By ohnson 
In 2017, it seems that the Volusia Speedway Park is witnessing the emergence of first-timers for the DIRTcar Nationals. A number of veteran drivers have made the journey south for the very first time, and along with them is a young lad who is set to make his inaugural start in a Big-Block Modified.
Dillon Steuer, a 14-year-old driver hailing from Bohemia, New York, has amassed experience and achieved victories in various other divisions. He has raced in asphalt crate Modifieds at Riverhead Raceway on Long Island and has also had limited starts on the dirt in the Small-Block Modified ranks at various tracks, including at the Orange County Fair Speedway during Eastern States. Now, he is embarking on his debut at the Volusia Speedway Park.
Steuer said from the Volusia pit area, “We always come down here to watch. This year, we decided to give racing a go.”
On Tuesday night, Steuer took his first laps around the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile” in his Performance Engines by Billy The Kid powered Teo. During his initial two sessions, he clocked in just past the midway points of all the cars present as he sought to familiarize himself with the track.
He remarked, “It’s really fast. It’s the fastest I’ve experienced so far. I was just trying to learn the track a bit. We can build on that tomorrow.”
Unfortunately, Mother Nature brought rain, canceling the next two nights of action. This means that Steuer and everyone else have to wait to get back on track, as it now looks like there will be two nights of racing once the rain has passed from Florida.
After the racing concludes in the Sunshine State, Steuer will head back home to await the start of the season at Riverhead Raceway while also fitting in some dirt racing when the schedule permits.
Steuer said, “We’ll be racing at Riverhead on Long Island with the Tour Type Modified. We’ll be doing more small-block than big-block. We won’t be focusing on a specific track. We’ll just go wherever we can when we have the time.”
Racing is scheduled to resume tonight at the DIRTcar Nationals at 7:30 pm. Steuer will be in action with the Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modifieds. Joining them on the schedule is the World of Outlaws Late Models.