The future for NASCAR K&N Pro Series West’s most popular driver Salvatore Iovino looks a little brighter.

Iovino made his East Series debut Feb. 19, finishing 17th out of 27 at New Smyrna Speedway in Florida. After racing in the West Series last season for the first time, Iovino will add select races in the East Series this season.

“My main goal for the race was to get a feel for this car, we needed to get the car set up properly and just get some seat time in the car,” Iovino said. “I am pretty confident we did just that, and we are going to carry the momentum to our West Series opener March 18.”

Iovino has stayed busy off the track too.

Following the race, Iovino spent time in Daytona, Fla., attending Daytona 500 pre-race events with NASCAR personnel and Camping World Truck teams. He attended the NASCAR Diversity Awards, where he and his team, Patriot Motorsports Group, received recognition for their efforts on and off the track to benefit communities.

Then, Iovino spent this past weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway working with NASCAR Diversity to share his story with minority students interested in pursuing journalism careers.

Iovino also surprised classes from Matt Elementary and Liberty Middle School signing autographs and taking pictures with them in front of his NASCAR.

“Being able to give them the opportunity to smile, laugh and make their day really helps me stay motivated,” Iovino said. “Being such an inspiration to others really is inspiration to me. I truly believe in giving back to the communities in whatever form possible, whether it’s giving to charities or just spending time with others to brighten their day. To me, that matters.”