Ed Strada To Run Gallagher Wingless Sprint With USAC East Coast In 2018
Story By: JENNA SHOTZ / BBJG RACING – LAKE ARIEL, PA – Eddie Strada of Lake Ariel, PA will be piloting the BBJG Racing #5g wingless 360 sprint car with the USAC East Coast Sprint Car Series for the 2018 season.
Owner Bill Gallagher has put together a successful winged sprint car team for the last 28 years. His team has won 5 United Racing Club championships. Curt Michael has driven for Gallagher since 2008, taking many trips to victory lane together. The pair are going onto their 11th season together.
The team has had great success in the 360 ranks with wings on their cars, but they have decided to add the ten USAC-EC races to their schedule. When it came time to decide who to put in their car, Gallagher and Michael sat down and talked about their options.
Ultimately, Eddie Strada was chosen as the best fit for their team. Strada is a standout in small cars, with an impressive resume in the 600cc micro sprint division as well as the 305 class. Strada has two championships at the Hamlin Speedway and one at the Championship Energy Action Track USA in the 600cc class. Strada also gained multiple wins in the CRSA and TSRS 305 sprint series in the last three years. Eddie says, “In all my years of racing I never thought I’d be able to have the opportunity to race wingless sprint cars. That’s like, the dream.”
When asked about his decision, Curt Michael explains, “Bill and I look forward to working on our USAC East Coast Sprint Car team. Eddie is a great young person and driver. He runs a bunch of winged and wingless micro sprints, and we feel that he fits into what the USAC-EC series is all about. As a team, we will try our best to get him as comfortable in a wingless sprint car as he is in his wingless 600.”
Strada is excited about the transition and feels as though he can take what he knows about wingless micro sprint racing and translate it into a wingless sprint car. “I know it is going to be different. It is probably going to be a big learning curve, but I’m really excited for this season. I am looking forward to building a strong bond with this team and win races and have fun doing it. It’s going to be a big swing backing it into the corner instead of trying to keep the car straight with a wing on. I am just really grateful to have a supportive team behind me.”
Catch Eddie Strada and other stand-out drivers in the USAC East Coast Sprint Car Series in 2018.
