The timing of his procedure means that Lovelace hasn’t had to sit out much longer than he would have had to under normal circumstances, thanks to the weather in the Memphis, Tenn., area traditionally extending the offseason for many dirt tracks in the region, including Riverside Int’l Speedway – Lovelace’s home track.

“With only being out of the race car since October, it’s not actually been any longer than a normal offseason that I’ve had to wait on this,” Lovelace said. “We always battle rain at the tracks I race around Memphis, so even though the season technically starts in April, it usually is until May before we get on the track as it is. I’m not missing any more races now than I would have in years past, so I’m happy about that.”

While Lovelace stressed he’s not worried about his skills being rusty when he returns to the driver’s seat, he did say that there are still some underlying concerns that he’ll work through before he heads out to the race track again.

“I’m not nervous about rust, but I do have some nerves about getting back in the car because there’s that lingering worry of ‘Is this going to hurt?’” Lovelace explained. “At some point, it’s inevitable that there will be some pain because at some point, I know I’ll take a tumble. That’s something that’s just not comfortable, even when you haven’t had the kind of work done that I have.

“Sprint car racing is like bull riding – it’s not if you’re going to get hurt, it’s when you’re going to get hurt, but I think I’m as prepared for that as I can be.”

Lovelace recently unveiled his new paint scheme for the 2018 season and will be backed by sponsors Shenep Motorsports, Boomerang Promotions, RE Shock and Suspension, Scott Frazier Photography, RCR Powersports, Campbell Clinic, The BBQ Shop, Taylor Engineering, Tractor Supply, Wix Oil Filters and FLASHe Graphics.

In addition to sprint car racing, Lovelace is a thrill-seeker. He cited skydiving as another activity he’s passionate about. He wants to go through jump school after turning 18 in October to get his skydiving license and also calls himself a “roller coaster junkie.”

Lovelace said that had his spinal correction put any of his regular lifestyle at risk, then he wouldn’t have gone through with it.

“I made sure with my doctors before I had the surgery that I would be able to race again when it was over, and they said that I would be able to,” said Lovelace. “Had there been any concerns about me not being able to race again, I wouldn’t have had it done, to be honest with you.

“I would rather have dealt with it and been uncomfortable and had a curved-as-mess spine but still been able to race, than to have had it corrected and not been able to race anymore. That’s just who I am.”

So don’t call Riverside’s racing program on Saturday a “comeback.” Lovelace isn’t.

“It’s just another chapter in my life and another exciting moment for me to soak in,” he said. “I can’t wait for it.”