Lucas Wolfe (born October 22, 1986) is an American race car driver. He currently races in the central Pennsylvania area in his own 5w.
| Lucas Wolfe | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Born | October 22, 1986 Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania |
| World of Outlaws career | |
| Debut season | 2007 |
| Best finish | 1st in 2012 |
Early life and education
editWolfe was born in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. He began Quarter Midget racing in 1992 as a five-year-old.[1][2] In both 1993 and 1994, Wolfe was the Norlebco Quarter Midget champion.[2][3] From 1993 to 2000, Wolfe had 338 race starts—90 of which he won.[1][3]
Professional career
edit2001–2002
editIn 2001, at fourteen years old, Wolfe began racing 600cc micro sprint cars at Linda’s Speedway in Pennsylvania. He won six feature races and became the 2001 Linda’s Speedway Rookie of the Year.[2][3] Wolfe won eight feature races in 2002 and became the Trail-Way Speedway Track Champion. He was also the 2002 runner-up in the Linda’s Speedway Points Championship.[1][2][3]
2003–2007
editIn 2003, sixteen-year-old Wolfe began racing 900 horsepower winged sprint cars. Although his limited budget kept him racing close to hometown, Wolfe often raced several nights a week. He was a 2003 finalist for the National Sprint Car Poll Rookie of the Year as well as a runner-up for the Williams Grove Speedway Rookie of the Year.[1]
On July 9, 2004, at Williams Grove Speedway, Wolfe won his first sprint car race. Wolfe was the youngest race winner in the 65-year history of Williams Grove Speedway.[4] He won again at Williams Grove Speedway (the Jack Gunn Memorial race) on September 5, 2004, and at the Clinton County Speedway on October 10, 2004.[2] Wolfe was selected as one of “ten promising young American racers” in the Red Bull Driver Search.[5]
On June 29, 2005, Wolfe set a track record for a single lap at the Silver Spring Speedway.[3] From 2005 to 2007, he won 14 feature events and several championships.[1] Wolfe started racing part-time in the WoO Series in 2007 and earned three awards for fastest qualifying time.[1]
2008–2012
editWorld of Outlaws
editIn 2008, Wolfe began racing full-time in the World of Outlaws.[1][2] On June 9, 2008, Wolfe crashed while running a preliminary heat at Tri-County Speedway in Illinois.[6] He suffered cracked vertebrae in his upper back, an injury that would force Wolfe to sit out much of the 2008 season.[6] Wolfe, however, had a late season comeback. He finished 2008 with 9 top 5 finishes—and the honor of 2008 WoO Rookie of the Year.[3]
In every season from 2009 to 2012, Wolfe finished as one of the top ten WoO drivers. His place finishes in the points championship are as follows: 10th in 2009, 8th in 2010, 7th in 2011, and 9th in 2012.[2] During his sprint car career, Wolfe’s accomplishments include 22 race wins, 22 fastest qualifying time awards, 10 awards for passing the most cars during a race, and 5 track records.[1]
Despite some mechanical struggles in the early part of the summer of 2012, Wolfe won his first World of Outlaws feature event on August 3, 2012, at Bloomington Speedway.[2][7][8] Wolfe led the race for the final 22 laps.[8]
2013
editOn February 13, 2013, Wolfe was announced as the driver of the Buffalo Wild Wings #82 fielded by Blazing Racing. Wolfe split from the team on June 12, 2013.
2014-2016
editWolfe was announced as the driver of the John and Pee Wee Zemaitis "Zemco #1" for the 2014 season. The team had multiple wins and was the 2014 Pa Speedweek Champion.
Other sprint car racing
editOutside of the WoO, Wolfe has raced sprint cars internationally in Australia and New Zealand.[3] In addition to the 410 cid sprint cars Wolfe typically raced, he occasionally raced in 360 cid sprint cars.[3][9]
Personal life
editWolfe reside in Mechanicsburg Pa. He is the son of former sprint car driver Randy Wolfe.[1][2]
Racing record
editRecent career summary
edit| Season | Series & Car Type | Wins | Fastest Qual. Time | Top 5 Finishes | Top 10 Finishes | Championship Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | WoO sprint cars | 1 | 1 | 10 | 30 | 9 |
| other sprint cars | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | --- | |
| 2011 | WoO sprint cars | 0 | 0 | 7 | 25 | 7 |
| other sprint cars | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | --- | |
| 2010 | WoO sprint cars | 0 | 5 | 14 | 28 | 8 |
| other sprint cars | 1 | 0 | 5 | 11 | --- | |
| 2009 | WoO sprint cars | 0 | 2 | 5 | 18 | 10 |
| other sprint cars | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | --- | |
| 2008† | WoO sprint cars | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 17 |
| other sprint cars | 0 | 1 | 6 | 14 | --- |
† partial season due to injury
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i "About Lucas" Lucas Wolfe. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Lucas Wolfe" Archived 2013-01-19 at the Wayback Machine World of Outlaws Sprint Cars. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Highlights" Lucas Wolfe. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
- ^ Heintzelman, Todd."Lucas Wolfe hopes to build on Williams Grove Speedway win" The Patriot-News. 2010-04-01. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
- ^ "Red Bull driver search announces scouted racers for 2004 program" Archived 2013-02-15 at archive.today AutoMoto365.com. Retrieved 2013-01-09.
- ^ a b Reigle, Jerry. "Lucas Wolfe injured in WoO crash" The Patriot-News. 2008-06-09. Retrieved 2013-01-09.
- ^ Elliot, Jeremy. "Lucas Wolfe trying to survive on the World of Outlaws tour" The Patriot-News. 2012-07-19. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
- ^ a b "First Outlaws Win for Wolfe" Motor Racing Network. 2012-08-03. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
- ^ "Wing Sprints" Tucson International Raceway. Retrieved 2013-01-15.