GREENWOOD, La. — With some good fortune on his side, Caleb Dillard broke into the win column on Saturday night at Boothill Speedway.
Dillard bested a strong 21-car field, the largest to date, for the Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series Fueled By Sunoco Cajun Region in the second round of the Day Motor Sports point series.
The STSS Modifieds took part in their first points-paying event at Boothill before a packed grandstand during the track’s milestone 50th anniversary season.
Dillard, the 2021 series champion, relished the growing car count and enthusiasm of the large crowd.
“This is awesome to see such a good field of cars here and the fans coming out to support us,” Dillard said. “We’re really trying to get this class going. It’s a blast; probably the most fun I’ve ever had in a race car.”
The 20-lap main event produced its share of drama.
Polesitter Keith Badiali led the opening 11 laps of the main event on the high-banked quarter-mile oval, while Dillard, Tommy Rascoe and Koty Adams swapped positions behind him.
Adams, who started sixth, drove into the lead with a slide job on lap 12, with Rascoe and Dillard in tow.
The race’s complexion changed on lap 14 when a tangle in turn two brought out the caution.
After the ensuing restart was called off, Adams ended up on his side in turn one. He was uninjured.
Rascoe inherited the lead over Dillard.
“I don’t know what happened to Koty,” Dillard said. “I didn’t even know I was second. It was a shock to me.”
When the green flag appeared, Rascoe’s No. R21 broke loose in turn four, allowing Dillard to sweep into the lead.
“Tommy (Rascoe) must have spun his tires (on the restart),” Dillard said. “And I got going pretty good.”
Dillard survived one more yellow flag during the race’s late stages to take home the $1,000 payday for his TCB Motorsports team.
“My car was really free,” Dillard said, after at one point fading to fourth-place mid-race. “I caught some lucky breaks at the end. Sometimes you’ve gotta be lucky.”
The finish:
Feature (20 Laps): Caleb Dillard, Tommy Rascoe, Kodey Keimig, Richard Holt, Thomas Holt, Keith Badiali, Alan Myers, Gene Boyter, Danny Baglio, Roger Erickson, Dale Wester, Koty Adams, Glenn Stone, Corey Oltz, David Forbis, Brent Buckley, Korey Keimig, Mike Krompegal, Joe Boswell.