Chick Produces Strong Season in Pro Late Model and Dirt Midget

Special from Mandy Chick Racing: De Soto, Kansas (Oct. 26, 2017) – Mandy Chick pushed herself on both pavement and dirt in 2017.

Chick returned to the seat of her pro late model this season when she competed at her home track of Lebanon I-44 Speedway in Lebanon, Mo., for the first half of the year before joining the JEGS/CRA All Stars Tour for the remainder of the season.

“We had planned on running the full JEGS/CRA All Stars Tour this year, but we didn’t get as much testing and seat time in the offseason that we would have liked,” she said. “We quickly made the change to our schedule and decided to spend the beginning of the season at Lebanon I-44 Speedway to get some additional seat time and learn as much as we could.”

Chick picked up two runner-up results, a third-place finish and a seventh-place run at her home track, where she found herself contending for the win on a few different occasions.

“Those runner-up finishes at Lebanon I-44 Speedway are good to have, but tough to take,” she said. “I was so proud of the progress that my team and I had made, but that just made us hungrier for our first win.”

Chick jumped on board with the JEGS/CRA All Stars Tour in June with her first race being at a track she knew well – Lebanon I-44 Speedway. She captured a sixth-place finish in her debut with the series.

“We strategically planned when and where we were going to race all season,” she said. “We learned and gained experience at Lebanon I-44 Speedway before the Tour came into town and when they did, I’d say we held our own pretty well.”

Chick raced at prestigious tracks such as Berlin Speedway, Winchester Speedway, Auto City Raceway and Lucas Oil Raceway during the remainder of the season. She recorded her career-best finish with the series during only her fourth race, when Chick posted a top-five result at Winchester Speedway.

“Being on the Tour was such a fun experience,” she said. “We went to a variety of different tracks, all of which required a different form of driving style. Throughout the season, I took very detailed notes of what I was doing and what the car did or didn’t like for reference when we go back to these places. This should really help me to work with Butch and John at VanDoorn Racing Development to continue to improve on setups for our cars. Plus, we learned so much from the car to my driving styles to working better as a team. Overall, I’d say this season exceeded expectations and motivates us for next year.”

Chick also competed in a handful of dirt midget races for Johnny Murdock and Zero Motorsports during her weekends off from pavement. Her best result was a seventh-place finish at Valley Speedway in Grain Valley, Mo.

“Racing the dirt midget was a learning experience for sure,” Chick said. “I learned a ton and gained experience with car control and other things that I can take from the dirt and apply to my asphalt racing. I can’t thank Johnny Murdock enough for that opportunity.”

Chick’s tentative plan for the 2018 season is to be full-time on the JEGS/CRA All Stars Tour and contend for a points championship.

“I just want to thank everyone who was has been around and who support me,” Chick said. “I have such amazing people that are a part of this team and that support and motivate me and I’m so thankful for that. I wouldn’t be able to do this without my family, friends, team, partners and the fans. The fans continue to make this dream and sport thrive and without them we wouldn’t be here. I’m forever grateful to all.”