Debuting a brand new car in the Qwick Wick Super Stock Series last season, Brandon McFerran was able to park it in victory lane at Flamboro Speedway. He then followed it up four top-10’s at Sunset Speedway, including a runner-up in July.

The past Sunset Speedway Mini Stock Champion opened up about his thoughts on the “new car blues” and more recently with SHORT TRACK MUSINGS.

What are your thoughts as you look back on last season?

My thoughts on last season – it was up and down. We didn’t start off that strong with the new car at Peterborough (Speedway) with the first Qwick Wick race. It was fast, but with the car bottoming out, everything – we took the oil pan off of the motor so we were just off to a rocky start from the get go.

We got a bit better with the win at Flamboro – that was huge for our team, a huge uplift, but I just feel like we struggled for the rest of the season when we never really should have. I feel it was just the new car blues as we were trying to get a handle on it, but we had some strong run – couple seconds, some thirds, a couple top-five runs going. So nothing to hang my head out, but definitely room for improvement next year.

What do you feel that you need to improve upon to get 2024 back on-track?

I think we just need to get better prepared as a team, me included. Just figure out what comes next, and just trying to be better each and every week in finding that speed. Once we get all that combination into one, I think we’ll be hard to beat.

So what’s in the cards for 2024?

My plans as of right now, we’re not really too sure. We’re kind of waiting to see what the Qwick Wick Series does and when we’ll probably go from there. As of now, we’ll probably run at Sunset (Speedway) here and there and maybe travel around a little bit. I’d like to go to Delaware (Speedway) a couple times – we really struggle there, me included, the whole team. We just can’t get a grasp on Delaware, and I think the biggest part is me as a driver. I’d like to go there and get some more seat time for sure.

What track is your favourite to run at in the province?

Flamboro, for sure. Sauble is a close second. I like them tight, flat tracks; I seem to really come out and shine at those tracks. I mean, Flamboro this year we won in the Qwick Wick Series and Sauble, for the invitational, we qualified on the pin but then it got rained out so we didn’t get to race. We seem to really click at them flat tracks.

You’ve had some big victories at both tracks…..

Yes, yeah, a couple big victories anyway. Frostoberfest two years ago now, and then the Qwick Wick race now – and then Sauble, the invitational back in 2017. That was a big one.

So what’s been the most memorable moment for you?

I would probably say – the Qwick Wick was really cool this year just to say that I’ve won in that series. Everybody is on their A-game that is running in that series. So to say you’ve done a Qwick Wick race is huge. But I’d have to throw it back to my mini stock days and say the Velocity 250 when I was trying for so long, lost my Papa a few days before hand and I went out and won the race. That’s probably still my most memorable win.

You’ve ran mini stocks and super stocks, and ran late model here and there for a bit. Is there anything else that you want to get behind the wheel of?

Yeah, there are definitely a few things. I’d definitely love to try everything before I quit, but obviously that’s not possible. I’d like to get in a sprint car – I’d really like to get in a sprint car. I don’t know if they fit my driving style, but I’d love to drive one to say that I’ve tried it.

We’ve talked about this before but you’ve got family involved in motorsports all over. I mean, that’s easy to see where your love for it started. But what is it about it that made you want to get behind the wheel, and basically stick with it now?

Like you said, I’ve been around for it awhile. I grew up around racing and that came from my dad growing up and going to the track with Zardos, and it kind of stemmed down the line when I was old enough, I started. It was just something that I always knew I wanted to do right from a young age.

What keeps me going now is when you load up, and get ready to go to the track on Friday night or Saturday morning, it’s just the feeling you get is pretty wild. You know you’re going to do something that you love with closest people around you. For the most part, everybody has friends and family – I know a couple times aren’t run like that, but for the most part, that’s all that I’ve got – friends and family. It’s just something about everybody being at one place at the same time is pretty cool and obviously when you get those victories, it makes it pretty sweeter.

What would be a piece of advice that you would offer to someone getting started based on your experience?

Best piece of advice I can offer is just stick with it. It will humble you sometimes. It will make you not want to do it sometimes, but you just have to stick with it and put the work in and pay attention when people are talking. Spend less time running your mouth and less talking, and take it all in. It is something that I wish I would’ve done sooner in my racing career. I wish I would’ve soaked it in. If I knew then what I know now, I’d be that much better today.

Who would you consider your racing hero, and why?

That’s a tough one. I don’t know if I really have a racing hero. I shouldn’t say I don’t have a racing hero – there’s a few of them. You have guys Bill Zardo Sr., and Junior Hanley – those are guys that idolized in Ontario. But if you’re going to go like NASCAR, I’d say Dale Earnhardt Sr. It’s pretty hard to go against him.