CULLIN PARK INTERVIEW: “WHETHER IT IS MUDDY OR WHETHER IT IS DRY, I AM READY TO GO”

Cullin Park is a name I had been aware of but didn’t know much about I must confess. But I bumped into him recently and felt I had to introduce myself. I’m glad I did, as I felt we had an enjoyable conversation. The 23-year-old is now fifth in 250 East Coast Supercross points after finishing seventh in Pittsburgh, just four behind Nate Thrasher on his Star Racing Yamaha. It would be huge for the Phoenix Honda Privateer to finish fourth overall after the season Supercross finale at Salt Lake City! As I said, I bumped into Cullin Park recently and happened to have my recorder with me. I’ll add that if I was a team owner, I would find him a spot on my team!

BY JIM KIMBALL

CULLIN, IT’S BEEN A GOOD SUPERCROSS SEASON, RIGHT? Yes, it has been a solid season, but the job is not finished. We still have one race left. But obviously, it has been very good and very solid. I got that podium in Foxborough, and then a fourth the following weekend. It has been good, but I am still looking to be back in the top five this final supercross, and battle at the East-West Shootout.

Cullin grabbed a second place finish in Foxborough.

YOU’VE BEEN VERY IMPRESSIVE FOR A PRIVATEER. Yes, it is a privateer team, but they are great. the team has been good to me, and I feel like we have a pretty good program going on right now.  I think I will say that myself and the team, we are using the utmost of the resources that we have. It feels good to be doing well but like I said, I am looking to keep it going too.  

LETS HEAR ABOUT YOUR PODIUM IN BOSTON. The mud race was obviously good. It played in my favor being able to get second place, my first career podium. I have always liked the mud. I am a bigger guy, so the mud suits me. Growing up in Florida, riding sand a lot, I think that is what helps me in the mud so much. The race felt short but the last two laps the race felt very long! My mechanic had put on the pit board, “Bring it home.” I rolled a lot of the jumps and figured I had a gap behind me, but I was not sure. So mainly I was just trying to keep it on two wheels. In mud like that, like if you go down, you could be down for minutes.  If you happen to get stuck or whatever, it would be the end. I was going really slow, trying not to take any risks and just bring it home.  

YOU ARE AWAY FROM A CHAMPIONSHIP PODIUM; IS IT POSSIBLE? I am not sure if I could finish third in the championship, but I would need some help, but it is racing and each weekend anything can happen. I will make a nice bonus if that happens. That is a big motivator for me. People sometimes say that money should not motivate you but money definitely motivates me. It is just a plain fact. I think it motivates a lot of people.  

Each weekend Cullin has been progressing and the confidence from his podium has seemed to work in his favor.

SUPERCROSS IS A SHORT CAREER. Exactly, so you are trying to make as much money as you can. I do have some very good bonus incentives so for me to be in the top three would be very nice for myself. I am definitely working hard during the week and I am ready to show it on Saturday.

OTHER THAN BOSTON, HOW HAVE YOU FELT ABOUT THESE NORTHEAST ROUNDS? Whether it is muddy or whether it is dry, I am ready to go and obviously if it is muddy, I would not be mad about it. But I also like it to be dry because having last weekend back in the top five, that was my first race in the dry being in the top five felt good, and I am ready to back it up this next weekend.  

 YOU LIVE IN  FLORIDA, WHAT DOES YOUR TRAINING PROGRAM LOOK LIKE AND WHO DO YOU WORK WITH AND ALL THAT? I am in Clermont, Florida. I was born and raised there which is cool because everyone has moved there, so it is cool to be there. I am out at the Dog Pound at the Lawrence’s and Blake Savage is my trainer. Heath Harrison has also been helping me with some riding stuff as well.  It has been really good.  I have a good group of people in my corner this year. It is not just one thing that has been the difference for me this year.  It has been a combination of a whole lot of things coming together. Honestly, I work hard, and I think anyone who knows me can attest to that. They see what I do during the week, and they know my work ethic and it is just nice to finally have some results to show for it.  Like I said, I am eager to keep it going.  

IT SOUNDS KIND OF SIMILAR TO SETH HAMMAKER, HOW EVERYTHING IS COMING TOGETHER WITH LITTLE CHANGES. Absolutely, Seth is out there at the Dog Pound as well.  I obviously see what he does.  He works really hard and he is a really super easy dude to root for.  He is one of the nicest dudes in the pits.  To see his success, honestly, makes me really happy for him and it could not happen to a better guy.  He is a good guy, like I said, and a good racer as well. To see him battling for the championship, I think it is cool, and seeing his work pay off really motivates me.

To see what he does during the weekend, knowing I am working just as hard, motivates me to see him do good. I just know that I am doing the work as well and eventually, it is going to pay off.

Cullin has always been a fast rider but injuries had sidelined him prior to this season.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT OUTDOORS COMING UP?  WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND GOALS? Right now, I don’t have anything fully set in stone for outdoors, so it is still a little up in the air for me but if I do race outdoors, it would probably be the 250 class, where I want to be hovering that tenth to fifteenth range.

With me being a bigger guy, the 250 class is obviously going to be a little tough but I think my riding capabilities can still put me there. I am still going to obviously train my butt off and just dig deep if I am out there.

THEN< ARE YOU SET NEXT YEAR FOR THE SAME TEAM IIN 2026 SUPERCROSS  Right now, I am not. I am just on Supercross only and then I do get to race the playoffs for Phoenix if I am there, which I should be eligible to be there. But, yes, I am trying to work something out for outdoors, but we will see what happens. My focus is to just take it weekend by weekend and do the best I can on Saturday nights.

I WOULD SUSPECT YOU ARE IN A PRETTY GOOD SPOT WITH THE SUCCESS YOU HAVE HAD IN SUPERCROSS. ARE YOU OPEN TO HAVING ANOTHER TEAM APPROACH YOU ABOUT OUTDOORS? Like I said, it is all just kind of up in the air. I have been talking with Phoenix about it but there are just a lot of moving parts with it. They also have three other guys that are racing, so I just don’t know if there will be room for me for sure.  We will see.  Like I said, I want to race.  I am a racer and if you are not racing, you are not getting better.  We will see what the future holds there. 

THAT WOULD BE REALLY NICE IF THEY COULD FIND A SLOT LIKE DYLAN FERRANDIS. For sure, obviously, being a bigger guy, the 450 would be nice, but I just don’t know if that would be a possibility this year.  There is a lot of focus on Dylan with the 450 and I just don’t know if there is enough 450 stuff to have a second bike, which is completely understandable. That was not a part of the plan at the beginning of the year, so I see where they are coming from. We will see what happens.  

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE IN THIS FINAL SUPERCROSS? I have had a good season, and it feels good. The podium was nice and after being back in the top five, I am looking to be back in the top five again I really want to come out of the gate stronger and be up there closer to the top five and find that pace early and man just race my heart out.  

I feel like that is what I have been doing all year. I have a chip on my shoulder and that chip is not going anywhere right now. I think a good goal for the East-West Shootout is to be more eighth through twelve.

Obviously, East-West is combined competition, and it is a stacked 250 field this year so again, I think it is putting yourself in good positions out of the gate and good things happen and that is what I am looking to do in this last race.

Cullin in 2024 with the number 67 working his way through a qualifying session.

YOU MENTIONED THE CHIP ON YOUR SHOULDER, WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT? I feel like people don’t believe in me. Some people that I think should believe in me, don’t believe in me the way I believe in myself. I am just going to continue to put myself in good positions on Saturdays and prove to everyone and get them to believe in me the way I believe in myself. That all goes back to just having the right people in my corner that I have right now who do believe in me. That has kept me going and obviously last year, I had a tough year, but those dark days make these bright days a lot better.  I am just looking to keep it going.

IT IS INTERESTING HOW BRUTAL THE BUSINESS SIDE OF THE SPORT IS. That is the thing, even with me getting that podium in Foxborough, people quickly forget, so you must continue to put yourself in those positions to be up there. 

YOU ARE ONLY AS GOOD AS YOUR LAST RACE. Unfortunately, that is just how this sport is, but I am sure if you go anywhere in other spots, it is the same exact way. When you are not in the “click” of other sports, you don’t know how it really works but I am sure it is the same everywhere. you are only as definitely as good as your last race.  I am riding high right now and I have a lot of confidence in looking forward to keeping it going.