The Prosser Racing #19 Machine paint scheme for 2023 (Prosser Photo)
by Jacob Hord, @HordRaceWatcher
In the middle of August 2023, TJ Michael announced that the current season would be the family-owned #8M’s last. After parting ways with driver Sean Rayhall just a couple weeks after Michael’s announcement, Prosser Racing would be searching for a pilot of their #19 car for 2024. Fast forward to January, and it was announced that Michael would be driving the Prosser #19 for the 2024 season.
Michael, a former All Star, has mainly raced around Ohio for the past few seasons, picking up wins at Waynesfield Raceway Park and Attica Raceway Park. Michael finished 2023 with five top five finishes to go along with 14 top ten finishes in Ohio, and showed plenty of speed. Prosser’s have hit most of the FAST Series shows the past couple of seasons, and would fill in their schedule around Ohio and Pennsylvania.
The Plano, Texas native Michael will get to expand his range once again in 2024 with Prosser Racing. Their 60+ race schedule includes stops at over 20 tracks in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Kentucky, including Ohio Speedweek.
Over the past few years we have bounced around with drivers, trying to find the right fit,” car owner Ryan Prosser said. “TJ has checked all the boxes with what we are looking for; young, settled, and ready to build on good finishes. Finding someone who is able to finish races and not crash racecars weekly was a big part of the decision for TJ to take the wheel this year. TJ has ran his own team for several years and knows what it takes to run a successful team. We hope to take some of that burden away and let him focus on driving,” Prosser continued.
TJ Michael added: “I chose Prosser Racing because of their commitment to their race team and all the people involved being really good people. Also, the idea that we could build something together that could possibly turn into a long term situation was very attractive to me.”
“This year we plan on having fun, no big goals other than finishing races and working together to get better each week. We have a very diverse schedule and we are using that to get our team and partners to a few bucket list events. I’m excited to go racing in Indiana and see some family that I have over there,” said Prosser.
“My goals for the season are to win some races, be competitive every night we show up, and build a great notebook along the way,” said Michael.
“I’m looking forward to finally being able to focus on just driving for the first time in my career,” stated Michael. “It’s taken a toll on me having to run a race team for eight to nine years. A lot of people don’t understand the day-to-day operations of a race team; it’s a 24/7, 365 days a year job if you want to be successful,” added Michael
“We have several races outside of the posted schedule we would love to add, but it will depend on how the season plays out. Every year this sport gets tougher and tougher. It’s great to see some of the local tracks working to improve payouts to help keep teams able to compete, and of course, none of this would be possible without our incredible marketing partners,” Prosser concluded.
“I’m also looking forward to going out and racing at some tracks I haven’t gotten to in a while, and checking off some new ones. What I’m most excited about is getting to the race track putting in quality results night in and night out for the people that sacrifice the time, money and energy to make the #19 get to the racetrack,” concluded Michael.
TJ Michael celebrates in Victory Lane at Attica Raceway Park, June 24, 2022.
(Jacob Hord photo)