CONCORD, NC (Feb. 29, 2024) – Trevor Cline’s roots will grow beyond Millbridge Speedway in 2024 as the Micro Sprint champion is set to join the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota full-time.
The 16-year-old, from Mooresville, NC, will trade in his Micro experience and take the family-owned Bellwood Auto Body, Spike/Stanton #55 on the road with the Xtreme Outlaw Series in his first venture on a national Midget tour.
“We’ve learned a lot through Millbridge and racing with all the guys; a lot of the national Midget guys run there all time,” Cline said. “I’ve already been able to race a bunch of them, and I know what to expect going into the year.”
Cline, along with his father and brother, make up one of the few teams coming from the East Coast to race at the national level this year, which was a big factor in their decision to chase the Xtreme Outlaw Series schedule.
“I feel like that the best option was to go with the Xtreme [Outlaw Series], just for how many races they run, all the two-day shows, and it makes it worth our time with how far we’ve got to drive,” Cline said.
He’s raced at Millbridge, in Salisbury, NC – where the Series ran its inaugural event in 2022 – for eight seasons, competing in several of the track’s weekly divisions before his climb to the top of the 600cc Non-Wing Micro Sprint ranks.
Cline logged one of the best seasons of his career at Millbridge in 2023, collecting two wins and the most top-fives and top-10 finishes of any driver en route to his second Millbridge Micro Sprint championship. He’ll take that accolade with him when the Series visits the track for the third annual DIAEDGE Double Down Showdown – Tuesday-Wednesday, May 21-22 – aiming for his first career Midget win.
“Millbridge is pretty early on in the season; I think that’ll be our best shot,” Cline said. “I’ve got more laps there than probably anybody there in a Micro. I’ve ran almost all the Midget races we’ve ran there.”
Cline made his Midget debut with the Xtreme Outlaw Series last year inside the Southern Illinois Center, counting for two of his 11 total starts with the Series. His best finish was an eighth-place run on two occasions – first at Paragon Speedway in Indiana and again two weeks later at Highland Speedway in Illinois. He’s got higher goals for his second season in the Midget but is keeping it realistic for his first year on a national tour.
“Obviously, everybody wants to get out there and win, but [it’s] our first year, and I don’t have many races in a Midget,” Cline said. “I think we’ll be pretty good just with all my experience coming up from the Micro ranks. I don’t think we’re gonna go out there and win a national championship, but I think we can compete for wins, [good finishes], and hopefully be pretty good.”
Cline begins his first venture on the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota with the season opener – March 15-16 at the Southern Illinois Center in Du Quoin, IL. Tickets for both days will be available at the gate. If you can’t make it to the track, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.
Photo credit – Jacy Norgaard
The Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series is brought to fans by important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Toyota (Title sponsor of the Midgets Series), Racing Electronics (Official Radio Supplier) and SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider). Other partners include: TJ Forged and Whitz Racing Products.
Author
Discover more from The Racing Times Magazine
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
