Column By: BILLY HODGES / RPW – CAMBRIDGE, NY – During 2022, in his rookie season in the Limited Sportsman division, Alex Palmer-Sawyer definitely had a year full of ups and downs.
Palmer and his small team, led by his father, Bernie, ended the 2022 season with two victories. One came at Albany-Saratoga Speedway on August 19th with the other coming at Lebanon Valley Speedway the following weekend.
By the time the season was complete, Sawyer had finished 22nd in the final standings at the Malta, NY oval while placing eighth on the Valley’s high banks.
“We would have loved to finish higher in points on Friday nights,” Sawyer said. “However, we started five weeks into the season. We did make some good gains, though.”
The 33-year-old from Cambridge, NY will be heading into his second season of competition this coming season with a schedule that rivals his freshman campaign.
“We’re going to race Friday night’s again at Malta and Saturday’s at the Valley,” he said. “Our plan is to improve and get better. We’d also like to hit up some bigger shows if the funds are there.”
While that’s the team’s plan, the goal for the 2023 season is simple.
“We want to keep the car out of trouble, keep it in one piece and get the best finishes possible,” he said. “We’d love to get a track championship, and we’re gonna work very hard to get it, but we need to take things one race at a time.”
Racing’s been in the family bloodline for a very long time. Sawyer’s grandfather, Corky, raced for many years as did his father.
There isn’t much of an off-season for the 61 APS Racing Team. While rebuilding their race car, working hard in the garage, the driver keeps his abilities sharp by honing his skills on iRacing with the Proctor’s as well as Modified racer Jeremy Pitts.