Media Contact: Megan Dupuy - woodhullracewaypr@gmail.com or (315) 729-3825
For Immediate Release – July 16th, 2016 – Greg Mesler photo -
(WOODHULL) – Woodhull Raceway has its fair share of young drivers but it also has its fair share of veterans that run on a weekly basis. Just because they have been racing for a long time does not mean they have everything figured out.
They still struggle and go through the same problems as the young guns do. Billy Van Pelt is a seventeen-time track champion out of Westfield, Pennsylvania who races in the Insinger Performance 370 Modified division.
In racing's offseason, there is a good chance you can catch Billy on the snowmobile. He works at Medplast as an engineer- a company that produces medical products.
Van Pelt, approaching 50 years of age, love to keep going with something. For 29 years, Van Pelt has found himself behind the wheel of a racecar. He started back in 1987 and has been at it ever since.
“It’s not 30 yet,” Van Pelt said during our interview after being asked how long he’s been racing for.
Van Pelt has a wide range of cars he has raced. From full size cars to snowmobiles to go-karts. When Billy was little he first started racing in snowmobiles. He’s raced four wheelers and three wheelers along with go-karts on dirt and ice.
Van Pelt has also ran in a late model a couple of times and a sprint car. Like most others at Woodhull Raceway, Van Pelt got into racing because of his dad and brother.
“They already had the car racing,” Van Pelt said.
Most racers can say the same. Many got into racing because their family member already had a car and was involved in the sport. The competition seems to be a reoccurring theme with drivers at Woodhull Raceway.
When asked what he likes most about racing? The driver of the Grant Hilfiger-owned No. 78 answered with, “the competition.”
He also mentioned that going fast was also a great thing about racing. As many of you readers know, Van Pelt will no longer be teaming up with Grant Hilfiger as a race team next year.
“I am going to race next year, that’s all I am going to say and it will be in a modified.”
So for all of the Billy Van Pelt fans, you won’t have to worry about not seeing him next year. This season has not been the easiest season for Van Pelt and his team. They struggled to find a victory at first but have finally found the right formula to make winning look easy.
That’s all it took for Van Pelt. He struggled finding out the right set up to make the car as fast as possible. Van Pelt is a fantastic driver who lies among a number of veterans at Woodhull Raceway.
Even though his current race team's successful run is ending, it surely does not mean it’s the end of his driving career. Look forward to seeing Van Pelt up front the rest of this season, while waiting to see what and who it will happen with next year.