Larry Wight may have found a successful formula for the 2024 Super DIRTcar Series season.
After two years of struggling, he made a pivotal adjustment to his shock program during the offseason, leaning on advice from the Series’ most recent championship duo.
“We made a switch to Integra Shocks,” Wight said. “I reached out to Randy Kisacky and Matt Sheppard and they both helped us out with getting a good baseline setup. We went to [Florida] and unloaded fast and maintained that speed throughout the night, every night.
“I think a lot of it was we were kind of out in left field in the last few years, and now we’re getting closer to home plate.”
Those changes paid off in Florida as Wight finished outside the top 10 once in seven starts between Volusia Speedway Park and All-Tech Raceway. And in the one race he finished worse than 10th, he was leading with seven laps to go before an accident took him out of the race.
So far, the season is a 180-degree turn for Wight, who said he felt like he was playing catch-up for most of 2023.
“We kind of got stuck in a rut,” Wight said. “We’re not sure if it was the change in tires or change in cars, but we were behind the 8-ball on setups right out of the box. We were behind in [Qualifying] and had to make it up in the Heat Race. We seemed to race good in the Features but dug ourselves too much of a hole.”
One of the things that helped keep his confidence up throughout his struggles was driving a Sprint Car. Wight made appearances with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars and Empire Super Sprints last season, allowing him to focus on something different.
“Running the Sprint Car was about the only thing that kept our confidence up,” Wight said. “We jump in the Sprint Car and get two to three wins a year, only running it 10 times. It definitely lets us know I can still at least drive the car still.
“We use that to kind of break up the monotony and go out and have fun. We don’t have any expectations. It definitely helps as far as morale goes.”
After solid runs in Florida, Wight is turning his attention to the Power in the Pines at New Egypt Speedway, where the Super DIRTcar Series opens its 2024 championship season on March 30.
Now, having a setup he’s confident in, Wight said he hopes to score his 13th Super DIRTcar Series win in 2024.
“We’ve made a lot of changes this winter,” Wight said. “After Florida, we had one bad night, but it was while we were leading. So, it’s not nearly as bad as if we were running 20th and had all that happen. We ran two cars with two engine combinations on different tires and pretty much the same setup package, and we were very successful. That gives us a lot of confidence going into the early spring and hitting these early races.
“We just have to keep the leash short on how crazy we go on the car and make small changes in different situations.”
That successful formula is something he hopes will help him contend for a Super DIRTcar Series championship in 2024.
“To try and chase Sheppard down, we just have to be consistent on the podiums with him,” Wight said. “If we’re on the podium every night, the wins will come.”
Wight and the Super DIRTcar Series kick off their championship season during Power in the Pines at New Egypt Speedway on Saturday, March 30. It’s the Series’ first stop at the Garden State oval since 2014.
If you can’t make it to the track, watch all the action live on DIRTVision, either online or with the DIRTVision app.
