We had the opportunity to ask Shawn a few questions about his participation in the Thunder Road International SpeedBowl. Shawn will be driving a Toyota Camry that will be emblazoned with the 802 Toyota logo, company colors as well as several additions from Shawn. He is the No. 2 most-winning driver of the Tiger Sportsman Division in the history of Thunder Road!
Q: How did you get into racing?
A: I got into racing because I grew up around it; my uncle Ron Bettis raced when I was growing up.
Q: How long have you been competing?
A: I have been competing for 17 years.
Q: How does it feel to be listed as second on the all-time win list?
A: It is exciting to think that with five more wins I could break the record.
Q: Why do you think you’ve been so successful?
A: I have been successful because of a lot of hard work and help from my crew and family.
Q: Why #31?
A: I have been several numbers over the years. I picked #31 because Dale Earnhardt Sr. was my favorite driver and I wanted something similar to his #3.
Q: What are you doing to prepare for the events?
A: My crew and I are preparing the car by going through every nut and bolt from front to back.
Q: What are your other hobbies, other than racing?
A: I like to go camping with my family, as well as watching my son play sports.
Q: Thunder Road has a pretty huge fan base, how does it feel having so many fans for an event you participate in?
A: It is great to have all the fans. If we didn’t have the fan base we have that support us and the track there would be no racing.
Q: What’s your favorite car?
A: My favorite car is a ’73 split bumper Camaro (if you are talking about street car), but if you are talking race car, my favorite is the one that wins me the race!
Even though you can’t buy Shawn’s Camry, we do have quite a bit of “civilian” Camrys in stock now. Check out our new Toyota Camry inventory here! Stay tuned for regular updates on Shawn’s progress in building his race-ready Toyota Camry!