By Dave Sully - (Thorold, Ontario) The newly-minted optimism, fueld by the change in philosophy, plus a fast car at Humberstone on Sunday, paid immediate dividends on Monday as the Williamson Racing Team scored a third place finish at the Bob St. Amand 100, a Super Dirtcar Series race at Merrittville on Monday, August 6th. The result put the spring back in the steps of the whole team, which has been on a bit of a downer for several weeks.
The race, which drew thirty-four cars, was populated by around a dozen or so big blocks, with the rest being 358’s, including, of course, the No. 6. A number of the biggest stars were on hand, minus Brett Hearn, who has been hospitalized for tests for an unknown ailment. The track rubbered over quickly, providing the hard, slick, surface that most of the veterans prefer, and which the 358 drivers love when they compete against the big blocks.
Mat started out with a promising run in his heat, after timing in the top ten. Finishing third, he qualified for the redraw, which, unfortunately, has not been his strong suit, as for the third time this year, he drew number 11, out of twelve. Since passing is at a premium in a field as talented as this one, or anyone for that matter, Mat clearly had his work cut out for him.
After falling back early in the event, which was expected, since the car was set up for a long race, Mat began to move forward. Midway through the event, he broke into the top ten and kept right on charging. By lap 75, he was in the top five and looking for more. He drove past Danny Johnson to take fourth and then set his sights on Billy Dunn. After racing Dunn for several laps, he claimed third and actually nipped at second place runner Mat Sheppard’s heels for a while before settling for third at the wire behind Sheppard and winner, Mike Bowman, who led ever lap to record his first ever Big Block Series win.
Mat talked about the race, noting, “At the start, we faded toward the back and then just picked off cars as the race went on. The tires came in and the car got better. We planned for later in the race. We planned for the last fifty, but they came in earlier than that. We were back to sixteenth at one point, so to come back to third is good. If we could have started on the pole we would have had a shot to win..”
As for his race with Sheppard for second, he added, “I just couldn’t keep my momentum up on the bottom. I needed about twenty more points of gear. I didn’t make many changes during the cautions. I knew the car would come on to me. I tried, but when you’re too tight, you can’t adjust to make you any looser, so I just put some rear brake into it and drove the car harder. Every time I could keep rolling in, I would gain ground, but when I was racing somebody I was a bit nervous. I didn’t want to race anybody real hard like I would normally because we’re out here for fun.”
He added, “ It’s not a points race. These guys do it for a living. They rely on what they do tonight, and I didn’t want to take anybody out of contention. We got by Danny (Johnson), (Jimmy) Phelps, and T Bone. We got by a lot of these guys, so it was good.”
With that fine finish, the next challenge is tomorrow night at I-96 Speedway in Michigan, where the Big Blocks will be making their first appearance. Mat has been tapped to drive Mat Sheppard’s back-up car in that race. Meanwhile, the team can celebrate for a while.
The race, which drew thirty-four cars, was populated by around a dozen or so big blocks, with the rest being 358’s, including, of course, the No. 6. A number of the biggest stars were on hand, minus Brett Hearn, who has been hospitalized for tests for an unknown ailment. The track rubbered over quickly, providing the hard, slick, surface that most of the veterans prefer, and which the 358 drivers love when they compete against the big blocks.
Mat started out with a promising run in his heat, after timing in the top ten. Finishing third, he qualified for the redraw, which, unfortunately, has not been his strong suit, as for the third time this year, he drew number 11, out of twelve. Since passing is at a premium in a field as talented as this one, or anyone for that matter, Mat clearly had his work cut out for him.
After falling back early in the event, which was expected, since the car was set up for a long race, Mat began to move forward. Midway through the event, he broke into the top ten and kept right on charging. By lap 75, he was in the top five and looking for more. He drove past Danny Johnson to take fourth and then set his sights on Billy Dunn. After racing Dunn for several laps, he claimed third and actually nipped at second place runner Mat Sheppard’s heels for a while before settling for third at the wire behind Sheppard and winner, Mike Bowman, who led ever lap to record his first ever Big Block Series win.
Mat talked about the race, noting, “At the start, we faded toward the back and then just picked off cars as the race went on. The tires came in and the car got better. We planned for later in the race. We planned for the last fifty, but they came in earlier than that. We were back to sixteenth at one point, so to come back to third is good. If we could have started on the pole we would have had a shot to win..”
As for his race with Sheppard for second, he added, “I just couldn’t keep my momentum up on the bottom. I needed about twenty more points of gear. I didn’t make many changes during the cautions. I knew the car would come on to me. I tried, but when you’re too tight, you can’t adjust to make you any looser, so I just put some rear brake into it and drove the car harder. Every time I could keep rolling in, I would gain ground, but when I was racing somebody I was a bit nervous. I didn’t want to race anybody real hard like I would normally because we’re out here for fun.”
He added, “ It’s not a points race. These guys do it for a living. They rely on what they do tonight, and I didn’t want to take anybody out of contention. We got by Danny (Johnson), (Jimmy) Phelps, and T Bone. We got by a lot of these guys, so it was good.”
With that fine finish, the next challenge is tomorrow night at I-96 Speedway in Michigan, where the Big Blocks will be making their first appearance. Mat has been tapped to drive Mat Sheppard’s back-up car in that race. Meanwhile, the team can celebrate for a while.
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