Tyler Carpenter: “This is for my family, you know. I don’t care how you see me: trash, rednecks, crackheads, I don’t even care. I’m here and you guys got to see it and I love the ones who love me.”
The Gateway Dirt Nationals is an indoor dirt race in St. Louis, Missouri. The race paid $30,000 to win in the super late model division.
However, what might be a bigger payout is the opportunity to race in the NASCAR Truck Series. Niece Motorsports announced ahead of the event that the late model winner would be gifted a ride with the team at Knoxville Raceway in 2022.
Tyler Carpenter entered the event as the defending winner. He won the race back in 2019 (2020’s race was canceled).
In Thursday’s preliminary action, Carpenter drove to victory lane, claiming a $5,000 prize. That guaranteed him a starting spot in the top 8 for Saturday’s finale.
After Thursday’s win, Carpenter stated, “We’re here. I’m in victory lane. I’m going to earn my ass a truck ride and y’all going to have to watch it.”
Related: Tyler Carpenter, Ricky Thornton Jr trade words at Gateway Dirt Nationals (Video)
Tyler Carpenter wins NASCAR Truck Series ride
On Saturday, Carpenter drew the No. 1 pill pf the 8 drivers to draw. That placed him on the pole position for the 40 laps main event.
He led flag to flag. Despite multiple restarts, Carpenter held off a charge from Tanner English and grabbed the win.
Related: Gateway Dirt Nationals results from December 4, 2021
“It ain’t gonna sink in, and I’ll tell you why,” Tyler Carpenter said after the win. “Because I don’t think I’m supposed to be here. We’re just forcing it to happen. I love my family to death. I ain’t saying we’re freakin’ broke. But you just don’t even really know. I’ve begged for help. I’ve begged for somebody to help me get better at big tracks.”
“This is for my family, you know. I don’t care how you see me: trash, rednecks, crackheads, I don’t even care. I’m here and you guys got to see it and I love the ones who love me.”
Niece Motorsports will run three full-time drivers in the NASCAR Truck Series in 2022. Carson Hocevar, Dean Thompson, and Lawless Alan have all signed with the team.
NASCAR fans say they want personality in their drivers. They haven’t seen a driver with personality, until Knoxville.
Related: Tyler Carpenter penalized for not wearing racing shoes (Photo)
Links
Niece Motorsports | Knoxville Raceway | Tyler Carpenter | Gateway Dirt Nationals | NASCAR
