The Pink Lady Classic, run at Meridian Speedway each September, has become the premier winged asphalt sprint car race in the country. It annually pays $20,000 to win and is televised. Nelson has won the race three times in eight years.
“It’s hard to point to why I’m so strong at the Pink Lady Classic. I seem to come on strong late in the season,” Nelson said. “It’s always been my time to shine. The Pink Lady’s been good to me. It’s where I got my first winged sprint car win. I’ve run a lot of 250-lap hornet events at the track. Back in the day we’d start 80 cars. I think that’s helped.”
Nelson has captured the Speed Tour Regional Sprint Car Series championship three times in the last four years. The Speed Tour is considered the premier winged pavement sprint car series on the West Coast.
Nelson has two siblings – Josie is 24 and Lacey is 21. Josie has run midgets and hornets in the past in a limited capacity.
“Me and my sisters have never raced together. They both have heart issues,” Nelson explained. “It’s hard to say, if both of my sisters didn’t have heart issues, they might be racing just as much as me. We might all be racing together right now. I would have absolutely loved to have raced with them. They’re both smarter than me, so they’re really good at working at the speedway.”
At 26, Nelson has already accomplished a lot in the sport.
“What I really want to do before I hang up my helmet is win all the traveling races I can since I’ve spent so much time at Meridian over the years,” Nelson said. “That’s something I don’t have a lot of. I’m in talks about competing in some Must See Racing events this summer in the Midwest.”
Nelson and his girlfriend, Kayla Mosley, have a six-month-old daughter, Lilly.
“Obviously, I want her to make the decision if she wants to race someday,” Nelson said. “Now that I’m getting involved with the track I don’t know if she’ll grow up watching me race or be a promoter. I want to put her through all the sports possible and see what she likes. If it’s not racing, we’ll support her in whatever sport she chooses.”
Putting on a promoter’s hat is something the younger Nelson may ponder in the future.
“It’s something I’ve put off for a long time. I quit my job as a heavy haul truck driver. Now that the ownership group of Meridian Speedway has acquired another track in Twin Falls, Idaho, there is a need for more people,” he noted. “This year, now that I work full time for the speedway, if I’m not racing, I’m either on the radio in the pits, selling hot dogs, running the ticket booth, or at Twin Falls doing the same stuff there.
“I’m learning how to do every little inch of the place. Who knows, maybe someday me and my sisters could run it all together. But for right now, I’m happy to still be racing.”
This story appeared in the May 3, 2023 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
