Chris Ferguson Looks Forward to New Chassis for Busy 2017 Super Late Model Season

6 mar 2017

With a new Rocket Chassis, Chris Ferguson is ready for a run of good luck in Super Late Models

Many racers would be ecstatic with six Super Late Model wins in a year. However, K&N racer Chris Ferguson has racked up a laundry list of feature wins in Late Model and Super Late Model racing in the decade since he jumped from go-karts—where he’d piled up 100 event wins—to the dirt oval, so his half-dozen victories in 2016 came across slightly disappointing. It wasn’t for lack of pace, though; Ferguson led as many as 16 of his 50 races. Snakebit in 2016 by a bad luck in the form of flat tires, mechanical troubles, and untimely punts from the lead, Ferguson is back in 2017 and taking aim at a win total more like the 13 he put up in 2015.

“2016 was a tough year because of the races that we had a legitimate shot at winning not going our way,” Ferguson said. “We’re looking to get back to where we were two years ago. We’re still there, we just didn’t have things go our way.”

Armed with a new XR1 from Rocket Chassis, Ferguson is ready to hit the dirt with plans for between 40 and 60 races in 2017. Those will include runs with the big sanctioning bodies of World of Outlaws’ Craftsman Late Model Series and Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series along with more local groups like the Southern All Star Late Model Series, Ultimate Super Late Model Series, and Carolina Clash Super Late Model Series. He’ll also sprinkle in some of the big-money events like the $100,000 Dirt Track World Championships and Dirt Late Model Dream.

After six feature wins, K&N driver Chris Ferguson looks to improve upon that and score big wins.

“We’re looking at running a mix of eight to 10 each of World of Outlaws and Lucas Oil, 10 to 20 regional events, and then five to 10 ‘crown jewel’ races,” Ferguson said. “I’d love to get one win from each tour and my ultimate goal is get one of those really big ones. I’ve been fortunate enough to win a World of Outlaws race, but the next step is competing in the big races.”

Chris will again get his 875 horsepower from a Chevrolet small block-based 430ci V8 from Clements Racing Engines. That howling engine breathes through a K&N air filter that gets a workout, often working through long features while picking up dirt clods. Chris uses K&N air filter spray cleaner to clean up the dirt-spattered filters, noting that no other filter cleaner has ever knocked the dirt out as easily. The Clements 430ci also gets its fuel via a K&N fuel filter and uses a K&N crankcase breather filter.

Racing is in Ferguson’s blood. His grandfather raced Ralph Earnhardt and Lee Petty while his dad, Bryan, raced six-cylinders at the hallowed Concord Speedway that preceded Charlotte Motor Speedway as Oval Racing’s Capital. His uncles and cousins? They raced. Family remains a huge part of Chris’ racing; his dad Bryan Conard co-owns the car while his brother, Brandon Conard, works as the car’s crew chief.

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