For Eric Rhead, Motorplex at the Mill was love at first sight

Living in northern Utah, finding a place to race isn't always easy for Eric Rhead. Last year while competing in a touring series, he and his team took a trip to Emmett, Idaho to compete in the inaugural race at Motorplex at the Mill. Even before the green flag waved, Rhead was impressed with the new facility. "For a local short track, that is the coolest facility you'll ever see in your entire life," Rhead said. "The track's the track. It is the coolest facility ever. It's crazy." The NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series track was built on the site of the Old Boise Cascade Sawmill, which was in operation for more than 110 years. "It's just got this big, huge, long, wide building," Rhead said. "It's probably like 500 feet long, and that's where the pits are, and they've got like a bar at the end of it, and they bring in concerts. It's just a really cool atmosphere." Rhead didn't know what to expect in that first race, but he wanted to see what the track was like before returning later in the summer with his touring series. "We figured if we can get a race on the track before the touring series comes here, it'll be to our benefit," he said. "And we showed up for the first race, and they had a huge car count, and we actually won the race." The win, coupled with a great atmosphere at a great new track, convinced Rhead and his team they needed to make The Mill their home for the summer. "It was like, 'You know what, I think we'll probably just run all the races, then,'" he added. "So, that's kind of how we did it. We didn't plan on racing their season. We just showed up for the first race and kind of fell in love with the place." Rhead went on to win three races over the summer and became the track's first champion of the Pro Late Model division. "It's an awesome place, and to be able to say that not only did we make the first race and win the first race, we won the first championship, and it was no small task," he said. "There was really good racing all year long there, and it was really cool. It's really cool to say that we were the first." There was something about The Mill that suited Rhead's driving style. He finished in the top five in all six races. "We obviously had a good time," he said. "We won half the races and we did have really good success there. Just every time I went there, it just felt like I we always had a knack for getting in the front at the end of the race and staying there. The track is really hard to drive. It's really small. It's really hard to pass, and for some reason I just took well to it. I really liked that place." Rhead began racing at age 14 when his dad bought a race car on a whim. To that point, he played "every sport you could imagine," he said, including hockey, basketball, track and wrestling. "My dad bought a race car, and that was the end of my sports career," Rhead said. "I fell in love with racing, and I've never been able to shake it since." There was a track not too far from his house for much of his teen years and 20s, but Rhead always enjoyed getting to travel to new places. Racing the full season in Idaho required a lot of Rhead and his team. Their home was about seven hours away, and he said they put more than 25,000 miles on their motorhome getting to and from races every week. He's become accustomed to the travel since there are no NASCAR sanctioned tracks in Utah. They drove to Southern California for the final race at Irwindale Speedway in December. The closest track is about three-and-a-half hours away, and the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Bullring is six hours. Recently, he was back on the road again, traveling 400 miles to pick up a new race engine. But the success at The Mill made those long drives worth it for Rhead's team. "It's a way easier drive home with everybody when you win compared to when you don't," Rhead said with a laugh. [caption id="attachment_464384" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Eric Rhead greets a fan ahead of the Star Nursery 150 for the ARCA Menards Series West at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Oct. 13, 2023. (Photo: Ian Maule/ARCA Racing)[/caption] It'll be another summer of logging miles for Rhead and his team. They plan to race in a few different touring series, including one at the Vegas Bullring, as well as Colorado National Speedway, another NASCAR-sanctioned track he had never been to until last season. When races at CNS don't conflict, they'll also be back at The Mill. Rhead said his goal is to win a race in four states -- California, Nevada, Colorado and Idaho -- while also chasing as many championships as he can. He won't be the only driver with his team. His girlfriend Roxi and the son of one of his crew members will both be racing Legends Cars this season. Rhead wanted to help Roxi and his friends get into racing as a small way to show his appreciation for what their help means to him on the track. "As I reflect on everything that I've done over the long time that I've gotten to race, I said to my girlfriend and the crew at the end of last year, I think I've pretty much done everything I want to do," Rhead said. "We've won I don't even know how many championships and in different classes and touring series. "We're going to take some time and let some other people have some fun this year -- some of the people who helped me get where I am." Rhead will kick off his season April 19 at the Vegas Bullring. CNS will open May 3, and The Mill will open May 10. "I've definitely got a problem," he said with a laugh. "We've got too many cars, but it's a lot of fun. There are way worse problems to have."