Tanner Allen Racing will have a 40-race season in IMCA Stock Cars this spring and summer.
Allen, a Lisbon alum, is entering his 20th year racing.
“My dad got into racing back in the day and, when we would go to Delaware Speedway, I really got the bug to try this on my own,” Allen said.
In February 2022, Allen had a chance to race his hornet class vehicle at a National Race, as well as the opportunity to race on a NASCAR track.
Allen said that he expects the first portion of this season in IMCA stock cars will be getting used to how his new car rides and handles.
“Our frame and body is a 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass,” Allen said. “It has a V8 engine with 360 horsepower and it’s a full sized car.”
Compared to the hornet class which he used to race that “had an insane power to weight ratio,” IMCA stock cars are much heavier.
For Allen, however, the return to racing on more local tracks is something he is also looking forward to.
“We haven’t really raced a season of 20 or more races since the 2018 or 2019 seasons,” Allen said.
Allen also knows he will have a tougher field to race against.
“There’s a lot of competition in the IMCA modified stock car classes,” Allen said. “I’ll be up against a lot of really good drivers, all gunning for wins. There’s a lot of money if you can win races.”
Having the ability to race in tracks many in the area might frequent is something he is looking forward to this season.
“With midget class racing, we had to travel a lot to find places where we could be competitive,” Allen said. “I’ve missed racing around here, where we have a lot of excellent dirt track races.”
Most Friday evenings he’ll be racing at Columbus Junction or Marshalltown tracks, and Saturdays will be at West Liberty or Independence raceways. He’ll also take part in some of the special races at locations like Cedar County raceways.
Allen said he isn’t focused on doing points races, which gives him the freedom to race at many different tracks.
Hesaid it’s hard to describe what he loves most about racing.
“It’s hard to describe the thrill you get racing around a track with 25 other racers at speeds of 100 miles per hour,” he said. “I know racing at Daytona, where we were going at speeds of 170 miles per hour, it was definitely a moment of ‘this is insane.’”
Allen said that he also loves the family atmosphere of many of the races and racetracks you find.
“These are blue collar guys doing something they love that’s a lot of fun,” Allen said. “It’s what has kept me coming out and doing this for so many years.”
When he’s not on the track, he’s working at fine-tuning his vehicle between races and trying to find what will give him a slight edge over his competitors.
Allen notes that racing is definitely an expensive hobby. His ARCA test last winter was one of the most expensive races he ever competed in, but it was a needed stepping stone to getting to NASCAR sanctioned events.
That’s still a goal of his, to race in NASCAR events. He’s looked at the three different ways he could get to NASCAR. The first was the ARCA series, but the cost of that route was prohibitive. He looked at doing the truck series, but he needs a little more experience driving on asphalt tracks to possibly pursue that route, which is harder to find in this area as well. His third is advancing with experience in current stock cars.
Racing in NASCAR is the dream he’s really had since grade school.
“Where other kids would have dreams of being doctors or firefighters, for me, it’s always been being a race car driver,” Allen said. “It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”
He notes that racing is really man versus machine in the long run.
“You can be mentally ready and physically ready for any race, but all that preparation can be derailed by a mechanical failure in your vehicle,” Allen said. “That’s what makes staying on top so hard. You can’t win every race, there’s too many factors you have to consider.”
His goals for the season are to definitely win a race in IMCA’s, learning as much as possible about this class of racing.
“I really expect the first part of this season will be me learning about this class,” Allen said. “That will help me build consistency throughout.”
From there, he might set smaller goals as well.
His first races were March 24 and March 25 in Davenport.
For more about Allen’s upcoming series, check out TannerAllenRacing.com or find him on Facebook at Tanner Allen Racing or Instagram at _tannerallen_.
“We do make weekly posts on the blog on my web page and it has a full schedule of my races as well,” Allen said.
Tanner Allen’s IMCA Modified stock car.