HERMON – Sponsors are always a big help in auto racing, but a driver doesn’t need a lot of money to be successful at Speedway 95.

Scott Modery of Hermon is doing all he can to get the most out of his race car while running on a smaller budget compared to his competition.

“I have some names on the side of my car, but I mostly sponsor myself,” said Modery, who finished second in Limited Sportsman points last season. “It looks like we’re doing well [financially], but sometimes it’s not always enough.”

Modery knows how to get the most of out of his equipment, as he currently sits second in Limited Sportsman points.

“We’re running against some competition who can throw on fresh tires, and they can gain a tenth [of a second] a week. My budget doesn’t allow that so we try to find different setups that help,” he said.

Modery, 40, said the tire situation at Speedway 95 was making it hard on the money-strapped teams.

“The tire thing is killing the classes. There is no tire rule anymore. Guys can put tires on whenever they want. In the past, there’s always been a tire rule,” he said. “[The track] would allow one new tire per week or something like that. They’ve tried numbering tires, but it’s hard to patrol it.”

The new rules have forced some teams to look elsewhere to race.

“It’s hard for [teams on limited funds] who go to the track now because they’re half a second off. They just can’t afford it with no tire rule,” said Modery. “There were 19 cars at the beginning of the year, now we’re down to like 10. Guys that have been [racing] recently are the guys who can afford it.”

Speedway 95 co-owner Del Merritt doesn’t agree with Modery’s take on the new tire rule.

“We used to allow teams to buy two new tires a week, but now we don’t have any restrictions,” said Merritt. “Basically, it was hard to police. You’d work your tail off trying to police [the tires], and [the drivers] would work their tails off trying to cheat. This way, everyone is on equal ground, and they’re not buying more than they did before. We’ve actually heard fewer complaints this year.”

Even though he feels he has been hurt by the tire situation, Modery has run an impressive season.

“I’ve had a decent season so far. I’ve finished in the top three just about every week. My goal is to do exactly what I’m doing – finish in the top three and not wreck the car. I want to finish in the top three in points as well,” said Modery, the 1998 Limited champion. “I don’t expect more than that.”

Even with the fairly tight points race in the Limited Sportsman division, there’s a lot of give and take.

“Everyone in this class seems to be cautious this year,” said Modery. “It’s good in one way, but I thrive on cautions. I get a good jump on restarts and can pass two or three cars.”

As always, drivers need help to get their cars on the racetrack, and Modery has some trusted help to keep his car competitive.

“Brian Hatch helped me put the body on and paint it, and Andy Witham helps me at the track along with a couple other guys,” he said.

Modery has been racing at Speedway 95 since 1991 and still thinks he has at least a few years left.

“I’ll stick with Limited for a while. I might move back to Pro Stock in a couple years. I ran [Pro Stock] one year, but didn’t have the budget for it,” he said.

“I’m getting limited with my age. The older I get, the less I want to work on my car until midnight after working 50 hours a week,” Modery said, “but I’m not looking to hang it up anytime soon.”