Hebner tests NASCAR Late Model

Although his experience and passion have been in road racing, Fallbrook resident Grant Hebner relished a recent opportunity to travel to Florida and test a Late Model Stock Car under the watchful eye of Mike Loescher and his Finishline Racing crew.

Hebner traveled to Edgewater, FL, for the three-day evaluation August 7-9. As the temperatures soared to record highs, Grant took his first laps in a stock car on an oval.

“I definitely have a newfound appreciation for oval racing,” commented Hebner. “It was extremely challenging and a lot of fun.”

The evaluation was held at the New Smyrna Speedway, a half-mile oval located on the east coast of Florida just south of Daytona Beach.

Loescher and the Finishline Racing crew are relied upon by the biggest names in NASCAR to spot and evaluate new talent.

“I wanted a first-class introduction to stock car oval racing and that’s exactly what I got,” said Hebner. “It was a chance for me to see if this was something I might be interested in pursuing and, at the same time, get some brutally honest feedback on my potential. I think it went very well.”

Hebner’s performance in Florida has already paid off in the form of a NASCAR Super Truck test. He drove Tom Cunningham’s Super Truck on September 20 at the Irwindale Speedway located in the Los Angeles area.

“Hopefully we can put a program together for next year racing at Irwindale,” said Hebner. “We are always looking for sponsors who could benefit from a relationship with NASCAR at the regional level.”

Hebner is a nationally renowned kart driver with experience in Formula BMW, Formula Russell Mazdas and Formula TR Renaults. A student at California State University, San Marcos, he is the ProKart Challenge Season Champion for 2007 and the current (and two-time) California State Champion in TAG Karts.