After a couple weeks getting
up to speed at Merrittville Speedway, Matt Billings was happy to return to his
home tracks for their 2012 season openers this weekend. He learned a lot at Merrittville, getting
valuable experience, but nothing is better then racing closer to home.
First up was the first trip
of the season to Mohawk International Raceway in Hogansburg, New York. Billings finished second in his qualifying
heat, and made some minor adjustments to the car to keep up with the track
conditions before the 40 lap feature.
Lining up on the outside of the fourth row in 8th, Billings
was confident that he had a fast car.
He patiently bided his time in the first half of the race, saving his
tires for a strong finish. As the race
approached halfway, Billings was coming on strong, now back up to seventh after
falling as low as tenth early. By lap
26 he was in the top five, and continued to be one of the fastest cars on the
track as they approached lap 30. With a
caution on lap 36 and Billings now up to third, a great battle was in the
works. He had a great restart, getting
past the second place car, and almost took the lead before settling into
second, glued to the back bumper of the race leader. On the final corner of the final lap, Billings was about to make
a move, but the race leader suddenly lost power right in front of him, slowing
him up. Billings ended up with a fifth
place finish on a night that could have been a win.
“I really thought we had
this one. We had a good restart there,
and almost made the pass. We settled in
to second, and was hoping to get a good run on Billy (Dunn) coming off turn
four, but it wasn’t meant to be”.
The highly anticipated
season opener at Brockville Speedway was Saturday night, and Billings was eager
to get back on track in front of his hometown fans. After an uneventful third place finish in his qualifier, Billings
started the 30 lap feature from seventh place, and patiently worked his way
forward. By lap six, he was into the
top five and moved up one more spot to fourth before halfway. Billings would go on to finish the race in
fourth.
“It was a good start to the
season here at Brockville”, says Billings.
“I am happy with how the car performed this weekend, and I am confident
that we can build on this and be even better in the coming weeks”.
It will be a busy Victoria
Day Weekend for the Billings Motorsports team as they hit Mohawk Raceway and
Brockville Speedway on Friday night and Saturday. Sunday they will be at Cornwall Speedway for their 2012 opener
with 100 lap Mr. DIRTcar 358 Modified Series race. On Monday the team will travel to Merrittville Speedway in
Thorold, Ontario for another Mr. DIRTcar 358 Modified tour event.
Billings Motorsports would
like to thank all of their marketing partners for their support for the
upcoming season. Billings Automotive,
Pastime Motors, Stealth
Racewear, Snap On Tools, Integra Shocks, Enders Racing Engines, Finish Line Web Design and Babe Design are an integral part
of the team’s success, and we thank you all for your support as we approach the
2012 season.
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