Column By: MIKE TRAVERSE / RPW – MIDDLETOWN, NY – Jimmy Phelps has been good through the years at Orange County Fair Speedway, and especially in the Eastern States 200.
After finishing third in the 2022 edition of the event, the HBR pilot backed up that effort with another podium finish on Sunday, bringing his #98H home in third once again.
“Honestly, I thought our car was better than where we ran most of the race,” Phelps said. “We would gain a few on a restart, but it seemed like we needed six to eight laps to get going.”
The way the race played out seemed to fall into the Phelps team’s strategy as things went on.
“Fortunately, we caught a restart or two where we gained some positions,” he said. “With a couple of guys dropping out, we made it to the top 3.”
Phelps is a veteran driver. With how things began for his team at Eastern States, he and was happy to be back in the top three.
“It was a decent day for us,” he said. “We unloaded a little slow but the guys did a good job and kept digging.”