Moyer not putting on brakes yet

A year ago at this time, the sport of dirt late model racing was heaping praise upon Billy Moyer, lauding his long list of accomplishments as the Batesville driver prepared to his end his legendary career and enter retirement.

But here he is, a year later, still racing.

That wasn’t his plan, he said, although a complete retirement probably wasn’t either.

“I just wanted to slow down and not plan on going as far away from home as I usually would,” Moyer said earlier this week as he prepared for this weekend’s 25th annual Comp Cams Topless 100 at Batesville Motor Speedway.

Then he chuckled before adding, “I didn’t stick to that plan very well.”

Moyer, who turns 60 in October, has been anything but retired in 2017. He has competed in 51 events with 2½ months of the racing calendar still ahead.

As far his initial plan to cut down on travel? Moyer has raced at 40 tracks in 15 states this season. His six victories this season have come at Queen Creek, Ariz.; Independence, Iowa;

Brownstown, Ind.; Maple Park, Ill.; Jacksonville, Ill.; and last month in the Rockabilly 45 at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock.

“Things didn’t work out as we originally planned for sure,” said Moyer, a member of the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame who is nearing 900 career victories. “But we’ve got a lot of sponsors who have really helped us over the years, and I kind of figured we could give those guys one more good year as a way to thank those guys.

“I feel like next year we will slow down in earnest. But after 40 years of running down the road so much … I guess we’ll have to see. We may look at running a deal close to home like the [Comp Cams Super Dirt Series]. We’ll see.”

While grappling with his plans for next season, this weekend Moyer also will be fighting to overcome his slump in the Topless 100. In an event and at a track where he once dominated, Moyer has struggled in recent years.

He has won the event a record four times, but his last victory came in 2005. He has only one finish better than 18th since, a second in 2007.

“Yeah, that place has really eluded me for a long time,” Moyer said. “Racing has changed so much over the years. So many things have to go right to even have a chance.

“When I ran the best [at Batesville], the track would smooth over nice and slick, and you would have three or four good grooves to race on. The track has narrowed over the years. They need new dirt there in the worst way. It’s a tough track to get a handle on, at least for me.”