“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 fame. I am generally known as the low greenback man when a low greenback crew wants a driver that will not tear up the automobile and (will) give them an excellent end.”
The shortage of a constant experience has made for loads of fast turnarounds for Laster, who says that he would normally have lower than per week in between being supplied a experience to the drop of the inexperienced flag.
“This yr, I acquired a name on a Monday evening. They mentioned ‘hey, we’d like you in Phoenix Thursday evening’. 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 every of Laster’s house 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 can be the catalyst for the large break he was trying to find.
“We put a deal collectively for IRP and had an important run,” Laster mentioned. “That subsequent Monday, I acquired a name from Wayne saying ‘we will Salem (Speedway) this week. We do not have a driver if you happen to’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 acquired Wayne his greatest end since 2021 and solely his eighth top-10 end since 1984. Our ninth-place end really tied his greatest end since 1984.”
Laster says he took a pair weeks off earlier than calling Peterson about the potential of working your entire 2025 schedule.
Laster is retaining his expectations for the 2025 season “lifelike” — 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 sequence.
“Prime 10 in factors, at the very least second in Rookie of the 12 months factors can be good,” Laster mentioned. “I feel realistically, a minimal of two or three top-10s, I feel if we acquired 5 – 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 observe 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.
