SALISBURY, N.C. – Though Tanner Holmes is known in racing circles as “The YouTube Kid” due to his popular vlog series, lately he’s begun gaining respect in the dirt sprint car world as well.
Holmes, who has regularly competed in outlaw karts over the past few years, has already won two winged 360ci sprint car features this season – a feather in the cap of the Oregon teenager as he works to build his burgeoning racing career.
The 15-year-old is hoping to add another notch to his resume on Wednesday night when he returns to outlaw kart racing for the sixth-annual QRC Speed51 Open presented by HMS Motorsport at Millbridge Speedway.
Holmes has made the 51-lap, $5,151-to-win feature each of the last two years, but he’s yet to finish inside the top 10 during the biggest race of the year at the sixth-mile, North Carolina dirt oval.
That’s a mark he’d like to fix with a victory at a track he said he “really enjoys coming to.”
“Trying to tame the North Carolina dirt isn’t an easy task, by any means, but I really love coming out east and taking a shot at it every year,” said Holmes. “Last year, we passed a ton of cars on Tuesday during the two-stroke show and just couldn’t quite translate that same speed into the big race on Wednesday. We ran somewhat well every night, but we just couldn’t catch the right breaks.
“This time around, I am shooting for a little bit of redemption, because I know we’re capable of running up front in the right circumstances.”
Holmes was quick to note that he has learned a lot about improving his outlaw kart skills since he began running his sprint car last year, even though the bigger car doesn’t drive the same as his kart does.
“It’s a double-edged sword when it comes to things translating from one car to the other, but the confidence factor is always a big thing,” explained Holmes. “Of course, it takes two different driving styles to be successful in sprint cars compared to outlaw karts, but I firmly believe that running both cars can and does help, especially when you’re coming back down from the sprint car to the outlaw karts.
“There’s a lot to learn when it comes to hitting your marks in a sprint car, and I think the karts are just a little bit less line-sensitive in that you can sometimes search around a little bit more with them,” he added. “Right now I feel really confident no matter which car I’m driving, and I feel like I’m as on my A-game as I’ve ever been. Now it’s about being smooth and keeping the speed up over the whole week.”
Holmes raced during the winter with the Red Bluff Outlaws, proving he’s found his place within the ultra-competitive Open division by finishing as the runner-up in the championship and visiting victory lane several times during the 13-race schedule.
“All winter long, we ran Red Bluff, and we really came out with a great result. To finish second in points behind Tyler Seavey is nothing to hang your head over, because he’s one of the best there is right now in outlaw-kart racing,” noted Holmes. “What I was really proud of was that we won three A-mains during the winter season, which gives me a lot of confidence going into the summer and a big race like this.
“I figured out a lot of consistency over the past few months, which was something that maybe I didn’t have as much of in the past, and I’m hoping that’s something that can help me going into this week.”
In addition to both nights of the QRC Speed51 Open at Millbridge, Holmes will also tackle the second-annual Clash at the Creek on Sunday night at nearby Mountain Creek Speedway as well.
The young gun is seeking a marquee victory to add to his resume, and he’s hoping that he’ll be able to have that at some point over the next four days of competition.
“I think it would be a huge breakthrough for me if I could get to victory lane during this North Carolina swing, because that big-time win is definitely something that I feel like I do need,” Holmes said. “No matter what night it comes in, if I could get to victory lane … there’s so many eyes on this four-day stretch and so many good competitors in the field that we’ll be racing against this week.
“I think we’ve got the car to do it and the team to do it with, so now it’s up to the driver to put myself in a good spot, make the right moves and see how it all shakes out.”
Practice for the QRC Speed51 Open presented by HMS Motorsport at Millbridge Speedway begins on Monday, May 20.
Feature racing takes place on both Tuesday, May 21 and Wednesday, May 22.