ROSSBURG, Ohio — It’s never easy to make a dramatic change in a Dirt Late Model racing program, but making a change such as switching chassis brands before the season’s richest event ramps up the pressure a bit more.

That’s where Kyle Strickler of Mooresville, N.C., finds himself at Eldora Speedway heading into Thursday’s opening night of Dream XXIX, the three-day event at the legendary Tony Stewart-owned track that culminates Saturday’s with a $129,000-to-win main event. | Complete Dream coverage

“Making a jump like that is definitely not an easy decision,” said the 39-year-old Strickler, but he sees making the change to Rocket Chassis from Longhorn Chassis with his Charlie Donaldson-owned team ahead of the Dream as a positive considering Eldora is the site of notable success for the former modified ace.

On Wednesday afternoon along the frontstretch infield pits at Eldora, Strickler and his crew smoothed out the new vinyl wrap on his black No. 8 Rocket Chassis as Dream entrants pulled their haulers into the infield and race cars were rolled to the tech inspection line just inside the backstretch.

“We decided we needed to kind of try to do something to move the needle to get better and get headed in the right direction,” said Strickler, winless in Late Model action since October 2021. “And hopefully this is the answer.”

Chassis change or not, Strickler hopes that once he gets on the track, he can recapture the magic that helped him lead 34 laps of 2019’s Dream, grab a $10,000 preliminary victory at 2020’s Stream Invitational — and of course 2020’s brutal near-miss at the Intercontinental Classic when a blown right-rear tire knocked Strickler out of the lead on the last of 67 laps as he chased $50,000.

Strickler will try to treat the weekend like any other, at least as much as a driver can with a six-figure payday on the line while climbing in a brand new race car.

“Once you unload here and go, then it’s just like any other any other race,” Strickler said. “But I feel like I know the feel that I’m looking for here, so it don’t matter what car it is you’ve got there. If something’s right, it don’t matter if it’s the first laps on it or you’ve had it for a long time and been here a bunch of times with it.”

Strickler is parked two pit stalls down from the Mark Richards Racing Rocket Chassis house car team and driver Hudson O’Neal, and he’ll be leaning on Richards for assistance along with racing consultant Cody Mallory, who put a few tweaks on Strickler’s new car at his Bean Station, Tenn., shop, and Hall of Fame racer Scott Bloomquist, an eight-time Dream winner who isn’t expected to compete because of lingering injuries from his 2019 motorcycle accident.

Hudson O'Neal Says Eldora Speedway Is More Important Than Ever In 2023

Strickler picked up the new chassis at Rocket’s Shinnston, W.Va., shop last week, headed to Mallory’s shop for a few tweaks, went back home to North Carolina, then back to Mallory’s shop earlier this week for the final touches. On Tuesday Strickler headed to Volunteer Speedway, not so much for practice, but to make sure the car was race-ready.

“We had just enough time to sneak over to Bulls Gap and make 10 laps just to make sure everything was assembled good,” Strickler said.

“Bloomquist and I actually rode over there, just him and I and (with the car) on an open trailer. Went out and made about 10 laps, made sure that went in high gear and the carburetor worked, the motor ran, clutch works, everything. More of a shakedown than a test. Then loaded up and came here.”

Strickler, who has previously driven Bloomquist’s Team Zero Race Cars, hopes to tap the “wealth of knowledge” of the veteran racer after luring his interest in Strickler’s project.

“Bloomquist is supposed to come up here tomorrow and kind of help driver-coach and (with) tire decisions. So it’ll be good to have him up here and having Mallory around, him and I have been been good buddies for a while,” Strickler said. “He’s been definitely moving the needle on everybody’s program here lately and we were struggling and kinda in a slump so had to make change, want to try something different. We still have two of our Longhorns, but wanted to give this a whirl. So in this day and age, it seems like things can change overnight and (we’re) searching for the right fit.”

Strickler’s lone Rocket experience in a Rocket came early in the 2021 season with PCC Motorsports before the team switched to Longhorns ahead of Strickler’s departure from the team. He’s eager to try a Rocket at Eldora.

“I went back like the last couple of weeks and I’ve just been watching all the highlights that DirtonDirt.com had and Flo had on there (of Eldora Speedway),” Strickler said. “Hell, I came here in 2019 didn’t know a damn thing about anything in Late Model racing, driving for (Kentucky-based) Wells (Motorsports), and sat on the pole and led 50 laps (actually 34) of that race, and had a lot of speed. Then came back here and in 2020 with (crew chief) Vinny (Guliani) and had things rolling and had a lot of speed here.

“You know, after that, we just kind of lost something there, just really lost the speed we used to have at a lot of places, but mainly here. I used to come here and and know pretty close to what I needed and you get the struggling and you just feel like you don’t even know which end’s up. So yeah, just wanted to kind of make a change and try some stuff and like I said, being able to work with Cody Mallory and Mark Richards (of Rocket Chassis), and all the guys at Fox (Shocks) and Rocket, is the most important part.”

Strickler realizes that confidence plays a key role, too.

“I think that the components, everybody kind of has all the same stuff, it’s just the guys and the personnel that you have at the racetrack to be able to tune,” he said. “These things are so finicky and everybody’s so close now. All the drivers here are talented and they all have really good stuff, so I think it’s more competitive and harder than it’s ever been. It’s very easy to struggle. So we’re trying some stuff just trying to find that right fit and excited about trying to get back to where I was here speedwise.”