Tucker Boulton accelerates. (Photo by Scott Frazier)
Tucker Boulton started in autumn 2018 with his first 305 Sprint Car. He has since honed his skills in the division, culminating in winning the 2022 Mid-South Sprint Car Ass’n Championship.
The 20-year-old started his racing career at the age of 4. He started out in go-karts and became a two-time national champion before moving up to mini-sprints.
A first-generation driver, Boulton developed a taste for sprint car racing from an early age.
“As soon as we got in the go-karts, at the end of the night, as soon as our race was over, we would run to Riverside Speedway and watch the sprint cars race,” Boulton recalled. “We were a big fan of that.”
A native of Brighton, Tennessee, after three seasons in mini-sprints, he decided to make the jump to sprint cars. The family eventually chose 305 Sprint Cars as there were several events in the area and it was an affordable option.
“It was definitely a stepping stone,” Boulton explained. “Just learning how a sprint car works and the different driving styles, that was really the next stepping stone from the mini sprint. It was also something local we could do to get into the sprint cars.”
Boulton fondly recalls his first night driving a sprint car.
“I remember it like it was yesterday,” he said. “It was at Lexington 104 Speedway. We rented a car from a local. It was a 305 and we raced the 360. That night I started second in the heat race and finished second in the heat race. I ended up starting the feature from pole position with the 360s.
“I started with a bit of a big head because I felt confident after starting on pole with the 360s,” said Boulton, laughing. “I didn’t know that I just got lucky that one night. It was a learning experience. It was a feeling like nothing else. I felt at home the moment I sat in a sprint car.”
The family bought the car the next day.
“With a little sponsorship help, we had a car the next day,” said Boulton. “It was the car we drove that first night.”
Boulton started his first full season in the 305s in 2019. He had a winning rookie performance by any measure. He was the Mid-South Sprint Car Ass’n and Riverside Int’l Speedway Rookie of the Year. He finished second in the final MSCA standings and third in the Riverside Int’l Speedway standings. He was also recognized with Riverside’s Greg Hodnett Pursuing Excellence Award.
His awards in 2019 did not go unnoticed. He was offered the opportunity to drive for car owner Bobby Sparks ahead of the 2020 racing season. He won his first feature film later that season.
“We fought for the championship this season. At Riverside we teamed up with another car and crashed our car,” Boulton recalled. “A good friend of ours lent us his car. Three weeks later I won my first 305 race at Riverside in a car that didn’t even want to drive.”
Shortly thereafter, Boulton made the jump to 360s.
“We’ve had some people who’ve been doing 360-degree races and put different people in their cars who come to us,” Boulton said. “They made us believe we could do it and wanted to give us a chance. We ended up buying a 360 engine and trying it out in 2021.”
Ahead of the 2022 season, Boulton teamed up with another car owner to compete for the MSCA championship.
“Jim Kinney and I became good friends over the winter,” noted Boulton. “We got together and decided to compete for the MSCA championship. We would try our own 360 here and there.”
Boulton says his 2022 season could not have gone better.
“It’s been a great year. We won the very first MSCA race of the year and we won the last MSCA race of the year,” he said. “In between, I think we only ended up outside the top 5 once. We were very consistent and fast every weekend.”
With the 305cc title under his belt, Boulton will focus on 360cc racing this season.
“We plan to go up and stay up,” he said. “I would definitely make it to the 410s. This has been a dream of mine for a long time. But now we have to try to learn those 360s and make a name for ourselves.”
BRIEF INFORMATION
Tucker Boulton (Boulton family photo)
Tucker Boulton
Birthday: December 16, 2002
Hometown: Memphis, Tennessee.
Series: Mid-South Sprint Car Association
Sponsors: Henderson Recovery, NAPA of Millington, Greenpoint AG, Affordable Pools by Aloha, RE Technologies, Nutrition Stop of Arlington
This story appeared in the January 11 issue of SPEED SPORT Insider.
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