Welcome to Track Heroes – Our Mission to Support Veterans and 1st Responders

OUR STORY:

Track Heroes started in South Carolina in November 2020. We are a mental health support non-profit (501(c) (3)) for veterans and first responders (V1Rs) focused on the healing effects of High Performance Driving (HPD) to address many symptoms common to V1Rs struggling in our community. Track Heroes offers specifically sequenced HPD opportunities to trigger emotional responses while teaching participants, called “Heroes,” the fundamentals of HPD handling, braking, cornering, etc. Our Adaptive Control Program (ACP) utilizes HPD to trigger and learn adaptive positive mental health responses. I created Track Heroes after I experienced the positive mental health benefits of HPD. As a Veteran who was a bomb technician, including tours to Afghanistan, Pakistan and two tours to Iraq, I had many post-service interactions with the VA’s mental health system. After years of working with the VA, my progress plateaued and I became frustrated. It was at this time that I discovered HPD education events and their amazing mental health benefits. That discovery changed my life and I knew that it could change the lives of many of my brothers and sisters with the same mental health challenges. Track Heroes was founded to provide V1Rs with opportunities to experience these benefits.  

THE SCIENCE:

During an ACP event, Heroes drive dedicated vehicles on a closed course with professional driving instructors and run through a sequence of HPD exercises. Very difficult exercises are held at the beginning, challenging the ACC to acknowledge that it does not possess the skills/knowledge necessary to accomplish the exercises. This “cognitive confrontation” forces the ACC to activate the front side, allowing the creation of new neural paths. These novel paths represent a new “racing mindset” and are reinforced throughout the rest of the day-long event. This mindset, combined with mental drills and knowledge gained during the course, reduces or eliminates inappropriate sympathetic activations, lowering hormone levels, rebalancing the HPA axis, and thus reducing the associated symptoms of the dysregulation.

Results:

• 40.6% felt more relaxed
• 40.1% reported being calmer
• 30.5% stated they felt “safer”
• 30.0% reported improved sleep
• 20.7% indicated less muscle tension
• 20.3% experienced increased energy

PRELIMINARY RESULTS:

Since 2021, we have held 43 ACP events involving 80 VIR participants. To verify and quantify that the ACP is helping, we evaluate each Hero’s “Sympathetic Activation Level” pre-event in writing and interviews to establish a baseline. We re-evaluate each Hero immediately after the event and compare the pre/post results. We also follow up one-week and one-month post event to observe the program’s longer effects. These initial findings indicate that Track Heroes is doing something positive for participants’ mental health. However, more in-depth and professional research and evaluation is needed to prove our novel approach can positively impact many struggling V1Rs.