RPW Exclusive: Win Thursday, Race Friday; The Whirlwind 24 Hours For Kyle Hoard & His Trip To Super DIRT Week

Column By: DYLAN FRIEBEL / RPW – GRANVILLE, NY – Nearly 160 miles.  That’s how far Pro Stock campaigner Kyle Hoard towed his no. 76 Thursday night after winning a feature event at Mohawk International Raceway so he could compete in the 52nd running of Super DIRT Week at the Oswego Speedway.

“Mohawk was awesome,” Hoard said.  “It’s the raciest track I’ve ever competed at.  I didn’t expect to go there and win just because I’ve never been there.”

Though he wasn’t expecting it, he accomplished his goal.  Not many can say that.

“I got to the lead on lap 10 and was putting together good laps,” he said.  “I still had the 72G (Denis Gauvreau) to run me down and drive by. It’s the kinda place where you’re never safe.  There’s always another lane that’s going to come in and someone is going to contend. Showing up to a track I’ve never raced and winning was the coolest thing I’ve done.”

The idea to go to Super DIRT Week, however, was always on the table.  Oswego had been on Kyle’s schedule since the pre-season, but then that pesky thing called life got in the way.

“I planned to run Super DIRT Week this year,” he said.  “However, I’ve been working six days a week all summer and didn’t think I’d be able to get the five days off I usually take for it.  So, the plan changed in September not to go.”

Once the weather forecast moved things around on Wednesday, though, everything changed.

“Then when I saw there were 28 cars registered and that time trials and heats were rained out, I got to thinking,” he said.  “Seeing that the heats and feature would be Friday, I made a deal with my crew & family that if we won Mohawk, we were going to Oswego and see what we could do.”

He won, and the trip was on.

Kyle knew he was going to be starting deep in the DIRTcar Pro Stock 50 at Oswego but, with only 28 cars, he also knew everyone was going to make it.  That’s when the decision was made to use the heat as ‘their practice’ to make sure the car was good.

“The only reason I wish I didn’t miss time trials is because I think we had a real shot to lock into the top 6,” he said.  “I truly believe we had a shot to compete for a podium finish but I don’t regret going to Mohawk. That was a ton of fun.”

Then come Friday and the 10-lap qualifier.

“For the heat, I knew the track was going to be slick,” he said.  “I didn’t really plan to race hard in the heat, knowing all cars were going to qualify.”

Then, lady luck turned just a little bit sour for Kyle and his team.  An early crash smashed up the front end but he caught some luck as well with the wreck.

“On lap one of the heat, there was a six-car wreck,” he said.  “We ended up in a good spot. I got spun coming out of turn two and Brian Carter had nowhere to go and hit me square in the front end. It destroyed the front bumper, nose, and hood. Luckily no suspension parts were bent or broken. All it did was make us spend an hour trying to fix it between the heat and the feature.”

It was then that they started to plan for the feature.  Kyle would start 25th on the field of 28 and he knew the track was going to take a big swing in his feature.

“I knew they were going to work the track before our feature,” he said.  “The surface turned out great. It went through a big transition around halfway, from pretty hammer down to slick through the middle.”

It was the type of track that really seemed to suit Hoard’s Pro Stock and his driving style.

“I was really able to get my car to roll through the corners,” he said.  “I added a lot of wedge before the feature and it tightened my car up a lot when the grip was there.  However, as soon as it started to slick off, we were lights out.”

With the car coming around to him in the 50-lap feature, the Granville, NY campaigner went from 25th to 10th and secured himself the Hard Charger award for the event.  For a car that showed up that morning, and one of the only ones utilizing the ‘old style’ Pro Stock suspension, Hoard was thrilled.

“I love passing cars,” he said.  “So, going from 25th to 10th against the field that was there was a big feat.  I’m still on leaf springs and am one of the last ones still running them.  We’ve been running well.  I take a lot of pride making them work as well as they are.”

It’s not due to luck.  The Hoard team have worked at it.

“My dad and I have spent a ton of time thinking of how to improve and tune on the car to still make it work,” he said.  “A lot of the ideas we’ve used, we’ve heard ‘that won’t work,’ but man, it’s been working great.”

Just as the season winds down Hoard is hitting his stride and he loves that.

“I’ve won three of the last six races we’ve run,” he said.  “We won at Albany-Saratoga for my second ever there.  Then, we went to Airborne Park Speedway and got my first win there.  Now Mohawk International Raceway.  Another two of them I was the Hard Charger as well.  I drive from 24th to fourth in the 10K-to-win, Autism Acceptance race at Albany Saratoga and now 25th to 10th at Oswego.”

It always takes a village to race and Hoard knows that along with his sponsors.

“I need to thank my girlfriend Taylor, my parents, Christine and Frank Jr, my sister, Marisa, and everyone that’s supported this team,” hes aid.  “I can’t forget Saratoga Auto Supply, Hoard’s Car Care, Interstate Batteries and Special Effects Hair Salon.  They’re really behind this team and it makes all the difference.”

You could say it’s been a whirlwind 2024 for Kyle Hoard.  However, the last week has been simply a fairy-tale.