The Racing Report is a five-part photo essay shot at short tracks in Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania that will run in Farm and Dairy through the summer. Each month we will feature a different driver from around the region. For the first installment, photojournalist Matthew Chasney went to Fremont Speedway, in Sandusky County, Ohio, on April 26 to follow sprint car racer Cody Bova.
“What’s the one thing I know now that I wish I knew when I started racing? That’s a good question,” Cody Bova repeats my question slowly and considers it while he rummages around the loft of his hauler looking for visor tear-offs. A prolonged silence descends until he climbs down the ladder and says “Patience.”
Bova, 31, is a seven-year veteran 410 sprint car racer from Struthers, Ohio. He got his first taste of racing at the age of 8, when his parents Joe and Sherri got him involved in karting. Soon enough he worked his way up through mini wedges and 305 sprint cars. He made the jump to 410 sprints in 2019 and has notched four feature wins along the way. Much of his success is thanks to the people around him — Bova Racing is a family affair, father Joe owns the team. His father-in-law, Scott Priester, serves as his crew chief and engine builder. His wife Kirstie runs Bova Racing’s social media, and the crew is made up of long-time family friends.
Early in his career Bova’s aggressive style would undermine him — he would force passes too early and it would lead to costly mistakes. He’s learned the value of patience since then. On this chilly, late April evening in the heat race for the All Star Circuit of Champions event at Fremont Speedway, his patience paid off. Despite having a faster car than race leader Adam Kekich, he didn’t immediately go for the lead. Instead, he bided his time and waited for his opponent to slip up. Then, he pounced to take first place.
During the 35-lap feature race, Bova romped to an early lead, but he slipped back to fourth on a restart. “We were too good too early,” he recalls. Cap Henry, Khalib Henry and Kasey Jedrzejek battled for the lead while Bova kept the pressure on and waited for his opportunity. Jedrzejek would wreck while Cap and Khalib traded blows until the end with Khalib coming out victorious. Bova and the team finished a season’s-best fourth place, Spirits were high as they loaded the hauler and headed down the turnpike. Steadfast in his patient, disciplined approach on the track, Bova has his eye on championship points at the end of the season. “Sometimes it’s about the big picture and not the moment.”
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