Tanner Thorson doesn’t back down from a challenge.
He thrives on it.
So, when you suggest to the 2022 Chili Bowl Midget Nationals winner and 2016 USAC Midget national champion that his decision to race full-time with a relatively new Sprint Car team on the High Limit Racing trail might immediately result in getting kicked around by the likes of Brad Sweet, Rico Abreu and Tyler Courtney, he scoffs.
“I’ve beaten those guys,” Thorson tells Sportsnaut. “I’ve almost won Gold Cup twice. I’ve beat Brad. I’ve beat Rico. I’ve run second to Donny Schatz in my fourth ever start in a Sprint Car at Chico.
“I’ve got Brinton Marvel, who has gone to all my Midget races and knows what I need. I have Lee Lindgren, who has been my crew chief since I started racing winged cars so I got my guys. I don’t get intimidated by Brad Sweet, you know?”
He doesn’t mean that with any disrespect either. It’s just the usual Tanner Thorson swagger.
“He is a five -time champion but that doesn’t mean he is not beatable,” he said. “Just like when we came here and won Chili Bowl, we beat Larson, Bell, Rico, which is awesome. They are some of the best but that doesn’t mean you don’t try.”
This was the line of questioning, or the topic of conversation, not because Thorson isn’t good enough to race full-time on a national winged tour. He is. This is more a question about a team many of the most diehard winged enthusiasts hadn’t heard of.
And the reality of how long it takes a team to gel to reach the level at Sweet, Rico and David Gravel have reached in recent years.
Rod Gross Motorsports is a Pennsylvania based team that has a lot of historical regional standing but it just didn’t move the needle from an audience engagement standpoint … until realizing that it’s backed by all of the usual cast of Thorson crew members.
That’s important because Thorson has long had a reputation of jumping from one team to another in both Sprint Cars and Midgets but he has never lost the support of those core group of guys. They have a hard ass, unwavering in their approach style that they are now taking to High Limit.
“Yeah, I’ve been with different teams but every year I’ve gotten better and better and better,” Thorson said. “Even if the results got a little worse on paper, I was still happier trying it my way. So, I’m ready for this, man.
“There is only one thing to do and that’s throttle down. If you’re good, you’re good. If you’re bad, you’re bad and we’ll regroup the next night.”
Chili Bowl chances
But first comes the Chili Bowl and a Thursday night prelim in which he would have been the favorite until the shock last minute arrival of Kyle Larson to Tulsa.
It’s something he embraces and he likes his chances, especially after driving 14th to 6th in the Race of Champions with an experimental setup, which is his usual approach for the invitational exhibition.
“I use Monday as test and tunes,” Thorson said. “Just to try some things and get something out of my car that I might not find otherwise. I have tried a lot of things in that race over the years, but espcecialy the past two to three years, stupid stuff that no one else would try.
“Stupid things that come up in my mind, or ideas from my guys, and sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t.”
Thorson thinks he founda direction on Monday to apply on Thursday.
“We’re going to go that direction and go from there,” he said. “It’s a slightly different package but this is still the same car that we won here with in 2022, ran second with last year. Hopefully we can put it on the top spot again.”
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.