I’ll be honest — the first two races of the season didn’t go the way I wanted. Two P8 finishes in the NASCAR Local Racing Series Powered by O’Reilly Auto Parts had me hungry to show what we were really capable of. April 4th at Tri-County Speedway in Granite Falls, North Carolina, was our answer.
We won the Skip Moser 335 Late Model feature. And the way it unfolded made it even better.
Starting at the Top
We decided to skip Friday practice and come in fresh on Saturday. It worked. We hit the track for practice and went straight to the top of the board on old tires. That told us everything we needed to know about where the car was at heading into qualifying.
When qualifying came around, we laid down a fast lap and earned pole position. P1 on the board. The car felt great, and the confidence was there.
Leading from the Front
When the green flag dropped, we took control immediately and never let go. I led the first 51 laps of the feature and built a lead of about a straightaway to a straightaway and a half over second place. The car was dialed in, and the more I focused on slowing my thinking and managing my tires, the faster I actually went.
We were smooth, consistent, and running our race. And then came the restart.
The Shaky Restart That Changed Everything
I got shuffled back to third. That stung. After leading wire to wire up to that point, sitting third with about 24 laps to go is not where you want to be.
But something clicked in me right then. I decided it was my time. I wasn’t going to manage the race anymore. I was going hunting.
The Chase and the Pass
I worked my way back into second and set my sights on the leader. I tracked him down with about 15 laps to go, and with seven or eight laps left, I saw my gap, and I took it. It was super, super close. But once I cleared him, I never looked back.
I pulled away and took the checkered flag with about half a straightaway on the field behind me. First win of the 2026 season in the NASCAR Local Racing Series.
What I’m Taking Away From This One
Winning feels amazing. I’m not going to pretend otherwise. But what I’m walking away with goes deeper than a trophy.
The biggest thing I learned is that calming myself down and trusting the process made me faster on the race track. Focus on the tires. Trust the car. Stay smooth. That’s what won this race. I try not to get too high or too low, but I’ll admit, this one felt really, really good.
I know what we have now. It’s going to be a great year.
What’s Next
The schedule is filling up, and we’re not slowing down. Head over to the schedule page to stay up to date on where we’re racing next. I’d love to see you at the track.
Thank you to everyone who supports this program. Let’s keep it rolling.
