MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. (WNCT) — Carteret County native Carsyn Gillikin has always lived her life to the max. No matter what she chose to do, she was all in.
At just 17, she has two burning passions, racing and music. She’s dead set on finding success in both.
Racing is simply part of life for the Gillikin family. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, then 15-year-old Carsyn decided to go from cheerleading to racing. Despite not even having a permit, she took to it immediately.
“We came out there for practice, we got a car, and our very first race we won,” Carsy said.
Since then, weekends have sounded and smelled like only a race track can.
“Our entire family is out at the race track every weekend,” said Christy Gillikin, Carsyn’s mother. “My brothers-in-law and their children race, and with Carsyn and her racing, it’s been really nice.”
“We went from cheerleading to racing, and as a dad that’s a great jump for me,” said Clif Gillikin, Carsyn’s father.
For a while, that became the focus, a family became a team.
“The best part for me is just the actual bonding time that we have in the garage, working on the car a little bit,” Clif Gillikin said.
But just like it does in racing, their life took a left turn.
“I wanted to go far, but I didn’t think I was going to ever have the opportunity to meet anybody to go that far until we went to Mount Olive,” Carsyn said.
Her love for music led her to an audition, which led her to the people at PCG Artist Development and a trip to Nashville.
“We got in the studio. Instantly I knew this is what I wanted to do. It was just kind of like a natural habitat for me I guess,” Carsyn said.
Now, the family is a team in the world of racing and in the world of music. Carsyn is definitely the star of the show.
She got her passion for country music from her parents. It’s a passion that has led her to Nashville and her first three songs, the first of which, “All Back Roads,” comes out July 28.
This year has been a blur for Carsyn, but she’s grateful for every chance she’s gotten in both racing and music.
“We’ve been to Nashville, we recorded three songs,” Carsyn said. “So none of us were really expecting to come out of it, but when it did. It was amazing and it led us to some awesome opportunities.”
So much has changed in her life and there’s no telling where the road will end. One thing is for sure, she’s going to keep her foot on the gas.”