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Shore natives Gage, Dante Thomas serve on pit crew

By Jon Gerardi 4 min read

When Jersey Shore native Gage Thomas, 16, was a kid, he remembers vividly going to Clinton County Speedway to watch dirt track racing. Every summer and fall, you could find Thomas at the speedway watching various drivers compete in different divisions.

He's always had an interest in dirt track racing since watching those events when he was 5. Thomas is now a student at Milton Hershey School and when he told Nadine Krempa, Milton Hershey School director of enrollment management, about how he loved dirt track racing, she instantly told him about a great opportunity: working on a pit crew for a World of Outlaws race.

World of Outlaws, based in North Carolina, competes throughout the east coast and races at a nearby track in Williams Grove in Mechanicsburg, not far from Milton Hershey School.

For Thomas, the chance to be on a pit crew was something he knew he'd love to experience.

"Miss Krempa from admissions invited me after I came to Milton Hershey in the spring because I told her then I was into dirt track racing and she followed up with me this fall a few weeks ago and asked me if I wanted to participate in World of Outlaws and help the pit crew out," Thomas said. "I'm exhilarated. It's unreal to get this opportunity and participate. One of the probably best things I ever dreamed of doing. An awesome opportunity."

And for Thomas, what makes it even cooler for him is the chance to be on a pit crew alongside his twin brother Dante.

"Having my brother there is definitely going to be way more enjoyable because I prefer to do things not alone. I've been with him my entire life, done everything with him," Gage Thomas said. "I can't remember a single day I did something without him. Having this opportunity is very crucial to our relationship and going to lead to more things in the future."

Gage and Dante Thomas worked as part of a pit crew during a World of Outlaws race in Mechanicsburg on Oct. 15 as part of the Champion Racing Oil National Open. The duo worked directly with the race teams in the pits, cleaning the cars, putting air in the tires and checking the structural integrity of the cars in between race heats.

Milton Hershey School has a career and technical education program, which helps students like Gage and Dante Thomas gain hands-on skills in areas like automotive technology.

World of Outlaws came to Milton Hershey School during the spring in an automotive class and met with a number of students at the school.

"They've been real good partners to our school in terms of inviting us to different events and we're grateful for that," said Dave Vagnoni, Milton Hershey School media relations manager. "When they came to us and said they had an event in Mechanicsburg and we'd like to have some of your students come out, the students were excited."

Entering the Champion Racing Oil National Open two weeks ago gave Gage Thomas a little bit of nerves. After all, it was his first time on a pit crew, let alone for World of Outlaws.

"I have a lot of nerves because I don't know much about the whole pit crew scene, so I'm a bit nervous," Gage said prior to the race. "My brother took automotive class at our old school in Jersey Shore. He'll know more than I do, but if anything, he'll help me out as much as he can."

"When I got the email a few weeks ago from Miss Krempa, I was exhilarated. I told everyone that I had this opportunity and I was going to do it, take a hold of it and make something out of it," Gage said.

Gage doesn't know what the future holds for him or his brother in terms of careers just yet. While he loved the chance to work on a pit crew for a dirt track race, a sport he grew up loving at Clinton County Speedway, the chance to work on a pit crew was awesome, even if his career doesn't lead him to the dirt track.

"I believe that this opportunity will probably stoke something inside me to do something following my high school career in dirt track racing," Gage said, "but, I always looked toward welding."

Regardless if he gets involved in dirt track racing, welding or something else completely, the opportunity two weeks ago at the World of Outlaws race is one Gage and Dante will remember for awhile.

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