FORT WAYNE, Ind. – It might not seem like it, but it has been four years since Billy Wease has been to victory lane inside the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.
The Noblesville, Ind., veteran is hoping to change that during this weekend’s Rumble in Fort Wayne presented by Jason Dietsch Trailer Sales, the 22nd renewal of the indoor racing classic.
Wease is a five-time Rumble winner, second-most behind all-time event leader Tony Stewart’s nine, but the last time he celebrated on the frontstretch of the sixth-mile concrete oval was Dec. 27, 2015.
That’s a drought that is far too extensive for Wease’s liking, and one that he explained to Sprint Car & Midget in depth on Thursday afternoon, citing the ever-changing indoor track in Fort Wayne.
“We definitely want to get back to victory lane, Randy (Burrow, car owner) and I do,” said Wease, who swept the 2009 Rumble in addition to wins in 2007, 2012 and 2015. “It’s a tough deal, though. I think a lot of it is that the track’s kind of changed a little bit. Last year it seemed like it didn’t really rubber down very well … and truthfully we’ve just missed it on setup, really, the last couple of years.
“We’ve changed a lot (on our cars) this year. I think it’s going to be a lot better,” he added. “Randy worked really hard on the cars, so I think we’ll have something to contend with this year.”
Wease is somewhat of a pavement specialist, so to speak, when it comes to his success in racing.
He won the 2006 Turkey Night Grand Prix, back when it was held at the half-mile Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway, and spent time as a Team Penske development driver in NASCAR during the decade as well.
Wease’s early history behind the wheel is deeply rooted in the asphalt of his home state, something he alluded to in discussing his more-recent success.
“Man, I grew up racing short tracks,” Wease said. “I mean I at the (Indianapolis) Speedrome pretty much from the time I was 12 years old, racing Kenyon cars … and then (national) midgets when I was 14 years old. It was just all short track racing like that. And I really took to the Speedrome, which really is pretty similar to this type of racing. There’s a lot of things that translated over pretty well.
“Once I got old enough to do indoors, I really just took to this place as soon as I got started doing it, and I’ve loved it ever since.”
Much like racing midgets with the United States Auto Club, where Wease has spent his time on dirt in recent years during the outdoor season, he chalked success at the Rumble in Fort Wayne up to a strong performance in two-lap time trials – something he said “sets you up for the rest of the night.”
“You have to have a good car to be able to position yourself through qualifying,” he noted. “You have to qualify well. There was a good stretch there where we were qualifying top three every time we’d come here, which would put us in position pretty much for the rest of the night to have a good night. A lot of it is that qualifying lap, and then getting through your heat race. That’s truly the main thing.
“You don’t want to get yourself stuck in the consi (B-main) where you have to win or you go home,” he added with a wry chuckle. “That’s never a fun position to be sitting in here in Fort Wayne.”
For Wease, who won’t be making the trip to Tulsa, Okla., this year to compete in the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals, this weekend’s Rumble is his chance to have a moment in the spotlight before the offseason truly sets in.
Wease knows that, too. He’s gunning for success on Friday and Saturday night to remind everyone that he’s still a force to be reckoned with when it comes to big-time midget racing.
“It’d be really cool to cap 2019 off with a win, or maybe two,” Wease said. “This deal is something I look forward to every year. Um, this deal is probably one of my favorite races of the year. It means a lot to me to come in here and be able to win. Just to reconnect with the home fans and race in front of them is always important and a little extra special.
“It’s a fun race, but it’s hard work. I’ve been working out in the gym a lot to try and get ready for this deal, just so you can sustain through the 50 laps. Breathing all the fumes in the whole race really wears you out, but I’ve done everything I can and I feel as ready for it this year as I ever have.”