MECHANICSBURG, Pa. – Freddie Rahmer imagines himself on a metaphorical bridge, trying to depart from the kid people perceive him as and reach a place of manifestation.
It’s hard being the 24-year-old son of a legend that hasn’t unlocked his capabilities.
Heading into Saturday’s 58th installment of the National Open at Williams Grove Speedway, Rahmer feels as close as ever to solidifying himself and breaking through. In the last five races at the track, Rahmer has three wins and a third-place effort.
The son of National Sprint Car of Hall of Famer Fred Rahmer has never carried momentum like this into Pennsylvania’s crown jewel event, which happens to be the biggest sprint car race of the season at $75,000-to-win.
“Sometimes you break through, sometimes you backup a little bit,” Rahmer said, describing his first six years in 410 racing. “I just haven’t won a really big race yet. Not that we’re not capable or that we don’t have the equipment or whatever. It’s just I haven’t done it.
“Some of it is myself, mentally,” he added. “You just have to get through it. That’s all. It’s all part of a growth or the journey, I guess, and how tough you are. We’re really close. If I can get over that hurdle, it’ll really show on the racetrack, I think. Obviously, [winning the National Open is] something that would mean the world to us. That’s the biggest race we could win, hands down.”
Thirty-three wins in six years carries weight, but only one of those on the national stage can make it all feel empty. Rahmer’s lone World of Outlaws win came in 2018 at Lincoln Speedway. He’s accomplished pretty much everything there is to do at Williams Grove except win with the Outlaws.
In Friday’s preliminary feature, Rahmer started on the pole after winning the dash, but faded to finish third, behind two of sprint car racing’s best in David Gravel and Kyle Larson. It tied Rahmer’s best finish at Williams Grove against the Outlaws in his 23rd series race at the speedway.
Falling to only Gravel and Larson is acceptable, to some degree, but Rahmer has reached a point where it’s time to springboard to national relevance.
“It’s one thing when you’re running 10th all the time, but when you’re close, it makes you want it that much more,” Rahmer said. “Then, sometimes, you over try. It’s probably frustrating for my dad because he’s gone through it already. He sees it and he knows what we have to do. I might do it sometimes but then sometimes I don’t.”
That’s where Rahmer alludes to being stuck on a bridge, from outgrowing a perceived up-and-comer to reaching a place of being established.
“We’re at a weird point,” he said. “I’m not a rookie anymore. I’m not really much of a veteran either. It’s kind of frustrating because we’re really close all the time and you want to win. I feel like we can do it if we can put everything together.”
Every season, Rahmer has upped his win total from the previous year. From his first and lone victory in 2015, he’s rattled off two, six, seven, and nine wins, in that order. Despite two months of racing lost to the COVID-19 shutdown, Rahmer has a hearty win total of seven in 2020.
His eighth would unmistakably be his biggest and bundle years worth of determination to be known as elite.
One thing Rahmer has worked endlessly on is his decision making. The ability to obtain and apply information in a nanosecond is often the difference, not just in a single race, but reaching the next level.
“Sometimes [decisions] come very easily and naturally, and other times you’re almost lost,” Rahmer said. “It’s more like a focus thing. Not that you’re not focused. It’s just sometimes you can’t quite figure it out. I think that’s why guys like Dietrich beat us sometimes. I think that’s the difference. I think we’re quicker than him most nights, it’s just he makes better decisions.”
Luck is a factor, too. Last year Rahmer felt he had a car to win the National Open. A poor draw in the dash, though, dampened his chances and he finished sixth. If momentum and the pieces align, maybe, just maybe, he can leave all doubt behind.
“It’d mean the world to win that race,” Rahmer said. “That’s why we work on it and do everything my family does to sacrifice to be in position for that. We’ll see what we can do. I think we can.”