Vrooom. Engines revving. Exhaust filled air. Tire marks left in the asphalt of a random parking lot. Cars with thousands of hours of invested work line up, as people examine in awe and film for social media.

It’s an exhilarating car meet for future mechanic, designer, Connor Hartnell.

Hartnell started getting into cars during the pandemic. At first, it was just his friends who were invested in the world of speedy automobiles. He started going to these car meets with them and followed the owners on any social media he had.

Now he is finishing up an apprenticeship at Drive Direct dealership and going to The University of Northwestern Ohio to major in High Performance Motorsports Technology and Hybrid and Electric Systems. It’s a 3 year program where he’ll continue with the jolting hobby he loves.

The people close to him are extremely important to him even though he is very close to himself because he doesn’t like big social events. He is very introverted but if needed he can speed up and become extroverted very quickly.

A part about senior year that is quick to sadden him is that he’ll be leaving his fast friends and will no longer be a few miles per hour streets away.

A sweet piece he gets to take with him are the speedy memories he made with his friends on their long drives and trips to those random parking lots to see these loud, roaring machines. He will work on cars everyday getting to reminisce and remember his racing childhood with his favorite people.

He is a very talented mechanic and driver, even when he tends to make people car sick on those twisty country roads. He can even hear the sound of an engine and will speedily blurt out the engine type and car model. He will continue to grow this talent all throughout his journey of life and sharing his talent with anyone who’s able to crash through his built up walls.

“He’s my day one and I couldn’t ask for a better best friend in my entire life.” said best friend Harry Hutto.