As the defending winner of the Hall of Fame 100 at Weedsport Speedway, Billy Decker comes into the Thursday, Aug. 6 event hoping to gain some ground in the Super DIRTcar Series championship battle.
But, at the same time, the Unadilla, New York racer said he does not carry any kind of advantage just because he won last year’s event. In fact, he said, nobody really brings an edge over the competition to the three-eighths-mile clay oval or any of the other tracks the big-block modified tour races on.
“A lot of people have got Weedsport figured out,” Decker said. “A lot of these guys come with a lot of experience with the Super DIRTcar Series. There’s no such thing as home track advantage or that kind of stuff.”
The Super DIRTcar Series rolls into Weedsport Thursday, Aug. 6 to showcase today’s superstars a night after it honors the legends of racing past. Pit gates open at 4 p.m. and general admission gates open at 5 p.m., while time trials start at 6:40 p.m. and racing starts at 7 p.m.
Before Aug. 5, advance reserve tickets cost $25 and advance reserve tickets with pit passes cost $30. Box office reserved seating costs $29 on the day of the event, and general admission seating costs $25. Students ages 11-17 cost $10, and children age 10 and under are free.
Along with the 100-lap big-block modified feature worth $10,000 to the winner, the night’s racing action will include crate sportsman and vintage antique stock car events. Pole Position Raceway will be on hand to give away items such as T-shirts and coupons, and there will be a driver autograph session at 5:30 p.m.
And when the green flag flies for the start of the Super DIRTcar Series race, Decker likes his chances to repeat as the Hall of Fame 100 winner.
“I feel good. I like Weedsport,” he said. “Hopefully we can snag another one there.”
That being said, Decker said he has been “hot and cold” on the big-block modified tour this season. With three wins, he sits second in standings by just three points to Matt Sheppard after losing the points lead following the July 20 event at Autodrome Drummond in Drummondville, Quebec.
“We’ve got to get some consistency back,” Decker said. “Overall, we’ve been pretty strong, been very strong. We expect to be in the hunt the rest of the way.”
As with any track, he said the key to racing at Weedsport is “just show up and be prepared” and try to avoid trouble.
Decker said it is important to keep up with the adjustments as the track changes throughout the night and to find the right setup for the right speed of the track. And, he added, the surface the competitors see Aug. 6 will not be the same surface he won on last year.
“There’s no key to Weedsport. There’s no advantage,” he said. “It’s a little different track this year. There’s a different surface out there.”