Brownsburg, Ind. – Bobby East has his sights firmly set on getting the Klatt Enterprises No. 4 ClubSport/Ford Racing Technology/Beast Chassis Beast midget and the No. 6 Silver Crown car in victory lane and collecting a trio of checkered flags before the close of the 2009 USAC season – but he is already looking ahead to 2010.
“I’m excited to go to Phoenix and Irwindale because they are usually two tracks we run really well at,” East said. “We’ve done some testing to get ready for these races and we are heading out there looking at it like we’re going to win three races. Our pavement midget program is really strong and every time we unload the Silver Crown car we think we have a great chance to park it in victory lane. We won the Silver Crown race at Phoenix last year and it’s our last chance to get a win in that car this year so we’re going out to repeat. It’s always good to win but it’s even better there because there are a lot of NASCAR people there watching. I love racing at Phoenix, it’s big and fast and there’s lots of room to pass. Irwindale isn’t as big but there’s plenty of room to race there too.”
East’s 2009 season has been productive, but still not quite up to the standard that the 2004 USAC National Midget Series champ and his team set for themselves.
“We look back on the year and we’re happy we’ve gotten some wins because that’s what we are all about,” East said. “But we also see a lot of bad luck that took us out of a chance to win some more. You can’t change what’s already happened but we’re looking ahead to 2010 and doing our best to make sure we don’t cause our own bad luck. I look back at some of the years and when things are going your way it almost seems easy to win. We know that winning any race these days is extremely hard to do, but we want to get back to where things are going our way and we can get a few more wins. That’s what this is all about for us.”
East tentatively plans on competing for the USAC National Midget Series and Silver Crown championships in 2010, but is open to other opportunities as well.
“Right now we’re focusing on getting two more USAC championships,” East said. “We’re going to go after the Midget and Silver Crown championships, and we’re going to try some dirt Sprint car races and most of the pavement races too. But I’d be open to opportunities in other series too. I have some unfinished business in NASCAR and any kid growing up here in central Indiana would be lying if he said winning the Indianapolis 500 wasn’t a dream. It would be great to have those chances. Winning races is what gets you on the radar for those big time owners and sponsors so we’re going to do our best to get as many wins as we can.”
East, who has been a development driver for Ford Racing since his 2004 Midget title season, also had some words of thanks for the manufacturer that has supported him throughout most of his career.
“Every USAC win I’ve ever had has been with Ford power, and we’ve won a lot of races in all three divisions,” East said. “They’ve helped me in my NASCAR career too. It’s been awesome to work with them. I wish we could have given them some more wins and championships along the way, but we’ve had a great run with them. I’ve been proud to carry that blue oval on my racecars and represent them at short tracks all across the country. I’d like to thank everyone at Ford Racing for what they have done for me and our race team throughout the years. It’s been great working with all of them.”