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The driver with starts in both NASCAR and IndyCar has continued to impress in Nitro Rallycross Next. Sage Karam, who drives the No. 24 entry for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, swept the weekend with a dominant performance.
Karam headed to Phoenix fresh off a victory at ERX Motor Park in Minnesota. He had some extra confidence in his abilities after rebounding from a spin on the opening lap that dropped him to last in the field to capture the checkered flag. Karam then used this confidence and paired it with a strong prelim performance to win the final on Saturday, November 13. He then repeated on Sunday, November 14.
The win on Sunday, in particular, was a dominant performance by Karam. He started on the pole after winning his heat race, and he never gave up the spot. He led the field for all six laps, holding off charges by multiple drivers, and built up an insurmountable advantage while his competitors made mistakes. Karam cruised to victory and then stood atop his car in front of the cheering crowd.
Karam Has a ‘Target’ On His Back After 3 Wins
When Karam climbed off of the roof of his car for his postrace interview, he immediately faced one big question. Does he now have a target on his back after three consecutive wins and a weekend sweep at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park?
According to Karam, the answer is yes. He acknowledged that the other drivers in NXT Next will all be on the hunt to take the next gold medal and gain crucial points for the final championship push. He added that they are all talented individuals capable of winning any of the weekend doubleheaders.
The first two weeks of the NRX Next season featured four winners. Casper Jansson won the first Next race in Utah to kick off the season. George Megennis followed by taking the second Utah race. The action continued with Martin Enlund winning the first race in Minnesota before Karam started his unprecedented run with his first win of the season.
Karam added two more wins to get himself back into contention. He has 200 total points on the season, good enough for fifth in the standings with two weekends remaining. He is 20 points behind Jansson and Lane Vacala with trips to Glen Helen Raceway (California) and The FIRM (Florida) on the schedule.
Will These Performances Lead to More Opportunities?
Karam made it very clear during the trip to Phoenix that his goal is to race as much as possible and in a variety of series. He told Heavy that he wants to run full-time in either the Xfinity Series or the Camping World Truck Series.
“I learned a lot and for a few of those races, I did better than I thought I could do, and that just led to some confidence going into the offseason of like, ‘hey, maybe I could do this more in a full-time capacity.’ So I’d love to go full-time racing in XFINITY or even NASCAR Trucks,” Karam told Heavy during a sitdown interview.
Karam also explained during his postrace press conference that he wants to make his mark in NXT Next before testing out the supercars. He expressed a desire to face off with Travis Pastrana, Tanner Foust, and all of the heavy-hitters in the top level of Nitro Rallycross. Karam does not know if he will get this opportunity in the supercar division, but he will continue pursuing wins and the championship title.
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