Shelby Township, Mich.—August 31, 2012 — Many of the events that Taylor Ferns has competed in during her young career have been around a little bit longer than the 16 years that she has. She’ll add another historic race to her resume this weekend, as she takes to the track at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wis., for the 31st Annual Pepsi Midget Nationals sanctioned by the Badger Midget Auto Racing Association.
The native of Shelby Township, Mich., will be in action aboard her Dea Eyewear Spike on Saturday, Sept. 1, for a full night of racing, beginning with hot laps, followed by time trials, heat races and a 50-lap main event at the one-third-mile semi-banked oval. The Pepsi Midget Nationals, which were rained out last year, have Sunday, Sept. 2, reserved as a rain date this weekend if needed.
“Sun Prairie has been there so long, and it has such a great history,” said Ferns. “I’ve raced there a few times over the last couple of seasons and really have taken a liking to the track. I’m excited to head over there and hopefully we’ll have a good result to show after the weekend.”
Ferns has raced twice at Angell Park Speedway this season, including most recently on Aug. 19, in an event that was tri-sanctioned by the USAC Mopar National Midget Series, Lucas Oil POWRi National Midget Series and Badger Midget Racing Association. In that event, she qualified seventh with a very strong 30-car field in attendance. Ferns finished sixth in the third eight-lap heat race, which put her in the B-main, where she came home eighth, just two spots short of transferring to the main event. She utilized a USAC Provisional to start the 30-lap A-Feature and was able to work her way to an 18th-place finish. Ferns also finished 18th in a USAC event at Sun Prairie on July 8.
“I am used to being in the car a lot, so this year has been a little more challenging in that we haven’t raced as much as we have in the past,” she explained. “Getting a good feel for the car and track is hot laps is definitely important. The last race we ran was at Sun Prairie, so hopefully we can take what we learned and apply it for this weekend.”
The reigning USAC Mopar D1 Midget Series champion made her debut at Angell Park in July of 2011, finishing seventh with the series. She ran third in the first heat race in that event, which earned her a spot in the 30-lap A-Feature. Ferns returned to the famed oval a week later and qualified seventh, with a solid field of 28 cars in attendance. She finished seventh in the B-Main in that event, coming up just one spot short of transferring into the main event.
“The main event this weekend will be 50 laps, and I feel like the longer races suit me better,” noted Ferns. “When you have that many laps, you get more seat time and that’s something that is pretty important at a track like Sun Prairie. There are a lot of drivers there that have been racing at that track forever, and it’s hard to match the experience they have. The more laps I get there, the more comfortable I feel.”
Ferns has made 17 starts in her family-owned midget this season, with 11 of those coming on the dirt and six on the pavement. She has competed with the USAC Mopar National Midget Series, as well as the Lucas Oil POWRi National Midget Series and the Badger Midget Auto Racing Association. The high-school junior earned her best-career USAC Mopar National Midget Series finish on the pavement at Plymouth Speedway in Indiana on July 6, coming home 10th.
“We have a lot of races coming up here towards the end of the season and that will benefit me, as I’ll get more laps,” she shared. “Every time I go on the track I learn more and it helps me become a better driver. I’m definitely looking forward to next month or so and getting in a bunch of races.”
Taylor Ferns and Ferns Racing would like to thank their valued partners: Dea Eyewear, eBay Motors, FK Rod Ends, Frameworks Marketing Group, Lucas Oil, K&N Filters, Lansing Sanitary Supply (LSS), Simpson Race Products, Indy Race Parts, ButlerBuilt, Allstar Performance, Stanton Mopar, Lyn St. James Women in the Winner's Circle Foundation, Race4Girls and Racing2Cure.
Keep up to date
For the latest news, results and information on Taylor Ferns and Ferns Racing and to view a full 2012 schedule, visit www.TaylorFerns.com. Follow Taylor on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/TaylorFerns or @TaylorFerns and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Taylor-Ferns/116543998373.
- Admin Account on Sep 02, 2012
- Article Date: 8/31/2012