CONCORD, NC :: 14-year-old Austin Powell is making the leap from Bandoleros to Limited Late Models in 2015 as he will compete at Hickory Motor Speedway for Vern Cline and Team 99 Motorsports.
Powell has been racing in Bandoleros for four seasons and competed in Go-Karts before that. Making the move from the smaller Bandoleros to the bigger, heavier Late Model cars seems like a tall jump, but Powell says he’s already comfortable in the Late Model.
“I’m comfortable,” Powell said. “I just need more seat time. I’ve had good times at Hickory but I’m sure it’s going to be a lot different with other cars on the track … The car is similar to a Bandolero. It’s a lot bigger but they’re the same, easier to drive than the Bando. The size is different, that’s it.”
Powell has been getting some good help and some good advice during offseason testing. Along with the help of crew-chief Allen Wellman, former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winner Jerry Nadeau has been working with him as a driver coach to help him progress.
“Jerry Nadeau saw a video of Austin’s first practice and offered to come to some other testing,” Austin’s father, Kenny Powell, said. “Our last test was last Friday. He was able to come and was very inspiring. It was very cool because I saw his dad race years ago up in Connecticut. Hearing him on the other end of Austin’s radio in the pits was very cool.”
Powell has set modest expectations for his rookie season but he certainly has ambitious expectations for his future as a driver in NASCAR racing.
“We’d like a couple top-10 or top-five finishes,” Austin Powell stated. “I just want to be competitive. Five or ten years from now, I’d like to go into NASCAR Sprint Cup, Trucks or Xfinity or something along those lines.”
