SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Mich. — June 18, 2014 — Taylor Ferns has progressively faced stiffer competition each week this season in her return to 410-winged sprint car racing and she will take that to a whole new level this week, competing in the opener of Ohio Sprint Speedweek for the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions at Attica Raceway Park in Ohio. The nine-race mini-series brings drivers from across the country together to race on the always tough Ohio dirt tracks.
Ohio Caterpillar Night at Attica Raceway Park is set for Friday, June 20. The night will open with hot laps, followed by time trials, heat races, a dash, C-main, B-main and a 40-lap A-Feature. A total of 24 starting spots will be on the line for the main event.
“Racing with the All Stars, we know that there is going to be a lot of cars and I have to keep my head up and stay focused,” said Ferns. “I know we’ll have a really good car. Hopefully we’ll have a good pill draw and time trials run and then can stay up front each time we are on the track. If we can come away with a solid finish and learn each time we are on the track that will be a good night for us.”
Ferns has made one start this season at Attica aboard the Jimmy’s Towing/Indy Race Parts Maxim. In that race on May 9, the 18-year-old led laps in the early portion of the feature at the high-banked third-mile, before a spin. She restarted and charged back through the field before a second spin. Ferns would be scored 14th in the final rundown. She opened the night by finishing third in her heat race.
“I feel like I have a little unfinished business at Attica (Raceway Park) because last time we were leading the feature and I made a rookie mistake and spun,” she shared. “We had a fast car last time we were there and I’ve been watching a lot of our GoPro on-board video to make sure I don’t make the same mistake again.”
The native of Shelby Township, Michigan, claimed her first-career 410-winged sprint car feature win earlier this month at Southern Ohio Speedway with the Ohio Valley Sprint Car Association. In that race, she started on the pole and dominated the main event to complete a clean sweep of the night, which also saw her set a new track record in time trials and win her heat race.
Ferns has made seven sprint car starts at five different tracks thus far in 2014. She has four top-10 finishes, including a pair of podium performances.
“The main goal at Attica (Raceway Park) is to make the feature and then we can go from there,” said Ferns. “It is a big jump to race with the All Stars, especially during Speedweek, knowing the caliber of cars and drivers that will be there. The main goal going into this is to learn as much as we can and be able to apply that going forward.”
Tentative plans have Ferns possibly competing in a couple of additional Ohio Sprint Speedweek events. The nine-race mini-series runs from June 20–28.
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.
