In “10 Minutes + 2 Laps with…”, we take the same amount of time required to complete a Mission AFT SuperTwins Main Event (give or take a red flag) and use it to catch up with, and hopefully learn a little about, some of the more prominent figures on the Progressive American Flat Track scene. This week, we chatted with two-time AFT Productions Twin champion Cory Texter, who might be an even more high-profile figure in the sport post-retirement. Chief among his many ongoing concerns is the recently launched Mission Foods CTR Flat Track Series that you can watch via FansChoice.tv.

AmericanFlatTrack.com: A lot of racers – or really, professional athletes in general – spend their entire lives up until the point they retire laser focused on their sporting careers. But once it’s over, they’re often lost and it takes some real effort to find themselves. By contrast, at least outwardly, it almost looks as if you were like, ‘Okay, that stage is complete; now I can really dive into all these other things I want to do.’ How accurate is that impression?

Cory Texter: Yeah, I think it's probably a good impression.

When I retired, I took a year off. I would say I was mentally burned out, just trying to compete for championships year after year. I mean, it's actually really inspiring how guys like Jared Mees are able to do it. Mees did it for 20 years, you know, I only did it for a few years. And then losing Ryan Varnes too – he was a really good friend of mine... Plus, my family was growing, and I just thought it was time.

With that being said, 2023 was my first year not racing pro, and I actually felt like I was riding as good as I've ever ridden. All my friends were like, “Dude, you know, you could come back and have a chance to win a Singles or a Twins race.”

And then in November of 2023, I blew out my knee. So that kind of changed my life and really drove me into my promotions and stuff like that. Because coming back to racing wasn't even an option. The injury happened and I was able to focus more on my other stuff.

AFT: Well, are you fully recovered now? If so, at this point would you say you’re done done?

CT: I mean, when I retired, I had no intention of ever racing pro again. And as a kid who grew up at the racetrack, my goal was always to win a (premier-class) race. I always had realistic goals; I never thought I'd be the next Scott Parker, but I got good enough where I feel like it was a realistic goal to win a premier-level event.

I feel like there's guys who have won premier-level events that I'm a better rider than. And I retired prematurely from that goal, so it still eats away at me a little bit. I podiumed at that top level, but I never got that win. So that's the only caveat that kind of keeps me teetering a little bit where it's like, “Man, I don’t know…”. I feel like I'm still capable.

But right now I'm probably 85% recovered from that injury. I'm not able really to train on my motocross bike yet, but I’m running, cycling, flat tracking. If I decided to come back, I think I have enough tools that I could get myself in race shape. But I'm so busy being a race promoter, and now a race dad, that I don’t think I’d have the time necessary to do what I’d need to do.

I'm probably done but never say never.

AFT: Do you still train the same way that you did when you were racing full-time, or is it different now?

CT: No, I train very similarly, except for the fact that I haven't ridden motocross in 15 months. My knee just hasn't been strong enough. I really, really destroyed my knee. I blew out my ACL, destroyed my meniscus, and broke my tibia.

But I still do a lot of training. I coach and train Evan Renshaw and a young Australian kid named Bodie Paige who’s going for the Horizon Award this year. I ran nine miles on the beach the other day and cycled 40 the day before that and go to the gym quite a bit. So physically, I feel pretty good. This knee really sucks, but it's coming around finally. It's just taking a long time.

AFT: You’re managing (son) Cruise’s career, you have the series promotions, and you’re a rider coach on top of that. And a couple years ago, you were also Team Manager for 1st Impressions. Is that it? What else do you have going on that’s race-related?

CT: Whatever I can do to make money and help the sport, pretty much, I'll consider it. That said, I'm a little more selective with my time now. I've tried to be a little bit more selfish on that end. I feel like I was reaching out in so many different directions, just wanting the sport to grow, that I was spreading myself really thin.

But now, I’ve really put a lot of focus into this amateur series (Mission Foods CTR Flat Track Series) that I'm doing. And I was helping a lot more kids before, but now that my son's a little bit older, I need more time to invest back into him.

AFT: People can argue who the sport’s greatest champion is – be it Mees or Parker or whomever. But if you use the other definition of “champion” – as in advocate – I think you can make a strong argument that you’re one of the greatest champions the sport has ever known. You’ve put your whole being into the sport pretty much your whole life.

CT: I appreciate that. That's something I hope people remember as my legacy, so to speak. I was an above average racer, and I've won some races, but I really do try to grow the sport. And a lot of the things I do, I don't even talk about too much.

And I feel like I really do it for the right reasons. But honestly, there's a little selfishness in there because I'm trying to create opportunities for my son. He wants to be a flat track racer. You know, he's a really good road racer, but he likes flat track better. So I'm trying to help build the sport so there will be more opportunities for him and kids like him.

Athletes can't be bigger than what the sport is. We have such great athletes and personalities like Briar (Bauman) and Kody (Kopp) and Dallas (Daniels), but they can only be as big as the sport allows them to be.

So, you know, creating high-level amateur racing with incentives and live streaming and manufacturer contingency, I just think it helps grow the entire sport. And doing this, I think this has strengthened my relationship with everyone at AFT.

There could be some stress and sour spots there, but they have really stepped up and helped out with this series. That was kind of unpredictable, and that's been really cool.

AFT: The series is a pretty ambitious undertaking, and the announcement of it being livestreamed on FansChoice.tv was a big one. I think it’s always a positive to see a tight connection between a pro series and its related amateur series. That way you can foster a symbiotic relationship that helps make both of them stronger.

CT: Yeah. When I started the Mission Foods CTR Flat Track Series, I never in any way, shape, or form wanted to compete with AFT. My goal was to help grow amateur racing, which also helps the pro series. Like I've always said, a rising tide raises all ships.

I really didn't expect (AMA Pro Racing) to want to get involved. Honestly, a lot of that started with Shayna (Texter-Bauman). She's been a huge part of our series this year. She's my Race Director, and she kind of opened up that dialogue. And since they've come on board, they have been super helpful, super interested. They really want to grow together.

It's been crazy, man. It's been a really cool relationship. And yeah, I'm excited for the future to see what we can come up with together and get the sport to where it deserves to be.

AFT: All right, it’s time for the two bonus questions. First one... Can you name an interest or hobby of yours that is completely removed from racing, engines, or wheels?

CT: (Long pause). Most of my life is racing. Let’s see. I'm kind of a nerd. Like, I have a lot of nerd in me. I'm actually really big into Pokémon. People probably wouldn't guess that. My friends know, but it's something I haven't really talked about over the years. But I'm a big Pokémon guy, and I play a bunch of different Pokémon games. It’s not a flex, but I'm one of the highest ranked players in the country in one of the Pokémon games I have.

I kind of grew up a ‘90 kid, and, you know, it's just something I've carried on. Most people wouldn’t have any idea because of my personality. And then they try to make fun of me, and I'm like, “Bro, I don't care what you think. I love it. Like, you're just jealous you're not a high-level trainer.” (laughs)

AFT: Last one – what would be your death-row style last meal?

CT: Death row style last meal… Huh. I'm a sucker for some good Thai food. I really like different curries, so I'd probably go Thai food with a case of Landshark.