By Dave Sully - (Thorold, Ontario) The Williamson Racing Team enjoyed a fun night at the old ball park, as Mat carved out a solid place finish at Merrittville on Saturday, August 18th, and Dipper Windeatt, along with an array of dedicated assistants, put on a signature bash in the pits after the race.
After taking second in his heat, Mat lined up fifth on the grid for the feature. Travis Braun, who has been fast all year, but has run in bad luck, was flawless this night, as he put his No. 76 into the lead from the outside pole and dominated the race. Mat soldiered up to second, clawing his way past Rick Richner and Larry Lampman in the process and was making some headway in running down the speedy Braun.
Then, he got a real chance when the caution flew on lap 24, allowing him to line up next to Braun on the restart. Wisely, Braun chose the bottom and was able to streak away when the race resumed. Mat tried to mount a challenge and was making some progress on the bottom, but he drifted high in turn two on lap 29, jumped the cushion and lost ground and momentum. After that he ran out of time and settled for a well-earned second.
Mat talked about his night, explaining, “We started toward the front after three bad weeks. It was just a race to the front. I think I had something for him, but I hopped the cushion with about six to go, and I got off my game. You just have to hit your marks, and I was playing catch-up for the last six laps. I was getting closer but just wasn’t fast enough to be there at the end.”
About the lap 24 restart, when Travis took the bottom, Mat observed, “The bottom is just so good on the restarts. You can fire faster, and you can see where you’re going. You get the brown on the bottom and, by the time you get you get to turn one, you’re a car length ahead of the guy and get to pick your lane anyway.”
On the big picture he added, “The car was really good. Travis was just better than we were on the top tonight. I need a win. That’s the worst part about it. We came tonight and with a win we were going to go to Cornwall. The good part about it is we don’t have to drive six and a half hours tomorrow. I want to race, you know. Racing one night a week, especially when it rains out, kind of sucks. Maybe we’ll find something for next Friday night.”
“We have to start focusing on Syracuse, because it’s a point race and we’re up there in Dirt points in the Series. It’s double points.”
The second part of the evening was the awesome bash orchestrated by Dipper. Along with the usual libation, it was seafood night in the Williamson pit, with plenty of fish and chips, clams, and lobster dainties, along with a number of salads, killer deviled eggs, topped with shrimp, and even deep-fried pickles. It was a feast to behold, and was much appreciated by all who partook, including your humble servant, who is writing this story. Thanks Dipper. It was greatly appreciated.
With a good finish and full bellies, it’s back to work for the Williamson Racing Team. There is more work to do.
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