WEEDSPORT, N.Y. – Sept. 2, 2014 – Defending NAPA Super DIRT Week Syracuse 200 champion Billy Dunn answered questions today in DIRTcar’s first online chat. Click the image to see his questions-and-answers:
Billy, can you describe what winning the Syracuse 200 did for you?
“It probably wasn’t as much what it did for me as much as what it meant to me. It’s the biggest race in DIRTcar and the biggest race since I was a kid. Hopefully I have a chance of winning it again. It is pretty special.”
What do you think about during a race that long?
“You keep pretty busy. You’re just getting in line and seeing how the car is going, working on a strategy depending on what the car is doing. Before you know it the race is almost over and you concentrate on it just like any other race.”
What will you do different this year in preparation, if anything, as defending champion of NAPA Super DIRT Week?
“The preparation isn’t different. The outlook on the race is different. You think about the stuff you want to try and the different stuff you can do on the car. Having won the race once makes you want to try something new, not be as conservative with the calls. I would say I would be more aggressive with pit strategy to try to win the race.”
Will it be tougher to defend the win from 2013 than it was to win it in 2013?
“I don’t know if anyone has a bullseye on them. Every year is a different set of circumstances. The track conditions are different. It isn’t any harder to win it just because we won it the year before. We’ve had a fast car the last two or three years at Syracuse. We will go in with confidence, knowing that even with a small team we can win.”
Can you do well with your Saturday night racer you’ve been running all summer or must you have special Syracuse cars to be successful?
“Yes and no. Our Syracuse car is only for Syracuse, but it is pretty much a Saturday night car. We can race our Syracuse car anywhere else with a day’s work, and that is the same for most everyone. It isn’t specific just for Syracuse. With fresh parts they are all short track cars.”
Who was more excited about the win, you or your dad Norm?
“We were both excited. It means a lot for both of us. “He was going to Syracuse for a long time and won in 1986 with Bob McCreadie. I have been going since I was a kid. There is a pretty short list on who won the race. We both put a lot of effort to going good at Syracuse.”
Do you think other teams will try to copy your winning strategy from last year?
“Yes, absolutely. The way the rules are laid out, it opens it up for a lot of folks to do what we did last year. It won’t win the race again. There are different ways we can do it. We needed a little bit of luck and the long stretch of green flag laps helps. It is strategy more guys will use and we’ll wait to see what Sunday brings to see what we can do again.”
How long did it take to sink in that you accomplished this feet in your career?
“We knew we could win it. To us it wasn’t as much of a surprise as it was everyone else, but it is amazing that we won Syracuse.”
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