Focus On: Pleasantville’s Young Racing Talent!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Pleasantville’s Young Racing Talent
(by Joanne Cram)
Spring time in High School for most guys is full of sports, cars, and a few prom dates…but not for local sprint car drivers, Tasker Phillips and Josh Padellford! Both young men skipped out on their High School proms to do what else? Go racin’ at Knoxville Raceway! Even though Mother Nature had other plans for their prom night, which was also Knoxville’s opening race night, these boys have dedicated their young lives to working on racecars and trying to make a future for themselves in racing.
You may notice both guys’ names. Tasker and Josh have run a handful of times around Knoxville’s famed half mile. Tasker is also brother of the weekly 410 competitor, Rager Phillips.
Spring is a very busy time for 16 year-old sophomore, Tasker Phillips. Added to the busy family run farm, the Phillips’ are busy putting three racecars together for the upcoming race season. Rager Phillips will again return to run his #9 410 at Knoxville, and Tasker will be a regular in the 360 class at Knoxville. When the family is not running the 410 or 360, they will pack up the 305 and hit the tracks with that as well.
Tasker began his racing career two short seasons ago, as a 14 year old. He started off in one of his brother’s old cars and a Bruce Clark 305 motor. His debut was in August, so there wasn’t a lot of time left in the season for racing, but Tasker managed to get a few races in at tracks like Bloomfield and Fort Dodge where he got 2nd out of 10 cars. Most tracks Tasker started out racing the 305 weren’t too concerned with his youth, so he was able to get out and run the 305 sprint.
In his second year of racing, Tasker added a few more tracks to his resume. He ran at Eldon, Bloomfield, Burlington, and Tipton, where he won his first race. Ready to test the 360 waters, Tasker went to Eagle and Donnellson to race, where he struggled to get the laps he was looking for. At Eagle, his night ended when he flipped the car, and at Donnellson his tire went down and he got into the wall. Tasker’s third attempt at the 360 brought him to Knoxville, where again, he didn’t get the laps he had hoped for.
This season, Tasker is hoping for more patience around the track and is eager to learn from past mistakes. Keeping the car in one piece, and tearing up less equipment is also a goal, according to Tasker.
The family-run team is ready to get the season underway at Knoxville, with a little traveling with the Sprint Invaders as a possibility, and running the 305 with the Mid American Series out of Bloomfield. If things go well, Tasker may run with the Midwest 305 Sprints, which run a traveling series out of Northwestern Iowa.
Being a young driver has a lot of challenges on and off the racetrack. Tasker knows that he is giving up some things in his high school life, but doesn’t seem phased by it. Juggling racing with all the activities of high school can be a challenge he says, but he likes to be busy and says he works well under all the pressure of his many activities. Tasker went to state in wrestling this winter, plays baseball in the summer, does track and also football. He is also proud to be a returning honorary member of the Pleasantville Dance Team, where each member selects a dance partner each year for a spring performance. Tasker must be pretty good, as he has been asked to dance for two years now!
You won’t find Tasker on the back row with the other 360s this year. Since he’s racing the family car, he will pit beside his brother, and share the crew that includes brothers in law Nate Smith, Mike Busick, and Dave Rowley; family friend Denny Vrban; fellow Pleasantville sophomores Phillip Lumley and Curtis Williams; and of course his dad, Kyle.
Like Tasker, Josh Padellford is also a student at Pleasantville High School- but only for a few more weeks! The 17-year old senior will be graduating and moving onto study pre-med at Iowa University to become a surgeon. Josh also had to juggle high school activities to fit in his passion for racing. Josh was a state qualifier this winter with wrestling, and also played football.
Josh got an early start in karting. He began racing at the age of ten, where he excelled, having over 50 wins and winning 7 IKF Championships. At the age of 14, Josh moved up to the 305 sprint car class, racing with the Mid America series. In his first season, he was named Rookie of the Year and achieved 5th in overall points.
Josh’s second season also found him running a 305, and added the Mid West 305 series to his resume, where he was also named Rookie of the Year with that series. Josh had another successful year with the Mid America series, finishing with a strong 4th in overall points.
Last season, in just his 3rd season racing sprint cars, Josh jumped into a 360. He began the season with the 305s and then ran the 360 to prepare for his next racing move. He ran some late season Knoxville races, and ran down in Missouri once.
Josh’s goals for this year are to earn Rookie of the Year at Knoxville, and hopes to “not tear up a lot of stuff”, in his words. In the future, Josh hopes to run a 410 eventually, and is hopeful that he can work his racing into his pre-med studies at college.
His crew this year includes his owner and dad, Troy Padellford; grandpa, Lynn Padellford; crew chief, Chris Walraven; Dave Ridlin; and some of his high school buddies who are able to get over to help out. Josh is very thankful to his dad and grandpa for putting a great racing opportunity together for him. Also supporting Josh, are his mom, Jennifer; sisters Natalie and Emma; and his Grandma, who supports him from home because she gets too nervous to watch Josh.
(Pictured): Josh Padellford at speed (Conrad Nelson)
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