Posted on by Reid Spencer

Though only 22 years old, Santino Ferrucci already has a long history in motorsports, but none of that experience has come in stock cars.

A professional driver since age 14, Ferrucci spent two years as a test driver for the Haas F1 team, before turning to IndyCar full-time in 2019. That same year, he finished seventh in the Indianapolis 500 to earn Rookie of the Year honors.

In 2020, he ran fourth in the Indy 500. His only experience in a full-bodied car, however, was a super late model test for Fury Race Cars last year. Nevertheless, Ferrucci will make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in Sam Hunt Racing’s No. 26 Toyota in Saturday’s Contender Boats 250 (4:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: Santino Ferrucci joins Sam Hunt Racing for 2021 limited schedule

Last Saturday, Ty Gibbs won the Xfinity Series race on the Daytona Road Course in his first start in the series, but Gibbs had winning experience in stock cars in the ARCA Menards Series. Ferrucci doesn’t have that luxury. 

“It’s tough showing up at Homestead cold turkey,” said Ferrucci, who will compete in the next five Xfinity races. “But my knowledge as a race car driver will always remain from everything I’ve done in my career—how to look at building cars, how to set cars up, my feelings from driving, my knowledge of how to do pit stops, how to race. None of that will go away, which is nice.”

RELATED: Homestead-Miami weekend schedule

Ferrucci won’t even get a chance to drive the car until Saturday, though he has spent time in the Toyota simulator.

“I’ve only got to sit in the car a bunch of times,” Ferrucci said during a video conference with reporters on Tuesday. “I don’t even have my firesuit yet. It’s kind of a funny process, but we don’t have too many expectations going into Homestead. 

“You just want the car to come back in one piece, log some laps for us. We have five in a row, so there’s no sense in throwing away your first race trying to do something spectacular. It’s all about trying to be consistent and building up to it slowly.”

Ty Gibbs won’t be racing at Homestead this week. Another Ty — Ty Dillon — will be behind the wheel of the No. 54 Toyota Supra, assuring that Joe Gibbs Racing will have plenty of firepower. JGR’s Harrison Burton won the first of two races in one Homestead weekend last season, with the schedule compressed after a 10-week hiatus forced by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Burton’s most formidable competition is likely to come from Team Penske’s Austin Cindric, who opened the defense of his 2020 series championship with a victory on the Daytona oval and ran second to Gibbs on the road course. As the current series leader, Cindric will start from the pole in Saturday’s race.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

Denny Hamlin had a chance to make history in the 2021 Daytona 500.

A victory in The Great American Race would have given the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota an unprecedented three straight. Hamlin ran well, sweeping the first two stages, but he was in fifth place when a last-lap caution made a winner of opportunistic Michael McDowell.

As the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Homestead-Miami Speedway for Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400 (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), Hamlin has a shot at another record. With three victories at the 1.5-mile track, he is tied with Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart for most wins at the venue, which has hosted Cup events since 1999.

MIAMI: Weekend schedule | Paint schemes | Betting odds

Boosting his chances, Hamlin expects the season’s first race on an intermediate speedway to run closer to last year’s form than either the Daytona 500 or the Daytona Road Course event, both of which produced first-time winners (McDowell and Christopher Bell). Kevin Harvick led the series with nine Cup victories last year, followed by Hamlin with seven.

“I think it will be more status quo on where we were last year,” Hamlin said. “That doesn’t mean me and Kevin, since it’s a mile-and-a-half, that we are going to dominate. With the mid-tier teams, this is where the resources that they don’t have will come into factor a little bit more.

“I don’t think I would call the 20 car (Bell) mid-tier, and I don’t think I would call the 34 (McDowell) a shock, because we were at a superspeedway. I think the winners list is like, ‘Oh wow, where (are) our superstars?’ But we are about to get into a chunk of the season where you are going to start to see some of your normal winners in the bracket.”

Also arguing in Hamlin’s favor is his starting spot. With fifth- and third-place finishes, paired with his strength in the stages of the first two races, Hamlin leads the series standings and will start from the pole at Miami. That’s exactly where Hamlin started last year, when he collected his third win at the track.

In fact, seven of the winners in 22 Homestead-Miami Cup races have started from the front row, three from the pole and four from the second spot. That’s good news for Joey Logano, whose victory at Homestead in 2018 locked up the series championship. Logano starts second on the grid Sunday.

Nor can you ignore the “rim riders” who have had success running the wall at the 1.5-mile track. Tyler Reddick finished fourth at Miami last year after claiming back-to-back NASCAR Xfinity Series titles by winning at the track. Kyle Larson, notorious for running the wall, has three top-five finishes in seven starts there.

ANALYSIS: Why Tyler Reddick could make it three first-time winners in a row 

Posted on by Track Release

CONCORD, N.C. — Continuing to build upon one of the most anticipated weeks of the 2021 NASCAR schedule, Speedway Motorsports announced EchoPark Automotive, Pit Boss® Grills and FEVO as the official entitlement partners for NASCAR’s inaugural May 21-23 race events at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas.

“The first-ever NASCAR at COTA race week is one of the most anticipated events on the revolutionary 2021 NASCAR schedule,” said Speedway Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith. “We are proud to announce new partnerships with EchoPark Automotive, Pit Boss® Grills and FEVO. These innovative, dynamic companies join us as entitlement partners to introduce NASCAR fans around the world to Circuit of The Americas.

“From fans to drivers to business partners, we’ve seen a surge of excitement around COTA since the race week was first announced last fall,” added Smith. “EchoPark, Pit Boss® and FEVO are best-in-class brands that will help us create an experience like no other when stock car racing stampedes to Austin in May.”

EchoPark Fuels Excitement with Cup Series Race Sponsorship

Headlining the can’t-miss weekend, EchoPark Automotive will be the title sponsor for the first-ever NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) race contested on the world-renowned road course. The EchoPark Texas Grand Prix will be the grand finale for a weekend of white-knuckled, edge-of-your-seat racing and provide the fast-growing automotive retailer a national sports marketing platform.

EchoPark Automotive specializes in pre-owned vehicle sales providing below-market pricing, high-quality vehicles and an unmatched guest experience. EchoPark now operates 19 locations across 10 states, including six retail centers in Texas.

Through the partnership, EchoPark receives naming rights to the inaugural event, as well as entitlement for the NASCAR on FOX FS1 broadcast. The pre-owned vehicle retailer will also receive signature signage at the circuit, VIP dignitary roles and premium hospitality to entertain select customers and business partners. EchoPark will also execute a national in-store campaign to promote NASCAR’s first trip to Austin, Texas.

“Bringing NASCAR to Circuit of The Americas is a ground-breaking move by Speedway Motorsports,” said Sonic Automotive and EchoPark Automotive President Jeff Dyke. “Like our high-speed growth and revolutionary approach to pre-owned vehicle sales through EchoPark, this race will be history-in-the-making and we are proud to put our name on it.”

“Just like the committed fanbase of NASCAR racing, EchoPark is building a strong foundation of loyal guests across the United States, many of whom return for a second or third vehicle,” added Dyke.

“The EchoPark Texas Grand Prix will put a national spotlight on EchoPark and the race. It will be a sports experience like no other, similar to the unparalleled guest experience at our retail stores and at EchoPark.com.”

Pit Boss® Grills Named Entitlement Sponsor for Xfinity Series Showdown

Pit Boss® Grills has secured entitlement rights to the Pit Boss 250 scheduled for Saturday, May 22. The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) showdown will feature NASCAR’s rising stars battling for the first time on the grueling 3.41-mile long, 20-turn circuit. As the fastest-growing brand in the grilling industry, Pit Boss® Grills offers the best value per square inch in the pellet grill market with a distinctly customer-driven approach, like the over-the-top value fans will receive on a full-throttle Saturday at COTA highlighted by the Pit Boss 250.

The Dansons, Inc. subsidiary will also receive premium suite-level hospitality for entertaining guests and signature display and promotional opportunities on property throughout the race weekend.

Through the agreement, Pit Boss® Grills also becomes the official grill of Speedway Motorsports (SM) with exclusive promotional rights plus display opportunities at all SM sports entertainment venues.

“Pit Boss® is blessed to partner with Speedway Motorsports and Circuit of The Americas for the Pit Boss 250 this May,” said Dansons President Jeff Thiessen. “Race fans love barbecue and wood pellet grilling. As the official grill of NASCAR and now Speedway Motorsports, we are proud to bring these audiences together. Not only is Austin one of the barbecue capitals of the world, but it is also a community where Pit Boss® already has a distinct and established relationship. Also, like Dansons, both NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports are proud family-owned businesses, making this partnership a natural fit.”

“Speedway Motorsports owns and operates tracks in key markets for our company, including Georgia, North Carolina, Texas and Tennessee, as well as, in emerging regions for our brand in California and Nevada,” Thiessen added. “Our company is truly blessed to be aligned with a family-owned business of this caliber and we believe this partnership is a win-win for both parties. We cannot wait to see what 2021 has in store for our companies.”

FEVO to Kick Off the Weekend with FEVO Friday

Speedway Motorsports also announced that the weekend will kick off with FEVO Friday. Fans will be treated to a full day of on-track action as drivers in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series turn their first-ever laps on the winding COTA course. FEVO Friday will also feature two practice sessions for the IMSA-sanctioned Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Series. FEVO Friday is part of a larger partnership that establishes FEVO as the exclusive group ticketing platform for Speedway Motorsports across its nationwide group of speedways.

“FEVO is thrilled to welcome Speedway Motorsports to our community and we’re looking forward to bringing in countless groups of fans to attend events for years to come,” said Ari Daie, President and CEO for FEVO. “Not only has Speedway Motorsports proven to consistently set the standard when it comes to owning and operating sports entertainment venues, but their vision for the future of motorsports is admirable and we’re happy to be an integral part of it.”

The May 21 FEVO Friday schedule of premier NASCAR and IMSA Series practice sessions is a prelude to the jam-packed, May 22 Saturday schedule consisting of NCS practice, plus NXS qualifying and the Pit Boss 250 NXS race, as well as NCWTS and Lamborghini Super Trofeo Series qualifying and races. Sunday, May 23, will be the culmination of the weekend featuring NCS qualifying, a second Lamborghini race and the first NCS race, the EchoPark Texas Grand Prix, in COTA’s illustrious history. Announcements regarding on-track timing for the complete weekend schedule will be made at a later date.

TICKETS:

Single-day general admission tickets start at just $25 for FEVO Friday, $30 on Saturday and $70 on Sunday. Three-day packages for adults start at only $99. Kids 12 and under get in free on Friday and Saturday and for just $10 on Sunday.

Fans can purchase tickets online at NASCARatCOTA.com or by calling the ticket office at (833) 450-2864.

MORE INFO:

Fans can connect with NASCAR at COTA and get the latest news by following on Twitter and Instagram or becoming a Facebook fan.

Posted on by Terrin Waack

Michael McDowell and Christopher Bell have set an early tone for 2021. NASCAR’s two winners so far are both first-time Victory Lane visitors in the Cup Series, and they just so happened to double-down in Florida at Daytona International Speedway (oval vs. road course). It marked the first time in the sport’s modern era (1972-present) a duo of first-time winners kicked off a season.

Dating back to the overall start – NASCAR held its first race in 1949 – there have only been two other instances where the schedule opened up with a pair of first-timer winners, and that was in 1949 and 1950, when every winner was basically a first timer.

MIAMI: Weekend schedule | Betting odds | Paint schemes

Fast forward to the present, the series returns to the Sunshine State this Sunday for its Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), and it’s not out-of-this-world crazy to think yet another first-timer breaks through.

Hey, Tyler Reddick. Pressure is on.

The two-time Xfinity Series champion is in his second season at the Cup Series level, driving the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, and should have all the justifiable confidence heading to Miami. His two titles were won at the 1.5-mile track in back-to-back years (2018-19). His other Xfinity shot there was a fourth-place result in 2017, and he still led a second-best 18 laps.

Then, from his Camping World Truck Series days (2014-16), Reddick has two additional top-five finishes (second and third) and then a top-10 finish (sixth, in his first Miami start).

Yes, the Xfinity and Truck Series ranks are very different from the Cup Series.

So, in his one Miami start so far against NASCAR’s best, Reddick accomplished a fourth-place showing, even leading twice for three circuits. Denny Hamlin (first), Chase Elliott (second) and Ryan Blaney (third) – Elliott, the 2020 champion; all, 2020 race winners – finished ahead of him. Reddick’s average running position was 3.9.

MRN: Tyler Reddick looks to bounce back  

After starting from the 24th position, Reddick was third at the end of Stage 1 and second at the end of Stage 2. That, paired with his final finish, produced his best 2020 points day (50).

Fourth overall matched his second-best performance on the year. His top was a runner-up finish at Texas Motor Speedway, a 1.5-mile track like Miami. Throughout 2020, there were 11 events on that track length. Reddick ranked tied for 12th in top fives (two) and tied for 11th in top 10s (four) among all full-time drivers. He then came in tied for 13th in points (283) and posted an average finish of 14.8.

Reddick’s odds to win Miami are 25-1, according to BetMGM, which is tied for ninth-best among Sunday’s field. That’s better than the odds McDowell and Bell faced entering their recent victories. McDowell was 66-1 for the Daytona 500. Bell was 50-1 for the Daytona Road Course.

Again, it’s not astronomically crazy to think NASCAR could see yet another first-time winner this weekend in the state of Florida. It would just casually be a first since the inaugural season’s completion there are three at the very beginning of the year.

Posted on by Data Skrive

Riley Herbst finished fifth in the BrakeBest Brake Pads 159 At DAYTONA Presented by O’Reilly at DAYTONA Road Course Friday. Herbst did not add any points to his season total as he has declared for the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Herbst started in 25th position and led one lap in the race. The fourth-year driver has accumulated two top-five and four top-10 finishes in his career.

Riley Herbst Driver Page | NASCAR Results | NASCAR Standings

Herbst made his career debut at DAYTONA Road Course in Saturday’s race.

The Las Vegas, Nevada native began the race 11 spots behind his career mark of 13.9, but finished six places ahead of his career average of 10.7.

Herbst’s fifth-place finish was against a field of 40 drivers. The race endured 10 cautions and 20 caution laps. There were nine lead changes.

Ben Rhodes brought home the win in the race, and Sheldon Creed took second. John H. Nemechek crossed the finish line third, with Todd Gilliland taking fourth place. Herbst rounded out the top five.

After John H. Nemechek won Stage 1, Raphael Lessard drove the No. 24 car to the win in Stage 2.

Posted on by Staff Report

Bristol Motor Speedway will hold heat races Saturday and practices Friday as part of its NASCAR dirt-race weekend, the track announced Wednesday. On March 27, both the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will conduct four, 15-lap heat races to determine the starting lineup for each main race. On March 26, both series will hit the track for practice sessions that fans can buy tickets to attend.

RELATED: Cup Series schedule | Buy tickets for Bristol

The Bush’s Beans Qualifying heat races for Sunday’s Food City Dirt Race in the Cup Series will be held that Saturday at 6, 6:15, 6:30 and 6:45 p.m. ET. The heat races for Saturday’s Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt for the Camping World Truck Series will be held at 4:30, 4:45, 5 and 5:15 p.m. ET. The Truck race is scheduled for later Saturday at 8 p.m. ET (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), and a limited amount of tickets are still available.

NASCAR will announce more details on the format at a later date.

Friday’s Bush’s Beans practice sessions will feature both series in action and a limited number of tickets available for $15 each in the socially distanced grandstand. The Cup Series cars will be on the track at 4:05 p.m. ET and 6:35 p.m. The Truck Series will take centerstage at 3:05 p.m. and 5:35 p.m.

Friday’s practices and Saturday’s qualifying heat races will all lead up to Sunday’s running of the Food City Dirt Race (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). It’ll mark the first time the Cup Series has run on dirt since September of 1970.

MORE: Photos of Bristol’s transformation to dirt

Posted on by Staff Report

Steve Letarte will be back atop the pit box for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Dixie Vodka 400 (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), as he will call the shots for the No. 7 Spire Motorsports team and driver Corey LaJoie.

Letarte will be the crew chief for Sunday’s race since Ryan Sparks will be sidelined due to COVID-19 protocols. Sparks will be unavailable to participate in the race and will not travel to Homestead-Miami Speedway. In addition, two other crew members of the No. 7 team will be inactive this weekend in accordance with the same protocols.

RELATED: Homestead-Miami weekend schedule | Corey LaJoie bullish on Spire’s growth 

Letarte, who currently works as an analyst for NBC Sports’ NASCAR coverage, is also a consultant for Spire — a role he took on prior to 2021. He was last atop the pit box in 2014 when he was the crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Hendrick Motorsports. Letarte stepped away from the pit box at the end of the season to join the broadcast booth with NBC — a position he has held ever since.

During his 10 years with Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon, Letarte won 15 races — 10 with Gordon and five with Earnhardt.

Prior to the season, LaJoie was asked about Letarte joining the organization and said: “That guy’s just an awesome personality, but I probably didn’t give him enough credit — and I was probably a bit young when he was crew chiefing for Jeff and crew chiefing for Dale Earnhardt Jr. That guy is one of the smartest guys that I’ve ever met, and he’s also infectious and he’s just a guy that gets you pepped up.”

Sunday’s race will mark LaJoie’s third start in the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet. LaJoie has one top 10 on the season through two races — a ninth-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500.

RELATED: Listen to Corey LaJoie’s podcast — Stacking Pennies

Posted on by Staff Report

See where your favorite driver will pit for Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on by Staff Report

Denny Hamlin has won the Busch Pole Award for Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Hamlin, the NASCAR Cup Series points leader, will start his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota from the pole position with Joey Logano in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford sharing the front row in the field.

Additionally, Austin Cindric won the pole for Saturday’s Contender Boats 250 (4:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM) for the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

RELATED: Homestead-Miami schedule | 2021 Cup Series standings

As NASCAR adapted to COVID-19 protocols last season, practice and qualifying were eliminated at a majority of national-series events to limit at-track time, exposure and to cut race weekend costs. To determine starting lineups, competition officials used grouped draws, added inversions for weekend doubleheaders, and eventually adopted a performance-metrics formula. That metrics format remains in place this season, drawing on performance from both individual races and season-long results.

NASCAR’s metrics formula for 2021 weighs:

  • 25 percent: Driver’s finishing position from the previous race
  • 25 percent: Car owner’s finishing position from the previous race
  • 35 percent: Team owner points ranking
  • 15 percent: Fastest lap from the previous race

See the full lineup for Sunday’s Cup Series race below.

Start pos.
 Driver Car # Team
1 Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
2 Joey Logano 22 Team Penske
3 Christopher Bell 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
4 Kevin Harvick 4 Stewart-Haas Racing
5 Kurt Busch 1 Chip Ganassi Racing
6 Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports
7 Brad Keselowski 2 Team Penske
8 Ryan Preece 37 JTG Daugherty Racing
9 Martin Truex Jr. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
10 Cole Custer 41 Stewart-Haas Racing
11 Chase Elliott 9 Hendrick Motorsports
12 Chris Buescher 17 Roush Fenway Racing
13 Alex Bowman 48 Hendrick Motorsports
14 Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske
15 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing
16 Aric Almirola 10 Stewart-Haas Racing
17 Kyle Larson 5 Hendrick Motorsports
18 Erik Jones 43 Richard Petty Motorsports
19 Bubba Wallace 23 23XI Racing
20 Justin Haley 77 Spire Motorsports
21 Daniel Suarez 99 Trackhouse Racing Team
22 Austin Dillon 3 Richard Childress Racing
23 Ryan Newman 6 Roush Fenway Racing
24 Kyle Busch 18 Joe Gibbs Racing
25 Corey LaJoie 7 Spire Motorsports
26 Cody Ware 51 Petty Ware Racing
27 Anthony Alfredo 38 Front Row Motorsports
28 Garrett Smithley 53 Rick Ware Racing
29 James Davison 15 Rick Ware Racing
30 Chase Briscoe 14 Stewart-Haas Racing
31 William Byron 24 Hendrick Motorsports
32 Ross Chastain 42 Chip Ganassi Racing
33 Timmy Hill 66 MBM Motorsports
34 BJ McLeod 78 Live Fast Motorsports
35 Tyler Reddick 8 Richard Childress Racing
36 Josh Bilicki 52 Rick Ware Racing
37 Matt DiBenedetto 21 Wood Brothers Racing
38 Quin Houff 00 StarCom Racing

Practice and qualifying are tentatively scheduled for eight Cup Series races this year. Busch Pole Qualifying was held for the season-opening Daytona 500; the next race with time trials scheduled is the March 28 event at Bristol Motor Speedway’s dirt track.

Posted on by Jason Christley

Ben Schaller had experienced winning a track championship at I-80 Speedway in Nebraska, but his title in 2020 felt different.

I-80, a NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series track in Greenwood, Nebraska, only held six races for their weekly series, a cut of about a third of what they usually run. A shorter season, cut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, meant every race was even more important. And at a track with a lot of talent in the super late model series, Schaller had to be on his A-game every night.

“Last year was decent. We had some ups and downs. Mostly ups for the local series so that was good,” said Schaller. “It felt a little different just because with the longer season things tend to happen, and I just happened to not have anything really negative happen in that stretch of races.

“Every time out with this group of guys, if you have one bad night winning the championship is kind of out of there because we have a lot of competition. There’s probably eight to 10 guys that can win at any time.”

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Ben Schaller added a NASCAR state championship to go with the one he won in 2016. (Todd Boyd/Photos by Boyd)

Schaller had one win and five top-five finishes in those six starts, winning the track title and the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Nebraska state championship by six points in each.

Schaller has been racing since he was nine years old. His dad owned racecars before Schaller was born, and he would go to the track to watch races, idolizing his dad’s drivers.

“I just made an off-hand comment to my dad like, ‘Hey I want to race those cars like him someday.’ And within a few months he came home from working in a town that was probably about an hour away from us and there was a go-kart in the back of his truck,” Schaller said.

Schaller raced that go-kart at a track in his hometown of Norfolk, Nebraska, and said his racing career just took off from there.

He eventually moved up to racing a grand national series and other series across the midwest.

Growing up around racing helped Schaller learn what all goes into being a driver. His dad taught him from a young age that if he was going to be the one behind the wheel he was also going to be the one making sure the car was ready every week.

RELATED: Ben Schaller Racing | I-80 Speedway

“From the time I was 11 or 12 I spent my summers out working on my stuff,” he said. “My dad started his own business around the same time I started racing, so he didn’t have the time to mess with the go-kart stuff. When he got a little overstretched trying to get his business running he said, ‘Either you’re going to be working on the stuff or we’re not not going to be able to do it because it’s basically a waste of time for us to go if we’re not prepared.'”

That same hands-on mentality is still part of Schaller’s mindset today. Schaller owns a shock building business now to work on race shocks for other drivers in the area. He also knows how to work on engines from years of working with his dad.

“There isn’t really much on the car that I don’t know how to do,” he said.

The difficult comes in the fact Schaller’s car is housed at his dad’s house in Norfolk, about two hours from Schaller’s home in Omaha. During the winters he drives to his dad’s house on Fridays or Saturdays, and during the season he spends the majority of his off days there getting the car fixed and ready to go.

“We’re also very particular. There’s not a lot of stuff that is left off of our list checking the car from week to week,” he said.
The long drives back and forth make it more difficult, but Schaller said it’s allowed him and his dad to remain close and have extra reason to spend time with each other.

“Obviously when you’re younger, early 20s kid, you think that you know way more than you do so there’s butting of heads that has happened in the past, but at the end of the day it’s a lot more fun to do with your dad than with just someone random you don’t know,” Schaller said. “You get to share a lot of different things that no one else would. With how busy his shop has been throughout the years if i didn’t have the racing with him I don’t know how often I’d see him.”

The family aspect of racing, building a bond with his competition and people at the track, is one of the many parts of the sport that keeps Schaller in it.

“Obvious it’s a very competitive family and you all want to beat each other on the track and that sort of thing, but you do have a group of people that you go and see and you miss them in the offseason,” he said. “These are people you spend a lot of your summer with.”

There’s also the competitive aspects – knowing there’s always room to improve, and how to be better even when he’s winning.

Schaller’s love of tinkering around on cars at a young age hasn’t left as he’s gotten older. He loves learning new things and new ways to make the car faster.

“The technology part of the sport and how the cars function has always interested me,” he said. “It’s kind of one of those deals when if I don’t have racing my brain just kind of goes in cruise mode and I don’t really try to think outside of the box too much. So for anyone it’s good to have something you care about and you want to learn about, that way its keeps you sharp.”

Schaller’s plan for the upcoming season is to do some races at I-80, but focus more on a regional series and hit more open shows. I-80 will host its annual silver dollar nationals again this year, and he would like to qualify for that on speed rather than a provisional entry like in years past.
Most of all, Schaller wants to branch out and find more wins against new competition.

“It’s more of getting the hang of going to different tracks and different conditions. You have different styles, different driving styles,” he said

“When you win all the time you don’t have to try very hard. It kind of takes some of the spice out of the racing part of it so it’s good to go out and get beat on occasion so you don’t get too high on yourself.”

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Ben Schaller had a win, five top fives and six top 10s in six races at I-80 Speedway in Omaha, Nebraska, to win the Super Late Model championship. (Todd Boyd/Photos by Boyd)