Alex Pruett Racing News Releases

Alex Pruett to focus on pavement Stock Cars

After a successful ARCA test Alex Pruett has determined that he will focus his time on developing his skills on pavement and in particular in Stock Cars. The biggest adjustment that open wheel drivers have to make as they progress to other series is the weight, handeling  and braking differences in the cars .   

Alex is expected to announce  shortly a series of races in ASA Late Models, PRA Big Cars and Silver Crown for the balance of the racing season. "The PRA and Silver Crown cars will allow me to continue racing open wheel cars but adapt to longer wheelbases ,heavier cars and aero"  said Pruett.

Pruett also commented that " As much as I love dirt and midgets the time and money required to be competitive there is better spent on driving heavier cars on longer tracks.   This  new focus will move me closer to my goal of being a fulltime professional".   7-09-2006

Pruett shines in "Gehardt Classic"

April 22nd Stockton Calif

Alex Pruett delivered a solid drive  in the "Gerhardt Open Wheel Classic" 100 lap feature at Stockton 99 Speedway Saturday night.  In his first pavement appearance in the Western Speed Racing ride Alex delivered on his promised potential as a young development driver for a team that is considered by most to be the best USAC midget team in the country.

Against a tough field of Western Regional hot shoes who race regularly on this track Pruett put on a quietly impressive show by qualifying 5th and finishing fourth.  Knowing that 100 laps can hold a lot of surprises he rode comfortably around 7th or 8th all night and then mounted a charge with 20 laps to go that got him to fourth and in a position to challenge for 3rd and even 2nd when the checker came out and fixed his fourth place status. The field included national stars such as Alex's teammates Michael Lewis and Billy Wease as well as several past Western States Champions such as Tony Hunt, Jerome Rodella and Chase Barber.

Rick Lew and Rick Gehardt,  owners of Western Speed Racing. were very pleased with the young driver echoing " Alex ran the exact race we asked him too and followed direction very well.  He showed patience and maturity as well as speed and outstanding car control."  Many of the young guns lost their chances of a good run early with self induced spins on the tricky banked oval. "For Alex to come in here and beat many of the best in the West on their home track was impressive especially since he did not test at Stockton prior to this weekends event" said one fan who had observed Alex for the first time when he raced SCRA sprintcars.

Alex fought off a late race charge by Chase Barber 2005 Focus Champion who in frustration rammed Pruett several times in the late laps of the race but couldn't mount enough speed to pass cleanly. Pruett just smiled when asked about this and said  " after racing USAC sprint cars in Indiana it takes more than that to break my focus"

Alex expects to compete in several USAC national races this year in sprints and midgets.

Alex Pruett has Early Pavement Success

In only a handful of races on pavement Alex Pruett has established himself as a talent to be dealt with.  In his first attempt on pavement he qualified 15th of 42 at the prestigious Night before Indy USAC race at Indianapolis Raceway Park  in front of a sellout crowd of 15,000 open wheel fans. He ran 9th of 20 in his qualifying race but fell out of the main event early with a flat tire. His next three races  were in the UMARA National Midget Series where he achieved  10th, 6th and 4th place finishes against a tough pavement crowd on their home racetrack in Morris Illinois.

In only his fourth pavement attempt he stepped up to the Milwaukee Mile and finished 15th after coming from the back and challenging for the top ten three different times during the day. Despite a few Rookie mistakes he was fast and made a total of 30 passes on the day. This was the best first time, mile finish by a Rookie in USAC in 2005.  With straightaway speeds at over 145 mph and average laps of 125 mph this is considered to be one of the most challenging mile tracks in professional racing.

Dan Drinan USAC master car builder and driver has signed Alex to a development deal for the rest of 2005. Drinans most famous development driver is Ryan Newman.  Drinan says   " His talent is impressive and he has accomplished a lot with very little experience"

Alex Pruett wins USAC National midgetcar heat race in first USAC start

In his first attempt at USAC National midgets Alex won his heat race  at Beaver Dam's Powercom Park over a very tough lineup which included former  Badger midget champions and USAC midget main event winners.  Alex started strong in the main event but flipped hard while passing for the lead.  There were five flips during the race as the surface was fast, tacky and developed deep ruts which bounced the little cars around a lot.

Still woozy from his ride in the midget he was able to take the green in the sprintcar and collect his starting points but pulled in on the second lap.