There have been quite a few dream scenarios that have come true for Chase Randall this season.
He won the Knoxville Raceway track championship in the 360 division, collecting four wins and finishing on the podium in every race.
He finished runner-up to Donny Schatz during his preliminary feature at the Knoxville Nationals and parlayed a 13th-place finish in the A main into rookie-of-the-year honors for the most prestigious sprint car race in the world.
“It was unbelievable, just to achieve everything that we set out to do this year,” Randall said. “We just hit the ground rolling from the start and never let up.”
The 18-year-old hasn’t hit the brakes yet, either.
He’s now headed west to Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif., to wheel the No. 57w sprint car for Paul Silva during the 69th Gold Cup Race of Champions — another dream come true.
“Paul came to me at Huset’s (Speedway) for the High Limit race and asked me if I wanted to do a couple races for him in California,” Randall said. “He asked what my schedule was and I didn’t really have anything on it, so I just said, ‘For sure.’”
Silva’s winning record with drivers such as Kyle Larson, Tyler Courtney and Justin Sanders hasn’t been lost on Randall, who feels he’s put himself in a good position to make the most of the opportunity at hand.
“My confidence is at an all-time high right now, and it’s growing every time we get on the race track,” Randall said. “For this being my rookie season in the 410 and to be this confident is key.”
The Texan has bounced between Troy Renfro’s No. 2ks and his family-owned No. 9r sprint car throughout the summer, competing weekly at Knoxville and at select World of Outlaws and High Limit events.
His best finish with the Outlaws was 10th during the High Bank Nationals at Huset’s Speedway, while he boasts a sixth-place result at Nebraska’s Eagle Raceway with the High Limit series.
But it all comes back to Knoxville for Randall, who believes his winning campaign in the 360s and successful rookie run at the Knoxville Nationals have been the two most monumental feats of his season.
“To compete at the Nationals with the greatest 410 drivers in the whole country and to make that race on our first try and run really well was a huge accomplishment,” Randall said.
Though it might’ve been a shock for many to see Randall give 10-time World of Outlaws champion Donny Schatz a run for his money during the preliminary feature, the 18-year-old didn’t feel quite as blindsided.
“Racing at Knoxville every week in the 360s and racing up front, it kind of helped me with that and put me in a position where I knew what to expect,” Randall said. “I wasn’t really running blind, you could say.”
In turn, his experience at the Nationals may help prevent him from “running blind” during his rookie appearance at the Gold Cup. While he’ll be racing on Northern California dirt for the first time, Randall is optimistic the bullring-style, quarter-mile track will suit his driving style.
“I’ve heard from a lot of people that the dirt out there is really tricky and it can change really quick. So that’s going to be one of the biggest things I’m going to have to learn quickly,” Randall noted.
All in all, with the number of puzzle pieces that have fallen into place this season, Randall feels he’s well on his way toward achieving his next dream — racing full time with the World of Outlaws.
“It’s come a lot faster than I expected,” Randall said. “Since December, there’s been a lot of stuff happening this year, and everything for the better. It’s been such a fun time.”