At the foundation of NASCAR racing is family. J.R. Patton, driver of the #67 Fiddle Back Racing Ford, will be surrounded by his family this weekend as he makes his return to his home track Friday for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) Chevy Silverado 150 at the Phoenix International Raceway.
“This is the biggest race of my life,” said Patton, a native of neighboring New Mexico. “Most of my friends and family are going to be watching me and I’ve got a good feeling about Friday. These are the people who have supported me my entire career and I’ve put a lot of pressure on myself to finish well. But like I said, I have a good feeling and I think me and my guys are going to have a great race.”
Patton will be one of the few young drivers racing Friday with experience at the one-mile flat track. “I’ve raced this track before in the NASCAR Southwest Elite Series and have had some great cars here,” he said. “It’s an odd track and having experience here is definitely going to help. I’ve raced against some of the best here, like Kevin Harvick and Ken Schrader, and was competitive against them, so we’re really stoked.”
In four NCTS starts, Patton has two top-20 finishes with Fiddle Back Racing, including an impressive 18th-place finish at the last stop for the Truck Series in Martinsville. “That was a big day for us. That confirmed that we could race well against not only the best of the Truck Series, but race well against some of the Cup guys as well,” said Patton. “We’re going to see more Cup guys Friday and I think the confidence we have as well as the experience I have here will get us a good finish.”
The Chevy Silverado 150 at the Phoenix International Raceway will be broadcast live Friday at 5:30 p.m. EST on SPEED Channel and 5:15 p.m. EST on MRN Radio.
