CONCORD, N.C. — Chase McDermand enters his fourth Xtreme Outlaw Midgets Sequence offered by Toyota season flying the colours of his personal race staff for the primary time.
The Springfield, Sick., native is working as an owner-driver for Chase McDermand Racing, driving a brand new Toyota energy plant underneath his No. 40 machine.
It is a new frontier to a future that McDermand needs to discover additional into the season of nationwide midget racing.
“I really feel like I’m extra well-rounded than I used to be two and a half years in the past after we first began with Xtreme,” McDermand mentioned. “I really feel like a whole lot of that has to do with the variety of new and totally different tracks that all of us get to see all through your profession. It helps you exponentially as a driver, and simply getting to have the ability to go to a brand new place and determine it out faster than everyone else that may give you a bonus transferring ahead.
“As many race tracks that I’ve raced at, that undoubtedly stored me on my toes. In addition to being my very own staff proprietor, crew chief, and all of that stuff will take its toll on occasion on me, however it’s very rewarding with all of the folks round me, our companions, and sponsors. I’m wanting ahead to having one other yr underneath my belt with Xtreme, and I’m wanting ahead to getting it began (at Farmer Metropolis).”
McDermand obtained a style of orchestrating a staff of a number of automobiles on the NOS Vitality Drink Chili Bowl Nationals in January by fielding three automobiles – one for himself, NASCAR Xfinity Sequence competitor Josh Bilicki, and growth driver Steven Snyder Jr.
“It’s at all times good to have the ability to have a number of automobiles on the racetrack,” McDermand mentioned. “I’ve needed to be a staff proprietor and it’s steps in the suitable course for me. It was tremendous cool to work with Josh and Stephen once more, and it’s a whole lot of work. It’s an enormous endeavor to get three automobiles (to Tulsa), so it was an extended week. Very exhausting, however we discovered fairly a little bit of stuff from the racing that we are able to apply to the long run, and I’m glad that I had extra automobiles to get suggestions that helps me as a automobile proprietor, automobile chief and driver.”
McDermand started his Xtreme Outlaw Midgets journey with Mounce/Stout Motorsports from 2022-2023, selecting up seven function wins with the Tulsa, Okla., based mostly squad.
In 2024, after McDermand’s unique plan with Dave Mac-Dalby Motorsports fell by way of, he acquired assist from Mounce/Stout to assist the 24-year-old driver go the gap with the Sequence. In return, he scored a win at Tulsa Speedway and completed a career-high third within the standings.
“One thing that takes a little bit bit to get used to is having the consistency versus the variety of wins,” McDermand mentioned. “2023, we had a whole lot of velocity that yr with six wins, however we additionally had a whole lot of DNFs, and that took us out of championship competition. Final yr, we barely picked up a win midway by way of the yr, which felt like without end. However we had much more prime fives, however we had a DNF and a few runs exterior the highest 10 that rapidly modified our competition.
“We’re looking for that steadiness with the automobile, and continually studying. That is the primary nationwide collection that I chased a championship with, and it’s undoubtedly not straightforward and it’s proved to be relatively difficult. We upgraded our engine bundle with us switching to Toyota, so I’m hoping it could convey extra reliability and little much less complications all year long.”
McDermand is keen to compete round his Illinois homestead with Farmer Metropolis Raceway, Spoon River Speedway, Coles County Speedway, and Highland Speedway on the 2025 Xtreme schedule’s lineup. And has his sights on one other trophy from tracks he’s already received at.
“Every part that stands out to me on the schedule is the locations I’ve received earlier than,” McDermand mentioned. “Coles County, we’ve had good velocity there. That’s a spot inside an hour and a half from us, so having a two-day present there may be actually cool. I used to race at Spoon River fairly a bit a number of years in the past, in order that’s at all times a very good place to race. I simply actually hope we are able to get the climate to coordinate with us throughout (Appalachian Midget Week).”
