The Scoop
REAGAN MAY – ‘2021 WILL BE A LEARNING CURVE FOR US.’
Posted on: Tuesday May 11, 2021
After competing on the pavement the past several seasons De Pere, WIsconsin’s Reagan May will wheel a sportmod on dirt ovals in Wisconsin and Upper Michigan in 2021. (danlewisphoto.net)
For Reagan May 2021 will signal a season of changes in her racing career.
The most significant of which for the De Pere, Wisconsin racer will be a switch from running the pavement tracks to slinging clay in an IMCA northern sportmod on Wisconsin and Michigan bullrings.
Truth is though, this isn’t May’s first rodeo so to speak when it comes to pitching it sideways on the clay. “I ran a partial season in an IMCA northern sportmod back in 2008 and I loved racing on the dirt,” explained May, who since that ’08 season has primarily run on paved tracks in both super late models and limited late models. “We took 2020 off because I was traveling a lot with my job. Mom and dad have been my primary pit crew pretty much the whole time up until this year and they want to enjoy a life away from racing. Now they can do that this year if they so choose.”
Enter May’s boyfriend Curt Schneider into the picture. Curt’s dad, Dave Schneider is the brains behind Right Foot Performance out of Appleton. Dave Schneider is a former racer and with Curt now in the fold Reagan plans a roughly 15 race schedule, bouncing around with her sportmod between tracks in Seymour, Francis Creek and even a couple of appearances in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to Escanaba at Upper Peninsula International Raceway (UPIR). “One season away from racing was too much,” May confessed. “We can manage the on-track duties ourselves now and just get some seat time running a bunch of different dirt tracks.”
The machine May will pilot is the last Madman chassis produced by Seymour modified standout Brian Mullen. “We still had my racing seat from my asphalt racing days and we installed that,” May explained. “Brian has been really helpful to us in terms of tips on setup and whatnot as has been Travis Hansen (another modified driver from Chilton). Hansen also runs a Madman chassis.
With the switch to the dirt in ’21 comes yet another change with May’s racing operation – and that’s the numbers on the door. She’ll sport the number 119 on her car. That number has been synonymous with Upper Michigan pavement racing legend Gene Coleman and his business Coleman Racing Products. “We had a conversation with Dickie Coleman when this whole dirt idea came about,” May explained. “I pitched the dirt car idea to him. He was pretty excited about it because Coleman actually hadn’t fielded a car on the dirt tracks for several decades since Gene had raced himself on the dirt. So, Coleman Racing Products is a very big backer of what we’re doing on the dirt tracks. It’s a new look for them and we’re proud to carry the number 119.”
Coleman Racing Products is a major sponsor on the machine, which is co-owned by May and Curt Schneider. Right Foot Performance is stepping up in the sponsorship and technical support area as well as help provided by Bullet Bedliner of Green Bay. “The car is brand new,” May said. “We got the bare frame from Brian (Mullen) and it was built over the winter. Brian’s answered a ton of my questions and a lot has changed on these sportmods since I last raced one more than 12 years ago. The technology is vastly different from the asphalt stuff and we’re still learning as we go.”
Racing on the pavement is something May admittedly enjoyed, but felt it was simply time for a change of pace. “I’d like to think I have earned a reputation for being a clean racer,” May said. “With the dirt tracks the competition is stout, very stout. In this sportmod class many times there are enough cars for a B main, so you really have your work cut out for you to make a feature. It’s not a guarantee you’ll be in the feature at all a lot of times. I’m looking forward to that competition honestly.”
In addition to dabbling at the dirt ovals at 141, Seymour and Escanaba, Michigan an occasional visit or two to The Burg Speedway in Luxemburg, Wisconsin is also in May’s plans. “We’re looking forward to all of them and in particular running at UPIR a couple of times,” May admitted. “It’s sort of in the Coleman’s backyard and it’s just another track to get experience at. I’ve always been a firm believer that the best way to improve as a driver is to race as many different race tracks that you can.”
One thing May is also adamant about is she will not partake in any points racing. “(Points racing) can sometimes take the fun out of racing,” May admitted. “When I was in that Kulwicki Driver Development Program (KDDP) some years back it was pretty stressful. With the dirt we’re just going to race in the moment, have fun and try to improve every time we’re on the track. And with the dirt tracks I’m looking forward to reading the track and how it changes and making the right adjustments during the night.”
So far May got her feet wet during an early May practice session at Seymour. “We were running someone’s takeoff tires from last year but overall, I thought the car felt pretty good,” May explained. “It was a good shakedown for the car and the driver. We made sure nothing fell off of the car. I felt comfortable right out of the gate. It’s a big learning curve without question.”
Crew member Chris Beckman will assist the team during the season. Additional marketing partners for May’s 119 include Freshii of Appleton, Stateline Apparel of Menominee, Michigan and Optima Batteries.