Ahead of Daytona race, Connor Mosack warms up in World Series of Asphalt at New Smyrna

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — Before Connor Mosack strapped into his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota for Saturday’s ARCA Menards Series Daytona 200, he took a detour to compete in the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing down the road at New Smyrna Speedway.

The Toyota development driver teamed with Jamie Yelton’s Fat Head Racing to run in the World Series of Asphalt’s super late model division to gain some crucial track time before embarking on a busy 2023 season across ARCA and the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Mosack said the grueling nature of the World Series of Asphalt’s schedule has allowed him to find a rhythm in a super late model, which he said is imperative against the discipline’s top drivers like Bubba Pollard, Stephen Nasse and Casey Roderick.

“I ran a few super [late model] races last year, but they were so far apart,” Mosack said. “One great thing about [the World Series of Asphalt] is you get to run so many races back-to-back, which helps you get the feel of the car. I can’t get up to speed hopping in these things once or twice, so being able to run so many in a row is really going to help me with these cars.”

Mosack has competed in the World Series of Asphalt twice prior to 2023. He finished second in the pro late model point standings during his first attempt in 2020 before moving up to super late models the following year, when he earned a sixth-place points finish.

Since his most recent World Series of Asphalt try, Mosack has only made a handful of appearances in super late model competition, as he finds himself much busier these days when it comes to balancing commitments in NASCAR, ARCA and the Trans Am Championship.

Despite this, Mosack stressed the importance of super late models when it comes to driver development. He said the competitive depth prevalent in those races, combined with the overall setup, will push any upcoming prospect to their limits.

Competing in Super Late Models has enabled Connor Mosack to improve his race craft in both ARCA and NASCAR. (Photo: Timothy T. Ludwig/ARCA Racing)

“[Super Late Models] are specialized cars for short tracks,” Mosack said. “They weigh lighter and have a higher horsepower ratio, so these things are really fast. With the bias-ply tires, you can drive these cars with a little more wheelspin, and that’s something I had to get used to. The racing is just as tough [compared to ARCA and Xfinity].”

Mosack added there are plenty of aspects from super late models he can carry over into other divisions.

Longer races on abrasive tracks like New Smyrna put more emphasis on tire conservation, which requires more patience out of a driver to move up through the field. Mosack added that the difficulty of passing at New Smyrna has taught him how to properly set up an overtake across the different disciplines he competes in.

Mosack used his experience at New Smyrna to put together a solid World Series of Asphalt campaign. In five starts, Mosack never finished outside the top 10 once, with his best finish of the week being a fourth in the Clyde Hart Memorial 100 on Tuesday.

Although Mosack came up short of a victory in the World Series of Asphalt, he came away with a sense of pride knowing Yelton provided him a fast car each night. He still hopes to one day earn a victory in a super late model.

“Winning a race in anything is obviously a confidence booster, but going into any series knowing you can win anything certainly helps,” Mosack said. “We’ve been close a lot of times in these things, especially with the [pro late models]. I know we can do it, we just have to put it all together.”

The World Series of Asphalt is currently Mosack’s only planned super late model appearance on the 2023 season. He is now turning his attention back toward ARCA, where he looks to park his No. 18 Mobil 1 Toyota in Victory Lane on Saturday afternoon.

Mosack said the environment at New Smyrna for the World Series of Asphalt prepared him physically and mentally for the weeks ahead, which is one reason why he plans to keep participating in the prestigious event if there is a ride available for him.

“Being able to run against someone like William [Byron] and guys like Bubba and Nasse who run these things all the time is really cool,” Mosack said. “This is the toughest competition across anything that I’ve run, and I feel like racing against these guys makes me better, especially with how tough these cars are to drive.”

While scheduling conflicts will likely prevent Mosack from going for a World Series of Asphalt title, he would love to one day join an elite list of drivers that have conquered New Smyrna at least once during the intense, week-long affair.