Everybody has grown used to seeing Mikey Homewood in Outlaw Midgets presented by Canadian Tire Innisfil competition over the past couple seasons. The 2023 campaign will see things get a little more interesting, with his brother Fred Homewood throwing his hat in the ring as they battle each other.

SHORT TRACK MUSINGS spoke to Homewood Family Racing to see what they were thinking.

ASHLEY MCCUBBIN: What are your thoughts going into the season?

FRED HOMEWOOD: Excited. For me, it’s the first year, right? Looking forward to it.

MIKEY HOMEWOOD: I’m excited just to get after it, but just to have the confidence back in the equipment. The motor is all redone, so I have no excuses.

ASHLEY: What are the goals for this season?

MIKEY: I’d like to try and win a race this year, and contend for the championship.

I know Fred’s goal was Rookie of the Year, but he will be missing the beginning races due to breaking his foot. I told him, though, the car he was driving was a top-three car so expecting nothing less.

ASHLEY: What track are you most excited to get to?

MIKEY: I’m excited for Grand Bend. I had so much fun there last year. It’s perfect for our cars. You actually have to drive your car and like, because it has a dog leg on the frontstretch, you’re busy.

FRED: I’m excited for any of them.

ASHLEY: How did the family get involved in motorsports originally?

MIKEY: We grew up, our parents friend had a Pro 4 at Flamboro (Speedway). It was an Ontario Series and they toured around to all the tracks. Two or three years, in the summer, starting in May, we’d be gone to race and practice so we grew up traveling and kind of got hooked. That was our ritual with our grandpa and dad.

ASHLEY: So why is the Outlaw Midgets for your family? Why did you get involved originally?

MIKEY: Just the affordability. Young guy, had a family, and didn’t have a bunch of money. With the trailer and all the investment, it was $5000 to get rolling. That was pretty key to getting into the club. We’re also that much slower (than the bigger cars).

ASHLEY: How would you grade last season?

MIKEY: I would give it a C just because I battled gremlins and it was like an uphill battle all year. The harder we tried, the more time we invested, the littlest things would go wrong. Just being cautious because I had a lot of issues with my temperature gauges, and with these motors being hard to find, you can’t chance melting one down. So that was a lot of my problem last year. I was just being extra cautious because I didn’t have the money to go get a new motor, even if I could find one.

ASHLEY: We saw you make your first start last season at Flamboro Speedway, Fred. How was that experience for you?

FRED: It was a thrill of a lifetime. I just went in there thinking don’t spin out, don’t crash, and don’t finish last. So I just kept getting faster each lap, confidence was growing, and kept rolling with it.

ASHLEY: What’s the advice for the rookies, including your brother? 

MIKEY: Just don’t drive over your head and take it easy until you get comfortable, and then go for it. If you don’t push it, you don’t know where the edge is. If you’re not near the edge, you’re not going to be fast. Don’t be afraid to spin out because heck, everyone spins out.

ASHLEY: What’s your most memorable / best moment in motorsports?

FRED: For me, it’s always been the camaraderie in the pits. If someone breaks, someone is always there to help. Growing up and spending all this time at race tracks and stuff, our dad used to sponsor racecars. We were always at the race track and I remember being 12 helping a guy load his car on a trailer because he broke. It’s just that warm feeling, I guess.

MIKEY: My best moment in racing is probably the fan experiences, when they get to come into the track. The first time that I got to do that with my hero cards and have my daughter with me on track, it was surreal because it was such a happy moment internally. It was a good experience to see her happy to see me do my passion – it’s good.

ASHLEY: Along those lines, we’ve seen you get other people interested in the club – including Dan Kiviring.

MIKEY: I always to not always be a leader, but do what’s right – always. I was raised that way, to do the right thing. Always help somebody and not having the regret in not stopping to help someone or do something. It’s better to have the feeling of helping that guy. If you see someone broke on the side of the road, it’s the same thing.

I remember at Flamboro with Zach Millman, when we first went back there, he popped his motor – but I know his grandpa was there watching him and wasn’t doing well health wise. So I was like, “Just take my spare motor and get out there,” and we thrashed on his car and got him out there in knowing it’d be the last race that his grandpa got to see him. Stuff like that hits home to me because my dad never got to see me race. He got to see on Facebook, but never in-person because of his health.

ASHLEY: So who is supporting both of you to make the world go around?

MIKEY: My main sponsor is Thornbury Clear Choice Pools and Spas. They’re having a charity BBQ on Saturday, May 27 from 11am to 2pm. That’s going to be up in Thornbury – which is near Blue Mountain. He’s an amazing dude.

FRED: I’ve got Best Western Brantford and Myra’s Bar and Grill.