(May 26, 2015) The introduction of Bandolero racing, back in 2010, gave young drivers an opportunity to develop their skills and showcase their talent. Ashton Tucker is one of the awesome kids who is looking for a West Wood Estates Apartments Bandolero Championship in 2015.
A Conversation with Ashton Tucker
Wade: The 2015 season is finally underway. How do you feel about your chances in our Bando division this year?
Ashton: I’m excited about 2015 and I feel really good about my chances this year. We’ve had a few more Bando drivers move up so I’m not really sure how many we’ll have in our division this year at Speedway 660, but I do know there is going to be some tough competition on the track.
Wade: Last week you won the Riverview Ford season Opener feature. How did that feel?
Ashton: It was awesome but it wasn’t easy. It took a lot to get around Braden Langille and a lot more to keep in front of him. The car was great and I’m really happy to get a win in the first race. Now we’ve got the 25 lap Bando Blast to look forward to this weekend.
Ashton makes the inside move on his friend Braden Langille to win the feature last week. Look for these two kids to be contenders for this weekend’s 25 lap Bando Blast!
Wade: Last year you were fourth in points in an extremely competitive division. That’s one spot higher than you finished in 2013. What’s it going to take to take the next step and win a title at Speedway 660?
Ashton: Well, we’re going to have to be better prepared this season. I felt last year I was going to have a good chance at the title but we were not really ready when the season started. We showed up at the track for the 2014 Riverview Ford Season Opener and that was my first time back in the car since the last race of 2013. I went out for the first practice just trying to get the feel of the car and track again. In the feature race I started up front but went backwards the whole race. I was struggling to hold on to second last place. But we found out two weeks after that happened that our motor was down on power.
Ashton and his Dad Cory work together on Team Tucker’s little race car. Ashton hopes one day to be able to run a Pro Stock and perhaps have the kind of success another Tucker has had in the Geary Woods!
Wade: Tell us how you got interested in racing and how you actually got involved in this sport?
Ashton: Well I wasn’t that big of a race fan when I was younger but my brother Brett and Dad watched the NASCAR races on TV every weekend. Once I was a bit older I started to get more interested in the sport. Then one day back in 2011 me and my family went over to the races at Speedway 660. The races ended up getting rained out on Saturday and postponed until Sunday. I had my AAA hockey practice to go to on Sunday so we were not planning to stay for the night but I told my parents that I would rather stay and watch the races instead of going to hockey practice the next day. I really wanted to watch those Bandolero kids race. My parents didn’t know what to think about that idea because we had no extra clothes with us and they didn’t really want me missing hockey practice. They finally decided to stay so we went back to the track on Sunday and watched the races. I think that day was what got me really into the bandos.
This photo was taken a few years ago when Ashton was nine or ten years old. Although he has picked up his fair share of trophies, Ashton is hoping 2015 is the year he lays claim to the West Wood Estates Apartments Bando championship!
Wade: Bando parents are incredible. They are the ones who make it possible for you guys to go racin every week. Tell about how your parents support your racing efforts?
Ashton: Ya, I definitely wouldn’t be where I’m at right now if it wasn’t for Mom (Shelley) and Dad (Cory). They’re the ones who made the choice to let me race every week. My Dad works on the car with me all the time and has taught me a lot about mechanics. Mom does the Mom things like feeding us, keeping the cooler full and of course cheering me on every week.
Wade: I know you’ve got some great sponsors and other folks who help you out.
Ashton: If it wasn’t for Mom and Dad and all my sponsors it wouldn’t be possible for me to race. It’s not cheap to run these cars week after week but if you have the sponsors you can do it. I would like to thank each one of my sponsors. They are: Yamaha/Rae’s Trailer and Sport’s Center; Riverview Ford Lincoln; R. Tozer Construction; Sutherlands Environmetal & Petroleum Ltd; Mike’s Bar & Grill; Mutchs Trucking; Park’s Radiator and More; Terry & Sons Tire; Forans Driveway and Parking Lot Maintenance; Castle Sheet Metal LTD; JTR Mobile Services; Baisley’s Interior and Exterior Construction and; Sarkis Collision Center. I would also like to thank our division sponsors David and Lee Goodine from West Wood Estates Apartments.
We started running Bandos at Speedway 660 back in 2010 and since then this division has been a huge hit with fans of all ages.
Wade: Tell our fans a little bit about yourself. Where you go to school, what grade you are in, what else you like to do and that sort of thing.
Ashton: I’m 14 years old and live in Sunny Corner. I go to North and South Esk Regional High School and I’m in grade eight. I play hockey but now I think I like racing a bit better than hockey. I’ve been a goalie since I first stepped on the ice and I love goaltending – it takes a calm, patient person to do that job well and that’s how I have always been between the pipes. I have done really well with hockey and had the chance to play on many teams with a lot of different kids. I have lots of hockey awards in my bedroom – I hope one day the racing awards outnumber them!
Wade: Who do you look up to in our other divisions at Speedway 660, who is your favourite NASCAR driver and why do you look at those guys as role models?
Ashton: Every time Shawn Tucker is racing at 660 I can’t take my eyes off his car when he’s on the track. You can learn a lot watching a guy like Shawn, he’s so smooth and is incredible under pressure. My favourite NASCAR drivers are Kurt Bush and Joey Logano – I really can’t pick one over the other so I go for both. I also like the 32 Sprint Cup team, which is owned by Frank & Heidi Stoddard. The reason I like them is because my parents became really good friends with them and they did a lot for me in the few years I’ve been racing. They have given me the chance to see some of the behind the scenes stuff at NASCAR including the motor homes, haulers and I also got to watch from the top of the pit box! My red and white car was the design they had on their car when they raced at Daytona and Talledega in 2011. And the paint scheme I’m running this year is the one that Heidi ran in the Better Half Dash at Charlotte Motor Speedway last fall. She gave me the body after they raced it in the 2014 race.
Shawn Tucker is a driver that Ashton Tucker looks up to. And with good reason because Shawn has three Re/Max 250 championships to his credit. By the way, Ashton and Shawn are not related.
Wade: You’ve raced against Cole Boudreau, the O’Blenis girls, Drew Greenlaw, Dawson McIntee, Ryan Messer and a few other drivers who have moved up to Speedway 660’s higher divisions. Do you have plans to move up in the future and where would you like to go in racing?
Ashton: We’re planning on moving up to the Pro Stock division some day if we can get things to come together. We are going to start practicing this summer in a pro stock and get some laps in. We don’t know when I will be moving up, but I’m hopin it’ll be either next year or the year after. I would like to go somewhere in racing but I know would have to go down to the States, probably North Carolina and race around there. I would also love to do the Maritime Pro Stock Tour some day. 
Joey Logano, who won the 2015 Daytona 500, is one of Ashton Tucker’s favourite NASCAR drivers. Our Bando drivers like to dream big and who knows, perhaps one day Ashton or one of our other young Bando boys or girls will make it in our sport’s big league!
Wade: I know you’ve made some very good friends in this sport. I see you hangin around with MacKenzie Brewer in the campground. What’s it like making friends and then racin hard against each other out on the track?
Ashton: Well it’s pretty fun being good friends with all of the drivers and then going out and racing hard against them on the track. The thing I like about our division is that all of the drivers get along. After the races some of us hang out together and watch the other races. Sometimes we talk about our race but not normally.
Wade: Thanks for doing this Ashton and good luck in 2015!
Ashton: Thanks Wade for asking me to do this Speedway 660 web Conversation with you. Hopefully we’ll get to chat with you a few times this season in Riverview Ford Lincoln Victory Lane or on the podium.
