Michael Nets Good Finish In Attica Season Opener

Story By: TYLER ALTMEYER / MICHAEL MOTORSPORTS – FREMONT, OH – The “Texas Traveler” T.J. Michael made his return to open wheel competition well worth the near-five week wait, recording a top-ten performance during the Attica Raceway Park season opener on Friday night, March 24; outperforming most of the 37 entries signed-in for competition, including a handful of fellow full-time Arctic Cat All Star competitors.

The Plano, Texas, native finished ninth during the Attica opener, locking himself into the big dance by winning his respective heat race from the pole position. Michael will return to action at Attica Raceway Park on Friday, March 31.

“We’re happy with our performance on Friday. I think it shows what we are capable of. That was a tough field of cars, just as tough as the All Star fields we’ll be up against all summer,” Michael explained, a full-time traveler on the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions campaign trail. “Our goal is to keep improving. We’ll be back to Attica soon enough, so we plan to outdo our results each time we are on the race track.”

After his visit to Attica Raceway Park, Michael made the short tow to Mansfield Motor Speedway in Mansfield, Ohio, on Saturday, March 25, for the first round of the Triple Crown Spring Series. The state-of-the-art facility, just recently transformed back to dirt, welcomed nearly 30 entries for the $5,000-to-win season opener. Michael qualified for the main event, but retired before the finish.

Plans for the upcoming weekend stand certain for Friday, but nothing is set in stone for Saturday. Michael and the Michael Motorsports/Advanced Cast Stone/Fremont Fence Company/Kear’s Speed Shop/Shell Shock/Hinchman Suits/Big D’s Pizza of Fremont and Clyde/Crown Battery/Kistler Racing Engines/J&J Auto Racing/MJ Webb Enterprises/Roy Hardin Masonry/Wood Heating & Air Conditioning/Pro Tech Service Company/HRP/No. 8M team will return to the home of “Ohio’s Finest Racing” on Friday, March 31, followed by a potential return to Mansfield Motor Speedway on Saturday, April 1, for round two of the Triple Crown Spring Series. Other potential plans for Saturday include traveling to Atomic Speedway near Chillicothe, Ohio.

“Not sure of our plan for Saturday just yet, but we’ll make a decision soon enough. It will probably depend on how things go on Friday,” T.J. Michael explained. “Regardless, I can’t thank everyone enough for this opportunity. Despite having such a long break between Florida and Attica, we raced strong right out of the box. That says a lot. I have the best job in the world. I just need to keep doing what I’m doing and keep the consistency going all season. I couldn’t be more excited for the rest of the year.”