MIDLAND, N.C. – Audio, photo and story by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman –
Regardless of the final outcome, this weekend’s 13th annual John Blewett III/Roy Trantham Memorial North/South Shootout in Memory of Charles Kepley will be classified as a success for Massachusetts young gun Tommy Barrett.
Barrett, the Millis native making his second consecutive start in the prestigious race for Tour-Type Modifieds that was moved back to the half-mile Concord Speedway this season, has had a roller-coaster season emotionally as well as behind the wheel.
The 20-year-old started the season hoping to build on his rookie campaign in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, after he scored his first career pole early on in 2014 and followed it up with a win at Bristol Motor Speedway last August. He was back with team owner Chris Our and the duo felt they had a solid foundation for success – and perhaps a title run – after showing speed before fading to a 19th place finish in the season-opening Icebreaker at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.
Then, disaster struck.
Barrett was arrested on April 17, just days before the second race of the season at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway, under suspicion of driving under the influence near Willimantic, Mass. The team suspended him from that event before being releasing him from the team the following week, and he was replaced by SK and Tour modified veteran Keith Rocco and former NWMT champion Ted Christopher for the balance of the season.
It was a turnaround of dramatic proportions for one of the drivers touted as a “top prospect” across the New England racing scene. Barrett went from a second full season on the NWMT to only competing once prior to the North/South Shootout, at Seekonk Speedway in Seekonk, Mass. during the summer months.
But as he returns to action this weekend at Concord, Barrett is grateful to have another chance to be back in the seat – and hopes to take some tips from his prior experience at the half-mile dogleg oval in finding success, despite a weekend that has been plagued by rain.
“First of all, I’m just very excited to be back in the car,” Barrett said in an exclusive conversation with Race Chaser Online ahead of the weekend’s racing action. “The last time they had the North-Shout [Shootout] here in 2010, I drove in the SK [Modifieds] and I was 15 at the time, so it’s going to be different I’m sure. I’m just excited to be here, though, even if we’ve been sitting here in the rain this weekend. I’m eager to get behind the wheel for the main this weekend, that’s going to be a big moment.”
Barrett acknowledged the swing of emotions that he has been through over the past eight months, from the high of the season’s beginning to the lows he endured after having to step out of the seat.
“It’s definitely been a tough year. There’s been a lot more downs than there have been ups. I haven’t even been in the car since August. After starting off the year on the Whelen Modified Tour in the No. 22 [Our Motorsports] car and that not going the way it should have gone … you know, maybe it’s a good thing that I ended up having to get away from that whole deal, but considering the circumstances of how it happened, it wasn’t good for anybody – least of all myself.”
“Now, I’m just trying to work my way back into it one step at a time. We raced Seekonk [for the Tri-Track Open Modified Series’ Open Wheel Wednesday show] and that didn’t go the way we wanted it to, but now we’re here [at Concord] and that’s what’s important. It’s all about pushing forward and getting through the hard times. I’ve just got to keep going, keep my head up, and we’ll see where everything goes.”
The young racer struggled in his one previous start this season, finishing outside the top 10 in Seekonk’s Open Wheel Wednesday tour modified program after winning the event in 2014. He added that the summer months added to the tribulation of what transpired before, marking a struggle for him as he watched his colleagues compete from the sidelines.
“This whole summer was really tough on me, but even though I’ve been out of the car, I’ve been working and keeping busy – just trying to get back into racing because it’s what I love to do and it’s what I want to do for the rest of my life. It’s not been easy, but I’m just taking it one step at a time.”
“People may not have realized it, but I saw what a lot of people said on Facebook [after the arrest became public] and most of it was untrue, for the record,” Barrett added, elaborating on some of the tough moments he went through. “But I’ve heard a lot of things, and I guess that’s just life, you know? People are going to talk, but I’ve got to focus on looking forward and keeping my head up, because that’s what’s going to get me going places again.”
Barrett hopes that those “places” includes a return to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in 2016, but that for right now, the North/South Shootout is the first step to making that hope a reality.
“Obviously this is just the first step [to being back on a full-time stage,” Barrett said of competing at the North-South Shootout. “We have a rough idea of what we’re trying to do for next year, but we’re hoping to have some concrete plans [in the next couple of months], before the winter is over.”
“I can’t really talk about the specifics just yet, but I do know I’m excited to be back in the car right now and that’s what I’m looking forward to.”
For now Barrett, the driver, is simply glad to be back doing what he loves – and adds that he won’t give up until he’s back fighting at the top of the heap in motorsports.
“It’s huge,” Barrett said when asked how important it was for him to keep fighting and get back in the seat. “I feel like there’s still a long road ahead, but I’m going to do whatever it takes because that’s who I am and what this sport means to me.”
And as for Barrett, the person? He admits that as hard as it has been, he has learned from what he went through in April and feels he is stronger and wiser now for having had to climb out of his dark times.
“This whole experience has really allowed me to step back and look at the bigger picture,” he admitted. “I feel like I’ve matured a lot over the past seven months, and I know I’m more humble than I was then.”
“I’m ready to put the spring months behind me. Being out of the race car is in the past now and I’m eager to move forward and make the best of what’s ahead – hopefully by winning some races.”
For more information on Tommy Barrett, follow him on Twitter @TBarrettJr22.
Listen in to Race Chaser Online’s exclusive conversation with Tommy Barrett prior to Sunday’s North/South Shootout:
About the Writer
Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network. Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.
The 21-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for both the United Sprint Car Series and the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.
Email Jacob at: speed77radio@gmail.com
Follow on Twitter: @Speed77Radio or @JacobSeelman77
Email Race Chaser Online: news@racechaseronline.com
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