The final preparation for the trip started on Wednesday night, when the team checked the car over from stem to stern, including every nut and bolt. Then it was loaded into the hauler, with an array of spare parts and tires. Dipper (crew chief Rich Windeatt) noted that when they travel a long distance, extra tires and a spare transmission are added to the ample supply of spare parts already on board. There are enough parts in the trailer to virtually rebuild the car, if necessary, barring a catastrophe. The trip commenced the following morning from Dipper’s Ft. Erie shop.
Because of the distance to Hogansburg, which is near the Wellesley Island Bridge to Canada in the Thousand Islands, an early departure was in order to arrive comfortably before the pit gate opened, which is a Dipper requirement. He led the charge, arising at the tender hour of five-thirty to make final preparations.
At 7:10, Rob Sawatsky arrived (ten minutes late by Dipper time) and the two left for the Peace Bridge. Upon clearing customs, they headed for Exit 52 on the New York State Thruway to pick me up. At 8:05 they arrived at Jim’s Truck Stop where I was waiting, having been delivered there by my wife Marcia from my home in the Southtowns.
We then set out for one of Dipper’s favorite eateries, the Boston Hotel, on Genesee Street near Dunn Tire Raceway Park in Lancaster, where we picked up Mat and Randy Williamson. They had arrived in the family truck, which would remain there and be picked up on the way back.
From there we set sail for the track, using Rt. 33 (Genesee St) to Rt. 77 and then onto the Thruway at Exit 48. Mat used the time to get a much-needed nap. The route to Hogansburg took us to I-81 in Syracuse to Watertown, where we stopped for lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings. We also made a stop at Walmart for ice, beverages, other supplies, and a pair of shorts for Randy, who forgot that the temperature that day was going to approach 90 degrees Fahrenheit and hadn’t packed for that eventuality. The entire ride was peppered with racing war stories, and busting each other’s chops, which was very entertaining and made the time go by quickly.
After the 30 minute stop, we continued on, using Rt. 37, which took us to the Akwasasne Reservation, where the track, formerly known as Frogtown, is located, pulling in at 3:05PM. We were the second team to arrive, followed shortly thereafter by the Travis Braun Team, with whom we exchanged pleasantries until the gate opened at 4:00PM. As we waited, another team from our area arrived, that of driver Erick Rudolph.
At precisely four o’clock, we were allowed to sign in and were able to pick a parking spot to our liking, near the entrance to the track. After getting settled, the car was unloaded and immediately jacked up, to be checked and adjusted. Also, different gears were installed, since there hadn’t been time to do that the night before.
Changing gears may sound daunting, but with what is known as a “quick-change” setup, it only takes a few minutes to accomplish the task, Every team carries several sets of gears to conform to the various conditions that can be encountered at different race tracks, with variables like track length, configuration, probable track surface conditions such as hard, dry, slick, or tacky, and also driving style for the type of setup being employed. It’s also possible that they could be changed after hot laps and/or the heat as well, if deemed necessary.
Tire choice is also critical, with several different compounds to choose from, depending on what the crew thinks the track will be like at race time and how it may change. Generally, the slicker the race track, the harder the tire. For those into numbers, the tires used are D 200, D300, D400, and the hardest, the D500, which is used at Syracuse.
Stagger is also a critical issue. Stagger, which allows the car to roll through the turns without losing momentum, is determined by tire size on the right and left, plus air pressure. The crew also has to predict how much a tire will expand when it gets heat into it, because that will change the stagger during the race. When you hear a driver say, “When the tires came in, I could go faster,” that’s often what they are referring to.
While the car was being prepped, Randy, who, as the co-owner of Bicknell Racing Products, offers technical support to his customers, was busy offering advice to other drivers who were arriving to race and had questions about their BRP mounts. It is the nature of the business to offer assistance, even though it’s like providing aid and comfort to the enemy. Though he clearly wants Mat to win, it sometimes puts Randy in an unenviable position. Even though it’s a necessary evil and Mat understands it, he finds in unnerving to watch as his father counsels the opposition on how to make their cars run better.
With time trials scheduled for 7:00, there was plenty of time to get the lay of the land. I was able to locate a spot to watch the race, as I was also covering it for Area Auto Racing News, my major media connection. Fortunately, I was able to arrange for a spot in an air-conditioned room in the grandstand tower next to the officials’ booth to watch the race. Fortuitously, they also had food.
Mat had time to chat with fellow drivers, while Dipper and Rob found food at the concession stands, checked out the race track, and socialized with other teams and officials, including Rich Lemieux, who is a tech inspector for Ransomville, Merrittville, and DIRTcar, and was assigned to this race.
At precisely 7:00PM, hot laps commenced. Modified hot laps followed the pro stocks and Mat made his appearance. When he finished, the crew had a short time to make some adjustments, based on what they observed and what Mat told them. Shortly after that, time trials were held.
Rather than the former method of having each car alone on the track, which was time consuming, the cars now come out in groups of five or six, spread around the race track. When they are given the green flag, they run two laps, which are electronically recorded. The purpose of the time trials is to set the grid for the heats, with the fastest cars starting up front. Mat ended up fourth overall in his time trial group, which meant he would start on the outside in the second row in his heat.
Later in the evening, after other classes ran their heats and the Mod Lites ran their feature, the mod heats were contested, with Mat finishing 3rd, putting him into the all important redraw, where the top three in each heat determine their starting position. They select an item, sometimes a Frisbee, sometimes a pop can, sometimes a hat, or something else, which has a number from 1- 12 hidden on it. Mat wound up with starting spot eleven.
The race, as you can read about elsewhere on this site, was going swimmingly for Mat, as he moved up after dropping back early, took second and was lining up a challenge to eventual winner Billy Dunn, when the night suddenly ended on lap 56. A vibration in the engine forced Mat to shut it down before doing more damage. Because it was a high attrition race, Mat officially finished fourteenth out of the thirty car starting field.
As expected, Mat was bitterly disappointed, while the rest of the team tried to figure out what might have gone wrong. There was nothing left to do but load the car, pack the gear and start for home. The hauler was on the road at 12:05AM, very late for anyone who had to work the next day, because the track chose to run four classes, in addition to the 75 lapper for the Modifieds.
There was not a lot of banter, given the circumstances of the race, and the fatigue factor of a long day. We pulled into the Econo Lodge in Watertown at 2:25AM where we spent the night. We were back on the road at 8:45, and after a stop for a late breakfast in Waterloo, arrived back in the Buffalo area at around 1:00. We stopped to pick up the Williamson vehicle, and while Dipper and Rob headed back to Canada with the hauler, Mat and Randy dropped me off at the truck stop, where my wife picked me up to end my part of the trip. Mat and Randy headed home, and we all re-convened at Ransomville that afternoon.
All in all, the trip was fun for me, sharing in the camaraderie of the group, and though I always knew how much hard work goes into a racing effort, I left with renewed respect for everyone on the team, who work selflessly for a common goal- winning.
CHECK OUT OUR PHOTO GALLERY ON MATWILLIAMSON.COM FOR PHOTOS FROM THIS TRIP, AND MORE!!
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