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Sage Karam has his sights set on a very busy 2022. The driver with starts in NASCAR, IndyCar, Nitro Rallycross Next, and other series wants to remove the “part-time” from his job description. His goal is to run full-time in either the Xfinity or Truck Series while adding races from other series.
Karam met with Heavy during the Nitro Rallycross weekend (November 13-14) at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Phoenix, Ariz. He primarily discussed his continued growth on dirt tracks and his appreciation for Travis Pastrana’s purpose-built tracks, but he also expressed hope that he will continue to make starts in NASCAR after making five in 2021.
“This was my first year kind of dipping my toes in the water and the whole stock car world,” Karam told Heavy. “I really enjoyed it. And it was something that I didn’t know what to expect, but I had a lot of fun with it. 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 Made 5 Total Starts in NASCAR in 2021
The Pennsylvania native made his stock car racing debut during the 2021 season. He started four races during the NASCAR Xfinity Series season and another in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
Karam made his debut at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on August 14. He joined Jordan Anderson Racing, a first-year team that featured a rotating cast of drivers, and qualified 18th overall. He was unable to complete the race due to electrical issues while several other drivers crashed.
Karam returned to Jordan Anderson Racing for races at Bristol Motor Speedway, the Charlotte Roval, and Phoenix Raceway, posting a best finish of 16th overall. He also made his Truck Series debut at Martinsville Speedway, the final elimination race of the playoffs.
Karam’s Plans Also Involve Continued Starts in Other Series
While taking on a full-time NASCAR schedule is a goal for Karam, he also has his sights set on other series. Specifically, he wants to join Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for another Indy 500 start. He has worked with the team every year since 2016 and would like to continue this trend.
“I want to be back at DRR for the Indy 500 again this coming year, which I think is a big possibility of happening,” Karam said. “The team has shown interest in having me continue doing rally stuff in the future so that would be fun because I’m excited to see where [Nitro Rallycross Next] is going to go and how it’s going to grow. In the next few years, you’re going to start seeing electric cars over here and everything.”
Karam has only competed in three rounds of the inaugural NRX Next season, but he has won two races. Continuing to compete in this specialty series will only help him grow as a driver, and it will help him fulfill his ultimate goal of just racing as much as possible.
“Like I said, it’s a lot of fun for me,” Karam added. “It’s fun, but it’s also learning and it’s just staying in a seat and keeping everything sharp. For me, the more I can drive the better. If I can, I will race this, I’ll race stock cars, I’ll race Indy cars, I’ll race lawn mowers for that matter. I don’t care, as long as I’m driving something.”
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