ST. LOUIS – A unique partnership will see Clinton Boyles partner with RMS Racing to take part in the Gateway Dirt Nationals this weekend inside The Dome at America’s Center.
Boyles will drive for the Dave and Matt Estep-led operation for the second time this season, making his first appearance as a driver in the invitation-only event after Ronnie Gardner had to decline his invite.
That opened up a hole in the event roster, while the Esteps were looking for a driver for the weekend and Boyles was eager to accommodate.
“I actually went into CSI Shocks about three days ago and was talking to Ronnie Gardner in there, and Ronnie was invited to go run at Gateway, but he said to me, ‘man, I’m not gonna make it. I’ve got this going on and that going on.’ So I realized that there was kind of an open entry there, possibly, so I got up with Dave and Matt and talked to them, and they said they had a car if I could come up with an engine.”
Enter RAMS Racing and driver Justin Grant, who aided in checking the engine requirement off for Boyles.
“I went back and talked to Justin, who’s been a good buddy of mine for a while, along with Rick (Young) and Jeff Taylor. And they were like, well, ‘we’ve got an extra engine; you can use it,’” Boyles explained. “So the two teams (RAMS and RMS) kind of came together to help out and make it possible. After that, I just called up the guys over at the Dome and asked if coming there would be a possibility, and they said they would love to have me.
“A lot of puzzle pieces fell together to make this deal happen, but I’m super excited for it.”
A similarly-unique set of circumstances led to Boyles’ first run with RMS over the summer, when he competed in a Summer Midget Series event at Jacksonville (Ill.) Speedway in August, as well as a Badger Midget Auto Racing Ass’n event at Illinois’ Sycamore Speedway prior to the Knoxville Nationals.
“That was just a deal where T-Mez (Thomas Meseraull) had a conflict and couldn’t run those couple of nights at the beginning of August, and I happened to be running Gas City (I-69 Speedway) right before those two races and he came up to me and said that RMS ought to put me in the car since he couldn’t be there,” Boyles recalled. “Sure enough, that’s exactly what happened, and we had a good bit of fun running those two races together.
“Hopefully now we can go out, have more fun and put on a good show this weekend at The Dome.”
After parting ways with car owner Paul Hazen – who fielded his Gas City sprint car ride – late in the season, Boyles has spent the last two months actively staying around the race track and working every angle in order to stay in the driver’s seat.
In a way, his deal for Gateway is a microcosm of his entire year across the board, Boyles noted.
“Man, ever since the deal happened that the No. 57 team and I went different directions, I’ve made a lot of phone calls and talked to a lot of people, and I’m just lucky enough to have a lot of people come forward and help me out,” said Boyles. “A lot of people have given me opportunities, whether it’s been Paul or Rick and Jeff … the RAMS Racing and Rockwell Security guys, or Dave and Matt Estep and their whole team at RMS. A lot of people have just really believed in me, and that means a lot.
“I’d like to think we’re kind of doing the right things and getting out there to where people believe in me (consistently) to put me in a race car. In the end, that’s what keeps guys like me going.”
Boyles was in attendance last winter, during the inaugural appearance of midgets inside The Dome, serving as a crew member for Sammy Swindell at the Gateway event.
This time Boyles returns as a driver, and even though it’s a one-off deal, the Brownsburg, Ind., driver said he’s still keeping the pressure on himself to go out and perform this weekend.
“I hold myself to a pretty high standard, and maybe from the team side of it, they’re putting zero pressure on me, but I put a ton of pressure on myself and being in the level of equipment that these guys are giving me, I expect myself to go out and compete at the highest level with everyone,” Boyles said. “From my standpoint, I expect myself to go run well, and getting rides after this is going to come from running well. If you want to step up and find a major deal full time for the summer, you’re going to have to go run strong in these one-off opportunities like this.
“I’m putting some pressure on myself, yes, but I like being in pressure situations. I think you really find out what you’re made of in situations like the one I’m going into and I’m relishing that opportunity.”