After contesting a full slate of dirt-track midget races over the past two years, Taylor Reimer will shift her focus to pavement next season.
The Oklahoma native will pilot a limited late model for Lee Faulk Racing next year, racing primarily at local North Carolina tracks such as Tri-County Speedway and Hickory Motor Speedway.
“Mostly local stuff to kind of learn how to drive a stock car for one, and drive on pavement. And then I’m going to do three ARCA races,” Reimer said on the Huffman Racing Radio podcast last week.
Concerning ARCA, her intent is to run two dirt races and one pavement event at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway later in the year. Reimer recently made her ARCA Menards Series debut at the Illinois State Fairgrounds on Aug. 20 and finished eighth in the No. 15 Toyota for Venturini Motorsports.
She also plans to fit in a few dirt-track races next season, whenever time permits. This past season, Reimer competed in the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series and part time in the USAC National Midget Championship.
“I’m going to do a little bit of dirt stuff, but my main focus is going to be transitioning to pavement,” Reimer said.
One thing the 24-year-old expects to be a challenge is working with a spotter.
In dirt-track racing, there are no eyes in the sky and it is the sole responsibility of the driver to make decisions from the green to the checkered flag. A RACEceiver is simply used by race control to communicate with drivers.
“Never had a spotter, because usually you’re just on your own in dirt racing,” Reimer explained on the podcast. “It’s totally different, especially because sometimes I’m so focused on driving that it’s hard when they start talking to you and you have to process what they’re saying, but then I’m also trying to figure out my braking points and when to let off. It definitely can be overwhelming.”
She expects her transition to pavement racing to involve a “major learning curve,” but added that she’s ready for the challenge.
Reimer intends to contest around 25 pavement races in the No. 25 Lee Faulk Racing entry next year. She made her limited late model debut this past October with LFR at Tri-County Speedway, finishing ninth in a 24-car field.