Shelby Township, Mich.—Dec. 15, 2011— While Taylor Ferns recently put a wrap on her 2011 USAC Mopar D1 Midget Series championship, as she was honored during the USAC “Night of Champions,” her 2011 racing season is not quite over yet, as a pair of indoor events await over the next few weeks.
First up is The Battle at the Center at the Mini Magic Mile at the Southern Illinois Center on the grounds of the DuQuoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds with the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series on Saturday, Dec. 17. Ferns will make her second start of 2011 at the Southern Illinois Center, after competing in the Dean King Memorial on March 26 with the POWRi Series. She finished fourth in the second heat race in that event, coming up just one spot short of transferring from the second B-Main into the main event aboard the Motor City Transport Inc. Spike with a Stanton Mopar engine under the hood.
Ferns, who is the reigning USAC D1 Midget Series champion, made her DuQuoin indoor debut in 2010 in The Battle at the Center, finishing third in the third heat race and eighth in the third qualifying race to earn a spot in the main event.
“I’m really looking forward to DuQuoin,” said Ferns. “I’ve raced there a couple of times and we’ve had a pretty good car, just some bad luck with a flat tire and things like that. Hopefully we can have a strong run this weekend and make up for that. It’s a fun little track to race on.”
The 16-year old has competed in five events this year with the POWRi Series, including making two starts at Macon (Ill.) Speedway, which is a one-fifth-mile dirt oval, similar to the temporary surface that will be in place for The Battle at the Center this weekend. Ferns finished sixth at Macon on June 23, which marked her best-career POWRi finish. She made her most recent start with the series on Sept. 24, also at Macon.
“Having been to a track before, especially a bullring like DuQuoin, certainly helps,” noted Ferns. “You have to be very precise there, so knowing where to lift is important. We’ve learned a number of things the last couple of times there that should help this weekend.”
Ferns made seven A-Feature starts in a midget this season on dirt, earning five Top-10 finishes, including a pair of Top-Five showings. The high school sophomore finished fourth at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway on July 31 with the USAC Mopar D1 Midget Series, leading 16 laps in a thrilling main event that saw her trade the top spot three times with multi-time open wheel champion Dave Darland. Ferns looks to use the experience she gained this season on the tight dirt ovals this weekend in The Battle at the Center.
“You have pace yourself at DuQuoin and try to avoid the wrecks,” explained Ferns. “At the same time you have to be aggressive. You never really know what will happen there, so you have to try to stay calm and see how everything plays out. Things happen in a hurry on a small track like that, so you always have to be alert and ready.”
The Battle at the Center will consist of heat races, qualifying races and a 40-lap main event on the one-fifth-mile dirt oval, with $5,000 awaiting the winner. A stout field of over 40 cars is expected, including a number of USAC Mopar National Midget Series drivers, along with a strong contingent from the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series.
“Making it into the main event is our first focus,” said Ferns, when asked about the weekend. “If we can get a Top-10 or Top-Five, it would be a very good weekend for us. There will be a lot of great drivers there, and it will be a very competitive event.”
#
Keep up with all the action: For the latest news and results, visit Taylor Ferns and Ferns Racing online at http://www.taylorferns.com.
- Admin Account on Dec 16, 2011
- Article Date: 12/16/2011 by Ferns Racing PR