WINSTON SALEM, NC :: 16 year old Dillon Bassett rides a wave of momentum into Martinsville Speedway on the heels of three consecutive UARA-STARS victories as he strives to continue his streak by winning the prestigious Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 in his first appearance.
This weekend UARA-STARS point leader Dillon Bassett will attempt his first start on the half mile paperclip in Martinsville, Virginia in what is undoubtedly the most esteemed late model stock car event each year. Last Wednesday Bassett made his first laps around Martinsville during the test session, and had only positive feedback to report to his Bassett Racing team led by Seth Smith.
With 90 late model stock cars on hand practicing last week, Dillon Bassett was consistently fast and unofficially ended the day amongst the top ten in lap times. “I feel really great about how we ended the test session. At times the car was tight, but overall the day went incredibly well. Much better than I anticipated, I honestly thought it would take me a little longer to adjust to the track,” Bassett commented.
One area of concern for the Bassett Racing team is engine selection for the 150 lap feature event. Dillon Bassett’s No. 44 Butler Trailer / Rex Younger Galleries / Pig Oil Ford currently sports a Ford Crate engine. “We’re not quite convinced our Ford Crate is going to be the way to go for the race, I think we may have a hard time passing. We’ve been checking into putting a Ford Built engine under the hood for this weekend, but either way we go we’ll make it work and I’m confident our car will be race ready,” Bassett said.
If Dillon Bassett can visit victory lane for his fourth consecutive event, he will also become the youngest winner of the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300. At 18 years old Jake Crum won the event in 2009 giving him the feat. Teams enter Martinsville Friday and on track action starts with practice Saturday at 1 PM followed by ‘qualifying practice’ at 4 PM which will set the field for the 20 lap heat races on Sunday.
This is the second year for the controversial format change in which the top eight from four heat races and top ten from the last chance race transfer into the main event. Dillon Bassett may be one of the few drivers who are a fan of the changes. “I am not a good qualifier, and this format suits my style. I don’t have the pressure of taking the track alone and making a strong two lap run in order to lock myself into the race.”
In the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown Dillon Bassett was able to capture the pole this season in a similar format to Martinsville’s ‘qualifying practice’ in which multiple cars take the track at a time. Bassett and his No. 44 Bassett Racing team are ready to enter Martinsville and take on the best of the best late model stock car drivers this weekend.
