HOLLY, Mich. — Colton Nelson will compete in the Must See Racing Sprint Series presented by Engine Pro during its 2ndannual American Speed U.S. Nationals at Kalamazoo (Mich.) Speedway May 27-28.
Colton, of Meridian, Idaho, became the first confirmed West Coast entry for this year’s race.
Nelson may arguably be one of the hottest winged-pavement sprint car drivers in the country. The 25-year-old is coming off his second career Speed Tour Regional Sprint Car Series championship as well as picking up a victory in the $20,000-to-win Pink Lady Classic at Meridian Speedway last September.
Nelson will be competing for Ohio car owner Jim McCune and will be part of the potent McCune Motorsports team that already includes drivers Jimmy McCune, Anthony McCune, and Jacob Dolinar.
“I think we definitely need to combine the East Coast, Midwest, West Coast, and the Southern Sprint Car Series as much as possible” said Nelson. “We need to try to get one or two drivers a year to cross over and run other regions. We had a good opportunity to do it with Jim McCune. It was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up”.
Nelson realizes he may be somewhat of an unknown East of the Mississippi River, but that is of little concern to Nelson.
”I’ve never really cared about getting my name out there too much,” he said. “We race to have fun and we race to win as many races as we can. One of my goals is to try to hit as many racetracks around the country as possible. I’d like to add a racetrack or two to my list each year. I wanna show the guys in other regions that us West Coast guys don’t play around. We’re serious racers”.
The young West Coast racer may have his work cut out for him as he will be battling some of the best winged pavement 410 drivers in the entire country.
“I’ve never been to the Midwest before,” said Nelson. “I’m not coming out for anything other than to race. Me and the boys are flying in, hopefully grab a few practice laps, race both days, and fly out.
“It’s gonna be a completely different chassis than I’m used to, Somebody else’s seat. It’s gonna be somebody else everything. I’ve never raced with an unrestricted 410, but I’ve practiced without the restrictors. The horsepower is gonna be fun and I’m looking forward to adapting. Adapting to a new chassis and a new team. I just wanna do the best I can with new people I’ve never raced with before. I’m looking forward to the weekend.”
The 2nd annual American Speed U.S. Nationals will feature two complete nights of racing for the MSR 410 series as well as the MSR Midwest Lights. The two-day Memorial Weekend extravaganza is expected to draw drivers from around the country.