Mini Tyrrell was one of the drivers to beat in the Spooktacular at Southern National Motorsports Park back in October and he once again performed at a high level in the Thanksgiving Classic this weekend.
This time he was able to seal the deal and pick up his first Limited Late Model victory on the high banked 4/10 mile track. It was his first win outside of his home track of Shenandoah Speedway where he’s won the Late Model track championship two years in a row despite only being 13 years old.
Mini came into the weekend knowing he should have a car capable of winning after his performance in the Spooktacular last month. He qualified on the outside pole for the 40-lap Limited Late Model Dash for Cash on Friday night and finished a strong second. He was ready to move up one position on Saturday and started it off with a pole run in qualifying.
It was just the beginning of what would be an eventful night that saw the young driver lose the lead several times only to fight his way back into position and as the laps dwindled down, Mini drove away from Clay Jones, a veteran of Limited Late Model racing for his first career win.
“This was a big, big win for us,” said Mini in victory lane following the race. “Every win is big but when you can come to a track you’ve only raced at a couple times and race against some of the best in the region and guys who have a lot of laps around this track and to come out with a win is huge.”
The win was extra special for Mini and his team following the loss of family friend, Irvin Wible, who passed away in July.
“We lost a good friend who was pretty much a brother to me and Monday’s his birthday, so this one’s for him. I know he was riding with me the whole time. I was praying and talking to him with five to go to get me to the end of this thing and, sure enough, we did.”
Mini finished the weekend with a 1.5 average start and finish with a pole and outside pole and a win and second place finish in the two races during the weekend for Limited Late Models.
“We had such a great weekend,” commented Mini. “Brandon (Butler, his crew chief) and the team gave me a great car and we just were able to make the most of it. This race was eventful from beginning to end and when we need a great restart late we were able to get it twice and hold the off at the end.”
This race was the last of the 2017 season for Mini and while he’s excited to take this win into the off-season, he knows it’s going to be a busy couple of months before they start racing again.
“This is how every team wants to end their season. This will give us so much momentum in the off-season and the whole team will have a little extra excitement all winter as we work hard to get ready for a big season in 2018.”
Mini is supported by Castrol Edge, PPC Lubricants, Beautiful Bodies Auto Body Shop and Team Racing Virginia. For more information on Mini and the Timmy Tyrrell Racing team check out their website at www.TimmyTyrrellRacing.com/ or click “like” on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TimmyTyrrellRacing/
