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Getting Up To Speed With...Joey Tanner

Getting Up To Speed With...Joey Tanner
By Ben Deatherage
Nicknamed “The Manchild” it’s hard to believe that 2014 will mark Joey Tanner’s eleventh season in a Late Model. Tanner, who hails from Portland, Oregon, is a second-generation driver following in the footsteps of his father Jody as well as older brother Brad who used to race too.

Joey Tanner got his start in Speedway Karts before moving up into the Junior division at Madras Speedway when he was thirteen in 2003. He would win the championship the next year and in 2005 found himself behind the wheel of a full blown Late Model at the young age of fifteen and was a regular on the Pacific Coast Xtreme Dirt Late Model Series.

Tanner also spent some time on pavement as he competed against the ASA Northwest Tour in 2009 even winning Rookie of the Year honors as well bringing home the victory in the prestigious Fall Classic at Yakima Speedway in central Washington. Tanner also was a Rookie of the Year with the Pacific Xtreme Dirt Late Model Series in 2005, Willamette Speedway in 2006 in the Late Models, and was the Driver of the Year award winner with the Warriors On Dirt series in 2008.

Last season Tanner would win the first Late Model race of the year at Willamette Speedway and was in the hunt for the championship until motor problems put his program on an unexpected hiatus. However he was able to return and compete with the IMCA Modifieds and picked up two feature victories and post four top five finishes in six starts. We got a chance to talk to Joey about his plans in the upcoming season and discuss how he got started as a race car driver. Now let’s get up to speed with Joey Tanner.

Driver: Joey Tanner
Home Track: Willamette Speedway
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Occupation: Business Manager/Owner
Age: 24
Years Racing: 13

Classification: X-Factor Race Cars Super Late Models/IMCA Modifieds
Team: Joey Tanner Racing
Car: 111
Chassis: X-Factor Race Cars (both Late Model and Modified)
Sponsors: X-Factor Race Cars, Schram Brothers Excavating, Action Jackson Bar & Grill, Driving Force Graphics
Special Thanks: Jody Tanner (Father), Jimmy Schram, Daniel Hartung, Kendra Funchess (Girlfriend)

BD: Joey last year you ran in the Late Models and then the Modifieds. What is 2014 looking like?
JT: Hopefully we can just focus on the Late Model this season. Last year’s circumstances had us run the Modified after we blew up the Late Model motor around mid-season. I ended up running the Modified after I traded my Asphalt Late Model for it.

Last year I got the Late Model really dialed in and hopefully we don’t have any problems this year. When we had our motor issues we were running second points and not that far behind Trevor. If we can be as fast as we were last year we should be in pretty good shape.

BD: Triple digit numbers are uncommon in dirt racing. Why the #111?
JT: When I first started racing at Willamette Speedway when I was sixteen I had the #1 from the first year I ran with the Late Model series. When we showed up to run the full season, mind you there were no transponders at this time, Glen Hackney already had it taken. So I was going to go to my old #36 from my days in Madras but that was taken by John Campos. My dad suggested making it #111 and it’s pretty cool because it’s become a signature feature to our racing program.

BD: How exactly did you get your start in racing?
JT: I got my start by watching both my dad and brother race at Portland. I grew up going to the races there for the first ten years of my life and fell in love with it. My family was always out working on cars and I ended up traveling with my dad when he ran pavement up in Washington.

We would go to the rental kart tracks anytime we saw one and that’s when I started to get passionate about driving. Once I got to the age to where I was able to run Karts competitively we did it and I got hooked once I got behind the wheel. I had to give up a lot on school sports because of racing and I was pretty good at Baseball and Basketball. But in order for me to go racing every weekend I had to make some sacrifices.

One day my best friend Billy Workman Jr. heard about this Junior class at Madras Speedway from the Walters family. Billy went over there first and I came out the year after. We had some old Street Stock and put a car together and went out there in 2003. We won the championship in 2004 and I got into a Late Model when I was fifteen in 2005.

BD: You’ve had success on dirt and on pavement. What is your greatest achievement in your mind?
JT: I would have to say winning the Fall Classic in 2009 at Yakima is the biggest so far. That was my first year on pavement and I grew up watching my dad run that race. It was a big win I think it paid twelve-thousand to win so that was huge.

Another one was my first Late Model win at Skagit when I was fifteen. It was the first time they ran Late Models there in ten years. The next year it gave me some exposure to go back to run East Bay and Volusia for the Winternationals in Florida and for me to be one of only three drivers to go out there and do that.

BD: Do you have any goals that you have set for yourself either this season or in the future?
JT: I always set out a goal before we start out each season. My goal every year is to win races and whatever I’m running in to win the championship. Another one is not getting too involved to where it’s no longer fun not for just for me but also my family and my pit crew.

The 2014 season is quickly approaching and Willamette Speedway is the place to get your racing fix. Saturday April 5th will kick things off with the test and tune open practice while the “Cabin Fever Season Opener” will be held the following Saturday on the 12th. Be sure and log on to www.trophymotorsports.com for the latest information regarding Willamette Speedway.

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