This weekend, Brad Plourd will try to get back to basics at his hometown track, Pacific Raceways.

Plourd, who grew up in Maple Valley, will be racing in the National Hot Rod Association’s Northwest Nationals in Super Stock and Super Comp Sportsman classes.

“I was in Bristol (Tennessee) two weeks ago then I came home because it’s good to see family and friends,” Plourd said. “After this, I really don’t know the next time I’ll be here.”

It’s only his second trip home in 2010 after spending a week here during the Easter holiday in April.

His racing season has gone pretty well this year but he’d like to leave the first stop on the Western Swing, a three race trip that starts at Pacific Raceways then heads to Bandimere Speedway in Denver and wraps up at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., with another trophy.

“I’ve been to three national event finals,” Plourd said. “I’ve only had one win, but, I’ll take runner ups.”

His win at Englishtown, New Jersey, a few weeks ago had him feeling pretty good about the Bristol race.

“I think I’ve just been trying too hard,” he said. “I need to relax and get back to basics. Just let it come naturally.”

Racing does come naturally to Plourd who grew up around racing, something he’s been doing “ever since I was a little kid.”

“I was around it because my dad drove. He basically got me into it,” he said. “Anywhere from riding our bikes, racing with my friends, Matchbox cars… everything revolved around racing for me.”

Plourd, who is 28, began drag racing when he was 12. He has been racing full time for close to six years now.

“This is just my job,” he said. “It definitely can be a lot of fun. It gets to be stressful, though.”

Eventually he’d like to move into the professional ranks, with Plourd’s interest being in driving a nitromethane-fueled top fuel dragster that can reach speeds of 300 mph and cover a 1,000 foot drag strip in less than four seconds, or possibly a pro stock car.

“It’s so hard nowadays,” he said of moving out of the Sportsman ranks.

“It’s not like the major leagues… where you keep graduating to the next level. I could win every race and still not get to that level.”

Still, Plourd said he enjoys what he’s doing now, and doesn’t mind waiting for the right opportunity to present itself.

Right now, though, he’s enjoying some time at home and gearing up for a big race at his hometown track.

“I’ve won here before at the nationals, so, it would be really good to win here again just because I’ll have a lot of friends and a lot of family out here,” he said.

All he has to do is just get back to basics.