BARBERVILLE, Fla.: Expectations were low for Kasey Jedrzejek coming into this year’s DIRTCar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park. The different reasons have nothing to do with his overall talent.
Everything was stacked against him. Jedrzejek is young and has only been racing in the 410 Sprint Car division for two and a half years … and now, he is competing as a rookie on the ultra-tough World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.
Making an A-Main during the stretch of races in Florida would be like a win. A top-10 finish would be off the charts, and running up front against that field would be out of this world; almost unthinkable.
But Jedrzejek doesn’t deal in hypotheticals and expectations. It’s about results. The 21-year-old driver posted one good showing and turned some heads in his first visit to the speedy Barberville facility, coming away with a solid ninth-place effort in the DIRTCar Nationals finale.
“I think it was big for us as a team,” Jedrzejek said. “I don’t want to say we were down after the first two nights, but we were like, ‘What do we do to find some speed?’ So, I think it was just good for the whole team and all of us to see that we can work through things and have that speed. We just had to work a little bit to get it.
“It was good to get racing with [Outlaws] guys. You don’t get to race with them a whole lot when you’re running locally in Ohio … it’s only a couple of times a year. I was trying to figure out how they race, and you can learn things racing behind them, too. I think just seeing how it all worked out, there’s definitely a couple of things I would have done differently, but we’re happy with the top 10.”
The first two nights were a learning experience for Jedrzejek and Bill Rose Racing. It wasn’t just getting acclimated to the car, the Lagrange, OH., driver also had to jell with Rose, who was trying to figure out what his young driver likes in his ride.
Still, there was steady improvement. After running in the C-Main Wednesday, Jedrzejek and Rose improved to the Last Chance Showdown Friday. Then when Saturday rolled around, the tandem was ready to get after it.
Jedrzejek timed seventh in his flight and followed it up with a second-place run in his heat race to lock into the Dash. In the six-lap sprint, he advanced one spot to earn a fifth-place starting spot in the 25-Lap A-Main.
The feature was icing on this first-week cake. Jedrzejek ran in the top five for the first 12 laps and continued to show speed despite missing a left side panel on his front wing. Late cautions were his undoing, however, and he slipped four spots to place ninth in the final rundown.
“I think the first two nights were mainly me and Bill just trying to figure each other out,” Jedrzejek said. “It was my first time ever at Volusia, and our first time working together. So, I think it was sort of him trying to figure out what I liked, and me trying to figure out how he likes to set the car up.
“Today, we just came in with a whole new ballgame, completely different setup, change engines in the morning to try and make a difference. I think it worked out. The track was a lot more tough and had a little more character tonight, but I tend to like it when it’s like that.”
Continued Jedrzejek, “The front wing probably hurt a little bit. It sounded like it happened in the first 10 laps, and then we struggled with the brakes halfway through, which hurt a little trying to slow down and hit the bottom. We were able to overcome all of that to get a top 10, and we’ll take it and move on … back to Volusia in a month.”
It was a good start. Jedrzejek tackled one of the toughest tracks on the circuit and came away 18th in points, 12th if you take out the non-World of Outlaws regulars.
For Jedrzejek, it gets better. He should continue to improve and get more comfortable, which could make him a player in the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year chase.
“I think it’s, definitely, a statement for our team,” Jedrzejek said. “We’re one of the smaller teams here in the pit area and putting it in the Dash, I didn’t have any expectations of doing that this weekend … especially after the first two nights.
“So, yeah, I think it’s just really good for our team. It shows our guys that we can have speed, and we can run up front with these guys.”
HARD CHARGER: Buddy Kofoid was in a significant hole after timing 10th in his flight and failing to transfer through his heat race. It was time to bail out.
That’s what Kofoid and the Roth Motorsports team did. The California native won the Last Chance Showdown and mounted a spirited charge from his 21st-place starting spot in the main event.
Kofoid charged into the top 10 by the completion of Lap 5 and was into the top five by the 21st circuit. He shot past Brian Brown on Lap 23rd and came home fourth in the final rundown, good enough to leave the DIRTCar Nationals tied atop the Outlaws point standings with David Gravel and Anthony Macri.
MORE NOTES: It was a busy night for Cole Macedo. The crew changed a rear end before hot laps, made an engine change after qualifying, and then was involved in a crash at the beginning of the Last Chance Showdown. He pulled down a new car and took a provisional, finishing 16th. … Austin McCarl also made an engine change after time trials. He was able to transfer through the Last Chance Showdown and finished 24th in the final rundown. … Chase Dietz rebounded from a disappointing Friday effort and was second quick in his flight. He made it to the Dash but struggled in the main event, finishing 22nd.