Brandon Whitley’s ready for a big payday.
The Pontotoc native, who finished third in a recent $2,500-to-win Factory Stock show in Jackson, leads the Columbus Speedway Factory Stocks points chase. Two of his seven career wins have come this season at The Bullring.
Whitley is eager and anxious entering Saturday’s $1,600-to-win Factory Stock feature race at Columbus, which will host a two-day show that begins tonight with weekly and NeSmith points races.
“The wait has been nerve-wracking,” Whitley said. “We’re used to running for $300. When we ran at Jackson, it felt like everyone in the country came, but we still ran well. But this weekend, we need to qualify well, make the feature, then maybe we can pick up a few spots and have a shot at it.”
Whitley, who has raced Street Modifieds and Factory Stocks since 2006, is also chasing his first points title.
“I’ve finished top five at Corinth,” Whitley said, “but I really want to win a points title.”
Whitley is motivated by the chance to join his parents, Billy and Sherrie Thompson, as track champions. His parents started racing in the early 1990s, when Sherrie won a women’s championship at Pine Ridge Speedway in Tennessee. Billy won a track points title in the Outlaw division at Corinth a few years ago.
“They’ve taught me so much and helped me so much throughout my career, and that’s what’s made me want to stick with it,” Whitley said.
Whitley’s success this season has been rooted in new gear and a new partnership. Whitley sold his yellow and blue Camaro after last season and bought a Monte Carlo from Jason and Jennifer Byrd. He wrecked the Camaro at Whynot Motorsports Park in Meridian last year and had to piece it back together to finish the points chase at Magnolia Motor Speedway.
“I have a lot better motor and parts,” Whitley said. “The car works a lot better at every track we’ve gone to this year. The old car needed new suspension and a lot of updates, and (the Monte Carlo) had everything up to date when I bought it. It’s nice to run up front every week.”
Whitley has developed a friendship and track partnership with the Byrds. Though they can’t work in the shop together throughout the week — they live roughly 100 miles apart — they’ve relied on each other for help and advice on race nights. Whitely and Jason sport “#TeamBYRC” (Backyard Race Cars) banners on their cars.
“That’s what makes you become better as a driver,” Whitley said.
Taylor hopes to add more “big shows”
Columbus track promoter Rod Taylor said he anticipates 25-30 cars to show up Saturday night, despite Whynot scheduling a makeup show the same night.
Columbus also will play host to a $1,000-to-win Street Stocks feature tonight. Taylor said 2016 NeSmith National Points champion Spencer Hughes is expected to race. Josh Tomlinson, a Missouri native who is chasing NeSmith points, is expected to return, too.
Taylor said the original purse was $1,000 to win, but community sponsors have sweetened the pot for the track’s largest Factory Stocks purse this season.
“We had Andrew Earnest put up $500 and Jacob Fargo put up $100 to take it to $1,600,” Taylor said. “Billy’s Race Parts is giving fifth-place finishers digital tire gauges for Factory Stock and Street Stocks. Terry Taylor Trucking is doing the fast time award at $100. We’re fortunate for the continued support from the racing community.”
Taylor said the track has “survived” this season on the strength of its weekly shows, though being one of the only tracks to host primarily Friday races creates challenges and forces him to be creative, like hosting two-day shows headlined by Street Stocks and Factory Stocks. Taylor said he thinks the track needs to hold at least one major show a month to survive.
“The biggest challenge at the beginning of the year was not having a motor grader,” Taylor said. “When you have a rough track, it’s hard on equipment and tears stuff up. We’ve overcome that hurdle, and the talk has been nothing but good from everybody I’ve talked to. I didn’t have one complain about the track the last go-round. If you can keep the positive talk with people, that’s what’s going to bring more drivers to the track to support it financially and enable us to do more things.”
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