Ryan Moore Getting Set for First SpeedFest Appearance

While he might not run nearly as many races as he did at the start of his racing career, Ryan Moore continues to find his way to short track events along the East Coast. But, there are still some he second-generation driver has yet to attend. This weekend, Moore is checking off one of the big ones as he heads to Cordele, Georgia for SpeedFest 2022.

Entered for the Super Late Model portion of annual January event, a 150-lap non-points race for the ARCA/CRA Super Series and Southern Super Series; Moore will not only be making his first SpeedFest appearance, but also his first ride to Watermelon Capital Speedway itself.

“First time for both, SpeedFest is one I’ve always had marked on the calendar to run, but things have never fallen right to be able to do it. We decided that now’s the time, we’ll put our efforts into it, and see what we can do there,” Moore told Racing America.

With the likes of Bubba Pollard, Stephen Nasse, Chandler Smith, Erik Jones, Corey Heim, Carson Hocevar, Cody Coughlin, and Josh Berry among the SpeedFest Super Late Model entries, winning on debut will be a tall order for the 2013 New Smyrna World Series Super Late Model champion. Not surprisingly, it is a challenge that Moore is very much geared to tackling.

READ MORE: SpeedFest 101: What to Know About the Big Race at Cordele

“I am looking forward to it, going over the entries there some really, really good cars and teams. It’s always fun to see where you can stack up against guys like that. I don’t race a lot, which makes doing events like this very worthwhile. If we play all of our cards right and do the right things throughout the weekend, we got as good a shot as any of them.”

Living in North Carolina for a number of years now, managing the southern half of R.C. Moore Trucking, Ryan Moore has become more than familiar with the southern racing scene. But, when looking at Watermelon Capital, it is a track that harkens back to his racing roots up in his native Maine.

“To me, it’s almost like Oxford on steroids by watching some video. Longer straightaways, people have said it’s got some grip, so maybe a little more racy, a little more aggressive; which is good for me. I think that will hopefully play into my cards a little bit better, being in my wheelhouse of racetracks. I can’t wait to get down there and check it out.”

Outside of watching some video and asking a couple of questions, Moore isn’t doing anything over the top to prepared for his first ever trek to Cordele.

“We’re just going to go and figure it out, that’s what racers do right? Heck, I think we all lie to each other anyways if you try to ask anybody any questions. No, I’ve asked a few friends that have been there to get some tips on gears and things like that. For the most part, it’s another racetrack. We just got to get through practice and do what’s best.”

Moore will also be back in familiar equipment, running the same racecar as last year, which he took to victory in the first night of the New Smyrna World Series last February.

“It’s the same car we ran last year, it’s a Hamke car. So we can lean on those guys, I know they’ve been down there and have run well. We first ran this car at Speedweeks last year and raced it four times through the summer and fall.”

As for the rest of 2022, Moore has no plans beyond SpeedFest; but gave an idea on where you might see the No. 74 throughout the season ahead.

“No plans yet, everything is up in the air, and that’s the way I’d rather do it anyway; just take it one event at a time. The CARS Tour has a good schedule that they’ve put out with the Pro Late Models, so we’re going to try and run some of that. I’d like to run a few PASS races, haven’t done the Easter Bunny at Hickory in a few years; want to support Tom Mayberry and PASS, run that with them. We’re going to have fun, check off a box at a time, and go on to the next one.”