as well as a Great 8 victory and runner-up. After being traded to Ryan Martin\u2019s team a couple races ago, his performance has helped vault them into second place for the Team Championship, 35 points behind Team Kye Kelley. He is also third in the Great 8, trailing Kelley by just 15 points for the Individual Championship.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have gone to the finals a bunch lately,\u201d Sayler says. \u201cMy tuner\u2019s got a hold of this car, my crew is getting a handle on maintaining it, and I\u2019m getting her in her groove. We\u2019re going to ride that train as long as we can.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the success he\u2019s found in his rookie season \u2013 he\u2019s already won more events than many drivers who have competed in the series for years \u2013 Sayler admits his accomplishments still haven\u2019t completely sunk in.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, I\u2019m still kind of beside myself,\u201d says Sayler. \u201cThe competition is insane. Everybody is on top of their game. I knew we had a fast car, but these guys have been doing this for so long. And I\u2019m a guy that feels like I\u2019m not anything special. I\u2019m just doing what I\u2019m doing. I feel like it\u2019s not even real.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sayler is also quick to point out that his success stems from a support system of family and friends that allows him to do what he loves. Still driving on that Montana highway, he gets emotional just talking about it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy sister comes to every race with me,\u201d Sayler says. \u201cMy crew gives up all their time with their families to help me chase my dream. It\u2019s unreal. You wouldn\u2019t think people would do that, that they\u2019d want you to succeed so badly they\u2019re willing to sacrifice with you. If I didn\u2019t have them, I couldn\u2019t do any of this. It\u2019s not me \u2013 it\u2019s all of the people behind me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That sacrifice also makes it difficult to say for sure where he goes from here. <\/span>No Prep Kings<\/span> is currently nearing the end of a brutal schedule that features events in eight consecutive weekends. As much as Sayler loves participating in the series, he admits its grueling nature may not be sustainable for him to continue long-term. He has other goals, including the Jr. Dragster he\u2019s currently building with his five-year-old daughter.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDepending on what the schedule looks like for <\/span>NPK<\/span>, I would love to do it,\u201d says Sayler. \u201cBut I also can\u2019t watch my daughter grow up from a phone. I have to see my kiddo, and I have a business to run. I wouldn\u2019t have anything to come home to if I didn\u2019t. If they are nicer about the schedule next year, I would love to keep doing what we\u2019re doing, because I think we\u2019re rocking the boat a little bit.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Outside the realm of <\/span>No Prep Kings<\/span>, Sayler has another dream he wants to fulfill that may surprise some of his fans. It involves building a completely different car than what he currently drives, but he appears up for the challenge.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s only one other thing I want to do, and that\u2019s the World Series of Pro Mod,\u201d claims Sayler. \u201cI\u2019m not kidding when I tell you I was glued to the TV watching it. It was badass. I think I\u2019m a decent enough driver that if I go and have the right crew behind me, I would be able to qualify and do some damage. It\u2019s now a bucket list item I want to do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The post From \u2018Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings\u2019 Rookie to Rising Star, Nate Sayler Talks Wins & Bucket List Event<\/a> first appeared on Drag Illustrated | Drag Racing News, Opinion, Interviews, Photos, Videos and More<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s late afternoon, and Nate Sayler is driving two hours through Montana to pick up a truck for his wholesale business. He\u2019ll then have to return two hours back home before beginning to pack for his 5:50 a.m. flight to North Carolina the following morning. From there, it\u2019s another hour drive to Galot Motorsports Park, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-90063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90063"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90063\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}