As he stood in victory lane at Indiana’s Lincoln Park Speedway, Cale Thomas gazed at an autographed fighter pilot’s helmet. The unique piece served as the trophy for the winner of the inaugural Honest Abe Roofing Winged Maverick Sprint Car Series event.
Suddenly a smile creased Cale’s face and he asked those assembled if they thought it would fit him. It did.
In the greater scheme of things how significant a moment was this?
From an historical perspective this largely depends on the future growth of this racing series. Yet, on a far more personal level this victory may prove to be a pivotal moment in one man’s career.
At age 25, Thomas seems ready to hit his stride. He has been competing at this level since he was a teenager, but to this point it has been far from a smooth ride. Even at his young age he has faced daunting obstacles and dealt with bitter disappointment. The good news is that he is far from defeated.
In fact, he believes there is a path to reach his goals and ultimately be recognized as one of the best at his craft.
Like many of his peers this sport has always been a part of his life. His father, Jason Thomas, gave micro racing a try and spent some time working for sprint car driver and noted engine builder Tim Engler. When he wasn’t hanging out in the pits, he could be found in the stands at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind.
Yet, when it became clear his son had some interest in racing, he had a whole new way to chew up his free time.
When Thomas speaks of his first days behind the wheel he observes, “I think most people who are still racing as an adult had some success early on.”
He cut his teeth at Mini Indy at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in part because other participants elected his parents to oversee the operation. In a great moment for his family, he won the 2010 Eastern Grands at the track.
Yet, he is particularly proud of his first voyage on dirt. The clan traveled west to Terre Haute where he responded by taking the top spot in one class in the Dirt Grands and finished third in another. He was ready to move to micros where he competed primarily at Linton, Ind., on Fridays and Southern Illinois Raceway on Saturday.
Racing his micro under the POWRi banner in 2011, he was the rookie of the year.
“As I get older that seems like the glory days to me,” he said. “I know the payouts are bigger now, but we had guys like Dereck King, Joe B. Miller, Christopher Bell, and I loved dicing with Andrew Felker.”
When it came to his aspirations, he was clear.
“It was winged sprint cars all the way,” he said. “Tim Engler drove winged cars and when I came up, we all ran micros with a wing. I really didn’t look back after that. I grew up going to the Kings Royal and I was infatuated with winged sprint cars. I liked Steve Kinser, Daryn Pittman and Joey Saldana, so I wanted to go winged racing. I just didn’t know it was going to happen that fast.”
Living in Farmland, Ind., he was in the middle of traditional sprint car country, so if he wanted to go the winged route he was going to have to travel. Thankfully, his parents were willing to help their son pursue his first love.
While it may be common for 16-year-olds to jump into a 410-sprint car today, it was not the norm when Thomas signed in for the first time at Ohio’s Atomic Speedway. He didn’t set the world on fire, but he didn’t shy away from the competition either. Then in 2016 his world was turned upside down after a hard crash at Atomic.
A severe concussion was enough to sideline him for a time. However, it seemed that while under care another problem was detected. There was a mass on his right kidney identified as a chromophobe renal cell carcinoma. It wasn’t the kind of problem young people were expected to face. When the family got the terrifying news, it was far more than a gut punch.
There are multiple layers to this life-altering incident. First, was the good news. He would lose 10 percent of this kidney in a surgical procedure, but no additional treatment was required. It was still a scary time and he faced considerable recovery time. Upon reflection Thomas realized the accident may have saved his life.
“That was a blessing,” he said. “It could have been a lot worse. Luckily, it was on my kidney and didn’t spread.”
In moments of deep reflection, he knew he needed to address his physical and spiritual health.
“I was always religious and believed in God,” he revealed. “But I wanted to take it to another level. I didn’t really have a church at the time, but I found one I liked. I also started going to the gym regularly because I was very weak after surgery and needed to get ready before the racing season started.”
On a trip to the gym, he ran into the pastor of his church who told him about a group of younger people who met on Wednesday nights. It was a place where he met some new friends and felt connected to a larger purpose.
The experience had changed him. While attending his church group he learned of the work of Rapha International which focuses on survivors of human trafficking and sexual exploitation. In 2018, he was presented with an opportunity to participate in a mission trip to Cambodia and see the work this organization did firsthand. He jumped on it.
Over a 10-day period, Thomas interacted with some remarkable and resilient girls and young women.
What his party offered was a bit different than the norm.
“It wasn’t like we went there and were building houses, what we were offering was moral support and we were showing what a good man is like to those girls,” Thomas said. “The one key takeaway was to spread the word about what Rapha International was doing, and I got the opportunity to do just that.”
Soon after he returned from overseas, Thomas scored the biggest victory of his career, defeating Saldana for an All Star Circuit of Champions triumph at Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park.
It was a public opportunity to discuss his trip to Cambodia. By this time, he had already surmounted a personal obstacle and had been touched by others who had faced unspeakable horror.
These kinds of experiences can either crush your soul or force you to dig in your heels even deeper. Thomas knew which choice he would make.
When Thomas was behind the wheel of the family car there was a level of control. However, like most in his situation the goal is to be hired by another professional team.
He was doing his best to make this happen but, unfortunately, some apparent opportunities quickly led to dead ends.
In 2020, he was excited to get a chance to develop his racing chops in Pennsylvania after forging a deal with owner John Trone. In a COVID impacted year Thomas packed up and moved to Pennsylvania with his spirits soaring. By the end of June, he was out of a ride.
“I moved all the way out there and got fired,” Thomas said. “It was something for sure, but you’ll have that.”
From there, it was back to the family car and taking other rides when available. He had enough experience by now to understand it takes time to build a team and gel. Thomas was searching for some stability.
At the start of 2023, he joined the Ohio-based Demyan-Rudzik team. Unfortunately, the partnership lasted only 13 races. It was another rough patch. He admits feeling “blindsided,” and was thrilled when he was tossed a lifeline by Fremont, Ohio’s Jay Kiser.
Two weeks after joining Kiser’s team, Thomas beat Cap Henry and Travis Philo at Fremont Speedway, and what had been a temporary assignment quickly grew into more.
“I raced for Jay one weekend and then he asked me if I wanted to race the next week, then they talked about a race in two weeks and then finally we discussed the schedule for the rest of the year and asked me if I was interested in doing this,” Thomas explained. “I was. Then other races popped up like the first Maverick race at Lincoln Park.”
Given the health scare he experienced, when he talks about not taking things for granted and being thankful for what he has, few doubt him. Having passed the five-year mark since his surgery his healthcare professionals could not be more reassuring.
He acknowledges that at least once a week he thinks about being a cancer survivor. That doesn’t make him less bullish about racing. All of this considered he needed to end the season strong. Winning the inaugural Maverick race was a great tonic.
It was a strong field of 49 cars and he was the best on this night.
“The more cars you have the harder it is to win it,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who is there because everyone has a chance. If you want to get down to the nitty gritty, I had to pass Bill Balog to win that race. The last time I raced with him he won two All Star races in a row and waxed our ass.”
Thomas finds it easy to replay the last few laps in his mind.
“I felt like the track we got that Friday had Bill Balog written all over it,” he said. “I was running second and thought I wouldn’t be able to pass him on the bottom and a slide job would be tough. We got in lapped traffic and he stepped out a bit and was spinning his tires down the front straightaway. I was biding my time and then I realized I had a better race car right now than he did.
“I just had to not screw it up and I didn’t.”
As Thomas held the fighter-pilot helmet in his hands, he saw all the signatures of the drivers on hand for the historic night. He had to stifle a laugh when he realized he had failed to sign it. Now he could place his signature anywhere he chose.
When it came to his racing life Thomas has already discerned an important pattern, and it is a reminder of the mindset that can help him continue to be successful.
“When I am at my lowest and I want to quit something good happens,” he said. “It just keeps me alive. You can have bad nights and things start boiling and you want to throw in the towel. Then you have moments like that Friday, and you think maybe I can do this. Maybe I can make a living doing this and be one of the greats someday.”
Right now, he feels gratitude to Kiser for believing in him.
“In this sport you can get blind-sided,” he said. “But Jay and the No. 23 team have pure love for the sport and respect for everyone around them including their driver. It was cool to end the year like that because it meant a lot to me.”
How things shake out for next season remain to be seen. His goal is to race with a series, ultimately the World of Outlaws, but he knows a team must have the resources and personnel to do this properly.
When Thomas isn’t racing, to the surprise of many, he is a candlemaker.
His Custom Wicks Candle Co. offers candles for special events, businesses and individuals. He’s proud of his products which feature soy wax and cotton wicks. He works out of his house and admits that when he gets large orders his kitchen becomes a candle factory.
It is also a world where he is in control.
Sure, he wants this business to grow but he knows where his passion lies. It’s racing. His ultimate destination was clear the minute he took at quarter midget around Mini Indy in Indianapolis. Without hesitation Thomas said, “My dream is to race with the World of Outlaws. There are a lot of things I would like to do, but that is my main goal.”