MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — When Danny Dietrich embarked on his 2022 racing season, the schedule he had set out would find him missing a few shows at Williams Grove Speedway during the year.
And miss a few he did.
But the 2022 Lawrence Chevrolet 410 sprint car track title still went home with him and No. 48 car owner Gary Kauffman.
The track title was the second of Dietrich’s career at age 34 and he raced all the way through the final laps of the year to put his name on the dotted line.
Dietrich entered the mid-October World of Outlaws National Open at Williams Grove some 185 points out of the lead and would march from 19th starting spot to finish eighth and score a 10-point margin to steal the title from Freddie Rahmer.
Still, Dietrich says it wasn’t a surprise to him that the team took the title.
“When it got down to the end of the season, to crunch time, I knew that we could do it,” said Dietrich.
“It’s been a long time since we had to punch our way into an outlaw show with a provisional and we’ve always found a way to get into the show and that’s been a key ingredient to our winning championships over the years.”
So now the new season awaits.
Opening day at Williams Grove is slated for March 12.
Dietrich and Kauffman are paired again for their 14th season together as they make an assault on Williams Grove and other area ovals.
Dietrich says while his plans for the new season are much like last year, there is a bit of a difference.
“The only time it looks like we’re going to be away from Williams Grove this year will be Ohio speedweek,” Dietrich said. “Our plan to miss Williams Grove shows this year is less than it has been in years’ past.”
Plus, Dietrich and Kauffman have added former Michael Barshinger crewman Chad Lloyd to the fold.
“We brought on Chad to help with tires and drive the truck and trailer which will take a little pressure off of (mechanic) Jake (Sgrignoli) and I.”
Dietrich insists that just like he began last year, he will not race anywhere for points in 2023.
“If we get ourselves in a situation where it doesn’t make sense to go out for a B Main, we won’t,” Dietrich said. “And at the end of the year if you win races, the points take care of themselves.”
The Kauffman team won three times at Williams Grove last year and Dietrich now sits in sole possession of 14th on the all-time wins list with 28.
Dietrich is a two-time opening day winner at Williams Grove Speedway with wins in 2015 and 2012 to his credit.
Last year, Williams Grove opened the season on March 18 when invader Justin Peck scored the sprint car win while Gregg Satterlee rode to victory in super late models.