Bryan Herta followed a common theme as many other current race car drivers, kart racing. Starting at 12 years old, Bryan began winning from the very beginning. In the 7 years he raced karts, Bryan won 6 championships, and captured the "Sportsman of the Year" award in 1985. From karting, Bryan moved into Formula Ford competition taking the series by storm and winning 14 of the 18 races and taking the series championship in 1989. The next year saw Bryan move into sports cars, and the Saab Pro series where he came in fifth his rookie season. In 1991 Bryan continued his winning ways, by capturing 4 wins, and 2 poles to take the Saab Pro Series Championship.

1992 was the year that Bryan moved back into open-wheel cars with the Indy Lights Series where he took 5th overall for his rookie season. True to form, Bryan improved his standings, taking 7 wins and 8 poles on his way to the 1993 Indy Lights Championship. His championship opened the door for Bryan to move into the big leagues of open-wheel racing. Bryan has since competed in the CART series, IRL and the American Le Mans Series.