a main FEATURE
LATE MODEL
TYLER CARPENTER A DREAM, A DOME AND A TRUCK
By Ashley Zimmerman
AS FAR AS FAIRY TALES GO in the world of all that is speed on dirt, the one we all fall asleep dreaming of is the grassroots driver who works in the darkness of night by himself in the shop season after season praying that when they put it all together and enter a race against the big dogs, he’s the one who gets to see victory lane for a celebration. It’s the story our kids parrot back to us as they make claims of being a race car
34
driver when they grow up, it’s how all the movies go, and it’s how we pray we make it go every Saturday night we strap in or watch our favorite driver at our hometown track. We weave our dreams into fairy tales not because the path is easy, not because it’s a guarantee; we tell those tales because they rarely become reality. With roots deeply embedded in the world of grassroots racing, Tyler
DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 08 - 2022
Carpenter faced off against the names of headlines and name brand sponsors to simply dominate the 2021 Gateway Dirt Nationals, not only allowing him the prestige of going back to back at the $30k race, but in a last minute surprise twist to winning the title, secured the West Virginia native a ride with Niece Motorsports at the NASCAR Truck race at Knoxville Raceway. While hard to pin down with the onslaught of well-deserved
