Hickory motor speedway - 1st late model race
This past Saturday marked a huge milestone for me—my first-ever Late Model race.
Going into the weekend, I had spent some time testing and getting comfortable with the car, but race day brought a completely new challenge. One of the biggest adjustments coming from the road course world is how track time works. I’m used to having sessions mostly on my own during test days, so this race was not only my first time racing a Late Model—it was also my first time consistently sharing the track with other cars. On top of that, the 60-lap race would be the longest run I’d done in the car so far.
In practice, we came out strong. I was top 3 on pace all day, and I felt confident heading into qualifying. We even did a couple of mock qualifying runs beforehand to prepare, which helped a lot. Another thing I’m still getting used to is just how fast race day moves in this environment. There’s very little time to get out of the car, review data, and make adjustments. You get two short practice sessions, a quick two-lap qualifying run, and then it’s straight into a 60-lap race.
In qualifying, I didn’t maximize the grip from the sticker tires or the added downforce from the tape, which put us P8 to start—not ideal, but not the end of the world.
From there, it was time to put my head down and go to work.
Since it was my first race, I didn’t set rigid expectations. My goal was simple: listen to my spotter, be a sponge, apply what I was learning in real time, and enjoy the experience.
Throughout the race, I was able to make up positions on restarts and gain valuable racecraft experience. At one point, I even sent it three-wide on the inside, which was definitely a moment I won’t forget. I was having so much fun out there!
What was encouraging is that at times, I had the pace to run with the leaders—even turning laps that were faster than the front of the field. Other times, I’d fall off by a couple tenths. That inconsistency is something I know I need to work on, but it’s all part of the learning process.
By the end of the race, I crossed the line in P4 in my debut.
Overall, it was an incredible first experience. There’s still a lot to learn—especially when it comes to consistency and maximizing every moment on track—but I walked away with a ton of knowledge and confidence moving forward.
I can’t wait to get back in the car for the next one on May 2.
April 18, 2026
