By NICK SCHWIEN

nschwien@dailynews.net

It took about five nights for Michael Williams to realize he didn't like racing.

Well, at least racing in the hobby stock class.

So he sold what he could and saved up enough money to buy a sprint car.

Now, he couldn't be happier.

"I ran five shows in hobby stocks and never really liked it," Williams said. "Once I got in a sprint car, it was so much fun to drive."

Williams has found a home in the United Rebel Sprint Series 305 sprint car class. He's in his first full season racing with the series this year after running part-time a year ago.

The racer from Park who graduated from Grainfield-Wheatland High School in 2008 got a taste of what sprint car racing was all about thanks to a veteran of the sport.

"I helped Jon Johnson out a little bit in high school and basically followed him around," Williams said. "He said I should get one, but I told him I couldn't afford it. I told him I liked racing, just not all the banging (like in the hobby stocks). I wanted to go into the corners and race side-by-side and not have everyone beating on each other and tearing things up.

"I had all my karting gear and sold it and bought a car from Kris Miller. Me and dad built the motor in the car now, and it's nice."

Williams has used his short experience from a year ago to start the year off more comfortable.

"It's helped a lot going back to the tracks I've run before," he said. "I've been able to use last year's notes. It helps being able to go back to tracks and knowing what to adjust."

Williams still is in search of his first URSS win. His best finish was seventh place a year ago.

He's happy to be back on the track and in western Kansas. Williams spent several months in North Carolina in the NASCAR tech program before deciding it wasn't the right fit.

Plus, he said, sprint car racing doesn't quite have the same appeal on the East Coast.

"Sprint car racing in that part of the U.S. isn't that popular," he said. "I told people I drove a sprint car, and they thought it was the Jeff Gordon type sprint car cup series. They looked at you weird when I told them what it was and showed them pictures. They said I must have guts to run all four tires open that way."

The openness of the tires on a sprint car can cause for wild rides if racers bump. A sprinter can roll end over end several times.

Williams lived one of those flips firsthand last summer at Norton. He flipped six times and ended up in a tree near the track.

"That was before I was going to school in September," he said. "After I crashed it, I told Dad I was going to sell the motor and use the money for school. Then a bunch of guys ... rounded up enough stuff to get the car back together. It took about $300 of my own for knickknack parts. It was good to go racing again."

Williams has hopes of moving back to North Carolina after the season to do some freelance work on the ASA late model series to earn more experience than he was getting at the NASCAR school.

"I talked to people on teams of Jeremy Mayfield and Kasey Kahne, and they said to do whatever I can with the ASA late models to get the experience I need," he said. "I'm going to stay here and run the rest of the sprint car season and then go back and catch up on the asphalt season."

For now, Williams is concentrating on the URSS and a Sunday night race in Liberal for his next taste on the dirt ovals. He's also savoring a return to WaKeeney Speedway on July 27 -- a night that will showcase a rained-out feature from the second night of the Memorial Day races, as well as a regular feature for the night.

Williams will start outside the front row on the make-up feature.

"It's an awesome track," he said. "It's pretty much my home track. Everyone can come out and watch and get to see what I have fun doing."