Luke Horning etched his name into Super DIRT Week history at Super DIRT Week 51, winning the DIRTcar Pro Stock Feature at “Racing’s Biggest Party” for the first time.
He also became the seventh different race winner since it moved to Oswego Speedway in 2017.
The Gloversville, NY driver looked back at his victory that clinched him the 2023 DIRTcar Pro Stock Series championship.
What did it mean to you to win your first DIRTcar Pro Stock 50?
Horning: It’s a huge deal. That’s something you want to win when you first become competitive in a Pro Stock. To be able to win that race and win the whole Series is definitely something.
Think back to last season. What was it that vaulted you to your first Oswego win?
Horning: The car was good. The track was fast. We had a good starting position, so we didn’t get tangled up in anything crazy. It seemed like when everything needed to go our way, it went our way. Whether it was a caution that fell when it needed to, everything just fell into place.
Since we’ve gotten to Oswego, no one has won this race back-to-back. Does it show how hard it is to win?
Horning: It does. Say you win at Albany-Saratoga back-to-back. You don’t have the best guys from every track. You have the best guys from Malta. It’s the same when you go to Lebanon Valley; you have the best guys from the Valley.
But at Oswego, you have the top cars from every track, and everything has to go right. You have to Qualify good, and everything else has to fall into place as well.
You were one of the three cars that completed the Playful Chassis sweep with Playford and Camenga. What did that mean to you to be a part of it?
Horning: It’s really something. It helped sales a lot and showed that we’re not just some backwoods guys. Shane (Playford) knows what’s going on.
It was really good, especially since there were only three of us there and we finished in the top three, so it shows the cars are really good, not just one driver and one car. It was a combination of everything going well for all of us.
What goes into your preparation for Oswego?
Horning: It starts with getting the camper ready. We have to have enough food to go from Fulton to Oswego. It’s a long vacation for us.
As far as the car goes, I like to have two good sets of tires. A set that’s already been ran before that’s still good, maybe with one race or two races on them for the Feature. And a good set for Time Trials that you know is going to fire off right away.
You have to have a four-wheeler, a golf cart, just that kind of stuff.
I put a new body on personally. It’s not going to replace Syracuse, but the little stuff made the Mile what it was, so I try to carry that on. Plus, we kind of freshen up the trailer up for Oswego, too. We kind of just update everything.
With the day off in between, what goes into the prep when you’re at the facility?
Horning: We’re on the track a little bit less, so it eases things up a little bit. If you have a problem, you have time to rectify it.
How do you prepare for the conditions at Oswego?
Horning: I don’t really do anything special other than make the car look presentable, which I don’t typically worry about. I do the tires the same way and make sure to make a little extra effort into making the car roll good. Making sure the brakes aren’t locked up or nothing’s weird we wouldn’t typically worry about on a Friday night because it is a big stage, and the speed is a little bit more. Just trying to make sure everything is right.
How do you feel going into Super DIRT Week 52?
Horning: I’m very happy. Every year I’m worried this is going to be the last year and that they’ll replace the Pro Stocks with something else. So, I’m very happy to be able to go back.
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