Eleven season races are in the books for the touring Carolina Mini Stocks but no race looms larger than Saturday’s (November 5) National Final at Bobby Watson’s Carteret County Speedway.
The biggest purse of the year has attracted Mini Stock drivers from New Hampshire to Illinois including current points leader Robert Strmiska out of Lexington, North Carolina.
“I’ve had a killer season” says Strmiska who has won 8 of 16 races this season with four of those wins on the Carolina Mini Stock tour.
Strmiska, Shane Canipe and Brandon Clements comprise the top three in the Carolina Mini Stock point standings but they will face a serious challenge from a predicted starting grid of 30+ mini stocks. “My focus”, says Strmiska, “is to win the points championship and while I’m on top right now, that might not last given the great drivers on tour.”
These four cylinder modified race cars will start the day with qualifying at 1:30pm then heat races at 3pm as they try to make the field for the grueling 100 lap season finale. “I like the longer races but after driving hard all night I feel whooped from fatigue” claims Strmiska. Asked about racing specifically at Carteret County Speedway Strmiska responded, “Carteret is hard, real technical and the car setup has to be perfect.” This however isn’t Strmiska’s first rodeo in regards to racing at Carteret and he feels he finally has a handle on the track and what it takes to win at America’s Nicest Short Track. That being said, Strmiska added, “The Carolina Mini Stock Tour is so competitive that on any given night five or six cars can win.”
The Carolina Mini Stocks will be joined on the race card with several local weekly divisions, The Legends, Bombers, Jr. Mini-Cups, UCAR and the Mod-4.
Gates open early Saturday at 10:30am with racing all day. The first round of practice begins at noon, qualifying at 1:30pm, Mini Stock heat races at 3pm and the green drops for feature races at 6pm.
The Carolina Mini Stock Nationals marks the third straight week of racing at Carteret County Speedway and the weather is predicted to be perfect.
Next up is the Solid Rock Carriers Race of Champions December 9th & 10th with a whopping total purse of $50,000! Keep checking carteretspeedway.com for more on the Solid Rock Carriers Race of Champions and on the upcoming Great Holiday Laser Light show, the first ever event of its kind at Carteret County Speedway November 18-19 and the 25-27. For more go to: holidaylasershows.com.