On Thursday, Nov. 2, I finished up my work for last Sunday’s Dispatch so I could board a plane and head to Austin, Texas to cover Greater Pittston’s Michael Costello’s last race of the season in F4 open-wheel racing.
Austin is the home of the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) racetrack, home to world-class races like NASCAR, Indy Car, and Formula 1. It’s an awesome track and a few weeks ago, 400,000 people converged at COTA for the Formula 1 race.
Formula 1 is better known as F1 around the world, is one of the most popular racing series around the globe. Knowing that 400,000 were at the track is inconceivable but it happens every year.
I was able to book a hotel near the airport and it was totally filled because the University of Texas was playing Kansas State University in football the same weekend and many hotels were booked solid.
Texas U. is the home to over 55,000 students and it’s also the home of the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library, which I had a chance to visit when race weekend was over.
Costello is someone I’ve been covering since he was still in single digits when he was racing go-karts. Now the go-karts I’m speaking of are not like the one you possibly built when you were a kid. No, these karts move and move very fast with no walls to surround you.
Michael has been a fast driver since day one and his skill level has increased each and ever season.
After a few years, his abilities were noticed by Jay Howard Driver Development racing where Michael was able to transition from driving a kart to sitting in a racecar.
He was able to do that this past year and for most of the season, he was settled in at the second position in the driver’s race.
The last two stops at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) and COTA were not so kind to him having some racing incidents as well as nursing a car ending up with mechanical issues. He still finished fifth for the season, which is extremely respectable out of over 40 drivers.
Not too shabby for a 16-year-old from Greater Pittston.
What’s really important to note, he caught the eye of Anton Stipinovich, a man that spent 20-years at the top level F1 series working with Michael Schumacher, who won seven World Championships in his career before retiring.
Stipinovich is partnered with current F1 driver and former World Champion, Fernando Alonso, in search for worldwide talent.
Stipinovich oversees North America and spotted Costello and signed him. Anton told me when he signs a driver; he or she is on a five-year track to get to either F1 or Indy Car. Costello has been eyeing up Indy car since he was a young man.
Let’s put it this way while making a pun, Michael is in the company of big-time racing greats and when he signed with Anton, it no longer was for fun, it became a serious business as his father, Pittston dentist, Dr. John Costello, knows all too well.
To race in F4 this past year, it was about a $300K proposition. That is a lot of dough and a huge commitment from the Costello family.
Dr. Costello, his wife Nicol and twin sons, along with Michael, relocated to Florida to be closer to a racetrack while Dr. Costello still maintains his dental practice with Dr. Anthony Polit at their Pittston location.
It’s pretty hard for Dr. Costello to be away from the family as much as he is, but again, racing became very serious and the family is aware of it.
At the completion of the race at COTA, days later Michael announced his jump into the next series, USF2000. That means bigger cars, lighter cars, more horsepower, a bit more down force and the competition is a bit more fierce with more experienced drivers.
By joining USF2000, the younger Costello is closer to realizing his dream and Stipinovich’s master plan is shaping up nicely.
I’ve become so close to the vest with Michael, when he wins I’m very happy and when he loses, I feel the loss.
I spent some time with him and his dad prior to the last race of the year at COTA. His spirits were high and he was looking forward to getting on the track, but when he had to drop out due to mechanical
reasons, I didn’t even approach him. I was probably the last guy he wanted to see even though I’m a friend of the family.
Michael won’t be driving at tracks close to Pennsylvania so I’ll depend on watching races on YouTube like I did this year with the exception of New Jersey Motor Speedway and COTA.
Read more about Michael in the article I penned for today’s edition.
Back to the LBJ Library, while on the tour, I was very moved as I got to the display behind glass of the actual dress Lady Bird and suit LBJ wore while being sworn in as president after JFK’s assassination. The actual Bible he took the oath on was there as well.
While at the library, I got a Facetime call from WNEP’s Chelsea Strub and her boyfriend Rob Bresnahan while they were running at the NYC Marathon. Who does that? If you know Chelsea, she does.
Thought of the Week
“Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.” — Lyndon B. Johnson
Quote of the Week
“Doing what is right isn’t the problem. It is knowing what’s right.” — Lyndon B. Johnson
Bumper Sticker
“A man without a vote is a man without protection.” — Lyndon B. Johnson
