Inside Line Promotions – SANTA ROSA, Calif. (Nov. 13, 2018) – Blaine Baxter capped an incredible journey and recovery from a critical injury last year with a successful return to racing in 2018.
The 10-year-old not only returned to the track, but moved up from karts to the highly competitive Restricted Winged Micro Sprint division, in which he raced competitively against many drivers who are several years older than him.
“I think our season went pretty well,” said Blaine, who endured a dozen surgeries and spent a month in intensive care while having his arm surgically reattached following a freak karting mishap early last year. “I was hoping to win a race. But we did well for our first season and I think we’ll improve next year.”
“I thought we had a great season with Blaine making his comeback,” added Blaine’s father, Dustin Baxter. “Following his accident we could have stayed in our comfort zone where we had success with the karts. But we chose to move up to the micros, where Blaine raced against a lot of older kids who had years of experience racing them.”
Blaine Baxter quickly felt comfortable racing the micro sprint, although the new machine presented some challenges to his crew chief – his father.
“Micros are a little easier and a lot smoother to drive than karts,” said Blaine, who finished second in the Rookie of the Year chase at Delta Speedway despite missing a race. “They were even more fun to drive than I expected.”
“It was a challenge for me,” Dustin Baxter noted. “My knowledge from karts and sprint cars didn’t transition well to the micros, especially the restricted class. They’re finicky and touchy for setups, engine tuning, momentum and things like that.
“After our success in karts, I had expected us to quickly find some dominance in the micros. But that didn’t happen. I think the micros are kind of our weak spot, but we’re getting there. I’m proud of Blaine for fighting every week and being a student of the game. It was just a season of learning and improving. We’re climbing the ladder one rung at a time and it takes a while to get to the top of this deal.”
The team is eagerly anticipating the 2019 racing season following a noted improvement in performance toward the end of this season.
“We learned a lot and I felt we closed the season right where we need to be going into next year,” Dustin Baxter said. “A lot of these kids, who have been in this class for three or four years, are graduating into the Super class next year. I truly feel that Blaine is going to be a force next year and we should be a top car week in and week out.”
Once Blaine Baxter heals from a broken foot suffered in a non-racing incident he plans to return to the track early next year.
“For now, we’re planning to take the wings off and have some fun in Salem, Ore., in mid-to-late January,” Dustin Baxter said.
SEASON STATS –
37 races, 0 wins, 3 top fives, 6 top 10s, 18 top 15s, 23 top 20s
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://blainebaxterracing.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blainebaxter25
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlaineBaxterRacing/
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT –
“As our 2018 racing season has come to a close, we’d just like to thank all of our sponsors for their support this year,” Dustin Baxter said. “We certainly couldn’t do this without their help. We hope to see them all back on board for next season.”
Blaine Baxter Racing would like to thank Westside Mechanical, Les Schwab Tire Center, Dirt Co Media House, FK Shocks, Shell Shock, Dustin Davis Demolition, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Blackbeard, Arai Helmets, Simpson Fire Suits, D1 Chassis, Wraps N Motion, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, Low Voltage Security, Energycoil and Adams Performance for their continued support.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –
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- Shawn Miller on Nov 13, 2018
- Article Date: 11/13/2018 by Inside Line Promotions