Speed on Dirt: Behind the wheel with James Rollins

BUILT FOR SPEED — James Rollins pauses for a photo with his modified stock car ahead of a trip to Iowa for a national event. | arkadelphian.com photo by Joel Phelps

By JOEL PHELPS | arkadelphian.com

Driving at dangerous speeds on a dirt path is a crazy notion to most people, but to Arkadelphia mechanic James Rollins it’s a walk in the park.

For the past quarter century, Rollins has been heavily involved in dirt track racing, entering an average of about 50 races per year from March through November. He makes time for his scaled-down modified stock car and the dirt track when he’s not busy running his Pine Street garage, ATO Automotive.

This Labor Day weekend, Sept. 5-6, Rollins will be competing against more than 70 other racers at the International Motor Contest Association’s Super Nationals event in Boone, Iowa.

If he’s among the Top 30 contestants he qualifies for the highlight race, dubbed “The Dance,” on Sunday evening. Of his three appearances at the IMCA nationals, Rollins has qualified for The Dance once. 

Like father, like son

A father of two boys, James said his older son Grant followed his footsteps at the young age of 13. The father/son duo, each with their own identical stock car, often race together.

Just last year Grant, who was a senior at Arkadelphia High School, made it to the Top 10 bracket, qualifying him for The Dance, on the first night of nationals. Now a freshman student-athlete at Arkansas Tech University, Grant’s studies will keep him at the Russellville campus rather than behind the wheel of a race car.

The car

Rollins’s racer is a 1/3-scaled down modified stock car. It’s powered by a 1,000cc motorcycle engine, its exterior a lightweight sheet metal. The caged interior is no place for anyone who suffers claustrophobia. To enter, the driver must first remove the steering wheel and clamber through a square cut into the roof, then replace the steering wheel once seated.

Fast & Furious

Rollins, who’s been active in dirt track racing since 2000, mostly competes at Murfreesboro’s Diamond Park Speedway.

Rollins said he has been clocked at DPS at 93 mph.

The 3/8-mile round track has seen its share of smashups over the years. One of Rollins’s two career crashes happened there and was captured on video in 2021. Another crash was even scarier, as the vehicle rolled front-over-back, the impact of each landing leaving Rollins jarred, but OK.

Racing is a hobby that keeps Rollins rolling. “Since I was 18 all my hobbies have revolved around turning a wrench,” he said.

At 51, Rollins has no immediate plans to call it quits on the race track. “I’m going to continue doing this for as long as my body allows it,” he said.

Watch the race

The 44th annual event will be streamed online at imca.tv. Fees apply. CLICK HERE to find an event.