Ryan Dolbear will never forget his first Super DIRT Week in a 358 Modified.
The Fulton, NY driver shocked the Northeast during last year’s edition of “Racing’s Biggest Party” by winning the pole for the Salute to the Troops 150, beating out NASCAR Trucks Series star Stewart Friesen for the spot.
It was a moment the Fulton Speedway regular said he’ll never forget.
“It was a cool experience,” Dolbear said. “Not many guys can say they did it in as short of a period as I did, just starting out in a Small Block. I was ecstatic.”
However, things didn’t go as planned during the Feature. While running second on Lap 6, Dolbear was involved in an incident with David Schilling that ended his race, resulting in a 39th-place finish.
Despite what happened, he’s taking the same approach to Super DIRT Week 53.
“We don’t really go into any race with any expectations,” Dolbear said. “We just kind of go with the flow each week and hope it goes good and the hard work in the shop pays off.
“We just missed something small, and it ended up costing us in the Feature. But it is what it is. You just regroup and come back the following year.”
So far in 2025, Dolbear has yet to reach Victory Lane. However, it hasn’t stopped him from trying to improve week after week. Along with racing at Fulton, he’s made trips to Weedsport Speedway for a DIRTcar 358 Modified Series event and Albany-Saratoga Speedway.
By going to those different tracks, he’s not only gaining experience but also trying to set up his new Bicknell to where he’ll have the most success.
“After destroying our frame last year, we bought a newer frame,” Dolbear said. “We’ve been kind of working out the kinks with it. It hasn’t reacted the way my other two cars have in the past. So, it’s just trying to find a baseline based on that car.
“Obviously, it’s a 24-hour game. One guy finds a little bit of something, and then you’re chasing his tail. You’re constantly chasing the next best thing in these cars. We all have a baseline, but obviously, to get that little extra, you have to find that something. I think we’ve just been off a little bit there, but we’ve finally got something figured out last week. Hopefully, that will shoot us in the right direction.”
With Dolbear’s return to Oswego less than three months away, he’s working toward more success when he arrives at the 5/8-mile oval in October. That includes going back to the baseline setup he had last year. However, he knows there will be variables throughout the week.
“It all depends on how the track is done this year,” Dolbear said. “It could be slick for Qualifying. It could have a little bite. It’s all based on that. Dirt Week is like a shot in the dark. You never know how the clay is going to be. You never know what the weather will be like. Hopefully, we can get the same conditions as last year because the track was awesome.
“The confidence is definitely a lot higher than it was last year. But like I said, we just keep our expectations low and go with the flow.”
Dolbear will aim for his second straight pole in the Salute to the Troops 150 during Super DIRT Week 53 at Oswego Speedway, Oct. 6-11.
If you can’t make it to a Super DIRTcar Series event, watch all the action live on DIRTVision, either online or with the DIRTVision app.
