Jaime Carrasco isn’t your average Mount Carmel junior. He has a bond with cars that comes from years of working with them with his father.
Growing up in Veteran’s Park neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, Carrasco spent his childhood surrounded by engines and the city. He attended Sacred Heart School just down the street from his house for his elementary years. He fills his free time with friends, hanging out with them, attending paintball matches, and spending time with his dad at both their shop, Top Notch Muffler and Brakes, and their garage.
While most teens spend their weekends scrolling through their phones and going out with friends, Carrasco is hard at work with his father on both their own personal projects and their customers’ cars. What began as a hobby and then a skill has become something more–a shared passion with his father that is constantly getting strengthened.
His interest in cars started when he was young and grew into a hands-on love for building, fixing, and understanding how things work.
“Since he was small, I mean like little, he’s always had a passion for cars,” says his dad, Mr. Jaime Carrasco, Sr. “He’s always been around cars since day one.”
Having grown up with his own father working on vehicles, Mr. Carrasco naturally brought his son into the same world. “We always had a garage and I always had projects,” he says. “We were always in the garage doing something, and he was always there wanting to learn.”
That curiosity has turned into experience. Together, they handle everything from oil changes to complete rebuilds. “It’s something I could learn and use in the future,” the younger Carrasco says.
Working on cars has taught him responsibility and patience. It’s also helped him and his father grow closer.
“It changed our relationship in a good way,” his dad says. “It was more like bonding with him, showing him what I learned from my dad and passing it on to him.”
Their biggest project so far has been their race car, a Ford Mustang Notchback built for racing. “It’s cool to see when it’s going on the track, it’s something that we did,” Jaime says. His dad agrees, calling it one of his favorite experiences. “We spent a lot of time on the race car at the track, tuning it, trying to get it faster every time,” Mr. Carrasco says. “That’s the most fun thing that we do together.”
The MC student has learned that success in the shop depends on attention to detail. Ensuring that everything is in its proper place. “If you mess up on one thing, everything’s going to be messed up,” he says.
The process can be tough, but it’s also rewarding when everything works right. His dad has made sure that every lesson in the garage connects to something bigger.
“Be honest with people,” Mr. Carrasco says. “Honesty will get you a long way. And sometimes you’ve got to help people even if they don’t have money.”
Even with long hours in the garage, Jaime still makes time for school. “Sometimes I take my homework to the shop,” he says. “When we’re not busy, I just do it there.”
It’s a routine that takes focus and time management, but he makes it work. His dad is proud of how invested his son has become in working on cars and recalls when he first noticed that he was becoming serious about it.
“I could see he was more interested in the racing stuff after I bought the second race car,” he says. “I’ve raced all my life, but that’s when I knew he wanted to be more involved.”
After high school, Jaime will go straight to work at the shop, helping customers with tuning and adjusting cars for better speed and performance.
“A customer would bring in a car and tell me what they want,” Carrasco explains. “Then I’d tune it on the computer to get the horsepower they’re looking for.” He hopes to one day use his knowledge to help others build and improve their own cars.
When asked about their favorite memory together, his dad recalls something they both enjoy doing together. “Doesn’t matter what we drive, I think speed is what he likes and what I like as well,” he says.
That shared love for speed and mechanics continues to bring them together, no matter the vehicle.
For Jaime Carrasco, the garage is more than a workspace. It’s where he learns, grows, and connects with his father. Every bolt turned and engine tuned adds to his knowledge and his future.
What started as a childhood interest has become a real direction in life, built through shared effort, honesty, and a love for the craft.
