by Kari Shear-Carlson / Sept 3, 2015 – Walcott, IA native, Caleb Adrian, started racing Legends cars at the age of 14 at Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Cedar Rapids, IA. In 2014, Adrian moved into late models and gained experience racing weekly on Friday nights at the track. This Saturday night, Sept 5th, Caleb will gain another new experience when the ARCA Midwest Tour presented by Scag Power Equipment returns for the Coors Light Summer Shootout presented by McGrath Powersports and Liz Girl Logistics.
The 2015 season has been a breakout year for the 18-year-old. Early in the season, Adrian got his first weekly late model win and immediately caught the attention of drivers and fans alike. He has since earned two more Friday night victories. However, his early success has not stopped there.
On June 5th, the day before his high-school graduation party, Adrian had every reason to celebrate. Caleb proved that he wasn’t just a weekly warrior when the Big 8 Series came to Hawkeye Downs Speedway, and he won the biggest race of his young career. Making a daring move to the outside, Adrian made the pass for the lead and never looked back.
“I will remember that weekend for the rest of my life! It felt amazing to get such a big win at my home track in front of so many friends, and family supporting me,” said Adrian.
Adrian has since raced at a handful of other tracks in the Midwest in both his late model and his super late model, which he will be driving this Saturday night. When it comes to comparing tracks to Hawkeye Downs, La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway is the only one that Adrian deems similar. “It was the first time I ever raced my super late and I came out of there with a top 10,” he said.
This Saturday night will be another first for the Iowa native. Adrian will be making his debut with the ARCA Midwest Tour at his home track. He has only competed against a couple drivers on the entry list, so it will be a learning experience in a lot of ways.
“I’ve raced against Ty Majeski. In fact, when I think of the Midwest Tour, I instantly think of Ty and how he’s dominating in the series. If I could show up and run with him I’d be very happy,” he admitted.
Adrian won’t be alone in the field when it comes to Iowa drivers. Griffin McGrath is a fellow Friday night competitor and is also a former Midwest Touring Star. Caleb looks forward to having McGrath to both compete against and go to for advice.
“It’s nice having Griffin in the field, not only is he a competitor, but he is a close friend of mine and my family. If I need advice, I know I can always go to him.”
Adrian knows that there will be a lot of variables and factors that will play into Saturday night’s race, and he has a good grasp on what he will be encountering when he hits the track. He has been preparing himself both mentally and physically.
“I have been watching film of previous races to prepare myself on how the race will go. Last year it went flag-to-flag without a caution, so you have to be mentally prepared to go that long and be able to save your stuff,” Adrian said.
Caleb doesn’t feel intimidated by the competition but he is aware that he’s going up against some of the toughest around.
“I am really anxious to get on the track with the Midwest Tour. They are such a competitive series and I hope to be able to run up front with them because they are the best drivers around, and that would mean a lot to me.”
Adrian could not be doing what he loves without the incredible support of his family, friends and sponsors. “I would like to thank, Adrian Carriers and Liz Girl Logistics for the amazing sponsorship, my parents, Nick and Tim Carlson for working their tails off in the shop to get my cars ready to hit the track, all my crew guys who work so hard at the track, and my PR girl, Kari Carlson, for writing great articles and keeping our fans up-to-date.
The ARCA Midwest Tour will be joined by the Mid-American Stock Car Series and Legends cars. Spectator gates open at 5:00pm. Qualifying will get started at 5:45pm. Opening ceremonies for the full night of racing will begin at 6:45pm with racing to follow at 7:00pm.
For more event details, log on to arcamidwesttour.com
Be sure to follow the ARCA Midwest Tour on Facebook (/midwesttour) and Twitter (@midwesttour).
To learn more about the Automobile Racing Club of America Midwest Tour, log on to arcamidwesttour.com. The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is among the leading auto racing sanctioning bodies in the country. Founded in 1953 by John and Mildred Marcum, the organization administers more than 100 events each year in multiple racing series, including the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, the ARCA/CRA Super Series, the ARCA Truck Series and the ARCA Midwest Tour, plus weekly racing at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedway.
