There is no question that
Matt Billings and the Billings Motorsports team puts a lot of emphasis on
racing at Syracuse. They have a car
that sits in the shop all year long that is used for Syracuse only. Ever since Matt won the Sportsman race
during Super DIRT Week in 2009, it has become his goal to run well, and eventually
win the 358 Modified main event.
Billings arrived in Syracuse
on Tuesday and went through the usual early bird pre-race inspection
process. On Wednesday, they prepared
their weekly car for competition at Cayuga County Fair Speedway for the next stop
on the Mr. DIRTcar 358 Modified Series on Wednesday night. After a day of practice at the Fairgrounds
on Thursday, they headed to Rolling Wheels Raceway on Thursday night for
another DIRTcar Series race. On Friday
it was more practice and qualifying at the Fairgrounds, and the heat race on
Friday night. Saturday was the Gander
Mountain 150 for the 358 Modifieds.
At Cayuga County Speedway on
Wednesday, Billings set fast time in his group in opening practice, and was
optimistic that they would have a good night.
In time trials, Billings struggled a little, and would be fifth fastest,
placing him on the inside of row three to start his heat race. Billings finished his heat race in the fifth
position, and would have to run the last chance B-main in order to
qualify. Billings struggled once again,
and was forced to utilize a provisional starting spot that he earned by being
in the top 12 in DIRTcar Series points.
The problems continued through the race, and Billings was scored with a
disappointing 20th place result.
After getting some practice
in at the Fairgrounds on Thursday, Billings was back at Rolling Wheels on
Thursday night for the next round of the DIRTcar 358 Modified series. Billings struggled early, having to run the
last chance B-main once again, and would start the race from the tail of the
field. Problems with the car put him
out early, and he would be scored with a 30th place finish.
Friday was time trial day
for the 358 Modifieds at the Fairgrounds.
Billings posted the 30th fastest speed overall. Although they hoped for better time trial
results, the team was confident that the car would be good under race
conditions. Qualifying heat races were
up next on Friday evening. Billings
would start 15th in his heat, and advanced to 10th place,
securing a starting spot in the Gander Mountain 150 on Saturday.
Billings started the main
event from the 20th starting position and patiently moved forward in
the early stages of the race. After
advancing to 16th in the first 40 laps, The Billings Motorsports
team made a lightning fast pit stop while many other teams stayed out on the
track. Hoping their strategy would pay
off, Billings continued. By lap 50 he
was in 25th place. Although
he was deep in the field, he knew that most of the cars ahead of him would
still have to make their pit stop. As
the race hit the halfway point, Matt continued to climb through the field and
was now in the 18th position and would advance two more positions
over the next 25 laps. With 10 laps
remaining, Billings made his way into the top ten, and would finish the race
with an outstanding sixth place effort.
“It was a great run for us
again this year. Every year we seem to
keep improving our position”, says Billings.
“We wont be satisfied until we can win this thing, but I am pretty proud
of the team for all their hard work. I
wouldn’t be able to do this without them, and our sponsors”.
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.
