Archive for category: prsprint3

Preston Lattomus and the Capitol Custom Trailers & Coaches, E-Z GO, Betts Garage No.91 team were building steady momentum as August came to a close.  The young Lewes, Delaware driver was learning and adapting, producing better results and glimpses of the team’s potential.

Since then, over the past three weeks, they have struggled to achieve the same results, although the learning and adapting certainly continue.

There’s often more to changes in a race team’s performance than meets the eye. An improvement or a decline can stem from a lot of different factors. Luck of the draw when you qualify, track conditions, setup choices, decisions behind the wheel…there are a lot of factors any given night.  Equipment differences are also part of that equation.

There is a lot to learn for a rookie 410 sprint car driver.  Handling the horsepower, making split-second decisions behind the wheel, providing feedback to the crew without much experience to base it on, and dealing with the elevated level of competition are just the beginning.  

Add equipment differences to that equation, and it gets even more complex and challenging for any driver, let alone a rookie.  These aren’t excuses; they are the real challenges of the sport of sprint car racing.

While fans may not see the difference from their seat, since the beginning of the season, the 91 team has been racing two different cars on a rotating schedule.  This not only builds depth to their program, but it also prevents a single motor from being ‘lapped out’ and in need of a refresh too quickly.

There are very few subtle differences between the cars, but the differences are enough that identical setups and driving styles aren’t guaranteed to produce the same performance. 

“We had a very good stretch in what we call the NJ car, and I started to get used to and like the motor we have in that car,” Lattomus shared.  

“The past few weeks, we have been racing what we call our PA car, which has a slightly different motor in it.  The guys and I have been working hard to adjust and give that car what it wants to be fast.”

In simplest terms, differences between engines can affect where peak horsepower is reached during a lap.  That can affect corner exit and/or corner entry speed, which then necessitate different chassis setups and/or driving styles to achieve equivalent lap times as another combination.

“Right now we are definitely in a slump, but we are taking one step back to make two steps forward,” Lattomus commented.

“We have been able to work together and start to show improvement over the last couple of races with this car.  Our results may not show it, but as each night progresses, we improve.”

There is no better opportunity for a driver and team to learn than when they are facing challenges.  

“My feedback and communication within the team has definitely been a big thing recently in trying to become better all around when we are struggling like this,” Lattmus explained.

“With only a handful of races left, we will have limited chances to show how much we have improved as a team, but we are heading in the right direction for sure.”

Lattomus will return to Williams Grove Speedway this Friday, then will take on the High Limit Racing series at Bridgeport Motorsports Park on Saturday.

The race at Bridgeport Motorsports Park, which is located in Swedesboro, NJ, is a big one for Lattomus, not only because the touring professional series is coming to town but because he has family and friends right across the Delaware River bridge from the event, giving them a great opportunity to see the young Delaware driver compete in person.

The following weekend, Lattomus will compete twice with the World of Outlaws, first at New Egypt Speedway in NJ, then at Lincoln Speedway in PA.

RECENT RESULTS (starting position in parentheses)

• Date/Location:  August 30, 2025 / Lincoln Speedway, Abbottstown, PA
  • Results:  Group Qualifying 13th, Heat 5th (7), A-main 15th (18)

• Date/Location:  August 31, 2025 / Lincoln Speedway, Abbottstown, PA
  • Results: Qualifying 23rd, Heat 7th (8), B-main 4th (4), A-main 21st (23)

• Date/Location:  September 12, 2025 / Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, PA
  • Results:  Qualifying 16th, Heat 9th (6), A-main 20th (24)

• Date/Location:  September 13, 2025 / Lincoln Speedway, Abbottstown, PA
  • Results:  Qualifying 8th, Heat 5th (3), A-main 18th (19)

• Date/Location:  September 19, 2025 / Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, PA
  • Results:  Qualifying 22nd, Heat 8th (8), A-main 24th (22)

• Date/Location:  September 20, 2025 / BAPS Motor Speedway, Abbottstown, PA
  • Results:  Group Qualifying 8th, Heat 8th (8), A-main 16th (22)

Fans can keep up with Preston’s schedule, news, and all the latest information at PrestonLattomus.com.

Preston Lattomus went to Knoxville to gain experience and learn.  Mission accomplished.

No, the results weren’t flashy on the scoreboard, but the building blocks were laid so the young racer can post those kinds of results in the future.

His first impression of Knoxville?  

“It feels 410 (sprint car) fast in a 360,” Lattomus shared with a smile.  

QUICK LEARNING REQUIRED

Knoxville’s surface is a different animal, especially for a racer who has spent his young career in the Mid-Atlantic region.  Then consider the stout competition on hand for the 360 Nationals, which includes most of the top 360 sprint car teams and drivers in the country.

Add it all together and there’s only one conclusion:  newcomers need to be a quick study.

Lattomus only made 25 total laps under green on his qualifying night on Friday.  That’s hot laps, qualifying, heat race, and the B-main combined.  That’s not a lot of time to learn, especially when the most important laps of your weekend, your time trial laps, are the 4th and 5th laps you have ever turned at the track.

Friday night ended on a positive note, with Lattomus passing cars and moving forward in the B-main, plus the ‘first date’ with Knoxville was behind him, and he could come into Saturday’s finale far more comfortable and with an idea what he was facing.

Lattomus quickly showed he was making progress at the Marion County (Iowa) Fairgrounds half-mile.  He drove from 12th to 5th in the D-main to advance to the C-main.  Unable to come from deep in the field to a top-seven transfer spot, his night ended in the C-main, but it still provided valuable track time that will pay dividends next time.

Saturday night, Lattomus was on track for a hot lap session, followed by a 10-lap D-main, and a 12-lap C-main.  That’s another 25 total, but they were extremely valuable for the Lewes, DE driver and his Capitol Custom Trailers & Coaches, E-Z GO, Betts Garage No.91 team.

“I was absolutely more comfortable on Saturday with the track. Friday night was completely new to me and felt like every time I hit the track, I improved. Saturday was a big help in learning more because I had some extra time to search around and find my speed in different areas,” Lattomus shared.

“I definitely want to get back to Knoxville after the laps I gained this week. It is an awesome track to race on, and I am confident I will have a better run when we go back.”

UP NEXT

Lattomus has added a date to his upcoming schedule.  He will race the 410 sprint car at Lincoln Speedway on Saturday, August 9th.

Fans can keep up with Preston’s schedule, news, and all the latest information at PrestonLattomus.com.

AUGUST SCHEDULE:

• Aug 9 – Lincoln Speedway, PA (410)
• Aug 15 – Williams Grove Speedway, PA (410)
• Aug 16 – Port Royal Speedway, PA (410)
• Aug 23 – Lincoln Speedway, PA (410)
• Aug 24 – BAPS Motor Speedway, PA (410)
• Aug 29 – Williams Grove Speedway, PA (410)
• Aug 30 – Lincoln Speedway, PA (410)
• Aug 31 – Lincoln Speedway, PA (410)

Preston Lattomus will add another first to his racing resume this week.  He will tackle Knoxville Raceway in Iowa in the 360 Sprint Car Nationals aboard the Capitol Custom Trailers & Coaches, E-Z GO, Betts Garage No.91.

The accomplished young racer from Lewes, Delaware, will hit the track Friday, August 1st, for his qualifying night and again on Saturday on August 2nd, for the event finale.

HEADING WEST

“We have a very successful 360 program, we believe one of the best in the country.  Our goal this season was to get out of our region and compete in a larger event on a national scale,” Lattomus shared.

“Originally, we were aiming to go to Florida early in the year, but instead, we opted to put the 360 Nationals at Knoxville on our schedule because it made more sense on multiple levels.”

Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, is widely considered the premier dirt track in the United States if not the world.  The 360 Sprint Car Nationals is one of the top-tier events held at the half-mile facility, drawing wide media coverage and fan attention.

“Entering the 360 Nationals not only gives us a chance to measure our program against the best in the country, it provides huge visibility for our partners.  Capitol Custom Trailers and Coaches always has a presence here.  It’s a great opportunity for them to show their great products to the racing community,” Lattomus explained.

“It’s also a great opportunity for me to get seat time at a place I hope to compete at a lot in the future in both 360 and 410 sprint cars.”

More than 90 cars are entered for the 2025 360 Nationals, with half the field qualifying on Thursday and the other half on Friday.  Saturday’s eliminations will be lined up by points earned on qualifying nights.

RISING WITH EXPERIENCE

After a very busy 410 Pennsylvania Sprint Speedweek to open the month of July, Lattomus took one weekend off, then returned for a two-race weekend at Williams Grove and Lincoln Speedways.  

It proved to be a good weekend for the 410 rookie.  At Williams Grove, he scored a 17th-place finish, but the story was about more than the ending.  Lattomus moved forward in his heat race and passed cars in the A-main before slipping late.

The following night at Lincoln, Lattomus scored his second top-ten finish of the season, landing a 7th-place finish after running well inside the top five earlier in the race.

“I made a couple poor decisions during the feature that cost us.  I had a good enough car to run at the front.  I’m more comfortable lately and getting more consistent.  I am learning every time I hit the track.  I just need the weather to cooperate and give me more opportunities,” Lattomus commented.

Lattomus unloaded at BAPS Motor Speedway on July 23rd to compete with the World of Outlaws but the team never got past hot laps.  A magneto issue ended their night before they really ever got started.

So far in 2025, Lattomus should have raced 47 times based on the team’s original schedule.  Thanks to Mother Nature and a couple of mechanical gremlins, he has only raced 28 times.  That’s a ton of experience that was never gained.

Lattomus has seven 410 sprint car races planned in Pennsylvania in the latter half of August.  He hopes the weather will play nice and he will get a chance to continue to build on the trend he has worked so hard to build despite all the challenges so far this year.

RECENT RESULTS (starting position listed in parentheses)

GET AN UP-CLOSE LOOK

If you are in the market for a sprint car trailer, or any type of race trailer, vending trailer, or car hauler, you can visit Lattomus in the pits at any race to get a close-up look at his trailer, which is a top-notch product from his primary marketing partner, Capitol Custom Trailers and Coaches.

Capitol invites you to come check out the Capitol Renegade Race Team’s inTech Trailers in action in the pits at any of Preston’s races!  Start your new custom build today with the guys who know sprint car racing, Capitol Custom Trailers and Coaches!

AUGUST SCHEDULE:

• Aug 1-2 – Knoxville Raceway (360 Nationals)
• Aug 15 – Williams Grove Speedway, PA (410)
• Aug 16 – Port Royal Speedway, PA (410)
• Aug 23 – Lincoln Speedway, PA (410)
• Aug 24 – BAPS Motor Speedway, PA (410)
• Aug 29 – Williams Grove Speedway, PA (410)
• Aug 30 – Lincoln Speedway, PA (410)
• Aug 31 – Lincoln Speedway, PA (410)