Lucas Wolfe
| Lucas Wolfe | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Born | October 22, 1986 Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania |
| World of Outlaws career | |
| Debut season | 2007 |
| Best finish | 1st in 2012 |
Lucas Wolfe (born October 22, 1986) is an American race car driver. He currently races in the central Pennsylvania area in his own 5w.
Early life and education[edit]
Wolfe 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[edit]
2001–2002[edit]
In 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[edit]
In 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[edit]
World of Outlaws[edit]
In 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[edit]
On 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[edit]
Wolfe 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[edit]
Outside 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[edit]
Wolfe reside in Mechanicsburg Pa. He is the son of former sprint car driver Randy Wolfe.[1][2]
Racing record[edit]
Recent 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.