Stephen Nasse heads to Citrus County Speedway for the Full Throttle Super Late Model 100 with one goal in mind.
Winning the race is the sole expectation the veteran super late model driver has for Saturday’s race. With last year’s issues behind him, Nasse knows he has the right crew to compete for the win.
“I am going to win the race,” he said. “That is the only expectation. The only reason why we fell off last year was that it was a brand-new car that we had. It was the first time we had the car out there. There were a couple of major problems out there with the brakes that didn’t go noticed until afterward while working on it at the shop.
“It is one of those things that happen with your race cars. Obviously, the plan is going to win. I know we are one of the best teams in the country. There is no reason why we can’t go down to Citrus and win this race.”
In a test session earlier this month at the speedway, the veteran driver noticed that Turns 3 and 4 were the only place on the racetrack that he was lacking that grip. During the race, he will be looking at getting off the corners well.
“We really need to work on some drives,” he said. “The biggest thing is getting it to turn center. This is one of those tracks where off Turn 4 it gets really tight. I believe that if we get the car rotating through Turns 3 and 4 and getting the car rotating off Turn 4 that will be a big help. We did some tests a couple of weeks ago there, and I thought that was the only place where we were lacking. We were getting really strong lap times. I just felt like if we got better there, we would be really tough to beat.”
With nearly 40 cars expected to compete for the $10,000 purse being offered. When it comes to the competition, Nasse believes the likes of Wayne Anderson, Anthony Sergi, and Jeff Choquette are going to be the ones to beat.
Despite the challenging competition, Nasse believes that controlling one’s temper will be the main key to racing for the win.
“The biggest challenge is people losing their tempers. The racing is really close out there,” he said. “Florida is just a rough place. Fortunately, for me, I grew up here and grew up racing here. This is why I am the way that I am. I am looking forward to it. I just know that the toughest part will be keeping the fenders on it.
With the strong purse in place, racing etiquette tends to be thrown out the window in the closing stages of the race; however, Nasse will have to see how the race plays out.
“I believe there is mutual respect out there right now,” he said. “I know how racing goes. I know these guys know I come from around here. I know there is good respect amongst each other. I am not trying to worry about it. It is a small racetrack. There will be some beating and banging. We will have to see what happens.
“We can keep the car in one piece. I think everybody knows that if they mess me up that they will probably get messed up a little bit worse. I am going to keep to myself like I’ve done this whole season. I’ve had to make very minor repairs and hope I can keep that streak going.”
Saturday’s Full Throttle 100 can be seen LIVE on Pit Row TV, part of the Speed Sport Network. The event is also included as a bonus race for CARS Tour TV subscribers.
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