Looking for a driver to root for this weekend as NASCAR invades Atlanta Motor Speedway for three big races?
Look no further than 22-year old, West Virginia native, Cale Conley.
I had a talk with Conley on Thursday night and he is bright, polite and determined.
This will be his first time participating in a race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
“(Last year) I was lucky enough to come (to Atlanta) to watch,” stated Conley. “I’ve been here before, just never on the track. Having an experience on the track is another thing. Hopefully things go our way, and the car is fast.
Conley will run the full 33-race 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule for TriStar Motorsports.
The likeable Conley started racing at the age of five. He worked his way through go-karts, quarter midgets and open wheeled USAC Kenyon midgets. Conley collected multiple poles and feature wins throughout the Midwest before transitioning into sprint cars competing with the World of Outlaws and All Star series at the age of 16.
Conley made his NASCAR debut in the K&N East Series in 2011 and captured his first win in 2012 at Columbus Motor Speedway. In 2013, Conley competed full-time in the K&N East Series, scoring four top-5’s, five top-10’s and one pole. After competing in NASCAR’s K&N series, Conley moved up to the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2014 and competed in 11 races for Richard Childress Racing with one 6th place finish at Kentucky Speedway and five top 15 finishes.
“TriStar Motorsports is proud to field a Toyota Camry for a rising star in NASCAR,” said Mark Smith, TriStar Motorsports team owner. “With Cale’s drive and passion for NASCAR, I know that we will have a successful 2015 season with him behind the wheel.”
First things first, Conley said he will have to learn the track.
“I need to get up to speed, and learn if the track in line-sensitive. I know tires wear out pretty quickly here, but I’ll just try to get used to the track as fast as I can.”
Conley is getting used to the larger speedways by talking to drivers that have more experience. He talks to teammates David Starr and Mike Bliss for advice.
From day one, Coney wanted to be a racer.
“That was always the goal,” added Conley. “That was my dream. I’ve been very lucky and fortunate to have my family’s support. It’s a difficult game out there. It takes a lot of funding and luck.”
Conley might just be one of the brightest young stars in NASCAR. He’s doing what he loves, and I expect to see him in “Victory Lane” in 2015.
“It’s all I ever wanted to do- race for a living,” sums up Conley.
Conley will be running in the Hisense 250, Atlanta’s race on the Xfinity Series on Saturday, February 28, 2015 at 2 p.m.
