SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Mich. — May 1, 2014 — After nearly four full years between starts in a 410-winged sprint car, Taylor Ferns looked like an old pro last weekend at Atomic Speedway in Ohio, aboard one of the nearly 900-horsepower machines. She was leading her heat race until a mechanical problem forced her to the pit area, and then she blasted her way through the field during the main event, passing 11 cars.
The high school senior looks to build on that foundation this weekend, as she makes her second winged start of the season, in the Jimmy’s Towing/Indy Race Parts Maxim. Ferns will visit Skyline (Ohio) Speedway for an event with the Ohio Valley Sprint Car Association on Saturday, May 3.
“It feels great to be back in a winged sprint car,” said Ferns. “I kind of had forgotten what it felt like to be in a winged car, especially with other cars around, since it had been so long since I’d raced one. I had been wanting to race a winged sprint car for a while and it is great to be back in the seat.”
The native of Shelby Township, Mich., made three appearances at Skyline Speedway in a 410-winged sprint car in 2010, with a best feature event finish of 13th. Skyline is a high-banked three-eighths-mile, located in Stewart, Ohio.
“The one thing I really remember about Skyline (Speedway) is that it gets dry/slick pretty fast and stays that way all night long,” she shared. “The key is to be prepared to race on a slick race track. I’ll have to be patient and get used to passing cars and getting through traffic. It kind of worked out starting at the back last week, because I was able to be in traffic quite a bit and get re-acclimated to it. The closing rate in winged cars is so fast, due to the horsepower, so that definitely took a little getting used to again.”
Last weekend at Atomic Speedway in Chillicothe, Ohio, Ferns was 10th-fastest in time trials of the 24 entries at the high-banked, third-mile. She was leading the second heat race when the crank trigger on the engine broke, leading to some repairs prior to the main event. She lined up on the inside of the 11th row for the A-Feature and steadily worked her way through a solid field of cars to finish 11th.
“We had a really car, it was on a rail,” said Ferns. “If everything would have gone our way, I feel like we would have won our heat race and then we would have started up front in the feature and probably could have contended for the win. I could go anywhere on the track I needed, that is how strong the car was. Hopefully we have the same speed and maneuverability with the car this weekend.”
Ferns will compete in a number of 410-winged sprint car races in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois this season. The 2011 USAC D1 Midget Series champion will also contest the full Traxxas USAC Silver Crown Series calendar and will compete in select dirt races with the Honda USAC National Midget Series.
Taylor Ferns and Ferns Racing would like to thank their valued partners: Jimmy’s Towing Recovery & Transport, Indy Race Parts, Motor City Auto Transport Inc., 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.
