Following a solid season last year, it seems Justin Holmes is set to come out swinging this season as he will be debuting a brand new car at Sunset Speedway in 2017.

“2017 season is going to be a good season for us at 400 transmission,” Holmes told Short Track Musings. “There’s gonna be some good racing, with us building a new car and hopefully being able to compete with the top five drivers. I honestly can’t wait to see what the outcome will be this year.”

Going into the year, Holmes says his goals are to “bring the car home in one piece, keep it clean and run them hard”, while having fun and placing inside the top-five in points.

The teenager had a solid year in 2016, scoring a pair of heat wins and 13 top-10s throughout the year.

“Looking back on the 2016 season, it was definitely a learning curve for me,” Holmes said. “First year in the Super Stock – I got offered to run in the late model division. The difference in between mini stock and super stock is huge, different driving style and I had to face many challenges along the way. Running in the late model division taught me a lot. If it wasn’t for Gord Shepard and Ernie Fumerton for coaching me along the way and for Chance Isherwood for being the best spotter that anyone could ask for, he was on point throughout the season and the two divisions. I still don’t know how my dad manages to keep my brother and I on the track every Saturday night; a huge thanks goes out to him for all his hard work and dedication every weekend.”

While the season started off rocky with two finishes outside of the top-20 to go along with two top-10s, he found some consistency midway through June. He was able to score nine straight top-10s, highlighted by a runner-up finish on August 20. Unfortunately, the last four races of the schedule weren’t as smooth with two finishes outside of the top-10, to go along with another pair of top-10s.

Outside of his Super Stock commitments, he also made his Late Model debut partway through the year, filling in behind the wheel for Ernie Fumerton. He was able to have some success along the way, scoring a pair of top-10 finishes. It was a moment in which stands out for Holmes from the year, calling it “unexpected” and a “huge accomplishment”.

“Making the late model debut was one of biggest highlights of the season,” Holmes said. “I can’t thank Ernie enough for letting me run his car for the races that I ran. I think it went fairly well and just wish there was more seat time to get more familiar with the car.”