Everyone remembers their time in school and the things they learned along the way. Advancing through the different classes on the weekly short track scene is like gaining a racing education. After finishing 9^th in the final 2016 Battlefield Equipment Rental 4Fun division at Peterborough Speedway, Kent Missons will make the jump to the Jiffy Lube Mini Stock pack to kick-off the new campaign at Canada’s Toughest 3^rd of a Mile Paved Oval.

The 34 year-old, father of 2 from Courtice, Ontario – who works as a mechanical design engineer technologist – got his first taste of the sport in 2006, doing some ice racing in Minden. A year later, he was introduced to short track action by helping his friend Brandon Crumbie in the pits at Barrie Speedway whenever he could. Missons says he got to practice the car on a few occasions and from there, he was hooked.

“I bought a used Mini Stock, but only ran it for a few events before I sold it to buy my house,” Kent Missons said. “I built some low-budget derby cars over the next few years because I couldn’t afford to race. Once my daughter and son were older, my wife Katie and I took them to Peterborough Speedway and they loved it. Eventually, I decided to build the 4Fun car I ran last year. Like so many people before me, I went from the grandstand to behind the wheel.”

After wrapping-up his first full season as a regular in the track’s entry-level division, Missons looked back on his accomplishments with pride. He’d managed a number of qualifying heat race victories and several top 10 main event finishes. The driver – who selected #10 for his race car because it was the number he used in sports, including as a young hockey player – started to think about the 2017 season.

“The original plan was to spend another year running in the 4Fun division,” said the driver, who lists Bristol Motor Speedway as his favourite track on the NASCAR circuit. “That idea changed when the chance to make a great deal on a Mini Stock came around. It was all put together pretty quickly, so I’ll be running a different car, in a different division, against a new group of competition. Its an exciting time, but also a little nerve wracking.”

In addition to getting the car ready for Peterborough Speedway’s 50^th Anniversary Season, Kent Missons and his team of family, friends and fans will be looking for some sponsorship to help with some of the expenses incurred with weekly racing.

“Up until now, I’ve been doing everything out of my own pocket. It would be nice to have some financial or product help to get the car to the track, but that will come together in time.”