Close But No Cigar in Series Race at RPM

BY DAVE SULLY - Like a golfer who has a great round going, but has a few bad shots, the Williamson Racing Team put themselves in a position to win their first ever Series race at RPM on Friday, September 20th, only to be victimized on a late race restart, which resulted in an eighth place finish. The night started very well, as Mat timed second, finished second in his heat and then drew the outside pole for the feature on the tight quarter mile oval. Mat led the first 75 laps and things looked very good indeed, until fate intervened. A caution on lap 75 set up the final side by side restart, next to Chris Raabe, and that proved to be Mat’s undoing.

He explained, “It was the last double file restart. On all the other restarts he was playing games, smashing into the side of you, firing first to get the jump. The last one was his last chance to do anything. He just decided he was going to drive into turn one and not lift. He hit the side of the car and bent the front end all to hell, put us up on the cushion and pushed us back to about seventh or eighth. Going into the next turn, because of the damage he caused, we ended up getting spun around. It was unfortunate.”

“Because there were so any cautions, there weren’t any lap cars, so we went all the way to the back. There were about eighteen cars left on the track. We passed ten cars and finished eighth. It’s unfortunate to finish eighth, when we knew we had the fastest race car. Apparently, he does that to everybody, so it wasn’t just me. The track was neat. It was something different. I can’t wait to go back there.”

The upshot of the whole thing is that Mat left Quebec in second place in the points to Erick Rudolph, who now leads Mat by 34 points going into the next Series event at Weedsport on Wednesday night of Super Dirt Week. Mat summed it up, saying, “We’ve run better than anybody on the tour so far, and, unfortunately, the results don’t show it. We’ve still got a chance to win this thing, so we need to just keep going and hope for the best.”

 

Interesting Weekend Produces Mixed Bag at Mohawk

By DAVE SULLY - AKWESASNE, NY – The trip to Mohawk for the 358 Series Race took some unexpected turns and resulted in a generally positive weekend before it ended, two days later than planned. The team was scheduled to race the Series event at Mohawk on Friday, and then Little Valley on Saturday, but rain threw a monkey wrench into those plans. Instead of merely canceling the 358 race, it was re-scheduled to Sunday afternoon, making the run to Little Valley a non starter, due to time and distance. The team opted to remain at Mohawk to try to qualify for the Big Block Series race on Saturday, put in a perfunctory appearance if they made the race, and then get ready for the point race on Sunday.

Things got really interesting on Saturday, when, on worn tires, Mat timed well, qualified well enough to make the redraw and started fourth in the feature. He ended up running up front all night, ultimately finishing fourth, a totally unexpected, but very satisfying result.

I’ll let Mat explain it. “Of course, we were planning on running Little Valley (on Saturday). We had 200 and 300 tires for that. We didn’t have enough tires for the Big Block race. So, we just put on old tires and ended up going out. We time trialed good. We got in the redraw from the heat and started fourth. I was really going to take a lap as soon as I dropped out of the top ten, but we didn’t get a chance to do that, so we just kept our foot into her and hoped everything went well the next day.”

“We ended up fourth. It was good. We actually passed Brett (Hearn) at one point and kept the momentum up. We faded back to fourth after being passed back by Brent, but I can’t complain about that. We had a good car. That’s for sure. We like that place. I always run good there. It just seems that when the races count, I just can’t finish. That’s the unfortunate thing.”

With the unexpected finish on Saturday, the team started well in the Small Block Feature on Sunday, timing well once more and having another good draw. Because of the number of laps run the night before, when the track rubbered over, it was no surprise that it took rubber quickly on Sunday afternoon, only a few hours after the Big Block race. That certainly affected the outcome. Mat noted, “We got the last spot in the redraw after the heat, drew four for the start and just hung in there. It was crucial to start up front. It was basically rubber downright from the first lap in the feature. It was like asphalt or go kart racing. We were running third when we got taken out (by Pete Britten) and with the rubber being down, you couldn’t really pass that well.”

Working hard, Mat was able to come back to record a fourteenth place finish. He explained, “I probably passed about four more cars. We pitted two different times for tires and tried to make some of the other rubber work, but that didn’t happen. It was unfortunate, but that’s racing.”

“You can’t look back on it. You’ve just go to move ahead. He (Britten) admitted he turned me. I don’t know if he was trying to apologize or whatnot, but it’s unfortunate that when we’ve been better than everybody else in the Series races at various race tracks, the points don’t show it. We’ve just got to get ready for the next six shows and try to win this thing.”

All was not lost however, as, even with the disappointment on Sunday, he lies in a second place tie with Carey Terrence, only 25 points behind the new leader, Erick Rudolph, going into next week’s races at RPM in Quebec on Friday and Brighton on Saturday. The good news overall is that the crew has worked very hard and the car has performed superbly. Mat is doing all he can. All they need is a bit of racing luck, and they’ll be back on top.

 

Bump in the Road at Autodrome Drummond

By DAVE SULLY - DRUMMONDVILLE, QUE - After a good finish in the Series race at Cornwall, the team anticipated a good showing at Autodrome Drummond the following week on September 6th. It started out well enough, as Mat timed 21st in an impressive field of 48 cars, finished third in his heat, which put him 13th on the grid for the start. Unfortunately, things unraveled from there, as the No. 6 went backward at the drop of the green, something that has been unheard of lately. The team ended up 19th and ended up surrendering the point lead to David Hebert, who won the race. They are now four points down to Hebert going into this Friday’s Series event at Mohawk.

Talking about the night, Mat observed, “We were good right out of the gate. We time-trialed well. We were half-decent in the heat, which put us in a decent spot for the feature
We passed Brett (Hearn) in the heat and started 13th in the feature. When the green flag dropped, we just started going backwards. We weren’t very good. We just tightened up too much. That just happens due to lack of experience at that race track. We pitted about lap 25, and that didn’t help at all, so we just kind of struggled. The way the point races are, you just have to keep your foot in it, and we ended up 19th. “

“We changed a lot between the heat and the feature. It had a lot to do with stagger and the shock combination. It’s hard to pinpoint. I think we were all right, but a lot of people were very good. The top five cars were very fast, and that made us look worse than we were. It is what it is, and we just have to move on to the next one Friday.”

With only one race track left on the schedule that the team is unfamiliar with, that being RPM in Quebec, the task, at least as far as preparation is concerned, should get a little easier. However, in racing, nothing is being taken for granted, and the team will be diligent in readying the No. 6 ready for every race.

Fourth Place Series Finish at Cornwall Puts Team on Top

By Dave Sully - CORNWALL, ON- One of the most successful weekends in team history concluded with a strong fourth place finish in the 358 Series race at Cornwall, which vaulted the team to the top of the standings. Beginning with the gutty performance on Friday, August 30, in the season ender at Lernerville, which saw Mat prevail over the Big Block of Brian Schwartzlander and continuing at Merrittville on Saturday, when Mat bested Pete Bicknell to win the John Spencer Memorial, the team journeyed to Cornwall, hoping to extend the momentum, and they did.

There was a momentary bit of angst at the start, however, before things brightened up. Mat explained, “It was a rough start to the night. We got to Cornwall and realized the fuel cap was off when we were washing the car. We thought there was some water in the fuel, so we drained the tank when we arruived. From there, we went out for hot laps and the motor was breaking down because the floats were too low. We fixed that, and things got a lot better. We went out for time trials and timed second in our group. We wound up winning the heat, started third in the feature and finished fourth.”

It wasn’t just a case of riding around at the front all night. Running a hundred twenty-five laps on a quarter mile track requires some strategy and a lot of concentration. There is really no time at all to relax. Early in the race, Mat actually surrendered some spots to save the equipment before making his surge back up to the front at the end.

Mat noted, “We dropped back early in the race. We were back to tenth or eleventh. In big long races, you do that to preserve the tires and brakes. The first 75 laps (before a mandatory yellow) is more like an extended hot lap session. I was just happy we were there at the end.”

With that finish the current Series standings show Mat ahead of Erick Rudolph by 44 points, David Hebert by 72 points, and Carey Terrence by 95 points. Rudolph, Hebert, and Terrence will probably be running the entire Series, so they figure to be some of the top pursuers for now.



All in all, it was a great weekend for the team, which now gears up for the long drive to Drummondville on Friday to try to keep the drive alive.

Great Ending at Merrittville, As Team Wins John Spencer Memorial

THOROLD, ON- With prestige on the line and a possible move up in the points, everything came up roses for the Williamson Racing Team, as Mat took the measure of Pete Bicknell to win the 50 lap John Spencer Memorial, a day after his dramatic victory in the final Lernerville feature of the season. As things played out after the heats and the redraw, Bicknell sat on the pole, with Mat outside him on the front row. Everyone expected a barn burner, and the two didn’t disappoint.

Mat was able to out run Pete to the first turn at the drop of the green and immediately establish a good lead, as the Terry Vince power plant performed flawlessly. The two set a blistering pace that had them in lap traffic by the ninth circuit. A caution on lap 13 cost him his big lead, but he picked it back up on the restart, while Bicknell tried to keep pace. He was gaining perceptibly when the again caught lap traffic on lap 25.

On lap 25, things got dicey, and Pete was able to wiggle past Mat for the lead on lap 27 in the heavy going. Mat didn’t panic and was able to regain the point one lap later. He opened a big gap from there, only to see it evaporate on lap 46 when Mark D’Ilario suffered a flat tire, which brought out the caution.

The single file restart showed Mat, Pete, Robbie Krull, and Mike Bowman, who had streaked up from the rear after going to his back-up car, following a wreck in his heat. Mat got a great jump and immediately put some distance between himself and Pete, while Bowman engaged Krull for third. At the line, it was Mat comfortably in front, followed by Pete, and Bowman, who squeezed past Krull on lap 49.

It was a great ending to a see-saw season, giving the team a lot of momentum going into the post season, which starts on Sunday night at Cornwall.

On the race with Bicknell and the swap of the lead, Mat commented, “I was running the top in one and two, and I know it’s faster to go across some nights. He showed his nose and got by me. I was taking it easy on the motor before it happened. He kind of snuck up on me, so I had to change my lane and turn the pedal up.”

Of the night overall, Mat declared, “Pete’s great to race with. You know he’ll never run you wrong. It’s always good to beat him at this track because he’s the master here. I can’t say enough about him.”

Pete gave Mat his due, noting, “Mat had a little better car than I did tonight. Hats off to him. He’s been running really well lately. He’s doing a great job.”

Unofficially, the team should finish in third in the standings, something that was unthinkable when the team went into its mid-season Merrittville slump, which is now, thankfully, in their rear view mirror.

Now, it’s on to Cornwall, with hopes of a good finish to what has been a perfect weekend so far. Time will tell.

Dramatic Win Ices the Cake at Lernerville

By DAVE SULLY - SARVER, PA – After clinching the title the week before, the Williamson Racing Team went to Lernerville on Friday, August 30th, with one thing in mine- win. That’s exactly what they did, as Mat drove his Small Block relentlessly to score a narrow win over Brian Schwartzlander’s Big Block. On a night when they figured to need a slick track to hold off the bigger motors, the track stayed tacky, as the Modifieds ran their feature second. It was going to take a Herculean effort under those conditions, and the driver was up to it.

It didn’t start out well, as Mat, lined up third, watched Dave Murdick explode to a big lead at the drop the green, while Mat immediately took second. Murdick’s big lead vanished on a lap three restart, but he re-established his advantage when the race resumed. A restart on lap seven gave Mat another shot on the outside, and this time the No. 6 took off and he beat Murdick to the first turn. After some contact, Mat was able to clear the No. 61 of Murdick and grab the lead.

It was still very early and things didn’t get any easier. After Mat held off Murdick on a lap nine restart, Mat’s chief rival, Brian Schwartzlander, out-muscled Murdick for second on lap 12 and immediately applied intense pressure, but Mat was able to keep him at bay. On lap 15, the caution flew, giving Schawartzlander a chance to make a move, but Mat got a great restart to maintain command.

On lap 21, with the two now in lap traffic and Schwartzlander nipping at Mat’s heels, the two came out of turn four with a slower car right in the driving lane. Mat dove low and was able to hold off a determined bid by Schwartzlander to wrest the lead away. Over the final four laps, with family and friends in the stands holding their collective breaths, Mat held his line, while Schwartzlander did everything he could to spoil the party. In the end, Mat prevailed by a close margin, a great ending to a great season in Pennsylvania.

Talking about the race, Mat declared, “I needed a restart to get by Murdick. We had one and he kind of played games. On the second one, I thought, ‘If you’re going to play games, I can play games too.’ We just capitalized on that second restart. I had him by a nose going into one, and I didn’t lift. I pounded off the cushion and came off two ahead of him. I knew if he stayed on the bottom, and I could stay on the top, I could maintain with him. We capitalized on that. We had a couple more restarts, and I just had to pick up the top; it was good from there.”

Of his race with Schwartzlander, he added, “I just tried to make the car as wide as I could get it. When you’re down in horsepower, and you’re up front, you’ve got to keep as much speed up as you can. Don’t lose your momentum and that’s what we did. I saw him poking his nose in. I just got nervous and kept plugging.”

How important was the win? “It means a lot, added Mat. “Terry Vince builds one heckuva motor, and it showed last night. That’s our Syracuse motor from last year and we plan on running it at Syracuse again this year.”

With the Lernerville program succeeding beyond their wildest expectations, the team will head back to Merrittville tomorrow for the season-ending John Spencer Memorial, hoping for the best.