NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — The transition to full-bodied stock cars for Toyota prospect Jade Avedisian has been a seamless one during the opening nights of New Smyrna Speedway‘s World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing.
Known for her success in dirt midget competition, the 17-year-old from Clovis, California, is participating in the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing as part of an expanded Pro Late Model schedule this year. Each race for Avedisian has been an improvement over the last, as she currently sits within striking distance of the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing Pro Late Model points lead.
The week has moved quickly for Avedisian in multiple ways. She entered the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing focused on gaining experience. She understands the expectations placed upon her, but knows a strong week at New Smyrna is a solid first step towards one day racing at the premier levels of NASCAR.
“Growing up, I’ve always dreamed of going to NASCAR and racing in it,” Avedisian said. “I never thought it would be a reality. Obviously, I’m still far from it, but I’ve been doing dirt for so long and I thought that was going to be my path. This is a crucial year for my career, so I want to go out, do the best I can and hopefully I’ll win a lot of races.”
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Facing stellar, seasoned competition is an exercise Avedisian has acclimated herself to while competing on dirt tracks around the United States.
This composure was exemplified during her debut Chili Bowl Nationals appearance in 2023. In a field that featured more than 300 drivers, Avedisian put together a near flawless week inside the SageNet Center to earn a 13th-place finish out of 24 cars in the championship A-Main.
Although she was not a factor for the victory, Avedisian’s overall performance at the Chili Bowl against seasoned dirt racing veterans cemented her as a driver to watch. The accolades kept accumulating for Avedisian after the Chili Bowl, who ended the 2023 season with five victories in a dirt midget.
The 2024 season saw Avedisian add events at road courses and paved short tracks to her schedule while also balancing out a plethora of dirt events. It did not take long for Avedisian to adjust, as she piloted a Donnie Wilson Motorsports Pro Late Model to Victory Lane at North Carolina’s Hickory Motor Speedway in only her second race with the team.
Avedisian believes she could have won her debut race with Wilson at Orange County Speedway in Rougemont, North Carolina, but is proud of the progress she has made on pavement since then. Despite the early success, Avedisian anticipated a much tougher challenge during a full week of racing at New Smyrna Speedway.
“I turned my brake bias the wrong way [at Orange County] and finished second,” Avedisian said. “Then we went to Hickory and everything was really good. This week is way different with the field of cars being way tougher. It’s good to check one off the box, but I want to win with really hard competition.
“Right now, all I care about is how to get to the winner’s circle.”
Since arriving at New Smyrna, Avedisian has been relying on the copious resources available within Wilson’s program to figure out how to attack New Smyrna. Along with having teammates like Cole Butcher and Gavan Boschele, Avedisian’s crew chief for the week is Tyler Tanner, a successful competitor in his own right.
From his limited time working with Avedisian, Tanner has noticed how dedicated she is to understanding all the intricacies of the Pro Late Model. He envisions Avedisian becoming more refined as she continues to log laps at New Smyrna and other tracks.
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“The biggest thing with [Avedisian] is her confidence, along with her ability to digest everything and fix it at a rapid rate,” Tanner said. “That’s been refreshing to see. With a lot of new drivers, their learning curve has been half of what hers is. She’s made some mistakes, but that’s natural when you’re doing something new.”
Tanner didn’t have any established goals for Avedisian heading into the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing. His focus was making sure Avedisian’s No. 24 Mobil 1 Toyota could be competitive across all six nights of Pro Late Model competition.
The expertise of Tanner and Avedisian’s driving ability were both apparent from the first Pro Late Model green flag on Feb. 7. After qualifying 13th, Avedisian methodically moved her way through the field, but had to settle for an 11th-place finish after a flat tire halfway through the feature derailed her race.
Avedisian has since rebounded from a disappointing opening night with two consecutive top-three finishes, including a runner-up showing to Hunter Wright on Sunday night. She has enjoyed consistency at New Smyrna despite having yet to post a qualifying run better than sixth.
Competing in the Red Eye at New Smyrna a month before the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing provided Avedisian an introduction to the facility’s fast layout. The knowledge she obtained from that weekend has been instrumental in finding her comfort zone against drivers with years of pavement experience.
“This is one of the biggest tracks I’ve ever been on,” Avedisian said. “On the dirt side of things, we run a half mile, but it’s only once a year. This place is actually really fun. You have to set up your passes off [turn two] to get down the back straightaway into [turn three]. The line takes a lot of rubber, so I can use that to my advantage if I’m tight or free.”
Right now, Avedisian’s biggest learning curve revolves around qualifying. The Pro Late Model events in the World Series of Asphalt range from 35-100 laps, which places a heavy emphasis on strong qualifying efforts due to the limited amount of time available to move through the field.
Tanner is confident he can find an ideal setup balance that will enable Avedisian to be quick in both qualifying and race conditions. Tanner still believes there are plenty of opportunities to improve during the remaining Pro Late Model events, which includes the prestigious Hart to Heart 100 this Wednesday.
“We need to keep making progress,” Tanner said. “At the rate we’re making gains right now, I think we can be contending for wins. You want to win races, but I don’t set specific goals. We just need to be improving every time. As long as she keeps racing smart and aggressive, things are going to get better from here.”
Avedisian would love to obtain a victory before the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing concludes, but she’s focused on staying composed and absorbing information.
Six nights of competition across nine days, including four consecutive Pro Late Model events, is both a physically and mentally taxing process for young and experienced drivers. Despite the strain, Avedisian sees the grueling schedule as beneficial towards her development.
With a busy slate of Pro Late Model events coming up for her in 2025, Avedisian feels the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing gave her many essentials to establish consistency. Along with accumulating several strong results, Avedisian has avoided trouble so far, a trend she wants to maintain while traveling across the country.
“I don’t want to be wrecking race cars,” Avedisian said. “That sets me up for the rest of this year. I need laps and reps. If I’m wrecking every night, I’m not getting any of that. This is a great opportunity for me to come out here this week, since it’s a lot of repetition and back-to-back nights, which I kind of need right now.”
The journey to NASCAR’s top levels will be a long one for Avedisian following the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing. A successful, week-long outing at New Smyrna puts her on the right trajectory towards completing her transition into full-bodied stock cars and solidifying her status as one of the sport’s brightest new stars.