WARRNAMBOOL driver Will Carroll is on the verge of claiming a breakthrough championship on the American circuit-racing scene.
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Carroll opened up a 25-point gap at the top of the NASCAR Pro-Late Model series standings after running fourth at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway yesterday.
The result means the 19-year-old needs only to start the final at the season-ending meeting at the track on November 1 to claim series honours.
“Every position is worth a point,” Carroll said yesterday. “It should be good, that lead. All we’ve got to do is start the final and we should be good.”
Racing in the US for the first time, Carroll started the 50-lap final out of position five but was as far back as 14th as early incidents marred the action.
However, he climbed to fourth on the back of 30 laps of consistent racing, salvaging crucial series points in the process.
“The aim (at the start of the year) was to win the championship, but whatever happened, happened. We played it race by race,” he said.
“Everyone else had a headstart on me. I had to learn as quick as I could. A lot of guys have been racing for 10 years every weekend.” Carroll, who drives for Anthony Campi Racing, said he had learnt “a hell of a lot” since leaving Australia in March.
“We’ve come a long way just learning how to be side-by-side for 10 laps straight, learning to feel where the car is,” he said.
He is considering racing a different class in 2015 to “move up the ranks” but is yet to receive any offers to drive for a new team.
In the meantime, he will spend the summer racing sprintcars in the south-west, starting with the twin-feature night at Premier Speedway on December 20.
“We just want to have some fun with the sprintcar, pick and choose when we want to race, not commit to anything,” he said.
n Warrnambool sprintcar driver Darren Mollenoyux has endured a bittersweet start to his season, running second at Murray Bridge on Saturday night.
Mollenoyux led the Bill Wigzell Battle of the Bridge with two laps remaining but rued his conservative approach late in the A main as victory fell from his grasp.
South Australian Dylan Jenkin took the win ahead of Mollenoyux and Steven Caruso in a race in which only five of the 18 starters finished.
“It’s a bit of a bittersweet result. We’re happy with second but overthought it a little,” he said.
“The track took rubber and I didn’t know how hard to push out when leading. Every now and again it pays to be in second place near the end.”
afawkes@fairfaxmedia.com.au