By ohnson 
Racing has always centered around one definitive commodity: enhancing your position. Whether it’s on the speedway or working on your program off it, the paramount goal is to consistently forge ahead in one way or another. And nobody comprehends these ideals better than Josh Flint, a native of Cherry Valley, New York.
For over 14 years, the driver of the No. 41J endeavored to follow in his father’s footsteps. Initially, Flint honed his skills in the open-wheeled sportsman division at the Utica-Rome Speedway in Vernon, New York, and subsequently transitioned to the earth-shattering modified division at the Fonda Speedway in Fonda, New York. However, despite his strenuous efforts, the outcomes often left much to be desired.
It wasn’t until the 2015 season that Flint ultimately found his niche, a place where he felt an authentic sense of belonging – behind the wheel of a winged sprint car. “I’ve always yearned to race for as long as my memory serves,” Flint said. “But the truth is, even when we were running modifieds, my heart was always set on being in a sprint car. That’s where my true passion lay.”
After selling off all his modified endeavors in 2014, Flint’s dreams materialized when he reached victory lane at the Albany-Saratoga Speedway in Malta, New York, midway through his rookie season with the CRSA (Capital Region Sprint Association) tour the following year. Finally, instead of taking one step forward and two steps backward, success gradually became the norm.
The 2016 season brought a blend of both success and hardship, almost in equal measure. “Last year was arduous,” commented Flint. “After purchasing out the team I ran with Mike VanDusen the season before, knowing that I was running independently again, we were well aware from the outset that the year would be challenging not only from the racing perspective but also financially.”
The Flint Motorsports team literally had to start anew, purchasing everything from a new truck and trailer to spare parts, engines, and a chassis. “There was so much more to achieve behind the scenes that people are oblivious to,” He continued. “The support equipment you require accumulates rapidly. The year before, all I needed were sponsors, a fire suit, and a helmet; now I had to build the entire team from the ground up.”
With all the elements of the puzzle aligning, Flint entered the season-opening round of the CRSA tour at the Fonda Speedway with immense optimism; unfortunately, he left with only a steering wheel. “We knew that running our own operation meant we had to be prudent with our funds,” Flint remarked. “Regrettably, I was vying for fifth on the opening night, jumped a right rear, and completely wrecked our first car.”
Not to be disheartened, Flint promptly resumed his efforts. “Never in my life have I ever had a backup car,” He explained. “This year we actually did, so we assembled it and resumed. In previous years, such an incident on the opening night would have brought our season to an end; not this time.”
Jumping right back in with full enthusiasm, the second-year sprint car competitor picked up where he left off the following week with a robust top-five finish at the Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, New York, boosting his confidence that he and his team could confront adversity head-on and continue without missing a race. However, just when circumstances seemed to be improving, the unexpected occurred.
“Three races later with the new car, we won our heat race effortlessly,” Flint stated. “But we ended up with an unfavorable draw and started deep within the pack for the main event. When the green flag was waved, someone attempted to win it all on the first lap, and we ended up crashing that car into the wall and causing significant damage.”
After a front clip replacement and a considerable amount of work, like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, Flint was back to test his luck once again. “When we retrieved our Panther [chassis], the expected results returned as well,” He explained. “Then we began to find our rhythm and consistently achieved some top-five finishes until we finally claimed a victory at the end of the year at Penn-Can [Speedway in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania].
After emerging victorious in both of his seasons with the CRSA, proving to himself and his sponsors that his first-year success was no fluke by any means, Flint noticed new opportunities presenting themselves and realized there was no better time than the present to capitalize on a favorable situation.
“Last year, I was fortunate enough to run a 360 a few times,” Flint said. “I had a good friend who lent us an engine and although we missed qualifying for the Cole Cup at Utica-Rome, we performed exceptionally well and proved that we belonged there. That’s when the wheels started turning, suggesting that perhaps we could move up a division and be competitive.”
His instincts proved accurate towards the end of the year when the Patriot Sprint Tour made a stop at his former stomping grounds, the Fonda Speedway. “We made a powerful statement in the heat race that night,” remarked Flint. “We started sixth and were contending for second after the first lap. Then we had an outstanding run in the main event until I made a rookie error, but at least we were competitive; they undoubtedly knew we were present.”
The experience gained behind the wheel of a 360 sprint car demonstrated that now was the opportune time to make a move and for 2017, the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints was the most logical choice to pursue.
“The ESS features the best 360 drivers in the northeast,” Flint stated. “When they [ESS] arrive at a track, it’s a full house. They put on the most spectacular show in the area and there are numerous individuals that I’ve admired over the years competing in that series and I aspire to be a part of it. It’s a natural advancement for a race car driver to want to test themselves and race against the best; these are the ones.”
It’s not merely the exposure for himself that made the decision to compete with the ESS an effortless one for Flint; it was also the exposure for his sponsors. “The series not only welcomed me with open arms,” Flint said. “They did the same for my sponsors and everyone involved. When you have Mike Mallett [ESS announcer] promoting your sponsors on the mic, even when you’re just one of the smaller teams, it’s tremendous because we all know that in this sport, you need marketing partners and they deserve recognition.”
Flint comprehends the undertaking he’s about to embark on more profoundly than most. To suggest that there was a rather steep learning curve when transitioning from running a modified to a sprint car after many years is an understatement. Now, with the increase in horsepower, there’s an entirely new set of challenges to overcome.
“Making the leap from a 305 to a 360 is a substantial jump,” Flint continued. “We’re going from approximately 500 horsepower to nearly 700 horsepower, and the 360 sprint car is 50 pounds lighter. Then again, after driving the modified for all those years, I’m accustomed to having a certain amount of power. I have the mindset that I can’t mess this up; I have to showcase what I’m capable of and the opportunity to move up was simply too good to pass up.”
Racing is a peculiar and unpredictable business. You never know who you’ll be collaborating with, either for the first time or, in the case of Josh Flint, for the second time. Simply put, the circumstances leading up to the 2017 season were propelled forward thanks to a motor deal with someone very close to the aspiring sprint car racer, Mark Flach.
After spending numerous hours working with Flach in previous years, Flint’s racing career has come full circle. “We were able to secure a partnership with Mark [Flach of Flach Performance Products],” said Flint. “He facilitated us in obtaining our own engine, so we wouldn’t have to worry about borrowing one and now we can truly solidify our plans for the upcoming year. Now we can assert that we are definitely going to participate in approximately 75% of the ESS schedule, whereas before, it was rather uncertain.”
There’s a lot to be said for securing sponsorship deals in the world of motorsports; there’s something entirely distinct to be said for maintaining the same sponsors season after season. The latter is something that the Flint Motorsports team has managed to achieve as they embark on their rookie year with the Lucas Oil ESS.
“We have been incredibly fortunate to maintain excellent relationships with outstanding sponsors,” Flint acknowledged. “We have Hannay Reels returning for the sixth year; we also negotiated a deal with Flach Performance Products for this year and hopefully many more to come. We have Surface Science and a few others that have recently signed on but we can’t disclose yet. Without all of them, we wouldn’t be where we are heading into the season.”
Even though he’s moving on from where he began just two short seasons ago, Flint will still offer support to the CRSA in 2017. “If there’s a 305 race close to home, we’ll go and support the CRSA,” Flint concluded. “They’re an outstanding club and a great group of people to race with, but it’s undoubtedly better for us to keep moving forward; keep advancing. We just aim to be a significant threat this year and learn as much as possible. I believe we’re prepared.”