NMRA Coyote Stock Keeps Expanding: Carlos Sobrino Makes The Move!

The last few months have seen the NMRA’s Coyote Stock class simply exploding with news of competitors, new and old alike, making the switch over to the series’ spec-engine eliminator. Just this morning we got news of current (and two-time) NMRA Factory Stock Champion Carlos Sobrino pulling the trigger on a Coyote Stock setup to be ready for the 2014 season-opening race in Florida. Sobrino is an old hand in the Factory Stock class, having competed in the limited-engine class for over a decade, so to see him make the switch is somewhat surprising.

But after realizing that his Factory Stock engine was wounded, and his 2013 season was over, the decision to make the switch for 2014 was simple. “On Friday I pulled the engine out and was thinking about what I should do, and decided to just pull the trigger,” he said. “I hurt the engine in Bradenton earlier this year, and even though it’s still the second-quickest engine there, I don’t like going to a race knowing I’m the second-fastest guy. So I decided that since it has to be rebuilt anyway, I’ll take a year off, have Chris Smith rebuild the Factory Stock engine with no pressure, and go Coyote Stock racing next year.”

The motivation to try out the hotly-contested Coyote Stock class runs deeper than just a simple engine rebuild, though. “I really want to run a slick. And Coyote Stock seems to be full of…something, just not racers,” he laughed, in a side poke at the current competitors. 

The longtime NMRA competitor is not shy about competition, and knows that he’ll have his hands full in a class where the elapsed times are dropping quickly as racers figure out how to best utilize the crate-engine horsepower. All of his current sponsors are onboard with the switch, and he’s looking forward to getting back on the track.

“I won’t be ready for Bowling Green, but I fully expect to be out testing before this season is out, and we’ll be ready for Florida. It’s just the way to go. This seems to be the class to be in right now. This decision happened between Saturday afternoon and this morning, and I’ve already ordered the engine, K-member, headers, clutch and flywheel. I sat up all night last night looking up parts. All of my sponsors are very supportive, and I’m really excited to get out there,” he says.