At the moment, Patrick Dempsey is an actor who also races cars professionally.Like Steve McQueen, Paul Newman and other established actors who have ventured into racing, Dempsey realizes he receives more press attention for his sex appeal on screen than his driving skills.
Dr. Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd is working hard to change that perception.
Dempsey, 46, who has received global attention for his role as a doctor in the drama “Grey’s Anatomy,” continues to expand his race-car efforts.
Owner of a professional auto racing team based near Atlanta, Dempsey credits sponsor partnerships with businesses such as the tourism group Visit Florida for helping him strengthen his fledging Dempsey Racing enterprise.
“We wouldn’t be able to make it to the races without their support and help,” he said.
Dempsey and his pair of Visit Florida Mazda RX-8 GTs — the No. 40 visitflorida.com/Share a Little Sunshine car and the No. 41 FishingCapital.com/Bass2 Billfish car — were in Indianapolis last week for the inaugural Brickyard Grand Prix.
Dempsey, who has raced competitively in the Le Mans and Daytona 24 Hours endurance race classics, embraces the unique camaraderie of car racing.
“I prefer it much more than anything I do in Hollywood,” he said.
Although Dempsey’s busy Hollywood schedule can sometimes force him to miss a race at the last minute — he’s currently finishing the ninth season of “Grey’s Anatomy” — he thinks his career as an actor helps him behind the wheel of his race cars.
“Because of the acting, you are used to taking direction,” Dempsey explained.
“I am good when I get a lot of feedback. I like the mental challenge of just being in the moment, very present, and being very consistent with hitting your marks and not worry about the outcome.”
Dempsey, polite and engaging, also admits to looking forward to the day when he can race and mentor young drivers full-time.
It’s not a pipe dream, even for “McDreamy.”
“I think to get to the next level, I need to focus 100 percent on racing,” Dempsey said.
“It’s very difficult coming out of a show, coming out of a movie, though I can make that transition much faster now compared to when I first started.
But I have to commit to it on the level of my fellow drivers who are doing this full-time as their profession.
“I am at a distinct disadvantage because right now, I am trying to balance it all — team owner, actor, father and race car driver.”
