TERRE HAUTE — Soon after strapping himself in a race car for the first time, Terre Haute’s Paul May garnered the reputation of doing things his way.
He used an aggressive approach that at times rubbed his fellow drivers the wrong way but eventually earned him the respect of those that run wheel-to-wheel with the second-generation racer.
Even in the formative stages of his career, May elected to go a different direction than his fellow Wabash Valley racers.
Unlike his father Mike, who enjoyed success in stock cars, Paul chose to do his racing in sprint cars — not just any sprint car but a winged sprint car.
Bucking the trend by going with wings rather than the more popular non-winged sprinters, the younger May faced many different obstacles than his fellow area open-cockpit competitors.
While most stayed close to home running the weekly short-track shows, May opted to venture into the wings, a move that involved greater travel and expense.
Despite the odds, May and his independently financed operation has made its presence felt in the winged sprints.
Now in his 10th season behind the wheel, May is enjoying his best start in a number of years campaigning on the All-Star Circuit of Champions for sprint cars.
A national traveling series that runs primary throughout the Ohio and Pennsylvania area, it recently formed a lower-budgeted Midwest All-Star circuit for teams not wanting to do as much traveling.
May and his fellow national All-Stars will make a rare Hoosier state swing this weekend with stops at the Terre Haute Action Track on Friday night and at Paragon Speedway the following evening.
It’s a welcomed relief to May, who sandwiches his racing between an ever-increasing role with his family’s northside wrecker and salvaging business.
May is keenly aware that the All-Stars will be facing two classic misconceptions about winged sprint cars here in the heartbed of non-wing sprint-car racing — one that his All-Stars sprints aren’t as competitive as the non-wing sprints and the other that they don’t measure up to the higher-profile World of Outlaws sprints.
“Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. It doesn’t matter if you’re turning left or going in a straight line. Racing is racing,” said May.
He forecasts a highly competitive card and strong personal showing if things fall into place for him and the All-Stars on Friday.
“I think the fans can expect to see a really good show as long as they give us a decent race track. It will be better than the Outlaws,” May predicted.
“The All-Stars will probably have 10 to 15 different winners this season. Everyone is closer matched than the Outlaws, where you have a few teams that are much better than anybody else.”
The All-Stars are coming off their grueling Ohio Sprintweeks, where they had eight scheduled nights of racing. Rain washed out three of the shows.
Many of the drivers who competed in the Ohio events will be here Friday. They include the likes of Dale Blaney, Randy Hannagan, Greg Wilson and Lance DeWease.
Blaney won the $10,000 series finale at Eldora on Saturday night, while Hannagan’s fifth-place showing gained him enough points to win the Ohio Sprintweek crown.
All have competed here in the past in World of Outlaws shows.
Although he has reduced his schedule in 2008 due to the hectic schedule with the family business and high costs to racing, May has made the most of his limited times out. One was an impressive flag-to-flag win at the newly shaped 3/8-mile banked oval at Lawrenceburg.
“We’ve had a good season so far,” offered a confident May. ”We ran five times in Florida in February and four to five times since then. Three of those were with the Outlaws.
“We’ve really been picking and choosing when and where we go racing. With the high cost of fuel and the business here at home, we haven’t traveled as much as we have in the past.”
He enters the local show on an upbeat note.
“We’ve got a real good race car. Our motors have been strong all year. Todd Kelly, my chief mechanic, has done a great job with the setups,” May said.
“If nothing breaks on the car and we get a good pill draw for qualifying and if there aren’t any major issues, I think we can get the job done.
“One of my biggest dreams is winning at Terre Haute. I think we have as good a chance as anyone. Of course, we will have to have a trouble-free night.”
Joe Buckles can be reached at jbuckles4@verizon.net.
Trackside
Trackside: Terre Haute’s Paul May blazes his own path in winged sprints
- Trackside
-
-
TRACKSIDE: Chase Stockon hopes momentum stays with him in Terre Haute
Momentum, an element that can be as elusive to a race driver as that perfect setup, can spell the difference in winning or running at the rear of the pack.
It’s a force difficult to achieve and maybe even harder to maintain. One learns quickly to make the most of the opportunity when it comes his way.
It’s something Chase Stockon will carry with him coming into today’s Jim Hurtubise Classic at the Terre Haute Action Track.
Only days following the biggest victory of his young and promising career, the $10,000-to-win USAC feature at Lawrenceburg, Stockon followed that up with another rich payday this past weekend at Tri-State Speedway. -
TRACKSIDE: Stanbrough continues points chase after recent skirmish with rival
Veteran sprint car driver Jon Stanbrough has never been one to hide his distaste for chasing point championships. It simply doesn’t bode well with his style of racing.
-
TRACKSIDE: Brett Andrew plays role in developing NASCAR's new body styles
The recent announcement from NASCAR regarding the approved body styles for the 2013 Sprint Cup Series follows extensive wind-tunnel testing that was a year in the making.
-
TRACKSIDE: Stockon takes giant step forward in USAC
One of the more impressive and welcomed storylines of the recently completed Indiana Sprint Week was the emergence of area driver Chase Stockon on the national sprint car scene.
-
TRACKSIDE: Indiana Sprint Week rises above heat, rain, poor economy
The 25th annual version of Indiana Sprint Week is now officially in the record books and the latest chapter will go down as one of the most successful in recent years.
-
TRACKSIDE: Late models may have no long-term future in Indiana
Reflecting on what was billed as the biggest week of the summer for dirt-track stock-car racing … while preparing to shift gears for the busiest week of the year for non-wing sprint-car racing in the Wabash Valley.
-
TRACKSIDE: Summer heat has made this ‘The Hell Tour’
It is fittingly billed as “The Hell Tour” for many of the Midwest’s leading late model stock car drivers and their crews.
-
TRACKSIDE: Retired driver LaJoie spreads the word of safety
In his roles as past driving champion and television analyst, Randy LaJoie has rightfully earned the reputation as a major contributor to the sport of auto racing.
-
Trackside: Stanbrough on track at midseason
When veteran driver Jon Stanbrough ushered in a new season in Florida back in February, he found himself facing a pair of unfamiliar challenges.
-
TRACKSIDE: Clauson bucks the IndyCar trend
On the surface, the distance from the dirt oval at Lincoln Park Speedway to the massive, paved Indianapolis Motor Speedway may appear only a few miles apart.
-
TRACKSIDE: USAC Midget Classic not nearly as revered as it once was
It might be three years removed from its birthplace but the Hut Hundred USAC Midget Classic still holds a special place in the hearts of Wabash Valley racing buffs.
-
TRACKSIDE: What could have been: Indy’s folklore got richer this week
It’s a question that will linger for years and only add to the folklore of the Indianapolis 500.
-
TRACKSIDE: Sprint car event could generate close racing
One of the hottest and most competitive weekends of the 2012 motorsports season gets under way tonight at the Terre Haute Action Track with the scheduled running of the Tony Hulman Sprint Car Classic.
-
TRACKSIDE: Mulling over the biggest weekend in motorsports
We’re approaching what has traditionally become one of the busiest and most prestigious weekends in all of motorsports.
-
TRACKSIDE: Helfrich: Short-track racing has good future
When questions arise regarding the current state of sprint car racing, whether they be at the local or national level, one doesn’t have to search much further for the answer than veteran promoter Tom Helfrich.
-
TRACKSIDE: Near-capacity crowd turns out for opening night of racing
Opening night at one of the midwest’s premier short track operations can be like no other time of the year.
-
TRACKSIDE: Racing season has promise
With several “test and tunes” sessions and season openers having already taken the green flag, it’s a sure sign the Wabash Valley racing campaign is shifting into high gear.
-
TRACKSIDE: Valley racing showed best, worst of times in 2011
A look back on the 2011 Wabash Valley auto racing season reveals the best and worst of times the sport has to offer.
-
TRACKSIDE: Menard's victory at Brickyard momentous for family, race fans
Who says one of those familiar bright fluorescent-colored Menards race cars can’t find its way to victory lane at Indianapolis?
-
TRACKSIDE: After a delayed start, the Terre Haute Action Track gets season cranked up
Its arrival may have been delayed by several months — for a host of reasons — but the 2011 Terre Haute Action Track season is finally out of the blocks.
-
TRACKSIDE: Changes come up on Indiana racing scene
With the highly anticipated USAC Indiana Sprint Week sprint card on tap at the Terre Haute Action Track tonight and the Tony Hulman/Don Smith Classic and a host of events leading up to the Brickyard 400 looming on the horizon, it would appear that it’s the best of times for Wabash Valley racing buffs.
-
TRACKSIDE: Fortunes of dirt track racing at Action Track can be written in the dust
In the 40 plus years of covering motorsports, it would appear the process of writing this weekly race column would come together rather routinely.
-
TRACKSIDE: Auto racing in May in Indiana runs on history and tradition
Possibly nowhere in the sports world does history and tradition play such a key role in an event’s success and future as that found in auto racing.
-
TRACKSIDE: Wabash Valley racing ready to take green flag — even Action Track
Despite having already lost several bouts to the elements, the 2011 Wabash Valley motorsports season has taken the green flag and will soon be shifting into high gear on several fronts.
-
TRACKSIDE: Fitzpatrick on track to continue impressive start to racing career
One of the top stories on the Wabash Valley motorsports stage last season was the emergence of Blake Fitzpatrick as a legitimate front-runner on the national sprint-car scene.
-
Frightening finish to season at Terre Haute Action Track
The 2010 Terre Haute Action Track season came to a climactic close over the weekend. Unfortunately, the campaign closed on a near-tragic note for the second consecutive year.
-
Trackside: Attractive USAC sprint car card this weekend
With the area circle track season rapidly drawing to a close, fans will have a pair of attractive USAC sprint car cards to attend this weekend. Back-to-back shows at Lincoln Park Speedway and Terre Haute Action Track not only offer fans a final opportunity to see the sprints in action one final time, but they also serve as pivotal stops in the chase for the USAC sprint car drivers championship.
-
Trackside: Sadler’s wreck brings up memories for Terre Haute racer Sizemore
One of the many fans that viewed Elliott Sadler’s wild crash at Pocono over the weekend with more than casual interest was former Terre Haute racer Paul Sizemore.
-
Trackside: Talented young racer Blake Fitzpatrick savoring USAC success
The dust has long settled. The congratulatory phone calls and handshakes are becoming less frequent but that first taste of victory remains as fresh and sweet as ever for the U.S. Auto Club’s newest first-time sprint car feature winner.
-
Trackside: Positive story lines in USAC
Reflections on events surrounding a highly successful USAC Indiana Sprint Weeks while looking forward to a crowded schedule of events leading up to this weekend’s Brickyard 400.
- More Trackside Headlines
-
TRACKSIDE: Chase Stockon hopes momentum stays with him in Terre Haute
Bridge Collapse Survivor: 'Rough Day'
Officials: Truck Hit Bridge Before Collapse
Raw Video: Washington State Bridge Collapse
Jersey Shore Open for Business
First Person: Mom Discusses Famous Tornado Photo
Sheriff: No Sign Killing of 2 Kids Was Planned
Boy Scouts Approve Plan to Accept Gay Boys
Officials: Tsarnaev Friend Linked to Slaying
Raw: Utah Teen Arrested in Death of His Brothers
Raw: Scuffles in London After Hacking Death
Two Suspects in Murder Known to London Police
Obama Defends Drone Strikes, With Limits
Raw: Jurors Deadlock on Jodi Arias Penalty
Johnson: Don't Blame Islam or UK Policy
Today in History May 24
Boy Scouts Decision "First Step" Say Activists
Closer Look at Okla. School Where Children Died
Obama:Sexual Assault Threatens Trust in Military
Raw: Memorial Day Flags Placed at Arlington
Britain Attack Believed Linked to Radical Islam
AK-47-wielding thug may be the most bumbling crook ever
Oklahoma Survivors, Heroes Survey Damage
Trout's cycle a boost for Angels
Raw: New Video of Deadly Oklahoma Tornado
Kim Kardashian Flaunts Pregnant Bikini Body in Greece
NBA star pledges $1M to help tornado recovery
Shakira's Shocking Talent
Morgan Freeman falls asleep on air
GRAPHIC: Blood-Soaked Machete Killer Caught on Tape
Elin Nordegren Furious With Lindsey Vonn For Parading Kids in Public
Camera Captures Climber As He Loses Grip And Falls
Helen Mirren Meets with Dying Boy in Queen Elizabeth's Place
Crowd Chants '¡Si, Se Puede!' After Passage of Immigration Bill
DWTS Crowns a Winner
Police Ram House to End Hostage Standoff
Demi Moore a Rocks Bikini at Harry Morton's Family House
Anthony Weiner: I'm running for New York City mayor
Kate Middleton's Dress Flies Up
VIRAL: Baby makes epic soccer goal
The Hangover Baby All Grown Up
