Story by Chris Roy
This season opener at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway is right around the corner, and one of the drivers you will see on the track is Andy Fields. Though he has been passing the time away from the track doing some much needed fishing, but now that the snow is gone and its time to go racing.
Andy had planned on running a new race car this season, but his dad had suffered a heart attack in the off season. They were able to rush him to the hospital and get medical attention before the heart attack cause long term damage, and his farther is doing “great now”, commented Andy. So for now Andy will be running the old car at BRMS.
Beech Ridge, one of Maine’s premier race tracks is always a great place for the fans and drivers, I asked Andy what the secret is to getting around the track. He replied “PATIENCE and knowing how to work the outside inch by inch instead of getting the position all at once.”
BRMS has been good to the 88 car as Andy got his 1st career win back in 2003 racing in the “Mighty Trucks”, which also happened to be the same day as his grand father’s birthday. This season Andy is looking to bring home the Sportman Championship but, “we are not concerned with where I end up in points this year if it’s going like last year. I won’t be there weekly.” Last season the 88 car ran into some trouble, “we just struggled most of the year and tore more stuff up in one year of racing than I have my whole career.” The 88 car finished the season in 14th place.
Safety is always an issue when racing, whether on the track, in the car, or in the pits. So I asked Andy, what he would do to improve the safety at BRMS, his response was “Safer walls at local race tracks.”
Andy does a lot of work on the car at home but, when the car is at the track he lets the race team do their job as he focus on racing the car.
Andy is planning on racing his sportsman at BRMS for years to come, unless a modified opportunity presents itself. So if you are in southern Maine one Saturday night and looking for some excitement come watch Andy race against his fellow drivers and hopefully take home that 1st place trophy.
