Casey Roberts
The 2018 racing season will be a year of transition for veteran driver Casey Roberts. The Toccoa, Georgia native is currently in the process of changing teams after a highly successful run in Dirt Late Models owned by Jimmy and Anne Cushman that saw him collect series titles and prestigious feature wins. But after a decision by the Cushman organization to pull away from racing, Roberts now finds himself as the pilot of the Larry Garner-owned Blount Motorsports ride.
Blount Motorsports, under the leadership of crew chief David Bryant, has seen its share of success over the years as well with drivers such as Tommy Kerr, Billy Ogle, Jr. and Donald McIntosh. The new pairing of a driver and team that have each experienced triumph appears on paper to be a great marriage.
“I’m very excited,” Roberts declared in an interview with InsideDirtRacing.com. “I know Mr. Garner and David and all these guys here do a good job and take pride in having a professional race team. They’ve been real successful over the years so it’s fortunate that I could get a quality ride like this. It all worked out when Mr. Cushman told me that last season was his last year. He and David were talking and they talked about how Cushman might be pulling out and it all just worked out. It’s the Lord’s plan for us and I’m excited about it. We’re ready to get everything rolling.”
One adjustment Roberts will be making in the coming season is that of having a crew that will do most of the work preparing his cars. Previously the 40-year-old racer had done much of his own mechanical work.
“It’s definitely a lot different,” Roberts pointed out. “I’m not used to just standing around and watching guys work on my car but I’ll have to get used to it for sure. At least I can have peace of mind that these guys know what they’re doing. We’ve raced against them for a long time so I have peace of mind that everything is right. It’s just going to be different. You might even see me at the concession stand, which will be the first time I could say that since I was a kid. It’s going to be different, but I think it’s all going to be great.”
But don’t think Roberts won’t be involved in the car’s preparation to some degree.
“Anytime anything needs to be done I’ll be glad to help,” Roberts offered. “I told Mr. Garner that I’m used to just doing whatever I need to do so there ain’t much on the car that I can’t do. If I can be of any help I will but these guys have got their own program and do their own deal. If they need a hand I’ll hop right in there with them.”
Another change for Roberts to adjust to will be that of a new chassis brand. The Cushman team employed Longhorn Chassis while Garner’s BMS operation has long been a user of Rocket Chassis.
“It’s not that bad,” Roberts insisted of the different chassis brand. “A lot of the interior as far as the steering is what I’ve been used to, the brakes are only a little different. I feel like we’ll adapt pretty quick. It does drive a little different, but at the same time, it’s a race car that has a gas pedal, a brake pedal, and a steering wheel. That’s all we need to make it go.”
Casey Roberts will pilot Rocket Chassis for BMS
The veteran driver wants to make a good impression on his new team. At the same time, he doesn’t want to fall into the trap of trying too hard or putting too much pressure on himself.
“I try not to put no pressure on myself,” Roberts said. “I know they’ve got good stuff. They’ve been doing well and I’ve been doing well so I don’t see why we can’t continue on what Donald and these guys have been doing. He ran well these past few years for them and I think we have a bright future here. I think we can win a lot of races and be competitive. It seems like they’ve been very welcoming and I think we’ll all get along real well.”
Already in two starts Roberts has shown the potential to run up front. He came home second to Jackie Boggs in the Leftover race at 411 Motor Speedway last November and placed third in late December’s Hangover event also contested at the same facility.
The east Tennessee based team Roberts now drives for will likely race at tracks the driver may not have a lot of experience on. But he believes they will be able to find the recipe for success, no matter where they compete.
“These guys have been running these tracks and they’ve got a good setup for these places. They’ve got a notebook for these places and when we go down to places there close to my house like Screven, David said they haven’t ran as well down there as they’d like to. Maybe I can help them out a little bit on the notes there. I think between us both we can get it figured out.”
