Nashville, TN – In his second season ever competing in template late model racing, Metro Detroit driver, Guy Fire will pursue the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance full season and look to take home the Rookie of the Year honors. A former Street Stock and current Legends car competitor, Fire has experience at nearly every track on the 2024 schedule.
The father/son team from Belleville, Michigan stepped into racing Street Stocks at Flat Rock Speedway over a decade ago. The progression of racing at Flat Rock Speedway led him into an Outlaw Super Late Model where he posted a top 10 during the Glass City 200 at Toledo Speedway. In 2023, the team decided to check in on the buzz surrounding template late model racing.
In five starts last season, Fire had mixed results in his first ever starts with the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour, finishing 14th out of the gate after a mechanical failure at Birch Run Speedway. His first career top 10 came during the Big O Classic 100 at Owosso Speedway and he finished 10th again in the return to Birch Run Speedway. A return to Owosso for the Masters of the Pros 184 net Fire an 11th place finish, and he finished the season with another 11th in the Birch Run Speedway finale. A calm five race start for Fire, but he recognizes he has a long way to go.
“[Template racing is] something that I’m not used to,” Fire admits. “[With] bump stops, shock program, engines – late model racing. It’s a lot,” Fire conceded. However, he’s confident in his team’s ability to perform.
“My biggest thing is, I’ve heard I’m in over my head right now, because our team doesn’t have the knowledge,” Fire explains. “But here’s the thing – the driver is the crew chief, car owner, and everything – we use that as fuel to the fire,” he said. “We’ve been successful in everything we’ve been in and the JEGS Tour is a big leap, but I have no doubt we’ll be competitive.”
Fire’s short track background and time at Flat Rock and Toledo play into his hand for 2024. What Fire doesn’t know yet about the race car, he makes up for in knowledge about the track’s he’ll visit this season. For Flat Rock and Toledo, it’s Street Stock and Outlaw Super Late Model experience; for Corrigan Oil Speedway it’s Legends Cars, and for Birch Run and Owosso, he has laps last season in a template late model.
“I think going to tracks I’m familiar with is going to benefit me very well,” Fire said. “The biggest thing I’ve learned so far when I’m going to these tracks in a late model setting – it’s totally different than going into it in a street stock setting. We tested at Flat Rock at the end of the year, and it was a totally different track than what I was used to.”
Welcoming the challenges with open arms, Fire is eager to begin the 2024 season with increased support from his marketing partners and his team. Fire says this season is already billing itself as one of the best in his career.
“We’re just your family-owned race team,” Fire said. “I know a lot of these teams are, but we’re just a normal working-shift family that does what we can. Without sponsors, we don’t get to race. CASS Sheetmetal – they’ve been with us for a while, but they wanted to step it up this year,” Fire elaborated. “Having partnerships like we have this year, I don’t know when I’ll ever have a partnership like this again – to have people in our corner. It’s kinda like, we have to go for [the JEGS Tour] right now.”
Described as the father/son duo, Fire Motorsports has some talent in their corner when all the pieces of the puzzle align properly. Fire will have an experienced driver in his ear throughout the season.
“Jeff Vrsek will be spotting for me on the night’s that he’s not running,” Fire said. “I’ve got the people behind me, we’ve just gotta get our ducks in a row and do it. I’ve kind of been the underdog most of my career, so if we can go to Winchester at the end of the year and say we finished top 5 or top 3 in the JEGS Tour, that’s huge to us.”
Guy Fire’s second year in a template late model begins with the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance on Saturday, April 27th at Berlin Raceway. The CASS Sheetmetal, Pro Spot International, OneTrust Home Loans No.9 Ford Mustang will unload for their first ever trip to the Marne, MI race track. Advanced tickets are available now at BerlinRaceway.com. Fans who can’t make the trip can catch the action live on RacingAmerica.Tv and TrackTv.com.
For more information on the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance log onto CRA-Racing.com. Find CRA: Champion Racing Association on Facebook and follow @CRARacing on X.
