Dillon Raffurty and the rest of his racing family took four of the top 10 spots in the IMCA mod lite national championship. Dillon led the group, winning his fifth consecutive title.
Cousin Justin Raffurty finished fourth, brother Mike Raffurty finished seventh and uncle Jeff Raffurty finished 10th. They all use chassis built by the family.
“It was quite an accomplishment for our family to have four Raffurtys taking top 10 spots,” Dillon, of Kansas City, Missouri, says. “Success came from many years of experience. We learned a lot since my dad started in dwarf cars before they became mod lites.”
Dillon’s biggest takeaways from his late father David? No binds. Ballast placement means even more in a short-wheelbase chassis. And they stuck with small-body yellow Bilstein shocks for 20 years, even when most switched over to big-body shocks.
“We have a baseline setup that we have used for years,” Dillon says. “If we try new stuff, we know exactly how to go back — there are no guessing games during the season. I do not stress — even when racing at a new track — because I know my [base] package will work in most places.”
This year’s championship required Dillon to travel up to five hours from home to race full fields to maximize points potential.
“When going to a new track, we just watch videos and look at photos,” Dillon says. “We guess the gear needed and go. Within three laps I know I am going to get at it or not. I figure out new places pretty quickly. If I don’t get it at first, I give it five more laps to get better.”
Dillon’s good baseline setup and ability to read a new track eked him his fifth IMCA mod little championship. He finished just three points ahead of Austin Gray. Dillon Raffurty says he’d like to try a modified or sport mod, but mod lites remains his home.
“It is hard to beat racing a mod lite,” Dillon says. “It’s a full-on race car — like any full-size car, but without the cost. I use one to two gallons of fuel on race night. I get 20 races on a set of tires. My mod lite is faster than a sport mod and almost as fast as a modified at most tracks. Speed is fun — and it costs a lot less in a mod lite.”
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.
