Although Tyler Allen didn’t win Richard Petty’s Driver Search II, a racing competition held deep in NASCAR country, the Interlake graduate and promising race car driver says he came away from the September event with plenty.

He came away with seat time in several cars. He drove new tracks, including Charlotte Motor Speedway. He filmed commercials like a real NASCAR star.

And he made several connections that might just jump-start his career in professional racing.

“I take away a much fatter resume,” said Allen, who finished fifth at the competition. “I just added five racetracks and four race cars to my resume. I’ve tripled my experience.”

Allen, who races primarily at the South Sound Speedway in Rochester, Wash., was one of 12 racers vying for the Driver Search II title. The winner of the four-day competition earned the opportunity to qualify for an ARCA Racing Series event at Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina this month. Ryan Wilson of Randleman, N.C., won the competition.

But Allen says the experience itself was the real prize.

The competitors, who ranged in age from 18 to early 50s, were put through several modules each day, testing the drivers’ racing acumen, knowledge and media awareness, among other things.

The first day started with drivers behind the wheels of high performance go-karts at Charlotte Motor Speedway for 45 minutes of endurance driving on a mile-and-a-half racetrack. Allen finished fourth overall in the module.

Before the next test, drivers got a chance to meet and eat with Richard Petty himself. Lunch was served in Petty’s condominium that overlooks the race track.

“That,” Allen said, “was an incredible view.”

The final two modules of the day tested drivers reaction time behind the wheel of a 650-horsepower Nationwide Series car, as well as the driver’s mechanical knowledge, a module Allen knew he’d perform well on thanks to his mechanical engineering degree from the University of Washington.

Drivers took out the Nationwide car and pitted four times where the crew would make a change to the car – and the drivers had to correctly diagnose what it was and how to fix it.

“I know the parts, I know how to build them, how they interact, I know what’s going on and why there is a vibration,” Allen said. “My engineering background definitely helped.”

The second day took place at Concord, N.C., where drivers were put through the paces on a 1/2-mile track, one that instructors called the toughest they’d ever raced on. Drivers had to pass around an instructor on the second time out. Allen made the pass, but spun out.

“I was the first guy to spin and that hurt my confidence a little,” Allen said. “But then a lot of the other guys spun and one even hit the wall. The spolight was off me then.”

The next module had the drivers behind the wheel of USAC Ford Focus Midgets on a 1/4-mile track. With former NASCAR driver and two-time USAC champion Ken Schrader giving advice to the drivers, Allen set lap times that took home third place in the module.

“They were a lot of fun,” Allen said of the midgets. “I’d probably own my own someday.”

Day three was hosted at Carolina Motorsports Park for road racing. Petty’s crew asked Dodge to send Chargers – instead, they sent Vipers.

“It was exciting for us,” Allen said. “Nervewracking for the instructors.”

The competitors did 12 laps in the Vipers, followed by 12 laps in the Nationwide car for timed runs with NASCAR driver Marcos Ambrose on the radio. The day ended with drivers getting scored on an overall average time for a six-lap run on the course. Allen placed fifth.

The final day was held back out at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where drivers had 30 minutes in a Nationwide car to lay down the fastest lap. The catch, however, was that the car had been set up badly, so drivers needed to diagnose the problem and what could be done to make the car go faster. After that module, drivers were put through a media session where they fielded questions from ESPN’s Jamie Little, Miss Sprint Cup Monica Palumbo, driver Kyle Petty and Petty Enterprise’s Mike Bartelli. Drivers also filmed a commercial with Little as a final-day module. Allen scored No.1 in those marketing modules.

The highlight of the final day, however, was the 10-lap sessions behind the wheel of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Car of Tomorrow. The driver with the highest average speed would win the event.

“I’ve played the NASCAR video game and raced that track a million times, but it doesn’t compare at all to what it felt like coming off turn four,” he said. “You can see the grass, feel the bumps, it’s stimulation overload.”

Allen averaged 162 miles per hour per lap and hit between 180-185 by the end of the straightaways.

“It makes me the fastest Allen on record,” he said, referencing the family’s racing background. “It was an incredible experience – it reminded me of getting into my car for the first time. You get that uncomfortable feeling again. I went from wanting to go racing three years ago to going 185 in a NASCAR Cup car…that was one of the coolest realizations.”

With the competition, which will be held again for Driver Search III in December, officially over, Allen finished fifth behind Wilson, Happy Feree, Davey Pennel and Kodi Sunley.

He may not have won the title, but he said he’s just glad for the experience. Also, he did a little legwork before the competition even began. He arrived a few days early and spent time hitting the pavement, delivering his resume to all the racing shops – Joe Gibbs, Petty, Earnhadrt, Ganassi among them – and tried to sell himself. He even spent a little time talking to engineers on the shop floor at Waltrip Racing.

All in hopes of a career in racing.

“It’s very much a closed-door industry and you have got to know somebody,” Allen said. “Luckily, I know some people now.”

He said his plan is to continue working in the area, to continue racing and maybe even hit the K and N Pro Series, a NASCAR affiliate with races in the west. Allen says he has committed 2-5 years with his current boss, until a racing opportunity comes up. He knows he’ll need to relocate to North Carolina – now he’s just waiting for the opportunity.

“I’m ready to go if there’s an offer on the table,” Allen said. “Once I have a reason to go out there, I’m gone.”