ANDERSON, Ind. — Setting goals is a good way to strive for, measure and ultimately achieve success.
We asked the 500 Sprint Car Tour and USSA Kenyon Midget Series drivers who attended the series’ media day on Thursday afternoon at the Anderson Country Club what their goals were for the upcoming season, which begins April 8 at Anderson Speedway.
Here are their replies, listed in alphabetical order by the drivers’ surnames.
500 Sprint Car Tour Drivers
Caleb Armstrong: “I don’t race that much anymore; I’ll probably do about five races this year. But the Little 500 is the goal. To put the nail in the coffin with that one is my goal.”
Dakoda Armstrong: “Win a dang race! We ran second in the 500 Sprint Car Tour points and second in the Little 500 last season. We came close a couple of times. We had lots of top threes, and we were always competitive. I want to keep that same consistency, but end up in victory lane!”
Saban Bibent: “On both dirt and pavement, it’s going to be a learning year for us. Our goal is to run different tracks and different cars and get experience. We know we have a good piece and a great team in the Doran guys. We’ll run about half of the 500 Sprint Car Tour races. Right now we’re unsure if we’ll do the Little 500. My car will be the Doran 98. It’s a Beast with a J&D Chevy. Tony Stewart drove it when it was a Hoffman car.”
Derek Bischak: “I’m going to run the Little 500 and the 500 Sprint Car Tour and the pavement USAC Silver Crown races. For the 500 Sprint Car Tour, we want to build on what we’ve done in the past; have good qualifying runs, and be more consistent. We want to get top fives, top threes, and maybe contend for a win. We want to finish all the races.”
Shane Butler: “To win the Little 500. That’s number one!”
Isaac Chapple: “I won the BOSS series championship last year, and I’d like to do that again. I’d like to win at least five races this year; that would be good. I don’t get to do many pavement races; I’ll do five or six races in the 500 Sprint Car Tour. I want to get a better feel for pavement racing. Finishing in the top 10 in the Little 500 is another of my goals.”
Taylor Ferns: “My main thing is to be super consistent. I want to keep up the speed we showed we had last year. I want to win races and contend for the championship, which I know we’re capable of doing. So for me it’s three things: consistency, winning, and the championship.”
Doug Fitzwater: “My goal is to qualify for the Little 500. The closest I’ve been in five attempts was first alternate. This year will be my sixth attempt to make the field. I grew up in Anderson, and as a boy my dream was to run in the Little 500. But raising my family was my first priority, not racing. I’m also a veteran. I was 30 years old when I built my first sprint car. I’ve been in other races at Anderson Speedway; every time they run I’m usually there. So I want to gain experience in order to make the Little 500 field. That’s been my life-long goal.”
Brian Gerster: “The only thing I’m doing is the Little 500. We had a good run there last year, so I’d like to build on that and have a better result. It’s the biggest pavement sprint car race in the world, and it takes a year to prepare for it. I enjoy the history of the race and competing against the best. I hope to give ourselves a chance to be there at the end.”
Rob Keesling: “That’s actually a hard question for me. I was involved in a bad accident before the Little 500 in 2021 and missed the rest of that season. I got another car, but in May of 2022 my wife and I were in a serious auto accident, and I didn’t race last year either. So it’s a regrouping year. I want to pick up where I left off, and then hopefully improve upon that. I would like to do all of the races, but I really have only one crewmember and traveling for him is up in the air. I’ve been racing probably for six years; some way back when, and some lately.”
Larry Kingseed Jr.: “Just go out there and have fun!”
Jackson Macenko (competing in both series): “For the 500 Sprint Car Tour, it’s to log as many laps as possible, gain experience, and get more competitive as the season goes on. Right now we’re planning on doing all the races except for the Little 500. I’m not going to run the Kenyon Midget Series full time, but for that series I want to win every race I’m in, or at least compete at the front.”
Tony Main: “Everything for us is the Little 500. We want to lock in on the first day of qualifying, and get a top-10 finish.”
Jake McElfresh: “Win the Little 500 and win the 500 Sprint Car Tour championship. I like to set lofty goals!”
Tom Paterson: “Finish every race. Hopefully I’m going to do all of them. I run a Silver Crown car too.”
Tyler Roahrig (defending Little 500 winner): “Overall, it’s to win the most races, win the championship and have fun doing it!”
Bobby Santos III: “To win as many races as possible. The Little 500 is one we have circled, of course. Beyond that, it’s to win as many races as possible.”
Jim Sheets: “We’re planning to run six races. We’re not doing the Little 500. But we’ll do all the other Anderson Speedway races except for the 500. I’m from Anderson. I just came out of retirement last year, so my goal is to finish the races. We’re doubling our schedule from last year and we worked out the bugs in our equipment last year, so we’re looking forward to a good season.”
Kody Swanson (defending champion): “My goal is to win the Little 500, and if we could repeat as the 500 Sprint Car Tour champion, that would be great. I haven’t won the Little 500 in a while, and it would be great to win our first one together with this team.”
Billy Wease: “We were close last year, but my personal goal this year is to knock off that first win in a sprint car. That would be cool!”
Travis Welpott: “To make as many races as possible, get as many top 10s as possible, and survive the season. We’re trying to do all the 500 Sprint Car Tour races and all the USAC Silver Crown races this year.”
Check back tomorrow for Part II to read responses from USSA Kenyon Midget Series drivers.