Eric Wells
Eric Wells has been racing on a regular basis for the better part of a decade but the Hazard, KY driver is looking for a fresh start to his career in 2016. Having raced as a regular on the World of Outlaws Late Models circuit since 2013 and as a full-time competitor on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series in the two seasons prior to that, the 27-year-old may be looking to step away from the grind of national tours to focus on improving performance and strengthening his overall racing program.
“We’re starting fresh with new cars, new motors and we’re excited,” Wells declared in an interview with InsideDirtRacing.com. “Racing has changed a lot in the past couple of years and it was time for us to make a change so we did. After getting some laps in, we’re getting a better idea what direction we need to head as far as adjusting and tuning.”
For 2016, the team owned and operated by the Wells family will compete with a Longhorn Chassis powered by Cornett Racing Engines after having driven a Bloomquist Race Car last year.
So has the prospect of a fresh start gotten Wells excited for the coming campaign?
“Yeah, especially starting out with new cars and not knowing exactly what to expect,” the driver stated. “It’s just like when you’re first starting out in racing, getting your feet wet so you can learn. They’re all race cars, they’re similar, but there are some differences in them. The challenge of racing, I don’t know if it keeps you young or makes you old. I think that’s what keeps us addicted to the sport is the challenge. You can’t dominate in Dirt Late Model racing, there’s just so many variables to figure out to beat your competitors. That’s what we love about the sport.”
Aside from starting over with new cars and engines, Wells is also looking for improved results in the coming season. Having scored four feature wins during his career and placing as highly as 6th in the WoO Late Models final standings in both 2013 and 2014, the driver of the No. 18 car says there is room for improvement when asked if is happy with the progress of his racing career.
“I wouldn’t say we’re happy,” Wells answered. “I’ve learned a lot, I know more about the mechanics of the racing and I know more about shocks. But as far as our finishes, we’ve had a lot of bad luck and DNFs. We’re just getting our notebook full and going back to the same tracks. When we go back to the same tracks, sometimes we run better and sometimes we run worse but having that in your notebook tells you what not to do. We know a lot more of what not to do than what to do so we just head in the opposite direction and try to figure it out.”
Wells No. 18 machine
The day-to-day rigors of keeping a Dirt Late Model on the track can be quite a chore. And considering that Wells’ team consists primarily of himself and his father, the work load is magnified that much more. Add in the fact that race teams must endure a hectic travel schedule and the potential for struggles is always part of the reality of this sport.
“Travelling like we do and having to do the maintenance on the car and bolt checking and measurements is constant,” Wells explained. “If one thing is off an eighth-inch, the whole car is going to struggle so you’ve got to be very particular about all your measurements and the geometry of the car. You’ve got to stay on that and if you bend something you’ve got to make sure that’s the only thing that’s bent when you fix it and it’s not two or three things that’s bent because you could struggle for four or five weeks and not find the problem.”
The final determination on a schedule for 2016 has yet to be made, but the reasons for staying closer to home this year may be drawing Wells in that direction.
“We’re going to see how Florida goes,” he said. “If we have a really good SpeedWeeks we may do it(follow the WoO Late Models tour), but right now we plan to run a lot of their shows but kind of spend more time closer to home. Good help is hard to find and that’s one part of our team that we’re low on. It’s hard to come out here and race nine days straight. If everything goes perfect it’s hard to do. We want to have fun racing again.”
If he and his team choose not to follow a national series, there are plenty of options that could prove to be worthwhile.
“Ray Cook’s got a good deal,” Wells pointed out. “He’s got around thirty races with all of his series and they’re no more than five or six hours from home. That’s something we’ve looked at doing. There’s a new Battle of Bluegrass firing up in Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee and that’s definitely a possibility for us.”
