For the past two years, senior Nick Almada has been following a family tradition by participating in off-road racing. During the weekend of Nov. 13-15, he raced in the Baja 1000, a 1,000-mile race put on by Score International in Baja California, which took him 36 hours to complete.

Q1: How did you get involved in racing?

A1: My family. They have been involved in off-road racing since before I was born. They’ve been racing longer than anyone can remember.

Q2: What do you feel your greatest accomplishment or your favorite part of racing?

A2: Finishing a race. It’s not the easiest race in the world, so finishing is great because I feel like I survived. We have about 10 races a year, and there’s a lot of competition around each race. Just finishing a race is a great accomplishment-so is winning. The rush is definitely one of my favorite parts. It’s hard to explain, but the rush you get from racing is like nothing you’ve ever felt.

Q3: Is racing something you see yourself pursuing as a career?

A3: I can make a career out of it. There are people who race for a living. If I continue to get better, I’d make it my career.

Q4: Is there someone in racing who inspires you?

A4: Probably the one who inspires me most is BJ Baldwin. He’s a seven-time champion. He is someone who I looked up to growing up, and now I’m racing with him. It’s sort of tough because I want him to win the race, but I want to beat him as well because he’s someone I look up to.

Q5: How has racing impacted your life?

A5: It had introduced me to many other people. I know them from racing, and they know me. It’s also affected me at school because when I have races, I sometimes have to miss school. It hinders me from learning in school, but I also get to learn out there.