Just before the season started, sport mod driver Eric Larson faced a decision: Should he buy a new car or a new engine? Obviously, Larson made the winning choice. He won his first feature in a year this past Sunday at Redwood Speedway in Redwood Falls, Minnesota.
“I couldn’t afford both at the same time,” Larson, of Madison Lake, Minnesota, said. “So, I rolled the dice and went for the chassis. I decided I wanted to try something different — the Skyrocket. This is my third season on the GM 602 crate engine I own, and so far it’s still running strong.”
While Larson earned one win last year with his previous chassis, he sought to find a bit more speed.
“The Skyrocket likes to hook up on the dry surface — it is something to get used to,” said Larson. “I had to learn to trust the car. Skyrocket’s Kelly [Shryock] and Jason been helping me nonstop. They are there with support by phone or text anytime of the day or night.”
Larson said his biggest competition comes from Matthew Looft, a six-time IMCA national sport mod champion. Before his big win, Larson finished second to Looft on Friday at Murray County Speedway and on Saturday at Arlington Raceway. Looft did not compete on Sunday at Redwood Speedway.
“It is super tough to beat Matthew,” Larson said. “I have to bring my A game. Realistically, it comes down to the performance of that crate engine with a lot of laps on it that I bought three years ago.”
Nevertheless, Eric Larson hopes his A game can beat Looft this year. With a win under his belt, Larson undoubtedly carries some more confidence with him, too.
“After a year, a win feels good,” said Larson. “With the new car, we are so close to winning in every race — it is amazing.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
