500 Sprint Car Tour Roundtable: Volume 3 - New Race Tracks
500 Sprint Car Tour Roundtable: Volume 3 - New Race Tracks
In 2023 we are going to release a bi-monthly roundtable for our readers. These roundtable discussions will allow readers to get a glimpse behind the scenes of the 500 Sprint Car Tour. Follow along as we talk to drivers, owners, crew chiefs, and family members about life in the fast lane.
Today’s Question: Which of the “New” tracks in 2023 are you most excited for and why?
Tyler Roahrig - “I am looking forward to Nashville, I raced there once before when I was really young and really enjoyed it. It's a fast place with a lot of texture and character, and a historic facility to say the least. It will be a relatively new market for sprint cars so hopefully we will impress some new fans.
I am also excited to race at Lorain because it is a similar track to those I grew up racing on. I have also raced a winged sprint car there twice so I am really excited to go back and race with a non-wing sprint car!”
Taylor Ferns - "I am excited for them all! I have quite a few laps at Toledo and we have had strong runs there in the past. I guess you could say it’s a “home track” to me being about an hour or so from my residence in Michigan so a lot of family and friends are able to come out, watch me race, and experience all the excitement at the track. But, I always love a new challenge and racing at tracks we’ve never been to before like Lorain and Nashville.
New tracks bring a fresh energy to the schedule and different sets of challenges. It will be cool to showcase the 500 Tour in new territories and bring sprint car racing to Nashville in what is predominantly known as Late Model country. Should be some great racing!"
Tom Paterson - “I'm probably one of the few drivers that have actually raced at all three tracks. I ran Lorain in a winged sprint back when the HOSS series was in existence. I've run Toledo the most as I've run winged sprint, non-winged sprint and Silver Crown there. And I ran Nashville a couple of years ago in a winged sprint car with the King of the Wings series.
I'm probably looking forward to Lorain the most as it is a smaller, flat track where I feel it won't take a big engine, just a good handling car. It's late enough in the year where we will hopefully have the bugs worked out of the car and we can run well.”
Billy Wease - “A new track I am most excited for has to be Nashville. It’s really cool to go to a track with a lot of history. Going to a high banked half mile that is really worn out and slick should provide amazing racing!
I think Nashville is going to be similar to Iowa Speedway which I ran in 2006 and 2007. I was able to finish 3rd in the sprint car race there in 2006 and won the midget race in 2007. Both tracks are high speed, momentum race tracks with big long corners.”
