The first stop of the weekend was Mohawk International Raceway. Mohawk is located in Hogansburg, New York, just across the border from Cornwall. In his 10 lap qualifying heat, Billing started fifth, and advance to fourth, and once he returned to the pit area, he deliberated with his team as to what changes to make. It was soon decided that the changes would be minimal, as they felt that as the track changed before feature time, the car would perform well with the current setup. Billings, along with the other Mohawk Raceway competitors took to the track for driver autograph night at intermission, and returned to the pit area a few minutes later to prepare for the 25 lap feature event. Starting from 16th, Billings had a long way to go to get up front, and a very short time to get there. The entire 25 lap distance went green to checkered without incident, and Matt carved his way through the field to get a seventh place finish.
“The car was really good, but we could have used a caution late in the race to regroup and get in contact with the leaders”, says Billings. “Overall it was a good run for us, and a good way to start the weekend.
The next day, Billings worked back in the shop preparing for Saturday night’s events at their hometown Brockville Speedway. Billings charged from his fifth place starting spot, and raced his way to second. In the 30 lap main event, Billings started from 11th, and by lap ten he had worked his way up to eighth. As the race approached halfway, Billings was caught up in an accident in turn three and four, sending him to the pits for repairs. He would rejoin the field for the restart, and would battle his way back to ninth before the checkered flag.
Sunday at Cornwall was the first round of the 358 Modified Series and a combined event with the Canadian National series. Billings took to the track for opening practice and was fifth quick in his group. In time trials, Billings struggled to find the speed that he was looking for, and would have to start his heat race from eighth place, but battled back to secure the final starting spot by finishing fifth. In the 100 lap main event, Billings would roll off the starting grid from the 17th position, and found his way into the top ten by lap 20. As the race progressed, Billing found the fast lane around the tight quarter-mile track, using the inside of the track to his advantage. After falling back to 12th Billings moved through the field in the second half of the race to finish seventh.
“It was a good run for us tonight, we were able to battle our way into the top ten”, says Billings after the race. “It was some good hard racing out there most of the race, and that is a lot of fun”.
This coming week, Billings will be back at Mohawk International Raceway for the first round of the Frenchie’s “Chevy Runs Deep” 358 Modified Series. It will be a 50 lap main event. On Saturday night, they will return to the Brockville Ontario Speedway.
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.
For more information on Matt Billings and the Billings Racing Team, please visit our website, www.mattbillings74.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment