JACKSONVILLE, NC – Summer Sullivan began racing in 2020 and has since made the move to the U-CAR division where she hopes to gain speed at New River All-American Speedway on Saturday night.
Racing is just one way Sullivan, 14, from Swansboro, North Carolina, enjoys competition. Having previously won races in the Mini Cup division, she recently made the move to U-CAR at New River and Carteret County Speedway while also competing in multiple other sports. This weekend, she’s returning to a track her father, 2021-22 Winter Heat Series U-CAR champion Steve Sullivan, has had success at.
“It’s something I’ll have to get used to with the banking,” Sullivan, who normally races at the flat confines of Carteret County Speedway, stated. “I’m so used to Carteret. Turn four, I think, where I’m coming into the straightaway, the turn closes up on me.”
In the Mini Cup cars at Carteret, Sullivan was used to racing wide open. Now, she finds herself racing a manual-transmission, four-cylinder Toyota Celica – and the learning curve has been steep for a teenager who is still too young for a learner’s permit.
“Definitely [challenging] trying to figure out how to shift and all this all at once,” Sullivan said. “Right noiw, I’m working on passing, and going back and forth between the Bombers and U-CAR.”
While winning is the goal, Sullivan is keeping her expectations in check.
“It would mean a lot,” Sullivan remarked. “I really like racing at New River and I hope, in the future, I do see a win. Right now, my lap times are all I’m worried about. I’m still trying to figure out the track.”
Outside of racing, Sullivan plays soccer, lacrosse, and softball – and has tried out for football in the past as well. But her time at the track is spent with family, most notably her older cousin, Carsyn Gray [Gillikin].
“It’s a lot of fun,” Sullivan explained. “It’s one of the things that’s kept me in racing and kept my love for it. Carsyn gave me some competition, so I love racing with her, and now I get to race with my dad, so I’m thankful I get to have somebody out there with me.”
If Sullivan picks up a victory, she would join Haley Brown, Abby Jolly, Delaney Gray, Phoenyx Kimball and Cassidy Holmquist on the roster of female winners in the New River All-American Speedway era at the 4/10-mile track in Jacksonville.
The U-CARs will race alongside the Late Models, Champ Karts, B-52 Bomber Car Battle, and Mini Stocks in Saturday night’s Please Don’t Rain 200. The B-52 Bomber Car Battle, which is the headline race, is a 52-lap race paying $520 to win – one of the richest payouts of the season for the division.
Tickets for the race are available online and through the MyRacePass mobile app or at the gate on Saturday for $10, while kids five (5) and under are admitted free.
New River All-American Speedway is Jacksonville’s Action Attraction featuring racing and other events. For more information about New River All-American Speedway, check out the speedway’s website, like/follow “New River Speedway” on Facebook, follow @newriverswy on Twitter, or follow the track on Instagram.
