Northeast Veteran Trevor Sanborn (Interview)

March 6th, 2024,

In the competitive arena of late model racing, Trevor Sanborn has carved out a reputation for being a skilled and resilient driver. His journey through the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) has not only been about victories, but also about overcoming challenges and consistently performing at a high level, having top-5s in 30% of his 127 starts in PASS North, and top-5s in about 50% of his PASS South starts.

Reunion with Richard Moody Racing: A Strategic Move

The 2023 season marked an important phase in Sanborn's career, as he rejoined Richard Moody Racing for a 3rd stint. This collaboration started strong, with Sanborn clinching a significant win at the Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in Connecticut, followed by a top-five finish at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway​.

Consistency and Resilience: Hallmarks of Sanborn's Career

In 2021, Sanborn showcased his ability to maintain consistent performance levels. Out of ten starts, he finished in the top ten in most of them, with a noteworthy victory PASS victory at the Thunder Road International Speedbowl in Vermont, as part of the Milk Bowl weekend.

Overcoming Personal Challenges

Sanborn's racing career was put to the test in 2020 when he faced a serious health challenge. He battled an MRSA infection that developed into sepsis and double pneumonia, posing a serious threat to his racing career. Demonstrating remarkable resilience, Sanborn recovered and returned to racing, showing his dedication and passion for the sport​

Interview

In 2023, that was your first time at Berlin, was it?

Yeah, our first time we went out, we finished 9th. The next time we were out, I think we were running 8th or something, and got wrecked.

How was the experience at the track, it seems like quite a unique track?

There is no track like it, let’s just say it that way. There’s a lot of tracks that are quite, like Berlin, Hickory Motor Speedway, there’s no tracks like those. It had a lot of grip for about 10 laps on new tires, then it had no grip. And I don’t know if it’s the surface of the race track chewing the tires up, or I don’t know, but it was a lot of fun, you know. Racing, sliding around, having fun.

You’ve had some recent success, especially winning the Boss Hogg (2023) [Yup] Which has become quite a big event. I think the timing, right after the Oxford 250 as well might kind of help with the car count and stuff, having everyone kind of nearby already, and ready to race. How was that? You led a lot of laps

The race was a lot of run, I hadn’t raced there in, 12 years at that point - 10 or 12 years. And I knew when we unloaded, the car, and got out there, and where we practiced and stood, you know, we have a real good shot at running top-3 today, if we can keep everything together. And that’s what happened man, we actually had the best car there, and really nobody in terms was even close to us. [Yeah, I mean, by looking at it, Ben Ashline was having a good day, but] Ashline, after we passed him, about 10 laps later he ran out of fuel.

You won last year, too, at Thompson, right? [Yeah] That’s one of those bigger tracks if I’m not mistaken? [Yeah, 5/8ths] How is the difference?

There’s a lot of speed there. I haven’t raced there in quite a while. Last time I was there I finished 4th. I’ve only raced there probably 4 or 5 times, and 3 out of the 4, I think we’ve been in the top-5.

Have you ever raced at New Hampshire Motor Speedway?

Yeah, we ended up 5th there maybe last year, or 4th. [How do you find it, running such a long track?]

That place is a lot of fun, the speed is a lot of fun, the air, you know, there is - believe it or not, there is a bit of drafting. [Yeah, that’s what I was going to say] I really love going to Loudon.

You’ve won at the Thunder Road PASS Race there that was part of the Milk Bowl event, right? It seems like a pretty cool facility.

Definitely a lot of fun.

It looks like good fan support, there. The Milk Bowl is so unique - I’ve watched that along with the accompanying PASS race several times - it seems like there is a hill to the side of the stands, and there is even a ton of people sitting in the grass sitting, watching there.

It’s a beautiful facility, it’s a beautiful ride up, you know, the view. From home it’s a 3 hour ride getting up there, and it’s in the mountains. It’s a nice place to get away to once in a while.

You’ve done a bit of further travelling, too, some of the major’s in the past.

We went to North Wilkesboro Speedway last summer, and finished 9th there, also. Which, I hadn’t been since 2011, and I feel like we had a car that could have raced up into the top-5, but just the cautions didn’t fall our way, and the track - the cars got spread out so far. [Yeah, that was in the CARS Tour Pro Late Model race, right?] Yeah [I don’t mean ‘for a pro late model race’ in a disrespectful way, or a deriding way, but man, for a pro late race in particular, it had a hell of an entry list] Yeah, big time [I mean, the Super entry list, you hear, you know, the Derby is the bench-mark, right? And sometimes you hear people make references about an entry list, like: ‘it’s comparable to the Derby, or it’s almost as good as the Derby, or stuff like that, and it’s usually a great entry list, but it’s usually exaggeration, it’s not actually that good - but the super entry list for this ASA North Wilkesboro last year, that was potentially the best entry list of the year] Yeah, I agree with that, it definitely was. [Even with the Pros - like Carson Hocevar ran that one, Augie Grill, Jackson Boone, John Bolen, Mike Hopkins, you, Caden Kvapil, Katie Hettinger, Connor Zilisch, Corey Heim, and more, that’s crazy - you did great in that one]

In the past quite a while ago there, you made some further travels. In 2006 you went to the All American 400

We had a pretty good run going, but we had an accident happen in front of us, and we couldn’t avoid it. [It must be frustrating, I mean, it’s a racing deal, but it must be frustrating when you’re at a prestigious event like that, and you don’t get to got to them all the time, and what not. Yeah, I agree. It sucks, but we’re going to attempt to run the PASS North this year - we are going to Hickory in a week and a half (for the Easter Bunny), we’re going to go back out to Berlin I believe, and run 1 or 2 races I believe, we’re going to go to North Wilkesboro, I think I’ll go to Jennerstown.

You’ve had raced in Canada as well, in the past, like the New Brunswick 250

Yeah, we’ve been to Scotia, Antigonish, we’ve been to 660, Chaudiere [Quebec], [How did you find your experience in Canada? I’m not a racer, but Scotia Speedworld is my home track, by the way] We finished there in 3rd there one year. [I’ve heard from some people, some Americans, that they really found the crowd really good, and found a really good reception from promoters]

Canadians like racing more than the American’s, we love going up there.

I’m glad to hear it, it’s funny, because I hear that from everyone - well, I mean, small sample size, but basically all of the American’s I’ve talked to who have raced in Canada, I get the kind of impression that we love it more and stuff like that, but then at the same time, it’s smaller here, in the sense of if you’re Canadian and you’re trying to make it, it’s harder to get sponsorship, you have to race in the States to get noticed, and all this stuff, but yet, the American’s seem to find we’re more appreciative up here, and our crowds are better sometimes.

The people just seem more into it. They think that, like, when we go up there, that we’re like mini-NASCAR, and they just treat you really good, you know. The spectators treat you really good. [Yeah, I would say, and I can’t speak for everyone, but I’d say we have a strong appreciation for visitors, if you will, I don’t want to say outsiders, but pretty much anyone coming from Ontario, coming from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, you name it. You’re alway welcome, and we always looking to seeing some more American’s on the list. Hah, your national is better than ours, so that’s nice hearing that one when there’s an American at the race.]

You’ve been running PASS for quite a long time now, going back to about 2005, when you had a single race kinda debut. Did you do any kind of Pro Late Model racing prior to that?

I went right from Go Karts to Pro Stocks at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway. I spent 3 years from there from 2003 to 2006, and then I went PASS racing. I did run a couple of PASS races in ‘05, ‘06, but I went PASS Racing in 2007, with Jay Kushman, and we had a really successful year, and then I went racing with Richard Moodie Racing in ‘08, and then ‘09 I kind of did my own thing. In 2010 I went back full-time with Richard Moodie, and we had a really successful season again, and then it kind racing got tough for me, money got tight, things like that. I still raced, but I didn’t race PASS very much. Just in the last 2 years, I’ve raced PASS full-time, and I’m going to continue to this year.

It’s interesting that you went from Go Karts directly to full body late models, not a lot of people have that jump.

Nope, but our first year I won a race, I was the youngest to win a race at Beech Ridge. [What was the difference like for you, because it must have been pretty darn significant your first time making the jump] The only thing that was good from learning Go Karts, it kept me smooth. You know, the Go Karts were all about momentum, they had no power, so I was really smooth in a race car. But obviously there is so much more power in a Pro Late Model, so you had to be really careful. [At least that momentum thing carries over a little bit, because if I’m not mistaken, PASS runs Pros, and with Pros compared to Supers, momentum is a lot more important. You have done a bit of the Super stuff though, like the All American and stuff] Yeah, we have a Super Late Model motor that we’ll put in the car, and go racing, in races late in the fall.

Do you any kind of bucket list wins, races you’d specifically like to win? Like the Oxford 250 obviously, you can mention that one too, but any others?

I just want to win races, man. I don’t care where, or how, I just want to win.

Are there any places you haven’t been at yet that you’d like to? Like the Slinger Nationals, etc?

Someday I’d like to the Winchester race - someday. I’d also like to race Toledo once. Toledo looks fast. Winchester is a whole other animal.

Any shout-outs?

I just want to thank Landshark Performance, Richard Moody Construction, Smokers Haven of New Hampshire, 207 Brand, and Arundel Ford.