The Southsider Voice
Visit us at these places!
  • Home
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • Sports
    • Car Nutz
    • Stilley Goes Trackside
    • Southside Deaths
    • Personal Recollections
    • Reminiscing
  • About the Voice
  • Advertising
  • Contact
  • Newspaper Archive
  • Classifieds

Franklin Central grad on Lazier team

5/24/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Derich Cutshaw
Picture
SOUTHSIDER VOICE PHOTOS BY BRETT HICKMAN Derich Cutshaw (left) is the data engineer for Lazier Racing Partners.
Picture
Cutshaw gives the No. 44 car of Buddy Lazier a push.
Picture
Derich Cutshaw
By B. Scott Mohr
Editor

One of Derich Cutshaw’s first memories of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is cheering for Buddy Lazier to win the Indy 500. Fast-forward two decades and the 25-year-old is serving as the data engineer for Lazier’s car at at the IMS.

“This may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so I’m enjoying it,” said Cutshaw, who is taking a brief leave from his normal job with Primus Racing, a team in the Formula 4 Series. “I’ll really be rooting for Buddy this year.”

He became acquainted with Lazier through Primus Racing as Lazier’s son, Flinn, raced for Primus earlier this year.

The deal almost didn’t come together. “I had told my bosses at Primus that there was a good chance that I could be on Buddy’s team,” Cutshaw said. But by Wednesday of last week he hadn’t heard anything and was thinking that the opportunity had fallen by the wayside. “Then I got the call at 8 p.m. Wednesday. The team had spent the earlier part of the week building the car. We didn’t run our first laps until Thursday.”

Although Cutshaw is charged with keeping tracking of fuel mileage and ensuring the engine is running correctly, “I think I’m capable of filling any role. I helped to develop the car’s setup, and I’m working closely with the engineers.

“I can pretty much tell by the data what Buddy is going to say after he makes a run.”

The main difference between IndyCars and F4 cars is the size. Because IndyCars are bigger, there are more processes to check out, said Cutshaw, who is one-half of the crew at Primus. His partner in crime is longtime friend Nick Denny, who serves as chief mechanic for Primus.

“You play a larger role on the small teams, and I like that,” said Cutshaw, who graduated from Franklin Central High School and IUPUI, where he earned a degree in motor sports engineering.

The role that the duo play at Primus is likely to expand. That’s because the owners are thinking about transferring ownership to Cutshaw and Denny in about three years.

“They see a lot of potential in us; they like what they see.”

Primus Racing competes six weekends out of the year with three races on each of those weekends.

“But there’s really not an offseason,” Cutshaw said. “We test in the winter and when we’re not racing.” However, the league sets a limit on testing to keep costs contained. 

To keep their skills sharp, Cutshaw and Denny race go-karts and work on them whenever possible.

Lazier, who won the 1996 Indy 500, qualified 30th for Sunday’s race. His speed of 223.417 is about 9 mph slower than pole sitter Scott Dixon, but that’s not a problem for Lazier Racing Partners.

“We were running about 220 today (Monday); I know we have about 3 or 4 more miles per hour. Buddy is pretty happy with us. He is laid-back, and I enjoy working with him. He has a lot of faith that we will make the right decisions. He knows we will have a good race car Sunday. 

“Our goal is to stay on the lead lap and finish the race. Realistically, a top-20 finish is achievable. I think Buddy is shooting for that. But anything is possible in racing.”

Cutshaw, son of Danny Cutshaw and Kathy Cutshaw and the brother of Rachel and Krystal, said the experience has been rewarding because his hard work, studies and knowledge are paying off. 

After Sunday’s race, it’s back to Savannah, Ga., where he and Denny will resume testing on their Primus car.
​
Life on the road can become mundane. “You see the inside walls of a lot of hotel rooms and a lot of racetracks,” Cutshaw said. “You really have to want to do this. That’s what makes motor sports so special. The people really want to be here, and that makes it one of the most fun jobs in the world.”  
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014

    Categories

    All
    Arts & Entertainment
    Lead Story
    Sports: 500
    Sports: Basketball
    Sports: Track

    RSS Feed

 DROP OFF: The Toy Drop 6025 Madison Ave., Suite D
Indianapolis, IN  46227  |  317-781-0023
MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 17187, Indianapolis, IN 46217

ads@southsidervoice.com | news@southsidervoice.com
Website by IndyTeleData, Inc.