Robby Sawyer adapting to asphalt racing in CARS Tour West

Asphalt racing has become a different kind of challenge for dirt racer Robby Sawyer.

The Bakersfield native is no stranger to running right on the edge and contending for race victories, as the IMCA Modified veteran has piled up trophies throughout his career on dirt.

Now, Sawyer is adjusting to life in asphalt racing, splitting time this season between Legends cars and Pro Late Models while continuing to gain experience on pavement.

Returning home to Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway is something Sawyer cherishes, especially with family and friends coming out to support him at his home track Saturday night during the CARS Tour West weekend.

“It feels good to be home,” Sawyer said. “I have a good crowd coming out tomorrow night. Got my support system, all my family and friends, Grizzly and Seth Wise helping us this weekend. Got my dad out here and trying to have a little fun and keep it in one piece.”

Sawyer enters the weekend second in CARS Tour West Pro Late Model standings, just 17 points behind points leader Kyle Keller.

After battling to a hard-fought third-place finish at Stockton back in April, Sawyer carries momentum into the Southern California weekend while showing top-five speed through most of Friday’s practice sessions.

Much of Friday’s focus centered around race pace and long-run speed rather than outright qualifying speed, as Sawyer and the team searched for the right balance ahead of Saturday’s 125 lap feature around the Bakersfield half-mile.

“It feels pretty good, we’re making some adjustments to the car,” Sawyer said. “First session out, we had a couple little issues that were self-inflicted on my end and fixed them and got some speed out of it. That time out, we made some changes, just working on a little bit of a long run deal right now. Everyone’s mocked up and we’re not, so just see where we’re at after we get some tire wear.”

Sawyer’s passion for racing is hard to miss. Often wearing his emotions on his sleeve, the Bakersfield driver is also one of his own biggest critics while continuing to adapt to pavement racing. Between sessions Friday, Sawyer could regularly be found alongside his team working on the car and discussing adjustments while searching for more speed.

While Sawyer is becoming more comfortable on pavement, he admits the biggest adjustment has been changing his mindset behind the wheel.

Dirt racing often rewards aggression from the drop of the green flag, with shorter races sometimes lasting only 25 to 30 laps. Asphalt racing, especially in 100-plus lap events, requires a different approach centered around patience, tire management and preserving equipment for the closing stages of a race.

A trait Sawyer admits he is still learning as he continues adapting to pavement racing.

“It’s a chess game, not a checker game,” Sawyer said. “Patience is obviously my difficult spot that I’m trying to work on. I’m used to 30 lap races where you just wring its neck. Here it’s 150 laps. I’m really trying to figure out how to have a race car at the end that’s not beat and battered and you can race it. I tend to be a little rough on equipment at times. Trying to get that out of me this weekend and and really just bring it home in one piece and but as far as dirt Dirt to pavement the patience is definitely the hardest part.”

Even with the learning curve, Sawyer believes returning to familiar tracks throughout the season can help continue building confidence as he grows more comfortable in asphalt competition.

“I’m still learning as I go,” Sawyer said. “Cars are changing and then obviously racing from wintertime to summertime. And all the variables that come along with pavement racing are still new to me. So just trying to make the best of it.”

As the season continues, Sawyer’s combination of dirt racing instincts and growing pavement experience makes him one of the more intriguing drivers to watch in CARS Tour West competition.