While many sports teams look to their counterparts as a family, few become family. The rarity of the occasion is why Park Place Motorsports holds VIRginia International Raceway in such high esteem. Park Place Motorsports competes to win under the direction of Lead Engineer John Horton in the GT Daytona class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series and Platinum class of the Porsche GT3 Cup ChallengeUSA by Yokohama series.
In 2011,Hortonand Lindsey teamed up with Park Place Porsche of Dallas and createdPark Place Motorsports. The duo set out to make Park Place the dominate Porsche team it is today, and along the way, they also became brothers. Horton and Lindsey have been paired as engineer anddriver for over a decade. The duo first began working with each other back in 2007. Horton helped Lindsey segue into professional racing with his team, Horton Autosport. Lindsey showed absolute dedication to the advancement of his race career and his family was there to support his aspirations.
The Lindsey family traveled race to race cheering the team on and providing hospitality for the crew. It was during the 2008 season when Lindsey’s sister Kielle made the trip from California to Virginia to watch her brother race. Due to a busy work schedule, Kielle would pick one race a year to attend making this her first trip to an event with her brother racing for Horton Autosport.
A full day of travel marred by flight delays delivered Kielle to the race trackin less than top form. VIR offered up a hot summer day and a rough day at the track for the Horton Autosport crew. However, the day seemingly got instantly better for both when Horton and Kielle were introduced. Lindsey’s familywould describe the moment years later. Kielle arrived under the tent, and John looked up from under the hood of the car, their eyes met, and everything else seemed to fade away.
“It had been a long day at track for everyone so I don’t know that anyone picked up on what was happening,”Lindsey said. “I can remember them maybe bantering a little but I never thought anything of it. They had kept it quiet because at the time I was a customer to John, so it was a different relationship. But now I can’t imagine it being any other way. Weenjoy our family business.”
Horton realized there might be something there by the following race as Kielle had managed more time off to attend. By the end of their second race weekend together, both admitted to having interest in the other. The pair began dating almost immediately. Five months after meeting at VIRginia International Raceway, Horton proposed to Kielle in their hometown of Santa Barbara, California on the Alameda Padre Serra overlooking the California coastline. They were married May 11, 2009, and recently celebrated nine years of marriage.
“It was like a light switch from day one,” Horton said. “At VIR we were both in relationships, but by the next race, we were both single. She only picked one race a year to come to, so I knew maybe something was going on when she came to the next race. “We actually kept it from her family for three months. Then one day I called Patrick and told him I was dating his sister. He thought I was joking at first, but I told him what my intentions were and thatit was getting serious. Then a few months after that we were engaged. It was instantaneous.”
Today, the Horton family has expanded to four and Park Place Motorsports has extended to two. Horton engineers the No. 71 Eucon Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car running in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama series this weekend. The series supports two 45-minute sprint races set to take place Saturday, Aug. 18, and Sunday, Aug. 19, in Alton. The races are preludes to IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship action at VIRginia International Raceway.