INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — May 15, 2015 — A few things have changed since the last time Taylor Ferns raced at Plymouth Speedway in Indiana. First, the track is now dirt, and measures three-eighths-of-a-mile, versus the former half-mile paved configuration. Also, Ferns ran a midget in that event three years ago, and now races a winged sprint car. She will return to Plymouth this weekend to compete with the Sprints on Dirt aboard the Eco-Mend/Jimmy’s Towing Maxim.
The Engine Pro Sprints on Dirt presented by ARP event at Plymouth Speedway is set for Saturday, May 16. A full racing program is on tap.
Ferns made her most recent start at Plymouth Speedway in 2012, with the Honda USAC National Midget Series. She qualified third-fastest for that event, which marked her best-career qualifying effort with the series. Ferns ran fourth in a heat race and finished a solid 10th in the main event. She also raced with the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour at Plymouth that same season. In 2011 at Plymouth, Ferns competed in a co-sanctioned race with the USAC D1 Midget Series and STARS National Midget Series, finishing 10thin a 40-lap feature, after winning a heat race. She made her debut at Plymouth in 2009, with the Kenyon Midget Series.
“Having been to Plymouth before will help, but that’s probably about the only thing we can take away from our last trip there to this time,” said Ferns. “It’s going to be a completely different experience. We’ve had a tough start to the season, so we are looking to get things turned around at Plymouth.”
Last weekend, Ferns raced at the famed Eldora Speedway in Ohio, which featured both the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series in what was billed as the “Mother of All Sprint Car Weekends.” In the opener on Friday, May 8, she finished ninth in the third heat race and wound up 14th in the B-main. On Saturday, May 9, Ferns had engine trouble in time trials that forced her to scratch for the remainder of the race program.
Two weekends ago, Ferns competed at Atomic Speedway in Ohio with the Ohio Valley Sprint Car Association. She finished fourth in the first heat race to transfer to the main event. In the A-Feature, she finished 17th.
The Engine Pro Sprints on Dirt presented by ARP, who Ferns will be racing with this weekend, is a winged 360-sprint car series based in Michigan. She last a 360-sprint car last fall at Waynesfield Raceway Park in Ohio. Ferns won a heat race that night and started eighth in the main event. Contact with another car led to a flip on the second lap, which ended her night.
“Going from a 410 (sprint car) to a 360 (sprint car), I think easier than going from a 360 to a 410,” explained Ferns. “Everything happens a lot slower in a 360, and it is easier to adapt. A big difference is that they usually draw for starting spots in a 360, so you have to try to pass a lot of cars in order to get a good starting spot in the main event.”
In 2015 thus far, the Michigan native, who now calls the Indianapolis area home, has hit the track 10 times at six different tracks. She finished eighth in her first start of the season with the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions in Florida. She also has raced at Attica Raceway Park, Atomic Speedway, Eldora Speedway and Fremont Speedway, all in Ohio, as well as Tri-City Speedway in Illinois with the MOWA series.
“We have been trying some different things, so hopefully we can have a good weekend and everything will go smoothly,” said Ferns. “We have had so much going on this year and haven’t been able to catch a break, so a smooth weekend is what we are after.”
Ferns has a “True Outlaw” schedule set for 2015, that will see her compete with a variety of winged sprint car series across the Midwest.
Taylor Ferns and Ferns Racing would like to thank their valued partners: Eco-Mend, 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 andRacing2Cure.
