CONCORD, N.C. — Tanner Holmes’ running joke about himself is that he’s living like a “premium Outlaw.”
Since being thrust in the seat of the No. 1t Shark Racing entry following the Knoxville Nationals, where team owner Bobby Allen approached him about filling in for driver Jacob Allen, Holmes has been flying back and forth between his home in Oregon and whatever track the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series is visiting next.
He did spend some time with the team out on the road, but in the closing stretch of the season, Holmes has been earning his fair share of frequent flyer miles between races.
“It’s no joke — these guys run 70, 80, 90 shows a year. It’s basically your life and there’s not really any time for anything else,” Holmes said. “That’s how it was before, when we were just a family team racing locally, but you’re still not traveling as much and going across the country. These guys are the real deal.”
Though Holmes jokes about the “premium Outlaw” life, the 20-year-old has taken his opportunity with Shark Racing extremely seriously and he’s stated a strong case for himself on the race track. In his first Outlaw outing with the team at Minnesota’s Jackson Motorplex on Aug. 17 — Holmes put the team on the podium by finishing third.
“Right away to get that, I think it kind of showed that, hey, we can do this and we can be right there with these guys,” Holmes said. “We had good speed right out of the gate and we’ve kind of just been trying to find our consistency since then.”
The Oregon native was dealt a swift introduction to both the highs and lows of the Outlaw tour, as his three-race streak of top-10 finishes at Jackson ended the following week with a 20th-place result at North Dakota’s River Cities Raceway.
But Holmes has quickly learned that it’s best to leave each night in the past, good or bad.
“You gotta just keep focusing on the next show. Every night when you get to qualify, that’s basically a chance to either start way up front or have a long night ahead of you,” Holmes said.
In the 22 races Holmes has run with Shark Racing this season, he has been the fastest qualifier twice. He has also earned three top-five finishes and seven top 10s.
Prior to joining the Pennsylvania-based team, Holmes’ best World of Outlaws finish was an 11th-place showing at Skagit Speedway in Washington, which came last September in his family-owned No. 18t entry.
“It’s great just being with a proven team,” Holmes said. “You know, in our own stuff, we were always trying to find our footing and build the program. I remember some of those nights we were fast, and some nights we were also just getting laps.”
It’s a completely different view for Holmes now, as he races under the Shark Racing banner on the other side of the country. But at the same time, it almost feels like home.
“I feel like I belong out here, and you know, I’ve always kind of wanted this opportunity and I think it’s where I need to be to grow my career,” Holmes said.