RPW Column: Josh Carey Sheds Rookie Stripe; Aiming At Strong Showing At Stafford In ’21
Column By: BRITTANY NUTILE / RPW – EAST LONGMEADOW, MA – Josh Carey had a very nice rookie season in the SK Light division at Stafford Motor Speedway in 2020.
While there were 11 rookies in the class, five of them finished in the top 20 in points. Josh was one of them, placing 18th in the final standings. That was a pretty impressive accomplishment considering he didn’t race in a few events due to equipment issues from wrecks.
Moving forward, what does Carey see as goals for his sophomore season?
“I want to have a clean season and get a win,” Carey said. “If we can do that, hopefully we can finish in the top 10 spot in points.”
Carey learned in his rookie year that that Stafford has some of the best competition. With that, he understands just how hard it is to win at the Stafford Springs oval.
“Everyone is so close there,” he said. “It comes down to who can drive their car the hardest every lap.”
What Carey’s taking away from last year and will use in 2021 is the need to be consistent. He understands that top 10’s are key, and then using the momentum from those finishes to go after top 5’s.
“When you crash and fall behind the points, its easy to get down on yourself week in and week out,” he said. “I know I need to keep my head up and nose clean this season.”
New for 2021 at Stafford is the loss of NASCAR sanctioning and the Weekly Racing program. Carey feels like things will be status quo, though, for the track, without missing a beat.
“I don’t think the changes at Stafford will effect anything weekly,” he said. “All the drivers, owners, and staff will go about it the same manner as they have. The only downside, I see, will be that all championship contenders in each division who could have a chance at a NASCAR division title like Adam Gray in Division 2 or Brian Sullivan in Division 3, won’t be able to.”
Where does the East Longmeadow, MA driver feel he can improve?
“I think I need to be more aggressive,” he said. “There’s veterans out there that will bully you around on the track. Now that I’m not a rookie, I won’t let that happened.”
The 2021 season will be Josh’s fourth year in racing and his second in the SK Lights. He has committed to Stafford and Thompson Speedways this season, but is interested in trying out Waterford or an open tour-type event at one of the tracks.
Josh Carey is excited about the new year of racing in 2021. His anticipation for what’s to come is large. Could we see him in a new division, or at new track. Will he be contending for wins and a top 10 in points. Once the season starts, we’ll see.
