“I by no means thought I had a full-time future in NASCAR,” Laster mentioned. “I at all times thought I would be a part-time crew hopper. That is my popularity. I am generally known as the low greenback man when a low greenback crew wants a driver that will not tear up the automotive and (will) give them an excellent end.”
The dearth of a constant trip has made for loads of fast turnarounds for Laster, who says that he would often have lower than per week in between being supplied a trip to the drop of the inexperienced flag.
“This yr, I received a name on a Monday night time. They mentioned ‘hey, we want you in Phoenix Thursday night time’. It was a 30-hour drive. My girlfriend and I drove on the market. I needed to name in to work (that week).”
It was one in all Laster’s dwelling tracks within the Indianapolis Raceway Park that he and Wayne Peterson first met. Little did Laster know on the time {that a} Nineteenth-place end at IRP on July 19 could be the catalyst for the large break he was looking for.
“We put a deal collectively for IRP and had an incredible run,” Laster mentioned. “That subsequent Monday, I received a name from Wayne saying ‘we’ll Salem (Speedway) this week. We do not have a driver when you’re in a position to come down.’ I mentioned, ‘give me an hour.’ I referred to as up all of my sponsors and we put the deal collectively in a pair hours. We went right down to Salem and received Wayne his finest end since 2021 and solely his eighth top-10 end since 1984. Our ninth-place end really tied his finest end since 1984.”
Laster says he took a pair weeks off earlier than calling Peterson about the opportunity of operating all the 2025 schedule.
Laster is holding his expectations for the 2025 season “real looking” — a product of the large hole between the highest groups within the ARCA Menards Sequence and people on the decrease rungs of the ladder. Nonetheless, there’s lots for Laster and the crew to perform in 2025, which can formally be Laster’s rookie season within the collection.
“Prime 10 in factors, not less than second in Rookie of the Yr factors could be good,” Laster mentioned. “I feel realistically, a minimal of two or three top-10s, I feel if we received 5 or 6 we would be ecstatic.”
On the finish of the day, Laster’s story reaches far past a store, a racetrack or a stat sheet. It is a story that serves as each his American and Hoosier dream.
After 13 lengthy years, all of Laster’s seat time and days within the store have paid off.
Now, he’ll comply with within the footsteps of fellow Hoosiers in Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon, who took their very own paths from Indiana to the very best ranges of stock-car racing.
