If Team Full Throttle NASCAR Driver Development racer David Latour seems relaxed and confident going into next weekend’s Fall Brawl 250 Presented by Pepsi at Hickory Motor Speedway, it’s because he is. The 16-year old Rookie of the Year candidate has been running awfully well as of late, qualifying almost consistently in the top five and finishing races there as well. Now he is preparing for a race that requires somewhat of a different approach than what he is used to.
“I know I need to slow myself down mentally for this race and concentrate on being patient, ” David said while taking a break from working on his NASCAR Whelan All American Series Bojangles Late Model car. “Everything I’ve ever raced before, with the Quarter Midgets and Micro Sprints, you had to go hard from start to finish. I’m learning that it’s different with the Late Models and it’s paid off with some better finishes in the second half of the season. I have a good team around me. I have a fast car. I just need to keep myself calm and have fun in the 250 and focus on staying out of trouble. ”
As for his personal goal for the race, Latour says there’s nothing like the joy of victory lane. “Obviously everybody wants to win any race they’re in, and this one is a big race. But if we could come out of there with a top five and all the wheels and fenders still on the car, I’d be really happy. ” The team is planning a run for the championship at Hickory next year, and is already looking forward to opening day. “We’re really excited about that, ” David smiled. “Going into this year, we were new to the track and I was new to the division, so it was a learning year. Being with Team Full Throttle has helped me a lot with my focus and my mental approach, and I know I still have more to learn. But we feel like we can be a consistent top three to five car next year and win races if I keep improving on the track. That would mean we’d be right in the hunt for the championship and that’s where we want to be. We’ll also go and run some other tracks on occasion and some of the bigger races as our schedule allows. For right now though, all I’m worried about is the Fall Brawl next weekend and doing the best I can in that race. ”
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