INDIANAPOLIS – Tanner Carrick, who became one of the NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget Series’ five first-time winners this season, has found a new home with Petry Motorsports for 2020.
The 17-year-old native of Lincoln, Calif., will join the Petry Motorsports team after spending the past three seasons behind the wheel for Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian, for whom he captured USAC National Midget Rookie of the Year honors in 2017 as well as his first series victory in July at Missouri’s Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex.
Major strides were made during Carrick’s 2019 season, where he garnered career highs in top-fives (six) and top-tens (18) while making all 31 feature events.
Carrick aims to take his game to another level in 2020 with a team that itself won twice this past year in the series with driver Kevin Thomas Jr.
“I’m super excited,” Carrick said. “How it all sounds and from everything I’ve watched them do, it seems like it’s going to be a better fit for me. I feel like it’ll be really good, starting out with something new and starting out fresh for a new season and getting the chance to work with (teammates) Kevin Thomas Jr., Jerry Coons Jr. and (car owner) Scott (Petry).”
Carrick’s initial plans for 2020 were to head back to the west coast for a schedule made up primarily of sprint car races near his California home.
However, a deal was worked out between he and team owner Scott Petry for Carrick to join a team that also features Thomas and Coons, the former of which won in 2019 at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway and at Arizona Speedway, while Coons is a USAC Triple Crown champion.
“Tanner is a young gun with a lot of talent,” Petry acknowledged. “Obviously, he proved a lot with Keith. He really came on at the end of this year. It’s a perfect opportunity for us to bring in the young kid with talent that we’ve always wanted with a couple veterans that we know can help mentor and coach the younger kids.
“That’s been our goal from day one, to bring in young talent and help build them up.”