Dusko Excited To Revive Racing Career in Prototype Lites

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Keith Dusko was a late entry to the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda last weekend at NOLA Motorsports Park, but he is positive the series is exactly where he wants to be.

 

New Orleans restaurant owner Dusko, 40, made his series debut with Eurosport Racing at his home track in the Lites 1 Masters class, finishing a solid fifth and eighth in class, respectively in Rounds 3 and 4 that took place in treacherous, rainy conditions.

 

“I’m really enjoying the people and drivers,” Dusko said. “It’s a fun group of guys and gals. It’s very competitive, which is where I want to be. It is a series where everyone is fighting for the win and having a good time racing hard.

 

“As a bit of an older driver, the endurance racing interests me more. As a younger driver, I pursued the formula path. But Le Mans is the goal, and this is where you start.”

 

New Jersey native Dusko first was exposed to motorsports through his uncle, who was a drag racer at Englishtown Raceway Park. Dusko worked at the dragstrip in New Jersey in high school and in his late 20s, but he started his racing career turning right and left in karting before climbing to open-wheel formula cars in the late 1990s, competing in Barber Formula Dodge and the Barber Dodge Pro Series.

 

He then switched to powerful shifter karts and Rotax karts as he also worked to build his successful sushi restaurant in the Uptown section of New Orleans, Chiba.

 

Dusko decided this year to join Prototype Lites in a rebirth of his racing career. A new number, a new car and a new series are all part of the renewal process.

 

He has always raced with the No. 12 on his machine. This year he switched to No. 11 to pay homage to the charity Son of a Saint, which he is supporting through his racing efforts. The No. 11 represents the number worn by Bivian Lee, who played football for the New Orleans Saints and died at age 36. Lee’s son, Sonny Lee, is the charity’s founder.

 

“We work with Son of a Saint, which is a charity that sponsors fatherless boys here in the city,” Dusko said. “There are 35 boys in program. I’m really passionate about the charity and helping these kids.

 

“The cross-promotion with the charity has been a lot of fun. We’ve taken them out to the (NOLA Motorsports Park) track, the karting facility. We have a bunch of the boys here over the weekend checking out everything. They’ve never seen a professional race before, so to see the look in their eyes as they take it all in is inspiring.”

 

Dusko’s goal is to promote and raise awareness for the charity’s endeavors nationwide as he travels to various race markets. Supporters can go online to sonofasaint.org to volunteer time or donate money for mentors for the sponsored boys.

 

The charity also plans to expand into other NFL markets, creating programs such as Son of a Falcon, Son of a 49er, for example.

 

When he’s not driving, Dusko’s interest is his business. His Chiba sushi restaurant, located on Oak Street near the Uptown/Carrollton section of New Orleans, provided preferred catering for the Pit Row Suites during the Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana last weekend at NOLA Motorsports Park.

 

“My business has absolutely helped propel my racing career,” Dusko said. “The goal was always to get back racing. A lot of our marketing is around motorsports. It’s exciting to be a part of all this. It presents a lot of pressure at the home track; we have a lot of people out here for the weekend!”

 

The crossover between Dusko’s dual passions for his restaurant and racing are evident on his business card, which carries a motto “restaurant – racing – family.”

 

Dusko’s next event will be in Watkins Glen, New York, for Rounds 5 and 6 of the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda on June 25-27. The races will take place during the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen for the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

Adam Sinclair
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