FREMONT, Calif. — Shane Golobic isn’t shy about expressing his desire to elevate his status from being one of the most consistent sprint car drivers on the West Coast to one of the winningest drivers.
“I feel like I get that average finish and most podiums, all those awards every year, but I don’t get the most wins,” Golobic said with a laugh. “I’ve got to figure that out.”
Over the last three years, Golobic has collected an impressive 28 victories racing 410 and 360 winged sprint cars and midgets. What that number doesn’t show, though, is the countless podiums and top-five finishes the Matt Wood Racing pilot knows could have been victories.
“We want to turn some of those podiums into wins,” Golobic said. “Whether it takes getting our cars better or it takes me taking on a couple more risks here and there out there on the race track and maybe sacrificing a sure second-place for a possible win, just maybe taking advantage of some opportunities a little bit better than I have in the past.”
The Fremont, Calif., native has put together a tentative schedule that will present plenty of chances at victory. He and his brother/crew chief, Dustin, are set to tackle roughly 90 races, mostly along the left coast with some Midwest appearances sprinkled in.
Without plans to chase any championships, Golobic simply hopes to win a lot of races.
The closest Golobic will get to running full time with a series is the 26 events he intends to compete in with the NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Cars. Golobic is also eyeing a pair of northern trips with the series as some of his most anticipated racing of the season, especially the 50th annual Dirt Cup at Washington’s Skagit Speedway.
“It’ll be cool to be able to go up to the Pacific Northwest a couple times with NARC and race some tracks I’ve never been to,” Golobic said. “I’ve never been to Skagit, so that’ll be really cool to go up there for that big $50,000-to-win race. The other little NARC swing through there looks pretty cool, too, with a couple more tracks I’ve never been to.
“It would be really cool to get a win up in Oregon and Washington, one in each state,” Golobic added. “I’ve never won anything up there. I think I’ve probably raced four races up there, two at Cottage Grove (Speedway) and two at Willamette (Speedway), so I have not much experience up there at all, but it would be cool to get a win up in the Northwest and add a couple states to the win list.”
The main pieces of Golobic’s Midwest appearances will be the USAC Nationals at Huset’s Speedway in July and nearly a month-long stay in Knoxville, Iowa, throughout August as he looks to continue improving at the Sprint Car Capital of the World.
After struggling in his early trips to Knoxville Raceway, Golobic has improved to the tune of top-five finishes in the last two 360 Nationals, including a career-best second in 2020. The half-mile presents a unique set of challenges, especially for Californians like Golobic, who are accustomed to bullrings.
“It’s been a struggle for us,” Golobic said of the adjustment. “I’ve been to Knoxville a handful of years now and we’re just now starting to get some results that aren’t terrible. The first few years we went there we struggled really bad like most California guys do, but it really just comes down to laps. The last couple years, we’ve been able to sneak out there two or three times ahead of the Nationals and hit some weekly shows.
“On the mechanical side of it, Dustin and I have struggled a little bit trying to get that place figured out,” Golobic continued. “We don’t do anything like that really here in California. … It’s just a big learning curve that has taken a few years to get going. We’re still not where we want to be, but I don’t know if anyone really gets to where they want to be at Knoxville. The place is so tough.”
Completing Golobic’s schedule will be a mix of 410 and 360 sprint car shows with a handful of midget races here and there. The 30-year-old is a proven force at the California tracks and equipped with a more aggressive mindset, he may visit victory lane more frequently this season.
“It’s something we all work towards as racers, winning as many races as we possibly can,” Golobic said. “That’s no different this year. I think we’re going to set our goal to try and get to that 15-to-20-win range this year. The way our schedule is looking here, I think we’ll have a pretty good shot at it. We just need to capitalize on each and every night. As long as we are in position to be in that top-three toward the end of each race I think the wins will come.
“I know I’ve got all the right equipment, the right people behind me, the right sponsors,” Golobic added. “Everything we need is there, just have to finish it off each night and win as many races as we can.”