Tyler Allen places fifth in Richard Petty’s Driver Search II where eleven other drivers from eight states, Canada, and Barbados competed for the top driver title. Allen started the week at Charlotte Motor Speedway competing in the karting endurance competition where he placed 4th against some tough competitors “Most of these guys had a lot of karting experience. I was really fortunate to get instruction and track time at PGP Motorsports Park back home. The experience was invaluable to doing well in the competition.”
For the second part of the day Allen drove the Nationwide car on a 1/16th mile skid pad. The skid pad prepared the drivers for the follow on “reaction time” module where they used lights to measure how quick the drivers could react to instructors who activated the lights and measured the drivers responses. Allen did well, placing second in this competition and began to get comfortable driving the 3400 lb stock car. The drivers were also receiving great advice and instruction from legendary crew chief Dale Inman and 9 time ARCA RE/MAX champion Frank Kimmel. It was really clear that Petty team was putting a lot of resources into this experience. “The Richard Petty Driver Search crew pulled out all the stops for the program. They were incredibly organized and it allowed for a ton of seat time, and instruction by some of the best in the business”.
Allen’s experience in his limited late model would pay off as the drivers started the Mechanical Feel module. Each of the drivers went on to the mile and a half track and come in for a pit stop where the Petty crews would do something mechanical to the car. The drivers would have to diagnose the problem at full speed on the legendary Charlotte Motor Speedway. Allen diagnosed every problem correctly and scored the highest out of all drivers in this module.
Day 2 began at Concord Speedway where the drivers strapped in to the USAC midgets on the ¼ mile track and the Nationwide car on the ½ mile track. With only 10 laps in a USAC midget prior to the competition, he was very nervous about this first module. The drivers were receiving encouragement and instruction from another legendary NASCAR driver and two time USAC champion, Ken Schrader, who explained how to get around the ¼ mile track. After a few laps Allen got the feel of the car and began to push his speed. He ultimately set lap times that would secure a 3rd place for the module. “I’m going to race those someday! The cars were fast and pretty forgiving so they were fun to run around the ¼ mile track at Concord. The crew provided us with top notch equipment day after day and incredible instruction.”
Allen finished the day on the 1/2 mile track running the Nationwide cars. The Petty instructors had the drivers follow them so that they could safely get up to speed. Then as the drivers showed their car control, they set up a chance for them to make a pass on the instructors. Allen moved into position behind his instructor setting him up for a pass in turn four. Allen made the pass and continued around the track. After entering turn four Allen rolled through the corner a little too fast for the heavy cars, the car broke loose and spun in turn four. Fortunately Allen kept it away from the wall and no damage to the car. “It’s all about feel with these big cars, I rolled through four just a little fast and it started to go on me. I knew it would hurt my score but I didn’t hit anything and there wasn’t much I could do about it”.
Day 3 started with a long morning drive to Carolina Motorsports Park where the drivers were treated to a fun but challenging road course day. They were greeted by NASCAR drivers Marcos Ambrose and Ken Schrader, who would provide coaching on the skills needed for high speed road racing. The drivers did a ride along in the Nascar Nationwide cars learning about the track and car techniques needed to drive a road course. The Petty team surprised the drivers when they rolled out some fantastic V-10 Dodge Vipers. The drivers drove the Vipers with the instructors to get additional instruction on how to navigate the course at higher speeds. “Dodge really stepped up on Wednesday, the team had originally asked for a few Challengers, but they sent race ready Vipers!”
The day ended with each of the drivers getting scored on overall average time for a 6 lap run on the road course. Allen finished in 5th place in this module.
“I learned so much about driving these big cars on the Road Course. It was a really cool experience listening to Marcos Ambrose in your ear, while you drive around the course. Not too many people get that kind of personalized and professional instruction!”
On the final day the drivers were at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the drive on the big track and the marketing module. The drivers were split into two groups with the first group driving the Nationwide stock cars on the ¼ mile track. The drivers were given 30 total minutes to adjust their cars and improve lap times. This challenged the drivers to communicate with a pit crew to improve the setup of the car while managing time on pit road as they competed to make the car faster. The drivers then transferred to the NASCAR Sprint Cup COT (Car of Tomorrow) and went out on the 1 ½ mile track following an instructor car that brought them up to full speed for ten laps. After the ten lap run the drivers went out on their own to run their timed, ten lap run at full speed averaging 162 mph. “This was the event everyone was waiting for, the chance to run genuine Cup cars on the prestigious Charlotte Motor Speedway. I didn’t have the finish I had hoped for in this module, but I sure did enjoy it. What an experience!”
The final part of the day was the marketing module. Allen was very comfortable in taking questions from the reporters and doing the commercial with Kyle Petty. The drivers assembled in the Charlotte Motor Speedway media building and took hard questions from the reporters, then they were moved over to the auditorium where they filmed a commercial with Jamie Little.
“I was really looking forward to this portion of the competition. You sit in the same seats that Cup Drivers do and field questions from industry experts, it felt like the real deal.”
Allen completed the marketing module and would later learn that he had been scored number #1 in this module.
The day at the track ended and moved to the evening banquet and the announcement of Top Driver. The Petty team put on a wonderful reception and dinner with Richard Petty hosting the evening event. Ryan Wilson was announced as the Top Driver, with Happy Feree taking second , Davey Pennel third, Kodi Sunley, fourth, with Tyler Allen rounding out the top five drivers.
“The experience was incredible, they provided us with top notch equipment and instruction, and I would recommend the program to anyone. I really want to thank PGP Motorsports Park, Garage Experts, my crew back home, and my family and friends for all the support over the past 3 years. I could not have done it without them and I am looking forward to writing the next chapter in my racing career. Stay tuned to the website for more updates!”
