rewrite this content and keep HTML tags
Curt Spalding left Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals with about every Gator trophy available to the DIRTcar UMP Modified division this year. But he almost wasn’t there to do it.
Living more than 1,000 miles away in Watervilet, Mich., and unsatisfied with his overall level of performance in 2024 – having not won a race at Volusia Speedway Park since 2020 – making the trip to the Florida track for nine nights of racing wasn’t a sure thing.
However, his car owners, Chris and Adam Terry, and his son, Tyler, thought otherwise. They believed he could leave Florida with at least one Gator trophy.
“Being on the fence, Tyler got fired up and really excited to work even harder cause he wanted us to represent well,” Spalding said.
And after those nine nights of racing, the hard work paid off. Spalding left with five feature win Gator trophies, the Gator Championship Big Gator trophy and the weeklong DIRTcar Nationals Big Gator Championship trophy.
“It was surely not our goal at all,” Spalding said. “Obviously, we wanted to run good. We were hopeful to come out of there with at least one Gator. So, to come out of there with a handful of them and everything that happened, honestly, it goes back to the last two years where we worked really hard on this program for (Volusia).
“We sacrificed a lot of things last season trying to get to a better place in our program, and it’s tough when you’re doing that and you’re running 10-15 places at places where you’re expected to win. But, when things like this come together, it makes it well worthwhile.”
On top of achieving more than he and his team envisioned, the victories were special for several reasons. Spalding has been a fan of the event and facility for several years, making visits since the 1990s, and to pick up wins there is very special.
“Every day, it’s pretty unbelievable the amount of people that have reached out,” Spalding said. “It’s still so surreal. I think Chris Terry has been getting more and more excited as every day passes. You keep hearing more and seeing more and realizing what took place, we’re very happy and fortunate that we got it done.”
Focus toward the season has Curt planning to run UMP Modified events throughout the year, including select races with the DIRTcar Summit Modified Nationals.
He’ll also turn attention towards Tyler’s racing career as the 23-year-old gains more time behind the wheel of a DIRTcar UMP Modified.
“Tyler raced his modified about 20 times locally in 2024, won a couple and now it’s time to expand out,” Curt said. “Tyler is focused on the overall program and what’s nice is that he’s learned how to drive and watch a race car. Not a lot of people are good at watching, driving and tuning. A lot of the time, he’ll be telling me stuff before I even get out, when typically it’s the other way around.
“He’s had some good guidance from one of my co-workers and close friend, Dewayne Ragland. He’s passed now, but he talked and worked with (Tyler) to show him things, it definitely parleys to where we’re at today. Thankful for everyone that helps our program and we are all very excited to see what else 2025 brings.”
