After nine years of racing, Billy Tyree finally left the track a champion this past month. The Burnt Chimney native took the lead and ultimately the race in a last lap move at the 2012 U.S. Open Wheel Championship in Etters, Pa. It is the biggest event of the year for radio controlled dirt oval racing.
The entire arena cheered as 24-year-old Tyree’s car crossed the finish line to win the race. The loudest applause came from Billy’s father, Tim Tyree, who stood beside the track and expressively cheered his son to victory. He waved his arms wildly as the cars took their final turns and fell to the ground in tears as his son crossed the finish line first.
“The place went crazy,” Tim Tyree said when describing the end of the race. “I was a nervous wreck.”
Billy Tyree has become a standout in the radio controlled dirt oval racing scene. He has managed to battle his way near the top of the national points standings even while fighting muscular dystrophy.
Muscular dystrophy has confined him to a wheelchair in recent years, but Billy was still able to masterfully work the remote control for his race car. Billy out drove everyone at the Bumps and Jumps RC Speedway on Dec. 16 for the championship.
Billy Tyree won the race with a time of 4:02.441. He moved ahead on the last lap to finish only a fraction of a second faster than the second place finisher, who crossed the line with a time of 4:02.671.
The crowd cheered as Billy made his way through the pack and they erupted in applause as he crossed the finish line. Several of the drivers gathered around him and his father to congratulate them after the win.
“When they’re not racing me, they’re rooting for me,” Billy Tyree said of the other drivers.
Billy Tyree and his father have become favorites in the radio controlled racing community. It is easy to see why when meeting the duo. They have both become big fans of the sport.
Billy Tyree started racing radio-controlled cars at the age of 15. It was around that time that his neighbor introduced him to the sport and took him to a local track in Chatham. The track, Cooper’s RC Race Center, is now a second home for Billy.
“I picked it up pretty quickly,” Billy said.
What started out as an occasional weekend trip quickly turned into a serious hobby. His father, after noticing his son’s passion for the sport, began to help out. Tim now calls himself the crew chief for his son’s race team. He helps to prepare each of his cars for race day.
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