When you set life goals there is really no reason to go just halfway. That’s how twenty-five-year-old Austin Phelps sees it. So when asked about his future he says “like most racers I would like to go to NASCAR. Whether that will ever happens or not who knows but that is what we are doing with the stock car thing. We’re just trying to get our name out there.”
He knows it is doubtful that anyone in Daytona Beach or Charlotte have paid much attention to what he has done yet, but he has certainly opened some eyes locally. In 2021 Phelps was the Paragon Speedway Super Stock champion and with just a little luck he could have added titles at Bloomington and Lincoln Park Speedway to his resume. It was a big year for Austin on the national scene as well. In that same season he used eight wins to finish two spots behind UMP Sportsman champion Wes McClara. Last year was even better. Phelps was the king of Bloomington Speedway and was narrowly edged for the National title by regular foe Zach Sasser. The word is out now. The kid from Hillsdale is a force to be reckoned with.
Austin caught the bug from his father Curt Phelps who did a little racing of his own. Curt spent some time in the boisterous world of demolition derbies and in karts. When he wasn’t competing himself he spent time twisting wrenches for open wheel racer Mario Marietta. By the time his son turned five he felt the time had come to get him going.
Everything began at nearby Bi-State Speedway and for the next several seasons this was where the Phelps crew spent the bulk of their time. Growing a bit restless the father and son team wandered to Ben Hur Raceway in Crawfordsville, and south to places like Linton and Vincennes. Austin also remembers a memorable trip to Macon Speedway. It takes some prompting, but eventually he shares his recollections of his early days in the sport. “We had a lot of success,” he admits, “I got a lot of championships and a lot of wins.” It also got to the point where he got a little board. “At Bi- State I was in the last class before adult, I think it was Junior 3 and I was dominating. I was racing against the same people so I got out of it for about 4 or 5 months. When I got back into it, it took me a while to acclimate,” then he adds with a laugh, “I told myself I would never do that again.”
It was clear it was time to do something a bit different. Looking back he says “I have always been into dirt and we thought one of these days we would get a late model. We knew Chris Harcourt from karts, and we bought our first super stock from him.” It wasn’t a case of immediate success, but he wasn’t lost either. His first win came three years ago. Recalling the day Phelps says, “We had a good start, and everything fell into place. It was the greatest feeling ever. I think I was almost in shock.” One reason for his reaction comes from his assessment of the strength of this class. “Given the caliber of racers we have here every night it is just neck and neck.” Yet, when forced to choose who tests him the most he says, “Zach Sasser would be first, and then nearly everyone else.”
This assessment makes sense because there have been particularly tight battles with Sasser. In 2021 Zach nipped Phelps at the line for the Bloomington Championship. Then as noted, last year it could not have been closer in the chase for UMP supremacy. Austin cannot help lament what could have been, but in the end he is philosophical about the final result. “It came down to bad car counts and a few rainouts”, he says, “When we were doing the go kart thing we got wrapped up in points and that took the fun out of it. We said we wouldn’t get wrapped up in it in the stock car thing. My dad pays attention to the points but I try not to. In my second year we were running for seventh place points at Lincoln Park and I knew if I beat this one guy that was all I needed to do and it totally screwed me up. So I will take a look at the points once in a while to see where were are at.”
In 2023 Curt and Austin Phelps will take their program in a new direction. They acquired at Pierce Platinum modified from Bob Pierce and are working hard to get the new piece together. “It was time to move up,” Austin says, “We were looking to do a super late model but everything is about 2 to 2 1/2 hours away from us. With a modified we could race at familiar tracks and just get a feel for the kind of suspension they have.” It will be a learning period for father and son, and that can always be a bit testy. “We are at each other’s throats every now and then” he says with a laugh, “but it’s not bad.”
Like so many of his peers he keeps many balls in the air. The North Vermillion High School graduate builds grain bins and bin systems drawing upon his diverse set of mechanical skills. If that wasn’t enough Phelps has served as a volunteer firefighter in Newport for the past six years. He knows that he will encounter some of the very best modified drivers in the region next season but he feels equal to the task. There is no reason to doubt that.
- Jill Spiker on Apr 05, 2023
- Article Date: 4/5/2023 by Patrick Sullivan