FALMOUTH — After three years of racing full-time in the ultra-competitive NASCAR Pro Series at Beech Ridge, one second-generation driver from Windham has eased into a part-time schedule, yet is still charging toward victory lane every time he straps into a car.

Bobby Timmons, 22, drives the No. 48 Mulkern Racing Super Late Model. He notched his first Pro Series victory three years ago this month and is working hard to get back on top. 

“The car has shown plenty of speed this year. We just haven’t quite been able to put it all together and seal the deal,” Timmons said. “We’ve had a fast car in every race we’ve run. We won our qualifying heat in the PASS opener at Oxford, then ran up front all day in the 150 before getting caught up in a wreck.

“We hit it right on opening night at The Ridge and came home third, but we’ve also had some bad luck. It’s just the ups and downs of racing that everybody goes through.”

Saturday night was a high note for Timmons. He finished fourth in the PASS Southern Maine Chrysler Dodge 150 at Beech Ridge.

Timmons is yet another member of that wonderful group of kids who started racing go karts in the early 2000s. He came up through the ranks the same way as rising stars such as D.J.  Shaw, Reid Lanpher and Wyatt Alexander, moving from karts to Legends cars as he honed his skills. 

Once he progressed from the small but racy Legends car to a super late model in 2012, it didn’t take long to get a feel for the big power and more traction. That first SLM feature win in July of 2012 at Beech Ridge came on Oxford 250 weekend.

“I actually had a chance to race at Oxford that weekend, but chose to stay at Beech Ridge,” Timmons said. “It turned out well for us. I ended up passing Larry Gelinas for the lead, which was pretty cool since he was one of my childhood heroes. We ended up sixth in points that year pretty respectable for our first full season.”

With various mechanical gremlins and just bad luck overall, 2013 wasn’t nearly as kind to Timmons. 

“I’d have to say 2013 left a sour taste in our mouths. We started the season with guns blazing, all ready to go, and reeled off five top-three finishes in the first six races. After that, the wheels fell off the bus. The track changed their brand of tire, and things just went downhill.” 

Last year, while he didn’t win a feature, things did get turned around and headed in a better direction. There was, however, a minor setback in late spring.

“I broke my left hand in the first week of June,” Timmons added. “That didn’t stop us. We kept on fighting. We struggled with handling issues last year, yet we did finish second in the July holiday event. We had another third-place finish later on, which was enough to put us third in the points. Not bad for all we went through.”

As driver of a car housed at the top-notch Mulkern shop, Timmons enjoys the spoils that come with being part of a major organization. Scott Mulkern has raced on the Pro All Stars Series North tour for many years. His equipment has always been first-class.

“I’m really fortunate to have this opportunity with Scott and Vickie,” Timmons said. “They have an immaculate race shop at their home in Falmouth, and it’s only a 20-minute drive from my house. To be able to come here and work on the car in a great facility like this makes it a lot easier.”

Bob Timmons Jr. (Bobby’s father) is a former Supermodified driver and still owns the car he built in the early 1990s. His focus these days is on Bobby’s efforts, and the younger Timmons says he wouldn’t be racing if it wasn’t for that guidance and support.

“Dad always says he didn’t have a whole lot of success, but nobody had more fun than he did. His contributions to my racing are huge. If I didn’t have his support, even a part-time effort wouldn’t be possible. 

“I’m also lucky to have a great team. My guys can out-work anybody in the pit area. They’re the main reason I’m competitive on the track. I always strive to do well for them.”

Timmons has a casual yet still fiercely-competitive outlook on the current season. 

“This year, we’ve decided to just race when we felt like it, and do it for fun. So far, we haven’t had any big on-track highlights, but we’re still having way more fun than in years past. It’s really all about perspective and how you approach it.”

Some would say the challenges of racing once in a while are many. Yet Timmons seems happy.

“It’s a lot harder to be competitive when you only race part-time, but we’re proving you can do it and still run up front. We’ll stay busy between now and early September. We’ll run the PASS race at Oxford on August 2, and we’re hoping to make the 250. I’m still having a blast, and realize I’m lucky to be able to do what I love on the weekends.”

pwhipple@sunjournal.com