Travis Shumake looks to make history as NHRA's first openly gay driver

Contents:

• 'IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE FUTURE': OPENLY GAY NHRA DRIVER PREPAR TO MAKE HISTORY
• THIS OPENLY GAY NHRA RACER BUTS FRIDAY TOPEKA. HERE'S WHY GROUPS ARE LG UP TO ENDORSE HIM
• GRDR ANNOUNC SPONSORSHIP OF GAY NHRA DRAG RACER
• SASHAY AWAY: OUT GAY DRAG RACER MAK HIS BUT AT NHRL
• TRAVIS SHUMAKE STRIV TO BEE FIRST OPENLY GAY NHRA FUNNY CAR DRIVER
• GAY DRAG RACER TRAVIS SHUMAKE TRAS HIS R FOR A HALF-MARATHON & STILL MANAG TO REV OUR ENG

'IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE FUTURE': OPENLY GAY NHRA DRIVER PREPAR TO MAKE HISTORY

Nearly two years ago, Shumake had planned his but to the eic, high-octane world of Natnal Hot Rod Associatn drag racg as the erng body's first openly gay the son of NHRA Funny Car drag-racg legend Tripp Shumake, the younger Shumake had grown up that world, havg attend drag rac each summer at the Kansas Speedway and racg shifter karts wh his father the late the s sce his father died  a 1999 motorcycle accint, though, somethg kept llg Shumake back to the sport — back to followg his father's he started drivg. At a separate race Las Vegas, Shumake failed to qualify, markg the first time the Myer's dragster that he was drivg failed to qualify over eight all that, Shumake has learned to manage his expectatns, even as he prepar to qualify as the first openly gay drag racer at the NHRA Campg World Seri at Heartland Motorsports Park on Friday. We’ll see where go, " Shumake as he gets ready to race qualifiers Friday, Shumake is exced at the prospect of makg through to the elimatn rounds on Saturday and Topeka, Pri Kansas play role Travis Shumake's but as gay racerAs Shumake set out to make his but, one of his early challeng was fdg a sponsor.

"One of my hunch was that I would fd somebody willg to sign me who was makg cisns wh the pk dollar md — maybe a gay marketg officer or someone wh a marketg foc on the LGBT piece, " he he reached out to Sean Dixon, print of Vis Topeka, Shumake found someone who was not only willg to sponsor him, but also someone who was willg to vt a racer who uld crease visibily for a cy and sport that historilly have been characterized as nservative and unwelg to LGBTQ people. "His journey and beg the first openly gay sanctned driver really ronated wh , " Dixon said. "But the race r don’t know if I'm a boy or girl, or gay or straight, or Christian or Jewish.

Although they never talked about before his father died when Shumake was 15, his father knew he was gay. There’s 40 ln fans who self-intify as drag racg fans, and there jt should be a gay driver. Any number of thgs should have stopped Travis two years ago, Shumake had planned his but to the eic, high-octane world of Natnal Hot Rod Associatn drag racg as the erng body's first openly gay the son of NHRA Funny Car drag-racg legend Tripp Shumake, the younger Shumake had grown up that world, havg attend drag rac each summer at the Kansas Speedway and racg shifter karts wh his father the late the s sce his father passed away a 1999 motorcycle accint, though, somethg kept llg Shumake back to the sport — back to followg his father's he started drivg.

THIS OPENLY GAY NHRA RACER BUTS FRIDAY TOPEKA. HERE'S WHY GROUPS ARE LG UP TO ENDORSE HIM

At a separate race Las Vegas, Shumake failed to qualify, markg the first time the Randy Meyer's dragster that he was drivg failed to qualify over eight all that, Shumake has learned to manage his expectatns, even as he prepar to qualify as the first openly gay drag racer at the NHRA Campg World Seri at Heartland Motorsports Park on 's how to get tickets for the 2022 Menard's NHRA Natnals TopekaHe'll do so a rabow-lored dragster — plete wh rabow parachut — thanks to a first-of-s-kd sponsorship al wh Vis Topeka, the cy's statn marketg anizatn, and Pri Kansas as the anizatns look to promote the cy as an clive way"Nothg has ever gone exactly my way, so that’s why I’m simply exced to have a great time — to have a great r, and to have my fay at the track.

We’ll see where go, " Shumake as he gets ready to race qualifiers Friday, Shumake is exced at the prospect of makg through to the elimatn rounds on Saturday and Kansas State rearch program is helpg HBCU stunts bee agricultural scholarsVis Topeka, Pri Kansas play role Travis Shumake's but as gay racerAs Shumake set out to make his but, one of his early challeng was fdg a sponsor.

The gays are drag racg – but not jt for Ru! This month, Travis Shumake ma history as the first out gay driver to pete a natnal event on the Natnal Hot Rod Associatn (NHRA) racg circu.

GRDR ANNOUNC SPONSORSHIP OF GAY NHRA DRAG RACER

Now, his son Travis is makg history on his own terms as an out gay man a straight-centric sport such as racg. Travis has also been outspoken about his g-out story and how he's planng to reprent the LGBTQ+ muny this the historic nature of Travis' reer as an NHRA driver, he has now land a rporate sponsorship om none other than Grdr, the lotn-based datg app for gay through to check out pictur of Travis Shumake, and follow him on Instagram - @travihu - to see even more! As the sport's first openly gay driver, he also ma history a sport not typilly known for diversy.

A sponsorship om a big name the gay muny like Grdr is sure to brg a wir dience to the fold. “As a gay man Ameri’s olst nservative Motorsport, thentic reprentatn matters, " Shumake said a statement om Grdr. “As a gay man Ameri’s olst nservative Motorsport, thentic reprentatn matters.

SASHAY AWAY: OUT GAY DRAG RACER MAK HIS BUT AT NHRL

At 280 MPH, I’m proud to be turng heads and raisg eyebrows wh Grdr as a partner”@ShumakeTravis is queerg the racetrack as the first openly gay profsnal drag racer ? — Grdr (@Grdr) Augt 17, 2022Reviews Edor. He found the tomotive reviews sectn of CNBC durg his sophomore year of llege and has been wrg about rs ever sce. Travis Shumake is mak wav as an out gay drag racer (Photo: Twter/Grdr).

TRAVIS SHUMAKE STRIV TO BEE FIRST OPENLY GAY NHRA FUNNY CAR DRIVER

Driver Travis Shumake offered up a different drag race altogether when he beme the first openly gay man to take part the Natnal Hot Rod Associatn (NHRA) Natnals Topeka, Kansas. The 37-year-old gay drag racer had the Grdr logo emblazoned across his cht, and said of the llaboratn wh the gay datg app that “thentic reprentatn matters”, and he was “proud to be turng heads and raisg eyebrows wh Grdr as a partner”. At 280 MPH, I’m proud to be turng heads and raisg eyebrows wh Grdr as a partner”@ShumakeTravis is queerg the racetrack as the first openly gay profsnal drag racer ?.

The world of profsnal sports remas one that is not always acceptg towards openly queer participants, but a number of gay athlet have cemented themselv among the greats the South Ain sports — jt thk of Caster Semenya (athletics), Sute Viljoen (javel, cricket), Jane van Wyk (soccer), Cal Rooskrantz (artistic gymnastics), Marizanne Kapp (cricket), Portia Modise (soccer) and Phuti Lekoloane (soccer). The lack of male gay reprentatn on this list is tellg, and Lekoloane highlighted that cultural stigmatisatn is still the drivg force behd gay profsnal sportsmen not feelg fortable to e out. “There are soccer players who are gay [but are] still the closet bee they are sred of discrimatn and homophobia, ” Lekoloane told MambaOnle 2019.

GAY DRAG RACER TRAVIS SHUMAKE TRAS HIS R FOR A HALF-MARATHON & STILL MANAG TO REV OUR ENG

Send generatn drag racer and out and proud Phoenix native Travis Shumake has been by blazg a trail as the world's first ever openly gay drag racer. I was always the token gay of my teen years.

Racg is a fairly nservative and heteronormative sport — have you had any blowback om beg out and proud and now the fastt gay on earth? To keep up wh the fastt gay on Earth, vis. Travis Shumake is the son of former NHRA Funny Car driver Tripp Shumake, who was killed a motorcycle accint 36, Travis Shumake hop to bee the first openly gay driver the NHRA Funny Car class.