Dirt Racing Takes a Sabbatical for Creech in 2024
By 500 Sprint Car Tour Media - Kelland Sloan
The newest competitor to throw their name into consideration for 2024 500 Sprint Car Tour Rookie of the Year award is Tim Creech. A native of Greenfield, Indiana, Creech has built his racing reputation as a dirt racer. After competing in select pavement events over the past few years, including two events with the 500 Sprint Car Tour, Creech will look to compete in all nine points events in 2024 and compete for the Rookie of the Year honors.
“It will be a big challenge to get the Rookie of the Year this season with these young kids coming up now,” Creech said. “Having the dirt experience, I feel, gives me a better feel for a car. I would be honored to win the award at the end of the season.”
Creech will enter a crowded field of qualifying drivers that will be battling it out for Rookie of the Year honors. Along with Nathan Byrd, Brady Allum, and Trey Burke, the battle for Rookie of the Year will be the most intense the series has seen since its inception. Creech arguably has the least amount of pavement experience, but is still an experienced sprint car racer in his own right.
“It's hard to think of myself as a rookie,” Creech proclaimed. “Pavement is where I have always wanted to be. I will be putting the dirt program to the side to focus on pavement this year.”
Creech began racing in 1996 driving a pavement quarter midget. In 2001, the family owned team made the decision to stick with what they knew best and he began competing in a 410 non wing dirt sprint car. Creech turned that decision into a career as he has continued to race a 410 non wing dirt sprint car ever since. Creech was given the opportunity to run Ted Slinkard’s #51 non wing pavement sprint car at Anderson Speedway and the experience led Creech to purchase one of his own. The 2024 500 Sprint Car Tour season will be Creech’s first full time pavement schedule in over 20 years. He will look to regain familiarity with his old craft when the series heads to Anderson Speedway on Saturday, April 6th to open the season.
Creech purchased his pavement car in the summer of 2023 from the McCune family. It is a BEAST Chassis that competed as a winged sprint car racing recently by Jacob Dolliner. Creech was able to compete in one event last year at Anderson Speedway. The team used the race to get acclimated to the track and the series.
The 2024 500 Sprint Car Tour season will see nine points earning events across a ten race schedule from early April to mid October. The 76th Annual Little 500 will once again be a non-points earning event for the series, filling out the ten race schedule in its traditional Memorial Day Weekend slot. For more information on the 500 Sprint Car Tour visit: 500sprintcartour.com and be sure to follow on social media (Facebook: 500 Sprint Car Tour | Twitter (X): @500SprintTour | Instagram: @500sprintcartour).
2024 500 Sprint Car Tour Schedule:
April 6 - Anderson Speedway | Anderson, Indiana | 24th Running of the Glen Niebel Classic
May 22-25 - Anderson Speedway | Anderson, Indiana | 76th Annual Little 500
June 8 - Berlin Raceway | Marne, Michigan
June 28 - Toledo Speedway | Toledo, Ohio
July 13 - Anderson Speedway | Anderson, Indiana | 3rd Annual Gene Nolen Classic
August 23 - Kalamazoo Speedway | Kalamazoo, Michigan
August 24 - Berlin Raceway | Marne, Michigan
September 7 - Salem Speedway | Salem, Indiana | 65th Running of the Joe James/Pat O’Connor Memorial
October 5 - Anderson Speedway | Anderson, Indiana | 9th Annual Tony Elliott Classic
October 19 - Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park | Brownsburg, Indiana | Championship Saturday
