By Jane Smith
Gary St. Amant has plenty of short track racing experience behind him. In fact, he has twenty five years behind him. This past weekend Gary finished second to Bobby Gill in the Charlie Campbell Memorial Sears Auto Center 250 USAR Pro Cup Championship race at Mansfield Motorsports Speedway in Mansfield, Ohio. Gary was gracious enough to give an interview right before the race with Jack Smith and Terry Wall of realracinusa.com.
Gary was born on October 19, 1962 in Columbus, Ohio but now calls Delaware, Ohio home. Gary drives the No. 7 JEGS.com/Speedco Chevrolet Monte Carlo on the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series Northern Division.
“I had been running the ASA Series but was not happy with the way it was going. I was at the Snowball Derby in Pensacola when Linda Nerone, one of the officials for the USAR Hooter’s Pro Cup Series, asked why I did not come and race with them. I told her if she got me a ride I would try it out and have been there ever since. It was the time for a change and I took the chance.”
“I was lucky to come up when TNN gave plenty of exposure to the short track racers. That is where my short track fan base came from and I still have those fans.
When Gary was old enough to compete, he began racing In Ohio. By the late 1990’s, Gary began racing in the American Speed Association (ASA) which was then the feeding grown for up and coming NASCAR drivers. In 1998 and 2000, Gary won the titles in ASA. By the time the series ended, Gary had more than 23 ASA victories under his belt.
“This has been a really good year for my dad and me. They backed down the schedule some which helped and allowed us to work full-time on the car. This has helped in going to the tracks more prepared and qualifying in the top 10 which to me is very important. Qualifying in the top 10 keeps you out of trouble and pays off more in the long run.”
Gary leads Benny Gordon in Northern Division points which is saying a lot since Benny is also a very good racer. According to Gary, “I envy guys who win their division championships each year especially Benny. He is a great guy and a great race.”
When Gary was asked how he felt about Mansfield Motorsports Speedway he had this to say, “Mansfield is tough to pass on. It is easy to pit early and just cruse there to get to the checkered. Sometimes pitting early for tires works to your advantage. I expect at least 50 cars there from the Northern and Southern divisions.”
“The BF Goodrich tires we run have been great this year. They don’t wear out as fast as others.”
Next Gary will move to Iowa before coming to the South for the last two Championship races. “Iowa is different this year with a harder tire. But it is a good track for us and the best short track I have been on.”
“I love Myrtle Beach with all it’s history and character. And with 25 years of short track experience, it definitely helps there. I honestly believe that the ProCup Series is the best short track racing around.
Gary has also had a little NASCAR Craftsman Truck experience. In his first race he was running for second and just passed Johnny Benson on the white flag lap when he spun coming off 2 and seeing his good finish disappear. But that happens in racing.
“My dad is why I am in short track racing. It takes a lot to do this in having good equipment and good people behind you. That I definitely have right now. It takes a good car and a good team to compete for the championship and we are finally seeing that after 4 years in the Hooter’s ProCup Series. I think we have the right chemistry this year to do it all.”
“What I love in this series is no one is better than another. Both the Southern and Northern teams are good and there are a lot of good guys on both.”
Gary will next race at Iowa Speedway on September 22 followed by Myrtle Beach on October 6, South Georgia Motorsports Park on October 20, and the final Championship race on November 3 at USA International.
To listen to the entire interview with Gary St. Amant use the controls here: Podcast: Play in new window | Download
-Jane Smith is Editor of Florida Stock Car Racing and motorsports writer for Florida Today. She has written over a thousand racing articles, not surprising as her dad Patrick Smith has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize more than once.
