Solwold happy to be home

by Andrew Kunas

ALGER, Wash. - There is so much Jason Solwold wants to do this weekend.

So little time, however.

The Mount Vernon, Wash. driver is back in his home state after spending all season on the road with the World of Outlaws Sprint Series. The touring 410 sprint car series is racing in the NC Machinery / Caterpillar Clash at Skagit Speedway, the one of the handful of Northwest dirt tracks where Solwold first cut his teeth in sprint cars.

Solwold is in his third year running full-time with a nationally touring 410 sprint car series in the Carnahan Motorsports No. R19. He raced with the Outlaws in 2005 and with the National Sprint Tour in 2006. Only once all year do the Outlaws make the trip to the Northwest, so coming home to race anytime is special for Solwold.
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“It’s good, busy.too busy when I come home,” the former Skagit Speedway and Northern Sprint Tour champion said.

“Too many things to do and not enough time.”

Solwold only has a small amount of time, as he is racing four straight nights this weekend. On Sunday, between the Outlaw events at Skagit and Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Solwold is also scheduled to race in the Northwest Sprint Challenge Series 360 event at Elma.

In his homecoming, Solwold started Friday’s 30-lap preliminary feature third and finished there behind Brooke Tatnell and Steve Kinser. Solwold ran as high as second after earlier leader Daryn Pittman was forced to the pit area with a flat right rear tire. Solwold held the position until Kinser, the 20-time series champion out Indiana, got Solwold in turns one and two with less than two laps remaining.

As successful as he has been at Skagit Speedway over his career, Solwold indicated before the event that he wasn’t counting on his past experience at the facility to help him.
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“We’ve raced so many tracks. It doesn’t matter where you race. Everyone’s tough, the guys who have raced for 20 years and those who are newer,” Solwold said. “Some nights we’re good and some nights we’re not, and we’re hoping for two good ones here.”

In past years, Solwold would’ve been locked into Saturday’s dash with his top-four finish. The series, however, has done away with that rule and Solwold will have to qualify and run a heat race again on Saturday.

Solwold is looking for his second career “A”-Feature victory with the World of Outlaws Sprint Series. He won his first earlier this month at Charter Raceway Park in Beaver Dam, Wis. Solwold hopes to score one in front of his home state crowd, either at Skagit on Saturday or Elma on Monday.
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“We’ve been looking forward to this weekend since we started,” Solwold said. “Several places we race in the Midwest and east coast, we race two or three times, and we only come here once.”

Considering the time he spends away from home, one could understand if Solwold decided to relocate. Solwold, however, isn’t interested.

“I suppose I could move out there somewhere, but I won’t,” Solwold said. “I wouldn’t live anywhere else.”