In the Spotlight – Lloyd Anderson, Jr.
“It’s amazing what a challenge can bring you to.” Those are the words that the 2012 Xtra Mart Limited Sportsman Rookie of the Year uses to describe how he became a race driver. Lloyd Anderson, Jr. speaks easily and openly about his start in racing for his father who has been a long-time car owner. “My dad owned a Mini Stock and had quite a few very good drivers over the years. Drivers like Brad Caddick, Tim Taylor, Nate Taylor and Dwayne Dorr drove for my dad,” he said. “One night we were talking and I told him I’d be a good driver for his car. We had quite a discussion and, before I knew it, my dad accepted my challenge. I told him, we are going to build a car and show you. That was in 2008 and I remember going to the track late in the season and being very excited and nervous thinking about actually being out there the next year,” said the Wauregan, CT native. Until that point, Anderson, Jr. had worked in his dad’s shop and had helped out at the race track in various capacities.
To this day, Anderson admits to being a bundle of nerves starting the night before a race. “I am even nervous just sitting on the backstretch thinking about a thousand things that can go wrong and another thousand things that can go right. I try to sit quietly and think of what I have to do to win this race. My comfort level sets in when we start to move on the track and then everything goes away and I get my mind set right,” he admits.
When asked about his first year as a driver, Anderson says,” I really don’t remember that much about my first year. My rookie season was kind of out there. It was when I got my first win when I began to take it real serious.” That first win came in his sophomore year. In 2010, Anderson was unable to start the Mini Stock feature on Icebreaker weekend, but when he returned for the next race on May 20th, his fortunes had turned and he celebrated his first visit to victory lane. He repeated his winning ways on September 2nd and ended the season in 6th place in the final point standings with eleven top 10s, six top 5s and two wins. 2011 started out with a 2nd place finish. However, by season’s end, the team had not experienced the same success it had a year earlier. But, the decision was made to move to the Xtra Mart Limited Sportsman division in 2012.
Anderson, who drives the number 23, has varied interests outside of racing. “I play basketball, ride dirt bikes and 4 wheelers with my friends and I love fishing. I enjoy fresh water fishing and really love bass fishing,” says the 25 year old bachelor. Those activities, however, took a back seat in 2012 as the Anderson team entered a new era with the Limited Sportsman car. It wasn’t until the fourth outing that a top 10 finish was achieved. But, from that point on, the rookie team was on a roll. They ended the season in seventh place in the final point standings with nine top 10s and four top 5s and an Xtra Mart Limited Sportsman Rookie of the Year award in hand.
“My dad has had a bunch of drivers, but no championships yet. That’s what we are working on. All we need is to get everything to go right for us. We need a break in our luck this year. A championship probably won’t happen this year but a year ago we were, at one point, 26th in the standings and ended up finishing 7th. So, who knows? Bill Brockett, whom I think is one of the best in the business, sets up the car and we can run with the top guys. We want a championship at Thompson and we’d like to get to run more than one track and possibly run for a national championship,” he said. When asked about where he would like to be five years from now, Anderson said he’d love to be in a Late Model if possible, but probably would still be in a Limited Sportsman.
He speaks with great respect of drivers like Larry Barnett and Scott Sundeen. “I look at them as drivers that I can learn from. I try to run with Larry or Scott in practice.” He admits to being a bit intimidated by them at first, but now thinks of them as fellow competitors. “They have always treated me with respect and I have nothing but respect for them,” he stated.
Anderson gets very serious when he says that he probably would not be racing if it were not for his sponsors. “Our sponsors have given us everything we needed to race this year. Engines by Andy builds some serious horsepower and he is a great guy. Garage Door Solutions, Dragon’s Ink Tattoo, Busch Auto and Marine, Kenny Plantier, Sr. from Life is Good and JSB Motorsports have helped so much. Brandon Fisher of LCF Building Maintenance has helped us in so many ways with anything we need. Without the support of our sponsors, we would probably not be able to race,” he said emphatically.
When asked about his Rookie of the Year award, he said, “As rookies we may not be as good as Keith Rocco or Larry Barnett, but we are the Keith’s and Larry’s of tomorrow. The more you are there the more experience you have and the better you get,” he concluded.
Lloyd Anderson is proud of his 2012 Rookie of the Year title in the Xtra Mart Limited Sportsman division. He takes pride in his team’s accomplishments and is especially glad that he accepted his dad’s challenge. Lloyd Anderson, Jr. has proven to himself and everyone else that he really can drive a race car.
Sources: Thompson International Speedway PR