McCray making his move in Lake Erie Speedway Modifieds

Wesley McCray, Lake Erie Speedway driver, 2014ERIE TIMES-NEWS

Wesley McCray was bored with Bandoleros. He needed a new challenge on the asphalt.

His father, Eric, had what his son needed -- a second Modified in the garage -- and the expertise that led him to the 2009 points championship and strong showings in recent years at Lake Erie Speedway. So Wesley McCray made the significant transition from the Greenfield Township track's beginner class to its premier class, and it has been anything but boring.

"Interesting" was the word the younger McCray used, which is an understatement given the ups and downs and the one totaled race car he experienced the past two months. But he has steadily improved along the way, headlined by a ninth-place finish earlier this month in the same feature his father captured his lone win of the season.

"At the start of the season, he was antsy (while) trying to prove himself," Eric McCray, who leads the points standings, said of his son, who ranks second in the Modifieds' rookie of the year chase and 14th overall. "He was wild and not finishing (races), where now he's starting to settle in. He's starting to find a little bit of rhythm and starting to finish some races."

Little in Bandoleros prepared Wesley McCray for the move to Modifieds, a top class in NASCAR's Whelen All-American Series, which has 57 short tracks across North America.

McCray, 14, raced against kids his age the past four seasons. McCray, who earned a learner's permit from LES officials after passing a preseason test session, races against a field of adult drivers despite being more than a year away from earning a NASCAR license for the Modified class. Bandoleros weigh 750 pounds with the driver inside and generate about 30 horsepower. Modifieds weigh 2,600 pounds with the driver and generate 350 horsepower. Bandoleros race on 13-inch tires, 2 inches smaller than Modified tires. Modifieds are twice as wide and nearly twice as long as Bandoleros. Then there's the outside wall McCray never encountered in Bandoleros, since that class runs solely at the bottom of the track.

"It's a pretty big move," Eric McCray said. "It definitely was a big swing."

Still, they agree it was the right move. They briefly considered Legends, since they have one among the seven cars at the family's Corry home that includes three Bandoleros for Wesley's younger brother, Drake, 12.

Eric McCray's familiarity with Modifieds made the decision easier.

"We know the Modifieds," he said. "We do pretty much all the work we can ourselves, where you're limited in the Legends. That's why we went to Modifieds, because that really opens it up to us to do a lot of the work to save money."

Wesley McCray does a lot of work on his car. He installed a new motor, drivetrain, gears and electrical wiring in his current car, and he has been learning the setup.

"It helps you diagnose the problems on the car," Wesley McCray said.

LES competition director A.J. Moore is impressed with how McCray has handled the transition.

"He has held his own and shown determination and dedication," Moore said.

Still, McCray isn't satisfied. He wants to keep learning. He wants to get better.

"(There is) just a lot more stuff you have to worry about," he said of the Modifieds.

VICTOR FERNANDES can be reached at 870-1716 or by e-mail. Follow racing action throughout the season at and on Twitter at