The Scoop
MICHIGAN PREP FOOTBALL STANDOUT, SUPER STOCK RACER CAIN JUMPS TO LATE MODELS IN ’22
Posted on: Monday April 4, 2022
Big Bay, Michigan’s Parker Cain plans to make the jump to the late model class at Norway (MI) Speedway in 2022. (photo courtesy of Parker Cain FB page)
A former prep football star and super stock racer from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula plans on making the jump to late models in 2022.
19-year-old Parker Cain, who is both a full-time student and works full time to support his racing, has plans to purchase the late model formerly driven by Brian Stanchina of Kingsford. Cain hails from Big Bay (population 600) which is a town 20 minutes north of Marquette. “We’re about as far north in the U.P. as you can go,” said Cain, who was a standout defensive end for the Negaunee Miners who earned several accolades, including competing in the U.P. all-star game.
Cain was an all-conference defensive end for the Negaunee Miners. He sported the number 99 jersey as he was a fan of J.J. Watt. (photo courtesy of Parker Cain FB page)
Cain had an opportunity to play college ball not far from home for the Michigan Tech Huskies in Houghton, but the Covid pandemic put the brakes on that. “When sports got canceled, they extended scholarships to some of their players and myself and another player from Negaunee who were going to keep our football dreams alive got our scholarship offers pulled,” Cain explained. “So, I’ve decided to sell all of my other racing vehicles and we’ve decided to go all in with late model racing in the future.”
Cain has plans to race weekly at Norway Speedway – which is still a hike for the Big Bay racer. “Pulling a race car on a trailer it’s still close to a two-and one-half hour drive one way,” Cain explained. “I’ve got a pretty dedicated crew headed up by my dad so we’re going to give it a shot.”
A few years ago, Cain turned some heads at Norway, capturing back-to-back super stock feature wins late in the season at the ripe old age of 15. “I’ve spent five years racing in the super stock class and at my age we’re going to make the jump to late model and see how far we can take it.”
Even though he’s 19, according to Cain he owns his own race cars. “My dad does help with expenses along the way like fuel and he’s helped me get some pretty good sponsors too,” Cain said. “I’m going to school full time for fabricating and welding and still work close to 40 hours a week as a mechanic for M.J. Van Damme Trucking. It’s what I’ve got to do so I can afford to go racing.”
As a kid Cain carved his own dirt track on the family’s property. “My dad always wanted to race but he was always working and he never had the chance to do it,” Cain said. “I was 13 when I first raced in a four-cylinder car at Sands.”
Cain has sold his super stock and that car is headed towards Lacrosse, Wisconsin. “When I bought my first race car, I used the money I had from the eggs I sold from the chickens I raised,” Cain said. “And we drove all the way to New York to buy that 4-cylinder car we found online. We towed a flatbed trailer and slept overnight at a truck stop. I paid $900 for the car – money I made from selling eggs for $3 a dozen.”
Cain is purchasing this Lefthander chassis late model formerly driven by Brian Stanchina of Kingsford. (Kevin Lee photo)
The Big Bay racer will be the first to admit that he’s got a big learning curve ahead of him with the late model. “I know the car is a Lefthander chassis and it didn’t see the track at all last year,” Cain explained. “Brian said there are 10 races on the crate motor too.”
Among the goals Cain has for ’22 is to earn rookie-of-the-year honors at Norway Speedway’s Friday night program. “If all goes well in our first year we’d like to branch out and run some Wisconsin tracks in 2023. If the car is in one piece we do plan on heading to La Crosse (Fairgrounds Speedway, West Salem, Wisconsin) to run Oktoberfest at the end of this year. Down the road I’d like to get to tracks like Golden Sands (Speedway, Plover, Wisconsin) and WIR (Wisconsin International Raceway) in Kaukauna. Brian (Stanchina) said he’d help us out in the beginning to work out the bugs and get us rolling.”
As far as other goals on Friday nights at Norway he says he’d like to finish in the “top five” at the prestigious Stateline Challenge – the track’s biggest race of the year to be held July 1. A tall order indeed.
On the football field Cain wore number 99 on his jersey. “I was a huge fan of J.J. Watt so I stuck with that,” Cain said. “But for racing we’ll stick with our number 44. We’ve got a pretty exciting, bright paint scheme we plan on putting on the car once I pick it up this week.”
Not deterred by $5.00 a gallon gas in his hometown nor the long commute, Cain is adamant he’s fully committed to his racing program. “My dad and I both have been working long hours so we can go late model racing,” Cain admitted. “Our sponsors are going to help us out. We are on the northernmost tip of the U.P. and across the water you’ve got Canada. We usually fuel up in Negaunee or Ishpeming where the gas is usually cheaper.”
Among the crew who’ll travel south to compete at Norway on Friday nights are Cain’s father Tony Cain, Ernie Mallory, Chris Atkerson, Nathan Nelson, Jeffrey Latsch, Braden Beauchamp and Brian Stanchina on occasion. “My stepsister Abby Hoffmann also plans on helping us out too,” Cain said. “What we really love about racing at Norway is most everyone – drivers and fans – come from a lot of small towns down there. The fans are awesome. They come out in strong numbers and fill the grandstands most nights. We’re going all in with this deal for better or for worse.”
The marketing partners who’ve teamed up with Cain’s 2022 racing operation include Hoover’s Auto Body, Backwoods Repair, High Country Adventure Bear Hunts & Snap On Tools.
Norway Speedway has a pair of practice sessions scheduled for Saturdays May 14 and May 21. The season opening race is slated for Friday, May 27. Qualifying starts at 5:30 p.m. with the first green flag flying at 7 p.m. You can follow the track’s website norwayspeedway.com or check out the track’s Facebook page.