Dillon Moltz Ready to Challenge for Another Late Model 100 Race Victory at Stafford Speedway
Stafford Springs, CT — As Stafford’s Late Model division gets set to take top billing with their 18th Annual Late Model 100 this Friday night, August 19, Late Model driver Dillon Moltz is ready to challenge for another extra distance title. From 2008-2009, Moltz won the 100-lap event three consecutive times and he followed up his three wins with finishes of second, third, and an 18th place finish after making contact with the wall in the extra distance event. Moltz likes the longer race and he is ready to challenge for a fourth 100-lap victory at Stafford this Friday night.
“Without a doubt I like the longer races, I’m disappointed that we only have one 100 lap race this year after we had 2 a year from when I started in the Late Models,” said Moltz. “We won three in a row and then were on the podium for the next two and we had some right front issues in our last race, so it’s definitely a favorite of mine. I’ve learned something new in each 100-lap race that I’ve run at Stafford, the races that we won as well as the races we didn’t win, so we’re very exicted for the 100-lapper.”
Since Moltz broke into the Late Model division in the middle of the 2007 season, he has collected 17 Late Model feature victories, including three thusfar this season. Moltz certainly knows how to find his way to victory lane and he says that while his AAA Driver Training team doesn’t change that much on the car for the extra distance features, the key is to have a setup that will allow Moltz race the car hard at the end of the race.
“In a normal 30-lap race, you have to set the car up to be on the edge for the 30 laps and its hammer down,” said Moltz. “For the 100-lapper, you really want a setup that will allow the car to come to you at the end of the race so that when other guys start falling off, you have a strong car under you. For this race I don’t think it’s critical to have a car that is at the top of the practice sheet like it would be for a 30-lap race. It’s all about trying to make the car comfortable for 100 laps, the race can be pretty physical if your car is not right. The only big difference for us is we add a little extra weight to the car to compensate for the extra fuel we have burning off throughout the race. With these longer races, it’s really tough to predict what will happen, usually we’ve had to start deep in the pack and we’ve been able to work our way towards the front. We feel like we have the capability to win the race and hopefully we can have a bit of luck on our side and we can be one of the cars fighting it out at the end of the race.”
Another victory in the Late Model 100 would also help Moltz in his quest to secure his first Late Model championship at Stafford. Moltz has three wins thusfar in 2011 and he enters the Late Model 100 in third place in the Late Model standings, 62 points behind Ryan Posocco.
“A win in the 100 would definitely be a boost for us,” said Moltz. “We’re not where we want to be right now, but I’m real proud of the effort that the team has put in this year. We didn’t have our crew chief, Don Bonnanno, for a couple of races and everyone on the team really stepped up. We had a couple of races where if we didn’t have bad luck, we had no luck at all and in racing, all it takes is a few bad races to hurt your season. There’s still plenty of time mathematically, but there’s a reason why Ryan Posocco has won 5 championships. Realistically, both Ryan and Woody Pitkat are veterans and they’re going to be tough to beat.”
Tickets for the 18th Annual Late Model 100 are priced at $18.00 for adult general admission tickets, $5.00 for children ages 6-14, and children ages 5 and under are admitted free of charge when accompanied by an adult. Reserved seating is priced at $20.00 for all ages. As always, Stafford Motor Speedway offers free parking with overnight parking available.
For more information, or to order tickets, please contact the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at 860-684-2783 or visit us on the web at www.staffordspeedway.com.
Sources:Scott Running/Stafford Motor Speedway PR