5/2/2013
Cottage Grove Speedway
Getting Up To Speed With…Brendan Boyce
Getting Up To Speed With…Brendan Boyce
By Ben Deatherage
Well he’s back. Brendan Boyce will be seen at Cottage Grove Speedway on a regular basis in the 360 Sprints. Boyce was the 2001 Most Improved Driver/Rookie of the Year Award recipient in the Limited Sprints and Rookie of the Year in 360 Sprints in 2005. He also will be making select races against both the Northwest Wingless Tour and the Northwest Extreme Winged Sprints. Boyce, originally from Cottage Grove, Oregon but now living in Eugene, last ran CGS back in 2011. In addition to having a career as a driver he has also wrenched on crews for Roger Crockett, Brent Kaeding, Bud Kaeding, Logan Forler, Donny Schatz, Jeremy Campbell, and (Morrie) Williams Motorsports with Jonathan Allard and Dennis Moore Jr.
Driver: Brendan Boyce
Home Track: Cottage Grove Speedway
Hometown: Eugene, Oregon
Occupation: Diesel Mechanic Service Manager
Age: 29
Years Racing: 12
Classification: 360 Sprints/Non-Wing Sprints
Car Number: 65
Chassis: XXX Race Co. (Winged)/Maxim (Non-Winged)
Sponsors: Boyce & Sons Landscaping and Building Materials, BC Motorsports, Don’s Powdercoating, Steelhouse Metal Roofing Supply
Special Thanks: Heather Boyce (Sister), Rick Boyce (Father), Ted Baker
BD: You stepped away from the racing scene for a few years. Last time I saw you run was about 2011 if I remember right?
BB: I ran a couple of races at Coos Bay Speedway last year in their Crate car down there. But 2008 was really the last year I ran fulltime. In 2009 and 2010 I went and helped work on Logan Forler’s car when he was getting started. We ran six or eight races in 2011 but broke our only motor we had and it had a lot of nights on it. Last year I tried to get something put together but I decided to take my time to do it right and not drive myself into debt.
BD: With you coming back to run fulltime are you nervous at all?
BB: I’m not really nervous. I have high expectations and don’t want to struggle. I want to get back to where we left off but not running regularly for awhile has kind of gotten me out of racing shape. The first few races are going to get myself familiar with the car and go from there.
BD: Have you finalized your plans for 2013?
BB: Right now we plan on running sixteen to twenty shows but it’s kind of a week to week deal. We’re basically going to be running off of race winnings so that will dictate a lot of what we can do. We just had Ted Baker from Steelhouse sponsor us a motor that will be used for Non-Wing races and we may run some Limited shows. As for the 360 Sprints we only have one engine and are going to cautious on putting too many nights on it.
BD: You’ve spent a lot of time wrenching in the past on other cars with some good teams. How has that helped you as a driver?
BB: You get a very different perspective and you get to watch a lot of racing. It’s really hard to put into words what you learn from watching but it’s really helpful. The flipside is you work on one team and they setup a car a certain way and you think that that is the best way to do it. Then you go to another team and they do things completely different. I learned a lot on the road, what works for all of them might not work for me. It's all good knowledge, but it's not all applicable to what we’re doing.
BD: What are you most excited for returning to CGS?
BB: Really just to see the racing family and to have another opportunity to do it again. I’m really excited to get a chance to beat that #11 car. You really know you’re doing something right if you can beat him at Grove.
The Cottage Grove Speedway is back in action Friday May 3rd for Karts this Saturday the 4th on the ¼-mile oval for the fourth race of 2013. Classes on hand Saturday will be the Northwest Wingless Tour, Northwest Extreme Sprints (formerly Limited Sprints), IMCA Modifieds, Street Stocks, and Hornets on the card. To keep up to speed with the Cottage Grove Speedway log on to www.cottagegrovespeedway.com for the latest news and stories.
Submitted By: Ben Deatherage