COLE FALLOWAY

TUCKED AWAY in Owensboro, Kentucky, resides one of the brightest up and coming stars in the vast world of modified racing around the United States. While his career is as fresh as the paint on a new chassis, Cole Falloway is a fourth-generation racer that recently broke through with an Illinois Speedweek win at Farmer City Speedway in his debut there. When it came time for a new round of fan submitted questions through #DEAsks, Dirt Empire Magazine tracked down Falloway to ask some of the top fan submitted questions for this month’s issue, covering everything from the ongoing tire shortage, to the rarely discussed but important mental side of competing against the best of the best in dirt track racing.

Dirt Empire: How did securing a win during Illinois Speedweek against tough competition help to boost your confidence early into the season? Cole Falloway: It was really good; we had high hopes going into it to have some really good runs. The week kind of started off tough, we qualified bad all week. At Farmer City, we turned it around winning our heat race and starting up front in the feature. We ended up pulling off the win there. It really helps the confidence for the rest of the season getting the win early against competition like there was.

DE: With rising costs of fuel and supply chain issues with products like Hoosier and other vital pieces of equipment, have you adjusted your strategy for the season? Are you preparing in any way to combat problems that may arise for your team as a result of the supply chain issues?

CF: When it comes to tires, we’ve been trying to take it easy on tires and not go through as many new ones as we have in past years. We’ve been trying to buy ‘em whenever we can get our hands on them,

BY ASHLEY ZIMMERMAN

and put them back to hopefully have enough for the year.

DE: Late model purses continue to increase exponentially and with no trickle-down effect coming to mods. Do you feel any calling to make the transition to late models sooner rather than later?

CF: I think everyone would like to at some point. I don’t feel like the weekly cost is that much different, just the initial cost, but you compete for so much more money.

DE: If there was a rule, stereotype, opinion that you could change in dirt track racing what would it be and why?

CF: I feel like the people that don’t know much about dirt track racing don’t understand how much dirt track racing is a way of life for us until they get around it and see what it’s really like.

DE: While the off season isn’t very long, what would you say you focused on the most?

CF: During the off season in the modified, we jump in go karts and race them all winter, so we don’t really slow down much. As soon as we slow down racing the modified, we’re racing karts just about every weekend.

DE: What improvements would you like to see the most this season compared to how your season went in 2021?

CF: I would like to be able to go to the bigger shows against the best of the best and be consistent, up around the top five week in and week out. Last year, whenever we went to race with them we still had a lot of ups and downs, and we still do right now. I would just like to get to a point where I can run consistently good with those guys.

DE: Looking back on the last season, what would you say was your biggest lesson and what caused you to learn it?

CF: My biggest lesson last season, I learned a lot of it when we went to the $10,000 to win stuff at Fairbury because I wasn’t all that confident in myself and that’s a big thing. Whenever it comes to racing, you have to show up to the racetrack thinking you’re going to run good, and if you don’t have good selfconfidence, you’re probably not going to run good. Whenever you go run with guys like Nick [Hoffman], Tyler [Nicely], and those guys that are really good in a modified, you have to tell yourself that you’re capable of running with them and sometimes outrunning them, too.

DE: Do you feel as you have advanced to higher levels of racing that your resources to lean on for advice have become more prevalent? Who do you lean on the most?

CF: Since I’ve gotten into the modified, it’s been Tyler [Nicely] more than anyone else. We live in the same town, right next to each other and he’s helped me a lot along the way. It’s really him more than anyone else, I mean, I talk to Nick [Hoffman] but he’s in North Carolina, and I’m in Kentucky, so having Tyler to hang out with, that’s just who ends up helping me the most.

DE: What would you say has been your greatest accomplishment so far in your career?

CF: I’m not sure; I’ve won a couple decent shows. Farmer City was a big one, just getting my first win there, and getting it when I did. We won a couple $3,000 to win races last year, one where we got lucky at Cedar Ridge at Hope for Harley, because Tyler and Will got together and we were just right there at the right time. Also the Renegade race at Shady Hill was a good win, too.

DE: Is there a race or track that you get excited about every year? What is it about that track or race that keeps you looking forward to it? Is it one that you get to compete at or have only gotten to help or be a fan at?

CF: It’s kind of hard to answer, since I haven’t entered a ton of big races in the modified yet. But, I feel like Fairbury is one of those at the top of my list, just because it’s one that is just cool to win there. They have a lot of high paying races, $10,000s and $5,000s that they give modifieds every year and it would just be really cool to win there. The atmosphere is just totally different there than anywhere else.

DE: Is there anywhere you’ve struggled to find success at that you are working toward having conquered?

CF: The toughest one for me so far is Tri-

City by far. I’ve only been there probably six times and I’ve just struggled there. It’s a hard one to figure out.

DE: When you’ve had bad nights at the track, how do you get over them so that it doesn’t cause you to have more bad nights?

CF: You really just have to forget about it. You have to learn to move on. Like this week, I ran my first night at Spoon River, I struggled, and I ran well there last year at their $11,000 to win, I ran third. But when we went there this week, I struggled all night, I qualified badly, my heat race was bad, and then I ran right around eighth the whole feature. You just have to forget about it the next day, work on yourself, and try to get better for the next night. As soon as you’re good again, you’ll boost your confidence again.

DE: What would be your best advice for grassroots drivers focused on rising to a higher level of racing? Is there anything you would have done differently when you were in their shoes?

CF: Just stay focused on what you want. If you’re starting out in karts, then you need to go race with the best in karts to eventually be the best in karts. You can start racing around home when you first get into something but at some point you need to travel and compete with the best if you want to one day be the best. It’s not always easy to do but at some point you have to do it.

DE: If you were told today that you could no longer drive a race car, what other positions in motorsports would you like to experience?

CF: I would definitely want to be working on race cars somewhere. I don’t think I could just walk away from racing, I think I would be working somewhere building race cars or with a race team, anything to keep learning.

DE: If you had to describe your driving style how would you? Do you think you’re more conservative or aggressive?

CF: I’m definitely not near aggressive enough most of the time. Any time the track is fast or if it’s rough, I struggle, which comes from the karts. I’m a lot more comfortable when it slows down, gets slick, and isn’t rough.

DE: Do you have any racing superstitions? Things that have to be done a particular way, no certain clothes, don’t eat certain foods?

CF: Everyone always says no green, but I’ve always had green on my stuff for as long as I can remember. The only thing for me is no $50 bills, no $50 bills at the racetrack for me. It’s something that we’ve always done since I started racing go karts. Josh, who helped me in go karts when I first started, he always said no $50 bills, and it’s just kind of stuck forever.