After a strong finish to the 2017 season at East Carolina Motor Speedway, Maddy Ryan Mulligan has her sights set on winning races in 2018.
Seemingly out of nowhere, in the final races of the 2017 season at East Carolina, the 19-year-old from Chesapeake, Virginia was running up front and contending for wins. The turnaround began in late August when she challenged for a win, finishing inside the top-five and changing the narrative.
This season, she feels poised for success.
“I’m definitely looking forward to running East Carolina,” Mulligan told Race22.com. “We had a very good ending to last year and a very good test a few weeks ago, so we’re definitely looking forward to the season and we’re very confident about going into the season.”
Her primary goal this year is not to just keep progressing but to win races and possibly even a track championship.
“Our goal is the championship this year at East Carolina,” Mulligan stated. “We’re racing there full-time. Even a win would be an achievement in my book.”
For Mulligan, being able to get a handle at East Carolina Motor Speedway is a major accomplishment. The 3/8-mile track in Robersonville, North Carolina is a narrow, bumpy bullring that has proven to be a difficult track to master.
“That track is a very difficult track to run,” Mulligan explained. “It’s very hard setup-wise as well so I give my team major props for their side setting up the car. East Carolina is definitely a driver track and we’ve managed to get our way around it pretty well I feel like.”
Mulligan’s primary competition at East Carolina will come from defending track champion Thomas Burbage and multi-time track champion Louis White. The two veteran racers are as “old school” as it gets, and Mulligan feels she has learned a lot racing with them.
“I’m looking forward to running against both of them,” Mulligan remarked. “They’re both very talented and learning from them has been a major prop as well.”
Mulligan plans to run some bigger races, such as the Hampton Heat 200 and possibly the Myrtle Beach 400 and ValleyStar Credit Union 300. However, she says she’s “taking them as they come” for now. She also plans to race occasionally at Larry King Law’s Langley Speedway and Southern National Motorsports Park throughout the year.
East Carolina Motor Speedway’s 2018 season gets underway on Saturday night. Race22.com will have live “Race Day Live” coverage.
