BARBERVILLE, Fla. — Bill Rose will add another center-steer vehicle to his resume of race cars in February as he plans to make his big block modified debut at DIRTcar Nationals.
After running his sprint car the first week of the event at Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 6-11, he’ll climb aboard his new Teo-built modified with the Super DIRTcar Series during the second week.
“I’ve been looking forward to it,” Rose said. “I’ve always wanted to run one. Billy Pauch had tried to get me hooked up with some people to run one and it just never came about. I started piecing one together.”
And not just one. Two. Through the process of building one car, Rose found himself with another. He plans on making one his big block car, while the other will be his small block car.
“I went up to Teo’s for some parts and ended up buying another one from them,” Rose said with a chuckle.
He doesn’t have specific plans for the small block yet. Maybe run it later this year, if at all. But the big block he hopes to run at DIRTcar Nationals and a few more times throughout the year — especially when the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series runs through Pennsylvania and New York.
His hope is to catch some of the weekday modified events in between World of Outlaws races and bring the big block — potentially the small block — to Weedsport Speedway in the summer when the modifieds are paired with the World of Outlaws for the Empire State Challenge Weekend, July 29-30.
If all goes well throughout the year, he’ll also run with the Super DIRTcar Series during World Finals in November at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.
DIRTcar Nationals will be his first time sitting behind the wheel of a big block modified. While he knows there’ll probably be a learning curve, he hopes his Silver Crown experience will be of assistance.
“To me, they remind me of a Silver Crown car in a way,” Rose said. “The only thing is, they have them to where they’re rolling over on the right front big time and raising up on the left rear like the late models do now. Silver Crown don’t do that. So, that’s going to be a little bit different for me. But I think they’re still going to drive about the same. If you watch them, they stay straight as hell. That’s what you have to do with Silver Crown cars, especially on the miles.”
The other challenge for the Plainfield, Ind., native is logistics. First, it’s the logistics of location. With the majority of the big block and small block events being in the Northeast, Rose plans to leave his modifieds with a friend in region. The second is the logistics of help. Most of the time, it’s he and Amanda Hoegsted working on the cars in the shop and at the track. And for Rose, his sprint car program will still be top priority. He said if he can hire a couple more guys to help take care of his sprint car, that’ll free him up to try other things.
After the 2023 Chili Bowl, Rose said all of his midget program will be sold off. But along with his winged sprint car and new modifieds, he still has a Silver Crown car and a non-wing sprint car at his shop.
“I don’t do anything else,” Rose said. “Amanda asked, ‘Are we going to go do anything else?’ I said, ‘I don’t know what else to do.’”
His plan is to run the full World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series schedule again in 2023. After what he called his “worst year” in 2022, Rose said he’s coming back with a new car and better engine package.
“I got my ass handed to me last year,” Rose said. “But I learned, and I learned more toward the end of the year. Last year, I was so far behind because of losing a year of racing because of my shoulder (injury). The motors were worn out and I just wanted to get through the end of the year.
“The new cars are different from what I had last year. Motors, I got better motors. That’s huge. I had good motors, but I didn’t realize how much better I needed them. So, we worked on that program. Will we set the world on fire? Who knows? But I should be a whole lot better than what I was. I’m looking forward to it because I know what we’re doing.”
The sky is the limit for his new modified program. If the stars align in the future, Rose said he could see himself attempting events like Super DIRT Week at Oswego Speedway. But for now, he’ll take his white No. 6 big block modified to Florida and continue to grow his eclectic resume of race cars.
“Billy (Pauch) told me I was stupid last year when I told him I bought [a modified],” Rose said with a chuckle. “He goes, ‘You live in Indiana, why the hell would you do that? And I said, ‘I don’t know, I’ve just always wanted to do it.’”