Skylar Gee finds himself in a difficult spot in his Sprint Car career. The type that would scare any driver who wants to race for a living.
It’s May, and there are plenty of big races on the horizon. The problem for Gee is that he doesn’t have a ride to compete for big paydays or raise his stock in a sport that demands repetition.
Being on the sidelines is a recent occurrence. Things weren’t working out for Gee at Bryan Grove Racing, and he decided to leave the team and search for a different opportunity to continue the 2021 season.
“I had everything geared toward the 28-Car this season,” Gee, 22, said. “I made a commitment to them, and it just wasn’t working out. We had different goals in racing, so I couldn’t do it anymore.
“Obviously, I want to race, so I don’t know what my next opportunity looks like. I want to race full time, whether it’s with the All Stars, Central Pa., Ohio, or wherever. There were no hard feelings with [Grove], and we ended on good terms.”
Gee, a native of Leduc, Alberta, Canada, finished seventh in the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour standings in 2018. A year later, he decided to move to Kokomo, Ind., and compete full time with the All Star Circuit of Champions.
It was a good first year. Gee finished seventh in the point standings and earned his first series win at Lincoln Speedway.
Things took a turn for the worse when the Coronavirus Pandemic hit in 2020. Despite finishing fifth in the All Star points, it cost Gee a sponsor, and he parked his family-owned deal and hooked up with Bryan Grove this season.
The partnership lasted 12 races. Gee mustered only two top-10 finishes, including a fifth-place run in his final race with the team on May 15 at Wayne County Speedway.
“I would really like to have a seasoned crew chief,” Gee said. “Unfortunately, with COVID and everything, I had a big sponsor lined up for the 2020 season, and that deal fell apart.
“I had Rob Hart working for me, and we had been working together since early August of 2019. We won an All Star race and had some success, and we wanted to keep moving forward with that, but I couldn’t keep him and keep racing the way we were without that sponsor.”
Continued Gee, “I want to race and have a good opportunity to be successful. It’s really hard to find the right balance with a team and a crew chief.”
That’s difficult.
Owners are in short supply compared to the days when Gee’s father, Tim, was running on the road with the World of Outlaws. It becomes even more taxing when you are shifting gears in the middle of a season.
The good news is that Gee is flexible. He’s not locked into one type of situation with a series and is eager to run in any area that will progress his racing career.
“Yeah, it’s scary,” Gee said. “This isn’t where I saw myself at this time of year. There are some big races coming up. I wanted to be at Indiana Invasion with the All Stars this weekend and on to the Keith Kauffman Classic next weekend.
“I try to keep my head on straight and keep looking forward. I will keep working to get something going. In a perfect world, I would like to get something put together to race this weekend, but that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.
“I would love to race in Central Pa. for a season. I like Williams Grove, Lincoln, Port Royal, BAPS. I think if I can race in Central Pa. for a season, it would take me to another level, because it’s hard to compete and beat those guys.”
Sprint Car racing is about remaining relevant. It’s tough to do when you are sitting at home and not competing on the track.
There is a chance Gee runs a few races in his family deal, but money is tight without sponsorship. That means the young upstart has to put something together to build a solid future in the Sprint Car game.
“It worries me,” Gee said. “If you’re not racing, you fall out of the racing world pretty quick. I’ve talked to a few guys about doing something, but I don’t have anything concrete yet.
“Yeah, I’m not sure. Racing is all I’ve ever done, and it’s all I want to do. I wake up thinking about racing, and it’s 24-7 every day.”