MOCKSVILLE, NC :: AJ Sanders is always a contender when he shows up to a racetrack with a Mini-Stock and, this year, his accomplishments were recognized nationally when he won the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series (NWAAS) Division IV National Championship.
Sanders, 46, scored 25 wins in 2014 and finished second in the Mini-Stock division points at three different tracks (Ace Speedway, Bowman Gray Stadium and Caraway Speedway). He scored wins at five different tracks and edged out Corey Kyer to win the national pennant in NWAAS Division IV.
“It meant a lot to win the national championship,” Sanders said. “You’re not racing against your local talent, you’re racing everyone in the United States. This means a lot because, I’ve won track championships, but to win a national championship, you can’t do anything bigger. It meant a whole lot to me with as much time and effort as we put in to racing.”
Sanders said that 2014 was the best year ever for him and he doesn’t really know why. He didn’t change his driving style or anything.
“It was the best season,” Sanders explained. “Winning this national championship itself is big. We won a bunch of awards. We’ve got a track record at BGS, most popular driver. Everything fell in place this year for some reason. It was one of our best seasons. We couldn’t do anything wrong. If we couldn’t win, we were in the top three at least 90 percent of the time. We had no failures all year until we went to Myrtle Beach.
“We had a great year. I don’t know how to explain. It was so great, it’s hard to explain. Looking back, I wonder why we had such a great year. I didn’t do anything different than I do any other year which is go out and race as hard as I can every race.”
Sanders is a veteran of the sport who began racing in 1981. Over the years, he has won nine championships at eight different racetracks (Ace, Bowman Gray, Caraway, Concord, Concord quarter-mile track, Friendship, Hickory, Tri-County). He got his start racing on dirt at Tri-County. When Tri-County was paved, Sanders began racing asphalt and began collecting wins and championships all around the region. He said he owes it all to his father, Archie, who passed away last October.
“My dad’s been the big thing in my race career. I dedicate everything to him. He gave me this opportunity and I couldn’t do it without him. He raced against me until he passed away.”
Sanders was officially recognized on Friday night at the NWAAS awards banquet at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina. Sanders says he plans to continue traveling across the region again in 2015 while also fielding other cars that he will rent out.
