Tyler Speer, 19, of Woodstock, Ga., poses with his No. 60 Chevrolet Chevelle in the garage at Rockingham Speedway on Thursday. Speer will be competing in his second Polar Bear 150 today.
So much, in fact, that whan it came down to a decision between the high school graduation ceremony or a race, it was no contest: The race won.
Speer, 19, competed at last year’s inaugural Polar Bear 150 at Rockingham Speedway, and the young driver is back for another shot at the title in 2010, driving his No. 60 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle.
Speer, a resident of Woodstock, Georgia, has been racing since he was five years old, when he got his start in dirt bikes. He graduated to go-karts at 11, and made his debut in the Allison Legacy Series at 14.
Eventually, a ride in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is Speer’s goal. As he worked on his car getting ready for today’s race, Speer said he’d like to get into a few ARCA races this season.
In fact, he went to Daytona Speedway with Rockingham Speedway owner Andy Hillenburg Dec. 19 to get his ARCA license.
“We’ll do whatever we have to in order to get in some races,” Speer said. “We’ll rent a car, or hopefully we can find some sponsors.”
Speer’s Polar Bear 150 ride last year was a memorable one: The youngest driver in the race at 18, he went airborne on the back stretch between turns 2 and 3, managing to land on his wheels right side up.
After being released from the care center, Speer got his car back in the race and finished 33rd of 67 cars.
He’s hoping for a little smoother ride this year.
In between races, Speer attends Kennesaw State University. But the teenager’s budding racing career racing keeps his parents, Tim and Terri, quite busy on weekends.
There’s an upside to that, Tim Speer said.
“At least we know where he is,” Tim Speer said with a smile.
Qualifying for the race is slated to begin at 10 a.m., with the green flag dropping at noon.
Rockingham Speedway’s official Twitter site, www.twitter.com/RockinghamSpeed, will run special contests and ticket giveaways for the duration of 2009.
For more information, or to order tickets for the Polar Bear 150, contact the Rockingham Speedway at 910-205-8800 or online at www.rockinghamspeedway.com. General admission tickets a $20 the day of the race with tickets for children under 12 $5.
Suite packages are also available by contacting the speedway.
The Polar Bear 150 can be heard live around the world on www.PitRowRadio.com. Doc Love and Alan Dietz from Victory Lane Productions will call the race, with Wesley Outland covering the action on pit road. The pre-race show is set to begin at 11 a.m.
Contact sports editor David Vantress at 997-3111, ext. 14 or via email at dvantress@yourdailyjournal.com.
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