He was patient . . . waiting for his turn to come.  And when it did, Kyle Cultrera grabbed it and didn’t let go.

The prize was his first NHRA Division 2 Super Comp victory Sunday at Gainesville, Fla. The fact it came in just his second series race in his first season of competition in one of the Lucas Oil Series’ toughest categories . . . well, that was much faster then he dared dream.

Cultrera, of Eliot, Maine, is 17, but he had been prepping for a day like that to come along for as long as he can remember.  “My dad (Steve, who works on Jeg Coughlin’s Pro Stock Chevy at Victor Cagnazzi Racing) used to race Competition Eliminator and I have been going to the races with him since I was old enough to walk, so I have been around it all my life,” Kyle Cultrera said.

His search ended when he rented his winning ride from Thomas Stalbas for the full season.

He was patient . . . waiting for his turn to come.  And when it did, Kyle Cultrera grabbed it and didn’t let go.

The prize was his first NHRA Division 2 Super Comp victory Sunday at Gainesville, Fla. The fact it came in just his second series race in his first season of competition in one of the Lucas Oil Series’ toughest categories . . . well, that was much faster then he dared dream.

Cultrera, of Eliot, Maine, is 17, but he had been prepping for a day like that to come along for as long as he can remember.  “My dad (Steve, who works on Jeg Coughlin’s Pro Stock Chevy at Victor Cagnazzi Racing) used to race Competition Eliminator and I have been going to the races with him since I was old enough to walk, so I have been around it all my life,” Kyle Cultrera said.

 “This whole experience has been very good.  I got my Super Comp license in 2006 at Doug Foley’s school at Maple Grove Raceway (in Reading, Pa.) and from then until now I have been looking extremely hard to find a race car to drive.”

His search ended when he rented his winning ride from Thomas Stalba for the full season.

Cultrera was able to hone his mechanical skills for the last four years, working as co-crew chief on Dan Sweeney’s IHRA Pro Stock car.

His initial outing at Bradenton, Fla., was a learning experience – he broke out by two-thousandths of a second in the first round.  But he definitely let his driving do the talking last Sunday and the performance spoke volumes about his racing potential. 

Cultrera was one of 94 Super Comp drivers entered.  Included in the field were veteran driver Ray Connolly, Dave Connolly, his son and Pro Stock driver currently on an imposed hiatus, and many others intent on taking home the weekend’s biggest trophy.

Ray Connolly was among Cultrera’s eliminations casualties, as were reigning Division 1 Super Comp champ Alan Kenny, Randy Folk and, finally, Travis Harvey in the seventh, and final, round.

Cultrera had a solid .009 starting-line reaction and an 8.910-second time in the title round while Harvey fouled out.

“Tom Stalba has helped me out a lot,” Cultrera said, “and so did the CD ‘The Racer’s Mind.’  My godfather, Bruce Deveau created it to help sharpen the mental skills of driving, especially late in the rounds when there isn’t much time to relax.  That helped me relax and focus (on each round).

“I’m glad I was able to make him happy, along with my dad, who has been a great help every step of the way, and my mother JoAnn and sisters Jessica and Lauren.”

Ultimately, Kyle Cultrera would like to have a career in Pro Stock.  But first he must negotiate the learning curve.  “We will run all the Division 1 points meets with a goal of finishing in the top 10, and then take baby steps along the way to get, hopefully, to Pro Stock,” he concluded. 

If his initial success continues, he’ll be there sooner than he thinks.