BELCHERTOWN, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) -- A local NASCAR driver is defying the odds. He’s taking a car him and his team built in a local garage down south to compete at Daytona Beach.

Western Mass News spent the day learning about what got him here, just a week and a half away from his childhood dream. For Belchertown’s Glen Reen, it was a quick shift from baby bottle to full throttle. “I started at four years old in a go-kart and then five years old in quarter midgets. And then basically raced everything with a motor since, whether it be a snowmobile, a dirt bike or cars...I can’t tell you how many people, teachers, friends, you name it, have been like, you’re out of your mind. Like, you got to give up. Like, you got to go get a real job and like, stop playing with cars,” he tells us.

Though getting behind the wheel at any stage, local or national, takes more preparation than you might expect.

Glen explains the process to us, saying, “Biggest thing we do a lot is core training, a lot is diet...A lot of, like, shoulder and strength because you’re always turning the wheel...I think I ran a heartbeat monitor back a couple years ago and my average heartbeat was 144 and the peak was 181.”

Another part of that preparation includes transforming a horse barn at your house, into a racecar garage.

Drag Racing Hall of Famer Ralph Ridgeway tells us, “They said, ' we cannot believe you can part this car together in a barn in Belchertown. You’ve got an 86-year-old drag racing guy who builds the engine, and you kicked our butt on the track.’” Of course, enlisting drag racing legend and family friend, Ralph Ridgeway, to be your ace mechanic, always helps.

Ralph reacts to Glen’s success, telling us, “To see him, be able to see him like this and know I had a hand in it. It’s just, it just makes me feel good.”

All of this leads to the fulfilment of a lifelong dream. Competing in Daytona on February 14th.

“Like, yeah, I can’t make every race because I can’t afford it, but, like, we’re going to pick one or two and you’re going to chase the dream. So, to go to Daytona is pretty... it’s unreal.” Glen continues.

He leaves us with one message for anyone hoping to forge their own path on the racetrack. “If I could tell any kid out there, if you think you can be a race car driver, don’t give up. You will get there. Just, you’re going to hear a lot of haters. I’ll tell you that right now. You can catch Glen Reen competing in the Arca Menards Series at Daytona on February 14th at 12 p.m., on FOX6.

Copyright 2026 Western Mass News (WGGB/WSHM). All rights reserved.