About Us

Our Mission

Battle Scarred Motorsports exists to provide a safe space for our heroes to recreate the bonds they shared while serving. The transition back into civilian life is often difficult for veterans for a variety of reasons. Many veterans struggle to adjust and find themselves in a dark place. There is no shame in this struggle but our heroes are too often making this journey alone, resulting in depression, homelessness and tragically, suicide.

Our goal is to provide a space where these heroes can reconnect with the family that they once trusted with their lives. Together we battle the problems so many veterans face and stand beside them now just as we did in uniform.

Adrenalin therapy is a powerful tool and auto racing is a challenging sport that requires teamwork. We build cohesive teams of veterans with shared backgrounds and experiences to become mutually supportive – in racing and in life! We share our stories, our memories, our struggles and we enjoy the fellowship and camaraderie only veterans can know, all while crossing that checkered flag at an insane speed.

Battle Scarred MotorSports has partnered with hundreds of Veterans and formed the bonds necessary to help them navigate the transitions of life successfully. This is our unwavering mission above all else, that none are left behind or walk alone.

Our Story

The BSM story begins when Co-Founder Brian Czech, while still on Active Duty in the Marine Corps, had to sell his 1978 F150 drag racing truck before leaving for a MEU deployment in 2017. Brian likes to tell how that truck was his therapy amid the madness and chaos of life. He admits that he may not know how to spell auto racing, and he may not be very good at it, but he knew that he liked to go fast and that truck was the tool that helped keep him grounded. When Brian returned from that deployment in 2018, as his wife will attest, without that truck he was a pacing lion with nothing to do and admits that’s exactly how he felt. He didn’t know what to do in his spare time and had no outlet to connect with other people.

Brian got involved with grassroots endurance racing and with the help of a few friends he put a car together to begin racing again. The first race was in April of 2018 with some Marine buddies and while it was obvious that they had no idea what they were doing, they felt the healing of the adrenalin therapy and had an amazing time. This event was the catalyst that got it all started. The second race was in March of 2019 in New Orleans. Everyone that showed up was new, except for Brian. Everybody that came out for that race was initially quiet, not talking and sticking to themselves. The race weekend started on Thursday afternoon with tech inspection and by Saturday afternoon, as Brian describes, you couldn’t get anyone to shut up – they had completely changed! There was another race the following month, this one in South Carolina, and exactly the same thing happened. After that race Brian called up a good friend, Brian Fennell and explained how he couldn’t shake the idea that this phenomenon could be used for good and to make positive changes in people’s lives.

Neither of them knew what it meant, how to make it work, or how to even describe it on paper, but after a good long chat they made it their mission to put Veterans and First Responders behind the wheel of a race car so they can benefit from this amazing form of adrenalin therapy and camaraderie. The first couple of races saw dozens of people coming out of the car giggling, smiling and shaking from the adrenalin, but totally pumped – and changed!

The cars are just the vessels, we think they’re cool, some people may think they’re crash derby cars, but they do the job and we love them.

The guys and gals that come out and race with us are just like anyone else; they’ve served, they’ve seen things, they’ve done things, they may not know how to talk to people, they don’t know how to make friends with people they don’t know, and many of us still struggle with that. This is why we exist as an organization. Self sabotage is real among veterans. We believe this is not something that people talk about enough and this is one of the things that BSM works very hard to address. We exist to help people open up, we work very hard to peel the shell back, get them to feel comfortable and secure, so they can begin to heal. We started with one car and a 10×10 tent in 2018. Fast forward to 2023 and we’re operating 8 functional cars with 2 more in the build pipeline and we’re spread out over 5 state Chapters.

BSM is making a difference. To be able to help real heroes get through life, we can’t begin to describe how important, and powerful that is.

When military folks transition, no matter when or where they served, the transition is hard. The structure they knew, the friends, the mission, the sense of purpose, the support, it’s all gone in a flash. Transitioning, or recovering from that is hard, especially for those that served in extraordinary circumstances. It takes a long time to learn this, to learn how to be a civilian again. Anyone who has gone through this knows this reality. If that’s you, if you’re struggling, if you find yourself thinking life sucks, and it does sometimes, there’s no shame in finding someone to talk to – you are not alone!

If you see someone who is struggling, or if you’re struggling on your own, reach out! Contact us, we will fly you out, put you in a car, we will get you fed, give you a bed, and we will partner with you and provide whatever help you may need because you are our family!

We are Battle Scarred Motor Sports and our story is just beginning!

Our Story - Valero Speech

Testimonials

"I enlisted in the Air Force in 2002 during both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. As a Services Craftsman, I was responsible for maintaining food service, fitness, sports and recreation support, lodging operations, and Mortuary Affairs. My tours of duty include Iraq, South Korea, Italy, and the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. I have always wanted to be a race car driver in some capacity, and couldn’t help but think about it every day. Growing up in the City of Atlanta, my exposure to the sport was non-existent, outside of television. My fortune recently changed after getting an email from Brian, who found me in a free agent driver’s pool. Brian explained to me what Battle Scarred Motorsports is all about, and I committed myself to his cause right away. It was the perfect storm of being able to support fellow veterans while living my true passion."

"I signed up with Battle Scarred Motorsports (BSM) to get some “seat time” in a race car on a world-class road course called the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. It was all about the racing for me until I learned more about the mission of BSM. I learned about the challenges our brothers and sisters in the uniform face when they come home from service overseas. I learned how some injuries suffered on the battlefield are not easily seen, and some can be invisible. It hit me hard as I watched a young veteran struggle to get into his racing suit and into the race car due to physical injuries sustained in service to our country. Once his stint on the track was over, and he pulled into the pits, the joy on his face helped me understand the value of the experience Battle Scarred Motorsports provides. We faced many race-related challenges, but we worked side by side with each other – my military and first responder brothers and sisters – as we prepped the cars and kept them running through a grueling race weekend. Before the weekend was over, I made some friends that I look forward to racing and wrenching with again in a couple of months."

"I grew up in Eastern Kansas and returned there after I retired from the military. I spent just over 20 years in the Marine Corps, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. During my service, I deployed to Japan, via US Navy ship with a Marine Expeditionary Unit, Liberia (for a United Nations Mission), Djibouti, combat zone tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. My non-operational tours were in Northern Virginia, working on weapons programs and at the Pentagon with Headquarters Marine Corps. Battle Scarred Motorsports provides a great way to get into racing. Ordinarily, the costs and complexity of getting into wheel to wheel racing are daunting. Still, BSM makes it about as easy as can be possible to experience real racing. They have a massive support structure and an experience level that makes the whole process much easier to navigate. The membership of the teams reminds us of the camaraderie and competitiveness that steered us toward military service in the first place. I have competed with the team once in Atlanta and once in Texas so far; I would like to run about four races a year with them going forward."

"I served 25 years in the Navy before retiring in 2019. I spent 15 years as a jet engine mechanic (ADC) on the enlisted side making it to the rank of E-7 (Chief). I was then selected to be an LDO (Officer) where I spent 10 years finally retiring after 25 years. Served in OIF/OEF along with multiple tours overseas. Attending the NOLA Lemons race was an experience I’ll never forget. Brian and the entire Battle Scarred Motorsports Team are a great group of people. I truly appreciate them giving me the opportunity and experience to drive a race car. I look forward to joining them again in Houston in November 2021."

"I’ve had the opportunity to have raced twice with these amazing humans. It’s such a cool experience to race a badass car, over a weekend of amazing food, fellowship, and legit bonding with like-minded people. They’re offering up an incredible experience for our Vet/LEO/First responder community. Full send at 125 miles an hour while sleeping trackside, eating 3 badass catered meals a day, and partying around racecars and racecar people! I’m going as often as I can!"

"Serving as Firefighter/Paramedic for Barrow County Emergency Services for the past 23 years, I am from Winder, Georgia, has seen my fair share of injury, death, and destruction. As the husband of a US Navy veteran and retired firefighter and the father of an active-duty US Coast Guardsman, I has witnessed first-hand the impact that stress and injury can have on our servicemen, women, and public safety members. After obtaining the rank of Battalion Chief, the presence and severity of PTSD became increasingly profound in my life. In 2018, I was introduced to the Battle Scarred Racing Team while working on the safety team at Road Atlanta for the annual Lemons Race. After a brief conversation, it was evident that I needed the Battle Scarred Motor Sports team for exactly what the organization set out to do; participate in a unique race experience while fostering friendships and providing an avenue to relieve stress. In December of 2019, I joined up with Battle Scarred Motorsports as a driver of the #412 Crown Victoria at Road Atlanta. I was is honored to drive at the 2020 New Orleans Motorsports Park, Military and First Responder Appreciation event. With my family in attendance, I hope that I can continue to spread awareness for post-traumatic stress disorders and promote an environment where like-minded people can come together and raise money for our service and public safety members in need."