WILLIAMSTON, S.C. – The last time Joey “The Ace” Aguilar visited Anderson Motor Speedway, he left with all the money and a trophy both nights.
Aguilar swept both nights of competition when the United Sprint Car Series Outlaw Thunder Tour visited Anderson Motor Speedway in July of 2014.
Now, Aguilar is set to return to Anderson for the first time since his 2014 sweep this weekend, when the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series presented by Engine Pro returns to Anderson Motor Speedway. It will be the first visit to Anderson for MSR since 2018.
Things will certainly be different for the Tampa, Fla., driver than they were in 2014. He will be competing in a pair of 410 events against arguably the toughest winged 410 pavement drivers in the country.
“It’s been a while since I’ve ran any 410 events,” explained Aguilar. ”I was fortunate enough that Shane Miller took us up north a few years back to run in some events. I haven’t run one (410 engine) a bunch, but I have run some 410 events.
“Back in 2014 we had a really good weekend the last time we visited Anderson Motor Speedway. We ended up winning both nights and made it a clean sweep. It was neat,” Aguilar added. “I’d never seen the place before that weekend. I really like the track. It has more banking than the tracks we run in Florida and you can carry more corner speed. Its just a neat track to drive.”
Another interesting statistic one must ponder is that multi-time MSR champion Jimmy McCune himself is also undefeated at Anderson. McCune has won the past three events contested by MSR at Anderson, including the most recent visit on April 20, 2018.
In fact, of the past five winged sprint car events held at Anderson, all five have been won by either McCune or Aguilar.
A stout field of cars is expected, including Anthony McCune, Charlie Shultz, Jeff Bloom, and Troy DeCaire, among others.
An MSR champion was not officially crowned in 2020 due to COVID-19. Had points been calculated, Anthony McCune would have been named champion.
Another interesting entry for this weekend is Plant City, Fla., driver Troy DeCaire. DeCaire has already won five times this season and is Aguilar’s arch nemesis on a regular basis while competing in Florida.
Aguilar insists the rivalry between the two is friendly and he is eager to face DeCaire on neutral ground.
“We’ve been racing against each other for a long time. That’s a good team and they’re lined up with everything we got. I look forward to racing against him. When I win, I want him to be on the track,” Aguilar noted. “A few weeks ago, he needed a u-joint and nobody had one. We did and loaned it to them so they could race. We didn’t blink an eye. We want to beat him on the track, not off it. I’m looking forward to racing him up there along with all the MSR guys this weekend.”
When asked what his goals for this weekend were, Aguilar was quick to answer.
“The Morgan Motorsports team wants to earn the respect of the other teams. They are tough up there. We must have our stuff right to have a chance to win,” said Aguilar. “I’m surrounded by good people. Car owners Kirk and Cheryl Morgan and family, my crew chief Todd Schmidt, and the cast of characters working on the car. I think we got a winning combination. We just need to go and put it all together.
“We plan on running out of town a few times this year. This is not a one-time deal.”
An open practice is scheduled for Thursday night at Anderson before two full nights of racing action begin April 23-24. MSR will run full programs both nights.
