Double Down Jason Sides is looking ahead to the future as he prepares for the next chapter of his career with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.
After decades behind the wheel of the #7S, the Bartlett, TN native is opening his seat to either part-time or full-time opportunities beginning next week with The Greatest Show on Dirt.
“I’d rather be racing another 10 or 20 years, but my body won’t let me,” Sides said in an Inside Line Promotions release. “I’ve got one knee messed up, a hip isn’t feeling good, and I struggle to get in & out of the car at times. I don’t like to make excuses, but I just can’t race to the level I want to right now.
I’ve always envisioned being involved in racing long after my days behind the wheel. I think we’re in that transition now as we are opening up the seat.”
Sides and his outgoing personality have been a staple on tour for almost two decades since he won the 2003 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award. His career stat lines read at 1,214 starts, 15 World of Outlaws Feature Wins (36th All-Time), 170 Top-Five Finishes, 449 Top-10 Finishes, 178 NOS Energy Drink Heat Race Wins, and 36 Slick Woody’s QuickTime Awards.
“We have built a team that can travel the country and race with the best,” Sided added. “I’ve enjoyed a lot of success throughout the years and we’ve had other drivers come in and compete at the top level of the sport, including Tim Kaeding earning a top-five at the Knoxville Nationals in back-to-back years. The pieces are in place for success and I intend to be at every event whether I’m racing or we have someone else in the car.”
The 49-year-old native of Bartlett, TN will be behind the wheel this weekend at the Bristol Bash, the World of Outlaws’ only stop in Sides’ home state of Tennessee this season. He’s competed at The Last Great Colosseum in 2001 and 2022, making four attempts on the high-banked 1/2-mile oval.
As far as next week at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway, it’s a wait & see game as to who will drive at The House That Earl Built. Nonetheless, whether it’s Jason or someone else, you can still expect to see the red and white #7S at every World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series event in 2022.
“We are fully committed to racing with the World of Outlaws this year,” Sides noted. “If there are races when we don’t have a driver lined up I plan on competing. I’m not retiring nor am I doing a fair well tour. We’ve just reached the time when I can’t race to the level I want to and now we’re open to the idea of filling the seat with an up-and-coming driver or a veteran of the sport.”
Any driver interested in partnering with Sides Motorsports can reach out to Paul Sides by emailing [email protected].
