By Ferns Racing PR
SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Mich. — April 25, 2014 — While driving a 410-winged sprint car is not exactly like riding a bike, it’s still a skill set that once learned is not easily forgotten. After climbing aboard one of the nearly 900-horsepower machines for the first time in 2010, Taylor Ferns expanded her racing horizons to include USAC National midgets, USAC Silver Crown cars and stock cars in the following years, and is now adding winged sprint car racing back to her on-track endeavors.
Ferns will make her first 410-winged sprint car start since 2010, on Saturday, April 26, as she visits Atomic Speedway near Chillicothe, Ohio. The native of Shelby Township, Mich., will pilot her family-owner No. 55 Jimmy’s Towing Recovery & Transport/Indy Race Parts Maxim, with Kevin Besecker serving as crew chief.
While she will be making her first start in a race at Atomic Speedway, Ferns turned laps at the high-banked, third-mile earlier in her career. In fact, the first time she tested a 410-winged sprinter was at the track in 2010, then under the name of K-C Raceway.
“We have a really good car going into this weekend,” said Ferns. “I am very excited to get back in a winged car. It’s something I had been wanting to do for a really long time. I’m glad I have the chance to do it. It should be a good time.”
In preparation for this weekend’s event at Atomic Speedway, Ferns tested her 410-winged sprint car on Saturday, April 19, at Waynesfield Raceway Park in Ohio. Waynesfield is a high-banked, third-mile, similar to Atomic Speedway.
“The test was pretty solid,” she shared. “The last time I had been in a winged car was when I was 14-years-old. After a few laps, I knocked the rust off and was able to get back to where I left off. We tried some different set-ups to see what would work on the car and what wouldn’t.”
Ferns made a handful of starts in a 410-winged sprint car in 2010. She competed in three events at Skyline Speedway in Ohio, earning a pair of third-place heat race finishes and a best main event finish of 13th. The high school senior also raced at Ohio Valley Speedway, finishing fourth in a heat race that same year.
“The winged car actually relates a lot a midget, because you go all out,” explained Ferns. “In a winged car you also drive as hard as you can. Racing on dirt, you kind of have to drive all the different cars in a similar manner, because of how the track changes, going from tacky to slick over the course of the night. I think that will transfer over to racing the winged car this season. I’ve been racing on dirt since I was 10 years old, so this is nothing new to me.”
Most recently, Ferns competed in the inaugural Kokomo Grand Prix for the Honda USAC National Midget Series at Kokomo Speedway in Indiana. She finished fourth in the first heat race on the opening night to earn a spot in the 30-lap main event, where she was running near the top-15 with two laps remaining, when a coil pack fell off the engine, ending her night in 22nd. In the finale, Ferns finished sixth in the third heat, just missing a transfer spot to the main event. In the B-main, she was running third, and in a position to transfer, when a belt on the engine broke, forcing her to the pit area.
Along with competing in 410-winged sprint car races in Ohio, Illinois and Indiana, this season, Ferns will also contest the full Traxxas USAC Silver Crown campaign, along with select Honda USAC National Midget Series races on the dirt.
“When we go to the track we go there to race and that will be no different in the winged car,” said Ferns. “I’ll drive the car as hard as I can and hopefully take it to the front. We’ve had a rough start to the season, with just random things happening, so we are looking to turn that around. We are starting off with a fresh slate with the winged car and I am looking to have solid finishes.”
Taylor Ferns and Ferns Racing would like to thank their valued partners: Jimmy’s Towing Recovery & Transport, Motor City Auto Transport Inc., Indy Race Parts, National Auto Placement, Project Podium, Women’s Sports Foundation, Lyn St. James Women in the Winner’s Circle Foundation, FK Rod Ends, Lucas Oil, K&N Filters, Lansing Sanitary Supply (LSS), Simpson Race Products, ButlerBuilt, Allstar Performance, Stanton Racing Engines, Hoosier Tire Midwest, 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 2014 schedule, visit TaylorFerns.com. Follow Taylor on Twitter at @TaylorFerns and like her on Facebook.