If Kerry Micks could get back to victory lane, there’d certainly be a party, and that’s something he hopes happens this year for the first time since 2008. It isn’t a far-fetched idea as Micks has proven that he can get around the road courses, notable by podium finish at Trois-Rivieres in 2014.
After struggling last year with a best finish of 10th at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Micks is looking to do much better this year.
“My road course car hasn’t been right up so I’ve done a lot of work on it this past winter,” he told Race Time Radio. “The best that I’ve done is two years ago, but we’ve just been a little off. So we’ve done a lot of homework this past winter on both the road course cars to see if we can get more speed at the bigger tracks. We’ve found a few things that we’re wrong, so hopefully we can get that where it needs to be and finish up better than it has been.”
Micks will once again be splitting the schedule with Mark Dilley, as Dilley will run the ovals while Micks runs the road courses. The pair came together with this schedule in 2012, finding success in the past three years with some strong performances. Micks told Race Time Radio the partnership formed as a result of both drivers not having sponsorship to run the full schedule.
“We met one day and I said, ‘Let’s not quit here but put both of sponsorships together’ and that’s how it happened,” he commented. “You have to do what you have to do. I was doing really good on the road courses at that point so I said I’d do the road courses, you do the ovals and I have no problem with it. Most of the sponsorship came through Mark, and it still does, and I manage the race team and get the cars to the track. It was a joint venture that’s working out well.”
While the partnership surprised some at time, Micks wasn’t too surprised as the pair were close friends and had worked together as teammates in the past.
Beyond running the NASCAR Pinty’s Series, Micks will be running the Sunset Speedway Avenue Auto Parts Super Late Model schedule, running four events while Dilley runs one. Micks stated that “it’s something I’ve always wanted to do and will do that in the future.”
No doubt that Micks has a full plate this year, but it’s one that could produce lots of success along the way.
“I probably have more on my plate than I have ever had in racing, but got a lot of good help with me this year and good sponsors,” he commented. “We just signed a new sponsor with Avenue Auto Parts – got to thank John, and also Johnsonville and Brad Martin, and it just goes on and on. Leland and Bryan Catchcart. All those people combined, and I have a lot of smaller sponsors – but if we didn’t have that, we couldn’t do what we’re doing with Mark, myself and Adam (Martin). It should be a very exciting year, especially going into this super late model thing.”