Column By: BOBBY CHALMERS / RPW – LYSANDER, NY – Jimmy Phelps has never been one to shy away from competition.
In 2023, he proved it on the Super DIRTcar Series.
Against some of the fiercest Dirt Modified competition in the Northeast, the ‘Baldwinsville Bandit’ marched his way to a second-consecutive third place points finish on the Series.
After a 2022 season that saw him score a Super DIRTcar Series points-paying triumph at Weedsport as well as another during the DIRTcar Nationals, the Lysander, NY driver didn’t grab a tour checkered flag in ’23 but was able to score five top 5’s and 11 top 10’s.
Even though he had several strong runs throughout 2023, though, Phelps is a racer and isn’t satisfied with third.
“We definitely underachieved a little towards the middle part of the season,” Phelps said. “There’s some extremely tough competition on the Series but hopefully we’ve got things on track for ’24.”
If you thin the HBR team is searching for momentum, look no further than Phelps’ runner-up finish in the season-ending finale during the World Finals at Charlotte.
“We had a good car down there,” he said. “I think we may have been a little softer on tire than (Matt) Sheppard was on the final night. I knew once he took off and got rolling he was going to be tough.”
After the three World Finals feature that saw him grab a sixth on night one and a ninth on night two, the HBR team has plenty of positives to build on for the upcoming season.
“We had a decent week in Charlotte,” he said. “We were good but the results from the first two nights didn’t show how good of a car we had. At least on the final night we were able to get a good draw and keep the J&B Installations car up front.”
It’s those types of runs that has Phelps and his team working hard this winter to hopefully keep things going in a positive direction.
“We’re hoping we can build on our runs down there to hit the ground running this season,” he said. “We’ve been working hard in the shop, trying to build on Charlotte and we’ll see what the spring brings.”
The HBR driver started the season on a high note with three-straight top 10 runs at Bridgeport, Weedsport and Lebanon Valley, showcasing the performance of the 98H team.
Unfortunately, Phelps only tallied two additional top-5 finishes before his second place on the final night of the World Finals.
To Phelps, that just proves how tough the Super DIRTcar Series is.
“Al Heinke and HBR gives our team everything we need to succeed and compete at the highest level,” he said. “To place third this past year, honestly, is a testament to being associated with a really good race team like we have. That’s what we need to be in the hunt for wins and a championship.”
Having a shot at the title each year comes down to consistency. While Phelps didn’t win last season on the Super DIRTcar Series, he was one of the most consistent drivers throughout the year.
“It’s all about finishing races,” he said. “Sometimes, you don’t get the result you’re looking for. However, you finish the race and that’s the most important thing. When it comes to the end of the season, those finishes help put you higher in the standings where you may be in a fight for a title.”
Phelps did find victory lane last season, on two occasions at his weekly Friday night home, the Brewerton Speedway. The first came on May 26th while the second was during the second week of August.
At the end of racing season at the D-Shaped Dirt Demon, Phelps sat third in track points, 72 markers behind champion Tim Sears Jr.
Still, Phelps has his sights set squarely on returning to victory lane against the best the Super DIRTcar Series has to offer.
“We know how tough it is to win any race these days with the caliber of drivers out there right now,” he said. “However, I know we have the equipment and the team to get the job done. We’re working hard to make 2024 a great season and get the 98H back to victory lane on the Series.”