Taylor Ferns will get to hit the dirt twice this weekend in her home state Michigan as she takes to the track at Hartford Speedway and I-96 Speedway for a pair of events.
The weekend will open for Ferns today with the Engine Pro Sprints on Dirt Presented by ARP, where she will drive the Eco-Mend/Jimmy’s Towing Maxim at Hartford Speedway.
Saturday, she will the race in the NAPA Auto Parts Rumble in Michigan for the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series at I-96 Speedway.
After getting rained out on Monday, I am really looking forward to getting to race twice this weekend,” said Ferns. “We’ll be racing both the 360- and 410-sprint car, which is always a good transition. I’ve never been to Hartford before, so I’ve been watching You Tube video to stay on points. I did race a micro (sprint) at I-96, but that was on the smaller inner track, so it will be a lot different this time, especially racing with the World of Outlaws, who in my opinion, are the best in the world.”
Ferns has raced once with the Sprints on Dirt this season, finishing eighth on May 16 at Plymouth Speedway in Indiana. That event marked her first 360-winged sprint car start since last fall.
The Michigan native, who now calls the Indianapolis area home, competed with the World of Outlaws earlier this month at the famed Eldora Speedway in Ohio, during the two-night “Mother of All Sprint Car Weekends” on Mother’s Day weekend. She battled engine problems on the second night, which forced her to scratch after time trials.
Last weekend, Ferns returned to Plymouth Speedway to race with the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions on May 22 in the Earl Gaerte Classic. She opened the night by timing in 31st and finished eighth in the second heat race. The night ended for Ferns in the B-main.
We have a full week of racing coming up and we are hoping to have a good start to that in Michigan,” said Ferns. “We’ll be racing good competition both nights and that always adds a bit to the learning curve, but it’s also how you get better. The team has been working hard as always and we can’t wait to get to the track both days this weekend.”
Ferns has made 12 starts this season, while battling Mother Nature, with a number of scheduled events rained out. She finished a season-best eighth in her first race of the year with the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions in Florida. She also has raced with the MOWA Series, OVSCA and F.A.S.T. Series.
She will continue to contest a true “Outlaw” schedule in 2015, racing with a variety of series at numerous tracks across the Midwest.