Laster would start racing go-karts at the age of eight at the Indianapolis Speedrome. Four years later, he would move on to racing Ford Thunderbirds and other various types of stock cars.[2][3] According to Laster's dad, Dane, he would describe Brayton's equipment as a Frankenstein-esque vehicle, saying that "There’s times where I look back and I feel bad about some of the stuff I put him in over the years. But he’s had to drive his heart out, he’s had to learn to work on it to get speed out of it."[2]
For most of his career, Laster has driven the No. 13 along with green paint, both racing superstitions that are rumored to give bad luck. Laster said that he wanted both qualities as a satire to both superstitions.[4]
Laster is nicknamed "The Pizza Man" for his love of pizza. According to Laster, he was self-proclaimed obsessed with pizza, which started with the Indianapolis Speedrome selling pizza for concessions. It then "became my identity", and he was reported wearing numerous clothes that looked like pizza throughout middle school, earning the nickname from teachers. The nickname eventually moved over to his racing career.[3]
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