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Rough
road for Light
Driver runs
into hard times on way back to racing
By
Victor Fernandes
victor.fernandes@timesnews.com
Jimmy
Light wants to make the important decisions. He wants the credit and
the blame. It's his racing career. He wants to grow it his
way.
"I've always owned my own stuff and been my own boss," said Light,
25, a West Springfield native.
But in September, his truck and trailer were stolen from his
Indianapolis shop. Two weeks ago, he left a ride with a Sprint team.
This week, a potential deal to race in the USAC National Sprint Car
Series event at Mercer Raceway Park fell through. So now he's
an owner and driver without a chance to race.
"It's been up and down," said Light, who has not raced since May 17
at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway.
But Light arrived in Indiana's capital five years ago without
knowing how to create a successful team.
"I taught myself everything that I know," he said. "I don't know
much, but I know enough to get around the track and win a few
races." He's not stopping now. "As long as I can keep
racing and keep doing it full time," he said, "that's about as good
a life as I can imagine."
He wants to resume racing in mid-July. But he won't rush back into
it. He doesn't simply want to race. He wants to race well.
"I like to make sure everything's done right," he said.
His career as a touring Sprints racer began with a risk ---a weekly
commute to Indianapolis to run the Ford Focus Midget Series after a
six-year stint as a regional go-kart racer. Then he enjoyed some
good luck -- a chance meeting with chassis builder Bob East while
buying parts for his damaged Midget car at East Enterprises in
Brownsburg, Ind. That led to a job in East's fabrication shop and a
move to Indianapolis. Since then, Light has blended passion
and desire with intelligence and patience to build his career --
from Ford Focus Midgets in 2004 to USAC, Midwest and King of Indiana
Sprint circuits this season.
"He's always been a driven kid and always been focused on racing,"
said Bryan Salisbury, 24, of West Springfield, Light's cousin and a
Fastrak Late Model Series racer. "It's what he always wanted to do."
But one Sunday night in September, Light returned from a race,
unloaded his car and locked his truck and trailer. The next morning,
the truck and trailer were gone.
"I probably could have bought most of (the equipment) back," he
said. "But I would not have had enough money to run the car all
year."
Instead, he drove for a Sprint team.
"It was going OK," he said of posting one top five and three top 10s
in 13 starts, "but just not as good as it should be."
Light wanted to prepare the car his way. The crew chose to prepare
it a different way.
"Before it got bad and a bunch of finger pointing started, I quit,"
he said.
Besides, his heart was in being an owner. He can set his schedule.
The only pressure is self-inflicted. He can prepare as meticulously
as he wants -- micro-manage, as he said. And he can build his cars
and then run them.
"I've never known anything different," Light said.
Light could return home for the summer, perhaps to race Sprints at
Sharon and Lernerville speedways. No matter what, he will regroup.
"I came out here when no one really from our area comes out this
way," he said, "and it went (well). So I just need to regroup and
put it back together, which is no problem. I'll do that."
VICTOR FERNANDES can be reached at 870-1716 or by e-mail.