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Preston Lattomus said from the beginning that his rookie campaign in a winged 410 sprint car would be all about seat time—the more laps, the better.

That approach is proving to be the right one in a Central Pennsylvania sprint car scene that offers plenty of speed while also demanding quick adaptation. For Lattomus, the method has been simple: keep racing, keep learning, and focus on the small improvements that add up over a night-to-night stretch.

“In my head, racing 11 times in one month helps me move on from the previous race and start thinking about the next one,” Lattomus explained. “As far as learning goes, being in a car that frequently also helps with minimizing mistakes and learning from them because of those previous mistakes being so fresh in my head.”

Learning Curve: Starts, Restarts, and Early Confidence

Over the course of the month, the biggest gains for Lattomus have come from the areas he and the team have been attacking repeatedly—particularly starts and restarts.

“Towards the end of the month, I started to improve on the biggest thing for us recently, starts and restarts,” he said. “The last couple of races, I felt very comfortable early in the race when previously I did not.”

Lattomus also noted that even nights where the results didn’t match what the team was working toward still provided valuable education.

“The Touring races came with a learning experience, even though I did not qualify for the A-mains,” he explained. “One thing I learned was how tough qualifying is when the best in the world are in town, and how small the gap becomes from being 10th and 20th.”

Tough Fields, Positive Mindset, and Gaining Perspective

Racing against elite competition has also impacted the way Lattomus thinks about performance—especially when things don’t go as planned.

“Another thing is when racing against those guys and not doing well, I had to keep a positive mindset and not get discouraged,” Lattomus said.

When he discussed what has been most challenging about competing against the Outlaws-caliber fields, Lattomus pointed to the same theme as his biggest improvement focus: the early phase of the night.

“The thing that killed me the most, racing against the Outlaws, was starts,” he said. “Everyone is already so good that it becomes harder to pass, especially early on in the night. So after qualifying, I think not advancing on starts was a big one.”

Despite the learning curve, his confidence hasn’t been shaken.

“As far as confidence goes, it hasn’t hindered,” Lattomus said. “But our perspective on it has definitely changed because of what our expectations have become.”

Short-Term Goals and What Comes Next

Lattomus described the team’s near-term goals as consistent runs near the front, with results that reflect the work he’s putting in week to week.

“The short-term goal is top 5s and strong top 10s,” he explained. “I’ve had plenty of opportunities to do that and haven’t always succeeded. But the confidence of being able to do that consistently is there. The more consistent we are able to get upfront, the wins and impressive finishes are coming.”

Adjustments Off the Track: Scheduling and Strategy

Along with development on the race car, the plan has also shifted in how the team approaches upcoming weekends. Lattomus said the Ohio events have been removed from the schedule.

“We are no longer running the Ohio races and plan to stick to the local races that weekend,” he said. “The local stuff is where we can keep building, keep learning, and keep logging laps.”

Speedweek Excitement: Grindy, Valuable, and Worth It

Looking ahead, Lattomus is already focused on one of the most demanding opportunities of the season: Speedweek.

“The 10 nights of Speedweek are always something to look forward to, even though it’s one of the most grueling you can do as a race team,” Lattomus said. “As a driver, and we as a team do it and want to compete because we love it. So definitely excited for what Speedweek has to offer.”

Built With Support in the Pit

Lattomus credits a strong support group for helping him process everything that comes with rookie 410 racing—both on race nights and between events.

“Kyle and Scott have been great,” he shared. “I told Kyle I feel like I need to do a better job of giving feedback on what I feel and what I need. There’s a lot to process and get used to, so I can be good at that. I’ll get there.”

With Scott McClaren handling much of the decision-making and adjustment work from the 358 experience, and Kyle Reinhardt now mentoring after stepping out of the 410 seat, the team is building continuity—translating feedback and seat time into small performance gains that are meant to show up over time.

Upcoming Weekend: More Laps at Williams Grove, Lincoln, and BAPS

Lattomus is also looking forward to a packed three-race weekend aimed at maximizing seat time and continuing the team’s momentum.

Over the upcoming June 5-7 weekend, the team will compete at:

• Williams Grove Speedway (Friday)
• Lincoln Speedway (Saturday)
• BAPS Motor Speedway (Sunday)

“The challenge of putting together the best laps I can in qualifying or in a race is exciting to me,” Lattomus said. “I’m excited about the opportunity I have to race this Capitol Custom Trailers & Coaches, EZGO Golf Cars, Betts Garage No.91 sprint car. I’m excited because I know what we can and will accomplish eventually.”

Focus Moving Forward

At this stage of the season, Lattomus isn’t chasing perfection—he’s building it. With a clear focus on learning faster, improving starts and restarts, and keeping his mindset steady against tough competition, he’s setting the foundation for the stronger runs he believes are coming.

“I try to focus on the big picture—the learning, the improvements,” Lattomus said. “If I get too wrapped up in results, it can take a toll on my confidence. I just take a day to process our night, put things in perspective, and learn from the opportunities.”

Preston Lattomus continues to build on the consistent foundation he has established early in his sophomore 410 sprint car season.

The path leading to success in racing is full of peaks and valleys along the way, but it’s a good sign when the peaks continue to get a little higher each time.

KEEPING IT GOING

At Williams Grove Speedway on April 17th, Lattomus didn’t make headlines, but his run was a confidence builder and an indication of the improvements the team is making to be better at the end of the night.  After qualifying 16th and finishing 6th in his heat race, he drove from 16th to 11th in the A-main to end his night on a positive note.

“The surface was super tacky, and we did not time where we wanted to. We were in a pretty stacked heat, and passing was tough, so we started deeper than we expected to,” Lattomus commented.

“I made some passes to get up to 11th and pretty much battled for a top ten spot the whole race. With a few smarter decisions, I feel I could have been a couple spots better.”

Twenty-four hours later, Lattomus unloaded at Lincoln Speedway and was in a similar position early after qualifying 11th in his group and falling back to an 8th-place finish in his heat race.  He raced from 10th to 6th in the B-main but was unable to transfer to the finale.

It was another one of those valleys on the journey.

“Lincoln was tough because of a mistake and a tough passing track in the heat race.  That put us behind all night,” Lattomus shared.

“The competition is so tough, there’s just no room for mistakes.  I’m working hard to eliminate those.”

Last Friday night, Lattomus and the No.91 team ventured to Lernerville Speedway for the Lewes, DE driver’s first laps there in a 410 sprint car.

Lattomus qualified 5th quickest, a solid start with so few laps under his belt at the Sarver, PA facility.  He backed that up by winning his heat race from the 2nd starting spot.  It was his 3rd heat race win of the season, each one coming at a different track.

In the 25-lap main event, Lattomus started 6th.  He raced as high as 4th for much of the race but settled for a 5th-place finish to earn his second top-five of the season.

“We made the decision to skip racing in Central Pennsylvania last weekend to travel to Lernerville just to get experience at a new track and learn. Lernerville is certainly a unique track from anywhere I have ever raced before,” Lattomus explained.

“I led every lap of the heat race, which gave me the opportunity to get eight solid laps by myself and learn the track a little bit better. We showed we had plenty of speed, even at a place that is new to me, and Kyle hadn’t been to in a few years.”

“It felt really good to battle inside the top five throughout the feature. The track got to a point where I have never seen a track that slick ever. That certainly made it even more of a learning experience.”

“I’m glad we made the trip out there and definitely excited to get back there as well as get to new tracks in the future.”

It shouldn’t go unnoticed that the consistency the Capitol Custom Trailers and Coaches, EZGO / Golf Cart Services, Betts Garage, Magoo’s Motorsickles No.91 team is showing is coming at a variety of tracks.  Lattomus and his team are getting things right to make them successful anywhere they go.

UPCOMING PLANS

Lattomus will open the month of May with a hefty schedule of six races in nine days, three of which will be with the World of Outlaws.  Visit PrestonLattomus.com for specific dates, locations, merchandise, results, and news!