Although he was on the preliminary entry list, Sigma Performance Services owner and driver Joe Farré elected to give up his No. 24 seat to Sean Hingorani for Saturday’s MMI Oil Workers 150 at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway.
The reason behind this decision stemmed to what Farré was already doing on the other side of the United States.
Farré has been assisting with cleanup efforts pertaining to the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, which collapsed early in the morning on Mar. 26 when the container ship MV Dali collided with one of its piers after losing power.
When Farré first saw the news of the Francis Scott Key Bridge’s collapse, he knew his company, Sigma Engineering Solutions, would be more than ready to help Baltimore take a first step back towards a sense of normalcy following the tragedy.
“We specialize in demolition engineering,” Farré said. “We have expertise in response to failed or damaged structures, so as crazy as it sounds, this is part of our regular practice.”
Based out of Las Vegas, Nevada, Sigma practices numerous different services around the country such as bridge design, land development, transportation planning and engineered demolition, the latter of which has become a heavy focus for the company over the past 15 years.
Farré himself brings more than three decades of experience to the field and enjoys giving back through his position. With how rigorous demolition projects can be even for seasoned engineers, Farré stressed the importance of utilizing the collective experience at Sigma to execute a safe and efficient service.
Throughout his career, Farré has rarely encountered a project as massive as the Francis Scott Key Bridge cleanup. He said coordination is key with so many different agencies involved, but added Sigma’s knowledge with technical abilities and how to operate in emergency situations have made them a crucial component of the Incident Command System.
Everything has proceeded accordingly with the cleanup since Farré first arrived in Maryland, which he attributes to the sense of community shared by all parties towards achieving their shared goal.
“From what we’ve seen, the cleanup has been amazing,” Farré said. “It’s humbling when you see what America can do when it puts its mind to it. The agencies, the organizations and everybody working together is helping make incredible progress out there in the channel. It’s very impressive to see.”
The sudden obligation to help the city of Baltimore during a time of need comes during a period of growth for Farré’s burgeoning ARCA Menards Series West program.
Having been actively involved in motorsports since the early 2000s with experience on both dirt and pavement, Farré saw the ARCA platform as the next logical step forward in his career. He started SPS midway through the 2023 West Series season by bringing in T.J. Clark as a business partner with technical support from GMS Racing.
Since their first race at All American Speedway last September, SPS has used the No. 23 font once carried by T.J.’s son Spencer Clark, a promising West Series competitor who passed away in a highway accident back in 2006 at just 19 years old.
Farré is proud to continue the tradition of honoring Spencer that was started by GMS when they first entered the sport in 2011. One part of that process will involve fostering the brightest young stars just like GMS did up until their closure at the end of 2023.
“It’s an honor [to carry on Spencer’s legacy] and that’s such a big part of the team,” Farré said. “What Spencer did for racing and T.J.’s commitment to the continuation of developing young drivers in this sport means a lot. We’re honored GMS allowed us to use the number as well, so everyone is doing this for the right reasons.”
Starting a team halfway through the season carried plenty of challenges for Farré, but he was satisfied with the progress made. Bradley Erickson made four starts in Farré’s No. 23 to wrap up 2023, managing to pick up his third Top 5 finish of the season at Madera Speedway with a fourth-place run.
The gradual improvement Erickson showed in the back half of 2023 gave Farré confidence in the trajectory of his West Series program. He intends to have SPS build a strong, winning foundation in the West Series before moving up through the ARCA platform and into NASCAR when he feels the time is right.
Enlisting the help of ARCA champions like Hingorani, Grant Enfinger and Mason Mitchell has only served to expedite the development of SPS. Without that veteran knowledge to lean on, Farré said runs like Erickson’s or Enfinger’s third in this year’s West Series opener at Phoenix Raceway would not have been feasible this early in SPS’ life.
“If you look at what [SPS] has done, we’ve brought in a lot of experienced people,” Farré said. “That includes the support from GMS and the folks back east really helping us out. You couple that with my experience and T.J.’s, everything about this team involves surrounding ourselves with quality people and equipment.
“The future results will have to speak for themselves, but we’re doing everything we can to try and affect our future in a positive manner.”
Surrounding himself with intelligent, capable people is a mindset that has followed Farré in every aspect of life, which is why he was confident Sigma could be a vital part of cleaning up the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Although he never wants to see disasters unfold like the bridge collapse, Farré said that a frequent silver lining is witnessing people from diverse backgrounds come together to achieve a common goal and return stronger, something he knows will happen in Baltimore once the cleanup is complete.
Farré plans to have Sigma ready for the company’s next major project, all while continuing to make the right moves with SPS to ensure his team can one day contend for a championship in the West Series.
“By being able to work on these amazing projects, it allows folks like us to do amazing things in racing,” Farré said. “Sometimes it’s hard to remember it takes a lot to support these teams and what they are doing, but these activities build solid teams. It’s a testament to these people and everything it takes to be successful in NASCAR.
“We’re very proud to help the U.S. and in Baltimore in particular, so hopefully we can continue in the future.”
Depending on how long the cleanup in Baltimore takes, Farré has no idea when he will be back behind the wheel in the West Series. He plans to keep the No. 24 on the grid with a handful of special guests alongside SPS’ full-time No. 23 Chevrolet.
The past few weeks have not been easy for Farré, but they have provided him a reinforced perspective on how resilience and teamwork are essential to overcoming adversity and obtaining long-term success.
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