GREENWOOD, La. — The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models Series’ debut at Louisiana’s Boothill Speedway on Friday is a welcome sight for Louisiana’s Cade Dillard.
Dillard’s family history extends back to when his father, Greg Dillard, raced and won at Boothill in the late 1980s. A generation later, Cade, and his brother, Caleb, also found themselves racing and winning at the track.
When the World of Outlaws visits Boothill this weekend for the $15,000-to-win Bayou Classic, Cade will honor his parents, and that legacy, with a special paint scheme that models the first car his dad drove – which was bought by Cade’s mother, Pam Dillard.
“I’m excited for this one,” Cade said. “It’s my dad’s car which was around 1988-89 when he started racing at Boothill. My mom bought that car, so it was her and him that got us all started in this sport. They’ve done so much for me since getting started racing in general. They’ve done what all they could for so many years, so it’s cool to give something back to them.
“Boothill is where I grew up, I was there when I was two weeks old, so there’s a lot of people in that area who will remember that car racing in the ’90s, and I think it’s something cool to share with them when we go race.”
The race weekend will keep Dillard close to home Friday and Saturday with the series also making its debut at Rocket Raceway Park for the $15,000-to-win Texas Torpedo 50 in Petty, Texas – another track Dillard has won at.
“Boothill’s owned by my two buddies (Bubba Jones and Ralo Pilkington) and they’ve been constantly working hard at it,” Dillard said. “They’re making upgrades and it’s nice to see that. I know their car counts have been awesome this year, it reflects the work they’ve put into the facility. They work hard on the track as well, and I promise you that they will give us a good surface to race on. I definitely expect a packed house crowd there.
“The same goes for Rocket as well. I know those guys there, and they keep their facilities up nice. They’ve been working hard over there with what all they have, and you appreciate going to places like that and supporting those people that love this sport.”
Currently sixth in points, Dillard still has time to move up with fourth-place Ryan Gustin 64 points ahead of him and fifth-place Kyle Bronson 42 points ahead of him. But he also has to worry about seventh-place Brian Shirley, who is 18 points behind him.
“For the most part, we’ve had the speed but not the results to show for it,” Dillard said. “A lot of things have been out of our control, and it can be frustrating. Especially when you drop positions in the standings when you have silly things end your night. It hasn’t reflected how hard we’ve been working on.
“It’s a tough business we’re in with all the drivers we race against. We got a lot of fast cars against us, some are dominant, and it can be challenging to go up against. I’ve gotten to continue getting comfortable, and all of my guys are working hard. Over the last year or two, I’ve had to work on my comfort with this car and we’ve got a good notebook to lean on now. Even if it’s not a winning night, we’ve been consistent in starting the night well. We’re just looking for the results to end the season in good shape.”