Sometimes when you stick a microphone in front of a driver’s face, you have no clue what they may say and a couple of times you’ll hear something that surprises you or gives you a bit of a perspective.

Throughout the 2021 season, I had the opportunity to speak to a bunch of different competitors. During those interviews, there were some quotes that stood out. So it seems only fitting we take a glance back through the year at what was said.

“I feel the division as a whole will be one to watch. It always puts on an exciting show regardless of who is in the field. As far as particular drivers go, you always have the same handful of standouts at the front of the field. But the ones I like to watch are the guys (or gals) who load up and race wherever they can whenever they can. No picking and choosing what tracks they will and wont run at. No backing down from a stacked field. Those are the ones I like to watch. They may not win everywhere they go but they have the kind of dedication to racing that this sport was built on, and they deserve some attention for it.” – Bobby Tolton

“The amount of things you can do and use your “imaginations” in the build. The build and weekly speed improvement is the real fun part. “We won this in the shop I just drove the thing here” really means something to me. Shop time can be leaning on it filling the float bowls and thinking or messaging friends and saying hey what do you think about.” – Brian Wilson 

“The division is one of the more welcoming divisions in Ontario racing so starting in the mini stock division was a no brainer. It is an affordable class and a great class to learn about short track racing. The mini stock division is also such a close competitive division. With everyone so tight in the 2020 season we saw how great the racing can be.” – Cole Quinton

“Every night we unload, we want to win. With how hard our crew works and how well prepared the car is , I believe we should be in the mix always. They is always a great group of Mini Stocks out there, so it will be exciting to see where the 71 Mustang stacks up.” – Cory McAllister

“Mini stock is a laid back type of racing where you don’t have to wrench on your car every minute at the track/at home, not to mention cost effective. I can still go to my junk pile and pick parts for the race car, unlike other divisions.” – Doug Butler

“I love mini stock because we somehow manage to get 20 different cars, 20 different drivers with 20 different skillsets in and out of the garage and 20 different budgets to go around the track within a second of each other.” – Dylan Sharpe

“Being able to race on a budget. Even though costs have gone up, still cool to be racing cars that used to on the street and doing all the fabricating in house – built not bought.” – Eric Yorke

Issac Dippel says Mini Stocks are appealing due to how competitive they are, and “being able to race at other tracks and all the special races, like the Dave Wilson Memorial which was new last year; looking forward to competing in it again.”

“The major thing that needs to be improved the most is my driving. I don’t have the seat time that a lot of others have. I have the equipment to win, just not the talent yet.” – Jeff Laflamme

“The fact that these were once cars that got people to work, took people to soccer practice, and yet here we are driving 20 year old cars around a race track doing things with them that they were never intended to do. Also all the different cars and makes that take the track are pretty cool too.” – Johnny Paradzinski

“I think one of the biggest advantages to starting out with a proven winner, is giving myself the opportunity to learn to drive around a well built, excellent car. Having a person like Andy Kamrath in your corner is definitely big advantage too, and a big reason we chose his machine. His expertise on making handling changes, and ability to drive racecars will net some valuable lessons I’m sure over my first season in Mini Stock.” – Matt Boyes

Nick Clarke says, “having so many fast cars to race with, showing up to an event and seeing a good portion of the field that has a chance at winning makes it fun for me.”

“It’s really hard to bet against guys like Yorke, Paxton, (Kevin) Bridge, Gibbons – the cars that are always at the front everywhere they go. In my opinion, it takes a very well-prepared driver and car to be up front at every single track. The wild card in this question is the rookies. Our own shop has Cole Quinton coming out, and we’re all pretty excited about his foray into stock cars; the guys said he showed a lot of promise in his first few test sessions. Sunset has Matt Boyes, who was very quick in his first attempts in the bone stock. He bought the Kamrath car, which is already proven to be very fast; that combination is definitely one to watch.” – Samantha Shaw

“I’m really excited to be part of the mini stocks this year because of how much we can adjust with these cars. With the bone stocks, I was always frustrated with how little I can adjust the car if it wasn’t handling the way I’d like it. Also a bit excited that to race with more experienced drivers so I don’t have to fix the body parts as often.” – Scott McGregor

“The goal is always to win. A race car driver that doesn’t think they can win shouldn’t be behind the wheel. As long as we are in contention, anything can happen.” – Shawn Taylor

“The popularity of it across Ontario makes it fun. You get to drive side by side with some experienced drivers. It is so cool that I get to be out there with top drivers and be part of the division. I love saying I drive a Mini Stock. I always get a big reaction.” – Thomas Wunsch

“The list is long but the ones on top are there because they have proven themself as a top contender. With Cory McAllister coming to Sunset both with the super stock and the mini, he has definitely caught my attention; hoping for some good races with him, but I know it’s not gonna be a walk in the park. Eric Yorke because our last full non-Covid season, we had an amazing race with back and forth action which put an amazing show on; he definitely knows how to dial a car in. Samantha  Shaw, and she’s not to be underestimated. That yellow car is extremely hard to pass at times and she has a wealth of knowledge in her corner; that combination makes will always get her to the front of any field.” – Tyler Seaboyer

“The way the cars have advanced over the year make it fun for me. Maybe not to most cost effective class out there, but the challenges that it gives you for the price are more of a addiction. That and the fact we have more support than any other division with people like yourself and Rich (Schwartzenburg) who have done so much for the division. It’s more than a race – it makes for a great weekend when it’s all hyped up.” – Will Gibbons