About

Team53 started as an online racing team by Justin Laxton building setups for the Late Model Stock on iRacing. We now build setups for iRacing Legends, SK & Tour Modified, Late Model Stock, and Super Late Models. The core of Team53 is the sharing of knowledge and transparency by the teams drivers. Every member of the Team53 Sim Team have access to the same setups, team chat, and telemetry. There's a reason our iRacing Setups are #NeverWateredDown.

Fast forward to Spring 2023, and Team53 purchased a late model for weekly racing in Wisconsin, opening a new chapter in the team's story. The 2023 season did not go to plan, as Justin's dad was having complications from cancer. We were able to make it to several test sessions and two nights of weekly racing. Unfortunately Justin's dad passed away in October 2023. Justin raced in 2024 competing weekly at Jefferson Speedway. 

In 2025, a new generation of racer began, with Justin's daughter Sydney taking to the track. Sydney raced at Badger Kart Club in Dousman, WI, and at Road America's Briggs and Stratton Motorplex in the LO206 Junior class. Sydney was able to bring home a Top 5 in points in her rookie season at Road America. 

About Justin

Justin grew up on racing. Attending his first races at LaCrosse Fairgrounds at 10 months old. He learned his numbers, colors, and geography from racing.

Fast forward to today and he is an avid iRacer, currently ranked in the top 75 oval sim racers out of over 142,000 users. Justin spent much of 2023 preparing for 2024, attending weekly practice sessions at Jefferson Speedway and entering a few races at the end of 2023. Justin claimed the iRacing Season 3 Late Model Stock Championship and finished 2nd in the Super Late Model Series Championship. He also started racing in the SARA Contender Series and after 6 races was invited to race in the SARA Super Series against drivers such as 5-Time ARCA Midwest Series Champion Ty Majeski,former NASCAR Pinty’s Series Champion Cayden Lapcevich, and NASCAR Xfinity Series Driver Parker Retzlaff.

About Sydney

Sydney has competition in her veins. At the age of 13, she’s an accomplished gymnast and pageant finalist.

With gymnastics being a primarily winter sport, and pageants only occuring a couple times a year, Sydney looked to fulfill her competitive spirit. She and her dad began karting at Sugar River Raceway in the summer of 2024 and Sydney immediately loved it. With karting now running in her veins, Sydney has jumped off the deep end, and races at both Badger Kart Club and at Briggs & Stratton Motorplex at Road America.

In Sydney's rookie year of karting (2025) she was able to finish 5th in season points at Road America despite missing the first race, and 11th at Badger Kart Club.

Sydney is an active member of Shift Up Now, an organization working to help find the funding, partners and sponsorship for female athletes to continue competing at professional and semi-professional levels in motorsports.