By BILL FOLEY
Chad Phelps has always been a big-block Modified driver.
The New Haven, N.Y., driver has run big-blocks for as long as anyone can remember. Recently he has had the bigger powerplant in his new Troyer chassis.
There have been few shifts to any other cars.
When Fulton dropped the big-blocks it was uncertain exactly what route Phelps would take.
However, he begrudgingly settled for one night a week of racing at the “D-Shaped Dirt Demon” Brewerton Speedway.
Now that one division, one night a week racing appears to be coming to an end (on some weekends).
For the past couple of years Rick Lockwood has convinced Phelps to hop into a 600 Micro from time to time.
On opening night at Fulton this year for the 358 Modifieds there was Chad Phelps on the track.
He had his Bicknell chassis for a back up car and decided to do something different with it
Chad explained, “I had the opportunity to buy a 358 motor from Pat Morrison. I just put it in my spare car. The motor was the one that Brett Hearn won the last race at Syracuse with. It’s a good piece. I’ll probably run it for Super DIRT Week and the Fulton 200. Maybe I can get to a few of the 358 Series races and maybe even take it to Glen Ridge. I have gone to Glen Ridge before and it’s a fun track.”
However, the branching out doesn’t end there.
Chad said, ”I bought a 360 Sprint. Rick (Lockwood) was thinking about this and we did it. We went down and bought a car Danny Varin had driven. We were headed back on the Thruway and decided we probably should have bought the motor too. So we turned around, went back to Danny’s and bought the motor.”
He has never been behind the wheel of a Sprint Car and said, “I just wanted something to do. I’ve always wanted to try it. So why not?”
Chad said he hoped to have it out for the Empire Super Sprint show at the Brewerton Speedway next Friday, but it was only a possibility as he noted, “We really don’t have any spares and I need to get it lettered up.”
So as unlikely as it is, Chad Phelps, a lone division big-block driver for the majority of career will be trying his hand in not only the big-blocks, but also small-blocks and 360 Sprint cars in the 2023 season.
