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Written by Chris Moore
LAKE CITY, FL – From Nashville to All-Tech.
The NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division II National champion is headed to All-Tech Raceway in Lake City, Fla., for the ‘Sunshine Swing’ presented by Capitol Custom Trailers & Coaches.
The fifth annual Florida soiree takes place Tues.-Sat., Feb. 6-10 at Wendell Durrance’s pristine half-mile oval: All-Tech Raceway.
Payton Talbot – a three-time Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series (STSS) Fueled By Sunoco winner in the Crate 602 Sportsman division – is fresh off the best year of his young career.
The teenager won nine times in 2023 at his home tracks of Utica-Rome Speedway and Fonda Speedway, both located in Upstate New York.
“I’m really proud of our whole team and all the work that went into the season we had,” Talbot reflected. “We put in a lot of work to just try and be consistent throughout the season and it paid off.”
That work led to a crowning achievement as a National Champion and trip to Nashville, Tenn., for the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Awards Banquet.
“We didn’t expect to win the National Championship,” he explained. “When the calendar hit July and we took the point lead though, it became something we were paying more attention to and something we started fighting for.
“Nashville was really cool and the banquet was really good,” he said. “I even got to race Mike Walton (Talbot’s crew chief) in go-karts, but he beat me.”
Now the young hotshoe will kick off the ’24 campaign in the state of Florida at All-Tech Raceway.
“I always enjoy going to Florida and getting out of the snow for a week or two,” he said with a laugh. “We’ve struggled there in our past visits, but I think we have a good shot to make some improvements this year.
“The coil suspensions were new to us when we went in ’22,” Talbot explained. “We have a lot more experience and a bigger notebook with them now to go run well.”
Talbot does have fond memories in the state of Florida, however. The young gun got his first ever Crate 602 Sportsman win at North Florida Speedway in a 2021 visit.
“An STSS win at All-Tech would probably mean the most compared to the Fonda and Utica-Rome wins,” he explained. “Winning at Fonda and Utica is great, but we know we have a home track advantage.
“All-Tech is an even playing field and everybody brings their best stuff,” the driver of his family-owned No. 14T said. “Winning there would be more satisfying for me, and I’d like to do it and hopefully win the championship for the swing.”
Talbot has lofty hopes for his 2024 season as a whole with his small team.
“We’re definitely running Fonda and Utica again,” he stated. “I’d like to run both the North and South Region with the STSS also.”
“We only have one car and that’s a lot of races for one frame,” he reasoned. “We’ll see though, as the season goes on maybe we can find a way.”
Online registration for the STSS Modifieds and STSS Crate 602 Sportsman is available online at: https://www.myracepass.com/series/1996/registrations/8770
All-Tech Raceway is located off Interstate 75 at 1024 SW Howell Rd. Lake City, FL 32024. Learn more at www.alltechraceway.com, call 386.754.RACE (7223) or like All-Tech Raceway on Facebook.
To learn more about the Short Track Super Series Fueled By Sunoco, visit www.shorttracksuperseries.com, e-mail bdmotorsportsmedia@gmail.com, check out ‘Short Track Super Series’ on Facebook or @ShortTrackSS on Twitter or Instagram.
The Short Track Super Series is presented by American Racer/Lias Tire, Sunoco Race Fuel, FloSports, Bob Hilbert Sportswear, NJ Quality Drywall, Capitol Custom Trailers & Coaches, BDR Speed, Bicknell Racing Products, Ollie’s, Penske Racing Shocks, Wegner Automotive, River Valley Builders, Behrent’s Performance Warehouse, DIG Race Products, ATL Fuel Cells, Velocita-USA, Franklin Products, Design for Vision & Sunglass Central, Belmont’s Garage, Madsen Overhead Doors, Prime MAC Tools, F.X. Caprara Car Companies, Dirt Draft, Algonkin Motel, Beyea Custom Headers, Dirt Track Digest, EIBACH, Electric Neon Custom Signs, Fastline Performance, Flach Performance Products, Henry’s Exhaust, Hig Fab, Schultz Racing Fuel Cells, Spyder Filters, Superior Remodeling, Teo-Pro Car, VAHLCO & Wilwood.
2024 ‘Sunshine Swing’ Schedule of Events: All-Tech Raceway/Lake City, Fla.
Tuesday, February 6 – Open Practice
Wednesday, February 7 – STSS Modifieds 30 laps, $5,000 to win & STSS Crate 602 Sportsman 25 laps, $1,500 to win
Thursday, February 8 – STSS Modifieds 35 laps, $6,000 to win & STSS Crate 602 Sportsman 25 laps, $1,500 to win
Friday, February 9 – STSS Modifieds 40 laps, $8,000 to win & STSS Crate 602 Sportsman 30 laps, $2,000 to win
Saturday, February 10 – STSS Modifieds 50 laps, $10,000 to win & STSS Crate 602 Sportsman 30 laps, $2,500 to win
