Billy Dunn Claims Mohawk International Raceway Track Championship and Frenchie’s “Chevy Runs Deep” Championship; Top Five at Canandaigua

Entering the final points weekend for 2012, Billy Dunn had plenty on the line as he attempted to win not only the Mohawk Raceway 358 Modified championship, but also the Frenchie’s “Chevy Runs Deep” Series title. It wasn’t going to be easy though, as he was entrenched in a battle for the track title with five other teams in contention, and only two points separating Billy from the point leader going into the night. The Frenchie’s series was also going to be tough, as he entered Thursday night’s race tied for the point lead. Billy would also compete with his own Big Block Modified at Canandaigua on Saturday night, and Rolling Wheels Raceway for the Big Block Modified Super DIRTcar Series on Sunday.

At Mohawk Raceway, Billy finished second in his qualifying heat race after a ferocious battle with the point leader. There was a lot at stake going into the final night, and the points accumulated during the heat race could have been the difference of winning the championship. Dunn would finish that race in second, and would trail by three points with the 50-lap feature determining the outcome of both championships. Dunn started the race in fifth place, and by lap 10 he had advanced to third place. The battle was on, as a win would guarantee him the championships. He took the lead briefly at lap 20, then settled into second spot for the remainder of the race, and would end the night with both championships.

“This is pretty special to win the championships after missing a week earlier this year before we started driving for the Ladouceur team”, says Dunn. “We really had no intentions of racing here every week until this opportunity came up, and I am very thankful to Laurent, and everyone that works on these cars. It was exciting coming down to the final race like this, and I am happy that we were able to get it done”.

Billy was back in his own car for the rest of the weekend, with Canandaigua Motorsports Park hosting a double points night on the final night of the 2012 regular season. Dunn started the race from deep in the field in 22nd place but made steady progress in the early laps, breaking the top ten before the race hit the halfway distance. He would eventually find his way into the top five, but lost a spot in the closing laps to finish in sixth place, securing a top five finish in points with a very competitive field of cars all season long.

“We had a good year at Canandaigua, but there is always room for some improvement”, says Dunn. “We had a couple wins, and we are really happy with that, but hopefully we can get up a little higher next year and contend for the championship”.

The Big Block Modified Super DIRTcar Series resumed at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in Elbridge, New York on Sunday night. Dunn started the night fourth fastest in his group in opening practice, and picked up some speed in his qualifying session, moving to second on the leaderboard and started his heat race from the front row. He went on to finish the race in second place, earning a spot it the redraw for a top 12 starting spot for the Stars and Stripes 100 lap main event. He would draw position number four and lined up on the outside of row two. Dunn battled within the top five for most of the race, but a mechanical failure on the final lap sent Dunn to the pits and was credited with a 12th place finish.

This coming weekend, Dunn will be in Quebec on Saturday night for another Big Block Modified Super DIRTcar Series race. The following week, he will race at Mohawk Raceway for the final time in 2012 with the Big Block Super DIRTcar Series on Friday night, and again on Saturday night with the 358 Modifieds.

Dunn would like to thank Number One Speed, Pemco Contracting, SUNY Canton, FastLube of Watertown, Frosty’s Ice Cream, American Traditions Motorsports, Finger Lakes Auto Machine, Jiffy Dumpster and Bicknell Racing Products for their continued support for the 2012 racing season.

For more information on Billy Dunn and the Number One Speed race team, please check out our website, www.billydunn49.com.