In an industry defined by young talent and relentless turnover, surviving 25 years as a professional driver is rare. Doing that and still slicing through the grid at 43 years old—when the bulk of your competitors might be ten years or more your junior—is even rarer.
That rarity is a badge of honor for Mark Wilkins, who opened his 2026 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season by driving his Bryan Herta Autosport (BHA) Hyundai Elantra N TCR from P10 to P4 at Daytona and P12 to P4 at Sebring. Yet, when looking back at a quarter-century in the paddock, Wilkins doesn’t attribute his longevity to his ability to move up the grid. Nor is it the only reason racing is still his profession, especially when he’s now competing alongside drivers half his age.
You see, having navigated factory programs across Kia, Acura, and now nine years anchoring Hyundai’s N brand’s ascent, Wilkins learned early that “racing is just a piece of the pie.” To keep a seat at the table for 25 years, you need a much richer recipe than raw speed alone.
Experience is the Advantage Age Gives You
Across tight weekend schedules where a driver might only get two hours or less of practice time ahead of qualifying, experience becomes an immediate superpower.
“Age, time, experience, that’s where it really becomes handy because I don’t feel like I need very much time in the car,” Wilkins explains.
Where younger competitors often rely on hyper-aggressive, single-lap push efforts to find the edge, Wilkins knows it, and instead trusts his deep-seated muscle memory. After nearly a decade with Hyundai, the Elantra N TCR feels less like a machine and more like an extension of his own body.
Experience also reshapes how he manages physical fatigue and on-track tactics.
“Races aren’t won and lost in corners,” Wilkins says. “They’re won over being consistent and smart over the course of a season.”
Rather than denying the physical toll of high-heat endurance racing, Wilkins counters it with deliberate preparation—relying on circulating fans, cool suits, and strict hydration routines to stay sharp under pressure. More importantly, age brings perspective to manage risk: trading high-risk desperation for long-game strategy, knowing that single-corner heroics rarely yield championship points.
The Factory Driver Job is Bigger Than the Cockpit
The biggest misconception young drivers carry up the ladder is that manufacturers hire solely based on ultimate speed.
“When you work for a manufacturer, it’s a little bit different because it’s about the team…we’re pushing towards putting the manufacturer ahead of our own personal interests,” Wilkins noted.
Young drivers are trained to build their personal brands, appease individual sponsors and get their names on the top of the leaderboard. Manufacturers, however, invest in ambassadors who sell cars—and they won’t hesitate to replace a fast driver who damages the brand or team dynamic.
Earning a seat year after year in a revolving-door industry means being just as valuable off the track as on it. As Wilkins puts it, the job comes down to three key pillars:
“The non-negotiables are track performance, how you conduct yourself off-track, and understanding the brand and being engaged with the owners and enthusiasts.”
The Ego Trap: Why Humility Keeps Careers Alive
Motorsport has an inescapable way of stripping away ego, where one weekend's win turns into next weekend's struggle with tire degradation or pace.
“I try to steer away from ego as much as possible,” Wilkins admits. “I think it has this ability to humble you very quickly…I've never really seen where ego plays very well. It always ends up coming back at some point.”
In those difficult moments, rejecting ego keeps a driver from either blaming the machinery or destroying their own confidence. To keep his perspective grounded, Wilkins took up learning to fly airplanes, deliberately placing himself back into the role of a novice student. Stepping into an environment where he knows nothing keeps him comfortable continuously learning, a trait he brings straight back to the engineering trailer.
Passing the Torch
As a veteran anchor at BHA, Wilkins often partners with younger co-drivers hungry to make their mark. Watching teammates like Maddie Aust secure their first IMSA podiums brings him full circle, taking him back to his own formative breakthrough podium at Daytona in 2004.
For Wilkins, mentorship isn’t just passing the torch, it is an essential ingredient that keeps him involved. By shifting his focus from proving himself to elevating the next generation, he transforms into an irreplaceable cornerstone who shapes the team’s future. In a sport where aging drivers are often viewed as expiring assets, becoming a mentor makes him a long-term investment. He no longer drives to prove he belongs on the grid; he drives to build something sustainable alongside his team.
The Rush is the Final Piece
After 25 years of strapping on a helmet and pulling into the pits, for Wilkins the core sensation hasn’t changed.
“If you lose the rush then you should probably retire or get out of it…Why would we do this if it wasn’t fun?” Wilkins says.
On race mornings, the butterflies still hit hard enough that eating becomes a challenge, and watching his co-drivers take the green flag while anticipating his own stint still spikes his pulse. For a driver who still spends his days off thinking about the track, that rush is the final ingredient that keeps him firmly off the retirement list.
Like every track Wilkins has driven on over 25 years, there’s no straight path in professional racing. There is, however, a clear list of ingredients: experience, brand value, humility, mentorship, and that rush. Combine them with speed, and you’ve got the fuel to keep your foot on the gas for a long and fruitful career.
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