He described his last Classic campaign as “terrible” but not long after the forgettable performance came a moment he will remember forever.

In March 2009, he and wife Mandy welcomed daughter Taylor into the world.

“The last time I was here, she was two months away from being born,” he said.

“From a racing point of view, it hasn’t changed me but it puts things into perspective — what’s important and what’s not important.

“If you ask any first-time parent, it changes you, but it’s definitely something you enjoy.

“It’s a lot of fun.”

The birth of Taylor slightly changed his racing schedule, with the Pittsboro, Indiana, resident unable to find time to come to Australia until now.

“I wasn’t available to come for a long period of time like I used to, but I really wanted to come back,” he said.

“(This year) I’ve come for four races in seven days, then I’ll head back and get ready for the start of our season.

“It’s really great to be back.”

While Mandy and Taylor are still in the States, Pittman arrived Down Under last Tuesday and will return home on Tuesday, ideally with the title of Classic champion following this weekend’s race at Premier Speedway.

“It’s probably the toughest race in Australia to win,” he said.

“When you’ve got an event over a couple of days, you have to do everything right and keep yourself in a good position to win.

“I want to have a good run and just have some fun.”

The 33-year-old, who was born and raised in Oklahoma, is looking to eclipse his previous best finish in the Classic, which was fourth.

“The Classic’s one of the few races that we haven’t ever won in Australia,” he said.

“It’s been a goal of mine to win after being so close.

“One year we were leading and blew a tyre with nine (laps) to go.

“I’ve always vowed to come back to win one.”

Pittman entered the King’s Challenge in Mount Gambier last night and finished seventh in the A-main in the President’s Cup at Avalon on Wednesday night.