CONCORD, N.C. — Mike Fowler checked an item off his racing bucket list in 2023. He strapped a Big Block motor in his No. 410 car for the first time and entered the World of Outlaws World Finals with the Super DIRTcar Series.
Now, the Fulton, N.Y. driver is preparing for his series return at this year’s World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, preparing for another dream opportunity.
“It was a lot of fun,” Fowler said about entering World Finals last year. “We had some hurdles and hiccups we had to deal with the first couple of nights, but the last two nights, I felt like we were right there.”
“I felt we were on the verge of qualifying two nights in a row if it wasn’t for the hole I put myself in with no seat time and no time with the motor. I think we would’ve been in a better position and made at least one of the shows, but we went down there with the intention of having fun, and that’s exactly what we did.”
Despite those hurdles, Fowler said he’s excited for his Charlotte return. One reason is the four-tenths-mile track is different than any track in the Northeast and hosts an event that most dirt racing fans across the country are watching.
“It’s the mecca for me,” Fowler said. “I love that place. It’s rough on tires, but you know that going into it. The speed is second to none. The stage that you’re on and the eyeballs on that event are huge. It’s by far the biggest show that I’ll ever run. I don’t know if there’s a bigger show audience-wise that has all three big series. I don’t think there’s another venue that could do it.
“The place is fantastic; the campus is awesome. Everybody’s friendly down there. It’s just a great atmosphere, and I really enjoy it.”
While his first laps around Charlotte in a Big Block came in 2023, it wasn’t his first laps at “America’s Home for Racing.” Fowler has made seven starts at the World Short Track Championship with his Sportsman, earning two top fives and five top 10s.
However, getting that experience in a Big Block showed him that power is one of many differences between the two cars.
“With the crate car, you really want to keep your momentum up because it’s such a momentum track that you can almost race the track in a circle like you’re in a go-kart,” Fowler said. “But with the Big Block, you can run the bottom, you can run the top, you can run the middle, you can shut the car down a little bit if you had to and get off the corner.
“But for the most part, Sheppard, Fuller, Williamson, Perrego, the guys who have a lot of experience down there, you watch them, and you see them treating it like I do the Sportsman, keeping the momentum up and trying not to break speed.”
With his knowledge of what the Big Block can do at Charlotte, Fowler said he’s ready for what’s to come when he battles with the Super DIRTcar Series at World Finals. After falling short of making all three Features, he said he’s coming to North Carolina with a new goal.
“Last year, we went to go play and just have fun,” Fowler said. “This year’s goals have moved a little bit. The goal is still to go have fun because if you’re not having fun there’s no point in doing this. But on top of that, we’d like to make the show. I’d be happy with just making the show.
“I think we can do it. I think we’ve got a pretty good support system behind me. We’re going to make a week of it, coming to the [World Short Track Championship] just to watch and have fun and relax. I think we’ve done our work in the shop as far as setup. It’s just going to come down to whether I can execute on the track and not put us in a hole come Qualifying.”