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Dillon
Voss Wins it All for PDRA Outlaw 632
PITTSBORO, N.C. (December 1, 2017): When Outlaw 632 came
on the PDRA scene, it was immediately well-received and
quickly established a spot on the PDRA tour. The class
will enter its third PDRA season in 2018, again competing
in five of the eight events, and this time with a fresh
name, Pro 632.
This season, Dillon Voss and the Voss Racing Engines Team
dominated Outlaw 632, winning four of the five events and
coming home with a decisive victory as the 2017 Outlaw 632
World Champion.
Thanks to his father, Kenny, who started Voss Racing
Engines, Dillon and his twin brother Cory grew up in
motorsports. They began learning the trade and racing at a
young age, eventually going to work with their father in
the engine shop.
“When we turned eight, we got into the junior dragster
deal,” Voss storied. “We did that for two or three years.
Then we got into dirt go karts. We ran that for a year or
two. That was really cool because I got some different
seat time and exposure to a different style of racing. So
that was really fun.”
It was all in preparation for competing in full size drag
cars, so by the time Dillon stepped into the seat, he was
well versed behind the wheel. For the first few years in
full sized cars, Dillon and Cory had to share the seat.
“Dad was running Pro Extreme, Pro Mod,” continued Voss.
“Then when we turned 18, we put one of our cars together
for me and Cory to drive. Dad eventually got out of the
seat and pretty much turned it over to me and Cory. The
first two years we traded back and forth. I would drive
one; he would drive one. Recently, whenever we |
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started doing good, Cory
started learning more and realized he likes the tuning aspect of it more
than he likes to drive. He still does drive, but when it comes to our
team, he strictly tunes and does a really good job at it.”
The team began competing in the Florida-based 632 series, as well as
select Duck X events. They won several championships at Bradenton
Motorsports Park and were consistent frontrunners. When the PDRA picked up
the 632 class, the Voss family supported the expansion of the class they’d
come to love. It was clear that if they were going to chase a
championship, the team would need clearly defined roles with one driver
and a lead crew chief.
Cory had been honing his skills as a tuner, slowly taking over the reins
from his father. Leaning on a longtime partnership with Richard Earle of
Suncoast Race Cars, Cory began working with top teams, such as John
Montecalvo and Rickie Smith. This gave him the opportunity to learn from
some of the best in the business and was a major factor in realizing his
passion as a tuner over that of a driver.
“There wasn’t any one point in my career where I decided this was what I
wanted to do,” told Cory. “It just started out as baby steps as my dad let
me take control of the tuning stuff and turned into where I got on with
John Montecalvo with the Pro Stock team, helping with their clutch setup.
That was a big step where I realized this is what I want to do. I found
that the challenges of tuning and making the clutch work, the chassis
work, the nitrous work, everything work as a unit was more challenging and
fun over the driving aspect.”
At the end of last year, the team took a long, hard look at their program
to reevaluate their goals and the steps they wanted to take to accomplish
them.
“We had a rough year last year and actually took a break at the beginning
of this year.” Dillon explained. “We sold our old car and started working
with Richard to debut our new car, which didn't debut until the second
PDRA GALOT race. So we borrowed a car for Darlington and the first GALOT
race. We also restructured our program. We had a rough year last year - we
ran well and set a record, but we couldn’t find the winner’s circle. We
were very inconsistent. So we took a step back and regrouped, put all of
our eggs in one basket and looked at the program a little differently. It
worked out very well. When we came back we won three of the PDRA races. We
debuted a new car at GALOT and were 21 for 22 rounds this fall. It really
worked out in the long run. It was very hard to stop racing, but it was
necessary for the long goal.”
It was an incredible year for Dillon personally as well as professionally.
He moved to South Florida this year to start a family and welcomed son
Jackson into the world in February.
The Voss team credits their father and mentor, Kenny, their uncle Mark,
Richard and Beverly Earle with Suncoast Race Cars, Craig Liberty at
Liberty Gears, DJ Safety, ARC, and RAM Clutches in aiding in the
championship feat.
“A lot of people that made the success possible,” added Cory. “We were
always fast in the Florida series, but we were never consistent. The
knowledge that I’ve learned through Montecalvo and Rickie Smith has made
us not only fast, but also consistent. That’s where we’ve really grown. My
dad and Richard Earl have been huge influences for us and more recently,
John Montecalvo, Tommy Lee, William Cavallo. Those three, as well as Lois
Anne, are family to me. This year they’ve brought me on board with them
and treated me like family. Any question I had they didn’t hold back.”
Now that the Voss team is checking goals off their list, they’re ready to
pour themselves into the 2018 season of Outlaw 632. Not too far out of
their sights, however, is stepping up into Extreme Pro Stock. Their Outlaw
632 Corvette is set up with a clutch and Liberty 5 speed transmission to
help make an easy transition into the class when the time is right.
Juggling family, racing, and a thriving engine shop is quite a full plate
for the 26 year old brothers, but as the 2017 Outlaw 632 Championship
attests, they are up for the challenge and ready for more.
ABOUT THE PDRA
Based in Pittsboro, North Carolina, the Professional Drag
Racers Association is the top sanctioning body in the
United States for the sport of eighth-mile drag racing.
The PDRA’s professional categories include Pro Extreme,
Pro Nitrous, Pro Boost, Extreme Pro Stock and Pro Extreme
Motorcycle along with several sportsman and various
exhibition categories. The 2017 PDRA schedule consists of
eight national events. For more on the world’s premier
eighth-mile drag racing organization visit
www.pdra660.com. Follow the PDRA: Facebook, Instagram,
Youtube.
Photo: Gary Rowe / RaceWorks.com / PDRA660.com
PRESS CONTACT: Lisa Collier
Professional Drag Racers Association
lisa@pdra660.com
704.692.4636
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