K&N Sponsored Tyler Hughes Gets Fourth Win in Six INEX Legends Series Starts
- 21 Jun 2011
"I've been involved in racing since the age of five when my dad bought me a Quarter Midget," said the K&N sponsored driver. "We raced dirt tracks in Maryland and Delaware from 2002 to 2004. In 2004 we also tried our hands at the asphalt tracks located in Wall, New Jersey and Honey Brook, Pennsylvania. During those times we also travelled to different tracks, in Florida, North Carolina, New York and Indy." Clearly the young driver has been willing to do the work to amass the race experience needed to succeed. In 2007 his dad, Don, bought him a Modified-Lite, which basically looks like a dwarf Dirt Modified, only it runs a 600cc Suzuki GSXR motor in a junior class, and a 1000cc Suzuki GSXR in the Pro Stock class. "I raced that, along with the Quarter Midgets until 2010, that's when I was finally able to race in the INEX Legends series," Hughes said. INEX is the international sanctioning body of the Legends, Bandolero and Thunder Roadster Cars, and it was founded in 1995. INEX is the third largest short track sanctioning body behind NASCAR Weekly Racing and International Motor Contest Association (IMCA) with more than 3,500 members, sanctioning more than 2,000 races throughout the world. Last year in his rookie year at Old Dominion Speedway located in Manassas, Virginia, Hughes finished the season with 17 starts, one win, 13 top-five finishes, 16 top-ten finishes. Hughes told K&N Race News, "I hate being rained out of races, especially since we are running for points at one track, we only get to run about 16 races a year, and when running for points, if you get rained out, it makes it hard to catch up if you get behind. Fortunately catching up isn't something Hughes currently needs to fret about, since his six race total of four wins, a fifth and seventh place finish have him leading the points chase by six. The Tyler Hughes Motorsports team consists of crew chief dad, along with Mike Weddell and Frank Duncan, two good friends and sponsors. "Mike drives a backup car that my dad bought a year after he bought my car. I drive a 1934 Ford coupe, and Mike drives a 1934 Ford Sedan," adds Hughes. Hughes continues, "I would like to win the Points Championship at Old Dominion Speedway. So, I guess for the most part it is one race at a time for us. We have to focus every week on that particular race, how I qualify, and then keep concentrating on finishing in the best possible position. We are trying to look at the big picture which is the points championship, and that is our main goal for the year." "Overall, I'd have to say this is probably the best season we've had in a while. We have been getting better overall finishes, we have more sponsors than we have had in the past, and the team has been doing an awesome job both on and off the track." "We will continue to race at Old Dominion every Saturday that they race. We are also planning on racing at Southside Speedway outside the Richmond area. It is also always possible that we may get to Shenandoah Speedway or Langley Speedway in Hampton, Virginia when Old Dominion isn't running." Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world. |
