Obtaining a construction engineering degree is hard enough, but being a national champion race car driver and majoring in construction engineering is even more of a challenge.

Just ask Brad Barickman, who is completing a class this summer to attain a degree in construction engineering and racing a sprint car in competitions across the Midwest.

“I have been racing since I was eight years old and have competed in more than 100 races. I started racing go-karts, moved up to mini-sprint cars and then eventually started racing sprint cars. Even though I have been racing for so long, I still get nervous at the beginning of every race, but eventually the adrenaline takes over, and the only thing on my mind is racing,” said Barickman, an Omaha, Neb. native.

Barickman has always been a strong competitor. At age 11, he was the national champion go-cart driver in his age division.

Besides winning the National Championship, Barickman’s other accomplishments include winning “Rookie of the Year” at an Eagle, Neb. race in 2000 and setting a new track record in Hastings, Neb. in 1996. Barickman is not only a competitive racer, but also an avid hockey player.

“I originally came to Iowa State to play hockey and study engineering. But eventually I got my priorities straight: racing and school,” Barickman said.

Barickman’s father Dave agrees.

“Brad has always balanced school with racing,” Dave Barickman said. “He knows that school has to be number one, even though he enjoys racing more.”

Dave Barickman introduced racing to his son early, himself being a former a motorcycle racer for about 10 years.

“Brad first wanted to race motorcycles, but I didn’t like the idea. I told him motorcycles were too dangerous; he needed a roll cage over his head,” Dave Barickman said.

Brad gives credit to his girlfriend, Erika Anderson – also a student at Iowa State – for always being supportive, but said his parents have been the main reason he has achieved so much.

“They never pushed me to do anything. They just gave me all the support they could,” Barickman said.

The Barickman family views racing as a family hobby. Brad and his parents, Dave and Dottie, attend races every weekend across the Midwest.

“We do all the work on the car ourselves. This is the first year Brad has ever stayed in Ames for the summer, so he hasn’t been able to spend as much time maintaining the car as he would like,” Dave Barickman said. “If everything goes well, we’ll spend around 30 hours a week working on the car, preparing it for competition by changing all the vital fluids and checking everything over. We have had over five cars and we do everything ourselves, except for the painting.”

Not only does the family contribute mechanically, but also financially.

“A typical engine on a sprint car cost around $20,000. By the time we purchase fuel and pay gate fees, a typical weekend will cost around $200. We usually break even though, because Brad is a great driver,” Dave Barickman said.

Although Brad wishes that he could race as a career, he knows that he could realistically not make a living racing.

“In five years, I will hopefully be employed as a project manager for a construction company,” Barickman said, “and racing as a hobby on the weekends.”