FRONT ROYAL, VA :: Last time Garrett Bunch raced, he found himself in victory lane in the Thanksgiving Classic at Southern National Motorsports Park. This year, the Limited Late Model driver is looking for more at South Boston Speedway and Motor Mile Speedway.
Garrett Bunch won three races in 2012. His 2013 season will depend on finances. As of now, he plans on running some races, if not the full season, at South Boston and the full season at Motor Mile. His efforts in 2013 will be sponsored by G&M Auto Sales, Settle’s Cars and Trucks, Guiffre Distribution and Auto Center of Front Royal.
He hopes to win at least 10-12 races.
“We want to win,” Bunch said. “Everybody does. Last year, we ran every race at Motor Mile and had some bad luck. We won two races. We want to win every race but we’ve got to look at reality. We’re running 22 races so we’d like to win 10 or 12”
When asked if he was considering moving up to the Late Model Stock Car division, he said he’d like to but he’d rather race in a division where he can race for 10 years instead of two years, citing the financial cost of Late Model Stock Car racing.
“Everybody wants to move up,” Bunch explained. “The biggest thing is money. We’re going to be lucky to run 22 races. To run a Late Model would be very nice. Reality, we’re looking at staying in the limited deal. Money’s rough with the economy. I’d rather race for 10 years in limited than two in Late Models.”
Bunch says his team has made improvements in the offseason to help his performance improve.
“We’ve done a few things in the offseason,” Bunch stated. “Last year, Lee Pulliam really helped. It was on key every weekend. There wasn’t much to do to make it better. We did get a new Five Star Body. Everything’s in great form. We were fast out of the bat and they made sure we were fast every time. We’ve also got JRi shocks this year. We’re looking forward to that. JRi is the only improvement this year. Everything else has been great, everyone’s treated us well. Hopefully we’ll do what we did last year and have some luck on our side.”
Like many drivers competing in the region, racing is a family tradition for Bunch.
“My granddad, back a long time ago, he went to all the NASCAR races,” Bunch mentioned. My dad started racing go-karts in his 20s, got out of it because of money. My brother started racing when he was 16 and I was four. That year, I got a kid kart for Christmas. My dad was the biggest influence on me getting started.”
Bunch also reflected on his win in the Limited Late Model division of the Thanksgiving Classic.
“Southern National was the biggest money race I’ve ever won,” Bunch commented. “To do it the first time in a Limited was cool to come away with a win. When we unloaded, JRi had their deal right, Lee had his deal right, the motor was right and Hedgecock had his deal going. We were fast off the bat. We had a good car but it was more what everybody else would do. Once we qualified on the pole, we knew we could win it. We just had to overcome some bad luck to win it which we did.”
Now, Bunch is going for more in 2013. He will start his season on March 9th at South Boston Speedway.
