The Pacific Northwest is a special place for Robbie Price.
Not only is it the region he proudly represents on the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car tour, but it’s also home to some of his career-defining moments.
Washington’s Skagit Speedway is an especially meaningful place for the 25-year-old from Cobble Hill, BC. Back in 2015, Price collected his first career Sprint Car win at the 3/10 mile. Two years later he became a track champion. Then, fast forward two more years to when Price claimed his biggest career victory – the Super Dirt Cup.
The event is one of Skagit’s premier races and is the Northwest’s most coveted jewel. The race has eclipsed 50 years of history, and in 2019 Price topped the 48th edition in a moment that he’ll always cherish.
“I grew up going to Dirt Cup watching,” Price said. “I remember when Jayme Barnes won it, and everyone was super excited about a local finally winning it. It had been a while. Watching him win it was really cool. And then obviously winning it was extremely cool. Being the first Canadian to do so and the youngest at the same time was really cool. Amazing night. That’s what we’re here doing. Everyone wants to have those type of nights.”
That accomplishment helped lead Price to his current opportunity of touring the country with The Greatest Show on Dirt, driving for Sides Motorsports. The travels will lead him to this week’s Sage Fruit Skagit Nationals (Aug. 31-Sept. 2) at Skagit Speedway before a visit to Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, WA on Monday, Sept. 4.
Last year, Price competed at the Sage Fruit Skagit Nationals aboard the Sides #7S leading to another career highlight. On the final night of the event, Price earned his second career World of Outlaws top five to make his fans proud on the sport’s biggest stage.
“The first two nights we kind of struggled,” Price recalled. “Not struggled so much, but just didn’t really start the night the way we needed to. We just kind of started mid-field and ended mid-field. On the third night, I was actually able to put it in the Dash and put a whole night together. I go home, and I want to run good and have expectations to run good, so it’s nice to meet some of those.”
Now, Price gets to head to his home region amid his first full season as a rookie on the World of Outlaws tour. Throughout Series history, the Pacific Northwest hasn’t been the most thoroughly represented region. But Robbie Price is changing that trend one race at a time in 2023 and actually has a connection with one of the few who came before him.
“It’s really cool,” Price said of representing the Northwest on the tour. “There’s not a whole lot of people from out there that have been out here doing this. I grew up around there watching. My dad raced there. He owned another car which Chad Hillier drove for a couple years. We used to always go down and stay at Chad’s and watched his kid grow up. So, it was really cool, and obviously Chad has been on the Outlaw tour before. It’s cool looking back now.
“Obviously, everybody wants to be on the Outlaw tour at least one point in their life if they drive Sprint Cars I’d imagine. I can’t speak for everybody, but I feel like that’s probably the goal. So, just to be able to say I’ve done that one and a half times now is a pretty cool accomplishment.”
Price is enjoying his life on the road competing weekly with the toughest competition, but he’s looking forward to a trip back to familiar territory. The Sage Fruit Skagit Nationals and Monday’s stop at Grays Harbor present opportunities for Price to revisit familiar places and faces and also the chance to create more important memories in the region that shaped him.
“I’m really excited,” Price said of the upcoming races. “I feel bad for guys like J-Mac (James McFadden) that never get to go home. I’m lucky to go home once or twice in the year. It’s hard to explain until you’re out here what being away from home is like. I’ve been in Washington state for a while now, so I’ve been away from home-home for a long time, and now I’m away from my second home. It’s different. It’s tough. Obviously, I want to go home. I like being home. But I also know at the same time that I can’t race the way I want to if I’m at home. It’s a give and take.”
For tickets to the Sage Fruit Skagit Nationals and Grays Harbor Raceway, CLICK HERE.
If you can’t make it to the track, catch all of the action live on DIRTVision.
