Waffle House is a must after a win and if you thought he would be a Matt Kenseth fan based on his number, you'd be correct! Oliver Cordell is a two-time champion at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway and is seeking a third in 2023. It's a track that he holds in high regard and where winning is extra special. 

Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee

Number: 17

Division: Pro 

Team: Cordell Motorsports

 

  1. If you were to be in a racing movie, which one would you choose?

[It would] have to be between Talladega Nights or Days of Thunder. I would have to go with Days of Thunder.

  1. What is your favorite subject in school and have you had to use it any in racing?

 Favorite subject has always been History. I don’t believe I use that in racing.

  1. What’s some of your other hobbies besides burning rubber on the track?

Outside of racing, I’ve always been into sports. Football, basketball, and baseball. I don’t usually go fishing a whole lot, but I do like to fish in the dark. Anything outside [and] recreational related I like to do it.

  1. What is your favorite part of a Legend Car?

It’s just so challenging, just the challenge that it brings. It’s so fun and competitive.

  1. Your number is 17, is there anything symbolic or special about that number that made you want to choose it?

Growing up I used to watch Matt Kenseth when he was in the 17, and I always thought that the 17 looked good on a race car. That’s what I went with for my rookie year and I’ve stuck with it since.

  1. What is your favorite victory dinner after a long race?

Victory dinner has to be Waffle House. We go there just about after every race [and] it hardly ever disappoints. Waffle House is pretty solid.

  1. Since you’re from Nashville, you must like a good Hot Chicken Sandwich. Do you have any favorite Nashville meals?

I’m not really into Hot Chicken, but I will eat it. There is a place in Nashville called Hattie B’s that has pretty good Hot Chicken. I usually just try to go for a good burger, and there’s definitely some good spots in the Nashville area.

  1. As a driver, where do you want to see yourself in 10 years?

In 10 years, every racers goal is to get to the pro level. For me, it’d be NASCAR. These days, it just takes so much finances and opportunities that honestly, I don’t really have. I’d be particularly content with racing Legend Cars.

  1. If you were to not race professionally, what would you want to do or a job that you would consider outside of racing?

I’ve grown up around racing my whole life, so it’s kind of hard to look outside of racing. I love working on cars, I’ve been doing that since I was a young kid. Outside of racing, I’d say probably having my own automotive shop would be my goal.

  1. What does the Nashville Fairgrounds mean to you and why is it special?

It means everything, I went there growing up. My uncle Tyler Cordell used to race and I used to sit up in the grandstands with my mom, dad, and grandparents. [We’d] watch him around the quarter-mile. He used to race Josh Berry, who’s in the Xfinity Series now. That was pretty cool watching them two race. I’ve raced there since I was 12, and all the history that’s around it just means so much to me.

  1. What are some ways you like to help in your community?

In the community, I help people in the neighborhood as much as I can. My buddies and other people call me and ask if I can come help. [Just] a chore or whatever they need. It’s something that I’m always ready to go do it for them. I always try to be helpful to other people because I’ve been through a lot the past couple years with my dad passing away, and people have helped me so I always try to repay it however I can.

  1. When did you realize you wanted to race?

My dad used to own a Legends Car and we had a really, really close family friend, Kevin Rollins. He raced when I was about 8 or 9 till I was 11. Just watching him go around the track, he was always fast and usually won a bunch of races. Watching him do it, seeing that we can do, inspired me to go chase after that dream and try to be just as good as he was.

  1. What’s your favorite sport to watch or play besides racing?

It was probably always football, I was a huge football fan growing up before I really got into racing. These days it’s got to be basketball, basketball is fun to watch. College sports it’s Tennessee Vols and professional football it has to be the Tennessee Titans, even though it’s really hard to route for them sometimes. I don’t really have a professional basketball team, I just watch whoever is playing.

  1. How hard would you describe driving a race car to someone who’s never driven one before?

My uncle used to say driving a Legend Car is like trying to stand on a basketball. If you’ve ever stood on a basketball, you know it’s not easy. I’d have to say he’s pretty spot on with that analogy. I used to drive go-karts when I was 10 and 11. I hopped in a Legends Car and the power to rate ratio is just incredible. It’s super hard to drive. 

  1. What are some challenges that you’ve experienced in your racing career?

I started out when I was 12. [My] first season went pretty good, struggled a little bit early in the season but kind of picked it up towards the end of the season. Years two, three, and four of my career we really struggled. I was always fast, but would always put myself in situations that I didn’t need to be in. The last two or three years of my career have been really successful. I really started to understand Legend Car racing and I’ve won the last two championships at the Fairgrounds. This season I’ve got three wins at the Fairgrounds so far. It’s looking like another good season and hopefully [we’ll] win another championship.

  1. What do you think you can achieve in racing when it’s all said and done?

I would just like to have done everything that I could possibly do [and] not try to leave anything on the table. I would honestly like to move up to maybe a late model or something, but like I said earlier it’s just so expense nowadays. It’s really hard to do, you got to know the right people in the right places.

  1. What are your top objectives for the rest of this season in racing?

The rest of this season I’d like to get a few more wins, and ultimately win the championship again. There’s only been a handful of drivers that have won three in a row in Legends Cars at the Fairgrounds, and I would like to be one of them. That would be the main objective I have for this season.