Despite a fairly open rule set, WB James (119) elects to use a DIRTcar-spec 358 engine. He runs it at Delaware International and Georgetown speedways, where he competes against cars with much bigger power plants. James does so primarily for two reasons.
“To get people talking — we have the smaller motor, but we are still competitive in fields of modifieds with 20 or so big blocks,” James, of Salisbury, Maryland, said. “And to collect the bonuses. We’re making more than big blocks finishing four or five spots ahead of us.
Those bonuses range from $125 to $250. This year, he has collected the bonus five times.
“We’re bringing about 600 horsepower with the 358, and we are racing against wide-bore big blocks in the 800 to 900 horsepower range,” said James. “We often have to catfish around the bottom and hope that the track dries out and slicks off enough to where their horsepower is not a big deal. We’re competitive on a slick track, but on a heavy, hammer-down track it’s hard to make progress.”
Yet, with less power, James regularly finishes in the top 10. The rules do permit him to weigh less, up to 100 pounds less than those with steel-block big blocks. James admits that the smaller engine does put him at a disadvantage for heat races.
“In the heats we tend to drag a bit, but when it’s hot out, we could be competitive,” James said.
The team consists of primarily James and his brother Beau James. They typically compete against three to five cars with DIRT-spec 358 engines.
“The difference in collecting the bonus over the others is that we are meticulous in our preparation,” said James. “We don’t have many DNFs.”
James said they intended to haul five to six hours to Pennsylvania to race in events with the DIRTcar-spec 358 modifieds.
“Traffic was hectic,” James said. “It made more financial sense to stay close to home. Delaware’s tracks are a half hour from home.”
Nevertheless, WB James said they hope to race more 358 events later this season.
“Me and my brother are self-funded,” said James. “We’ve learned to do more with less. Now, we need eyeballs on us, and doing well against the big blocks with a 358 is accomplishing that.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
