James McFadden is used to the limelight but eyes from across the world will be watching his quest for a third Flying Horse Bar and Brewery Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic victory at Premier Speedway.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
McFadden's Hodges Motorsport car will be powered with a Toyota engine - a rare beast in Australian sprintcar racing which Chevrolet has dominated for decades. Ford and Mopar have also tasted success but McFadden is hoping to give the Japanese manufacturer its first victory on Australian soil.
He is also looking to join an elite club of drivers with three or more wins in the famous race - Brooke Tatnell, Kerry Madsen, Max Dumesny, Danny Smith and Garry Rush.
The Hodges Motorsport driver, fresh from a career-best campaign in America's World of Outlaws series, is at the forefront of Toyota's move into sprintcars and has two engines with him from the United States.
McFadden, using the Toyota Racing Development (TRD) engine in 2023 racing for Roth Motorsports in the WoO, won six races and finished 10th overall.
"Toyota's come onboard, TRD USA, they sponsor our program in America and we're lucky enough to bring two home and so far so good, they've performed really well over here," he told The Standard.
"We've had two or three quick times so the engine's definitely doing its job. Now it's up to the team and the driver to do theirs but for sure happy to have them on board, they've been really good to us so far and hopefully we can get them their first win in Australia and hopefully it could be the classic."
McFadden doesn't shy away from the fact the classic holds a special place in his heart.
"This is my favourite time of the year of any races for the whole year whether it's America or Australia, this is my favourite few days," he said.
"Great car counts, great fan interaction, great fans at the track and for us the biggest race, the race that I grew up watching and wanting to be a part of."
McFadden finished fifth in the 2023 classic, driving for Hodges Motorsport in its maiden appearance at the event.
The high-profile team is the brainchild of former Warrnambool man Tim Hodges and again has IndyCar racer Scott McLaughlin, three-time AFL premiership player Jack Riewoldt and sports broadcaster Gerard Whateley involved behind the scenes.
McFadden said spirits were high ahead of the team's second assault on the classic which runs from January 19 to 21.
"We haven't had the results that I think shows our speed so I think we're a bit of a dark horse coming in which is good," he said.
"There's been some guys in some really good form and I feel like we've been as fast as them so happy to come into it with a bit of confidence, the car feels good, the team's doing a good job so let's get the party started."
McFadden is also eyeing success at the Australian Sprintcar Championships which will be held at Premier Speedway from January 26-27.
He won the event in 2010 and 2013 and is competing for the first time since 2019.
Matt Hughes
Matt is a sports journalist at The Standard.
Matt is a sports journalist at The Standard.
