Nirvana Reached With Final Week Win for Mat Williamson & Team

By DAVE SULLY - The 2014 Modified Championship now resides with the Williamson Racing Team, as Mat put an exclamation point on the season with a victory in the 50 lap John Spencer Memorial, his second in a row in that event, and the fifth win of the season overall. Following a season of ups and downs, the team never lost focus and never got too discouraged, plus they entered the final point night with some momentum. Going into the race, Mat held a 17 point lead over Chad Brachmann and needed to keep him in sight to claim the crown. However, the redraw, after Mat finished second in his heat, proved to be an unexpected bonus, as Mat, who has had miserable luck most of the year with redraws, drew the pole, while Brachmann, desperate for a good starting spot, drew ninth.

Starting on the pole is huge in a lot of ways in a dirt race, the biggest being running in clean air, and able to avoid wrecks or being taken out by someone else's indiscretion. Mat made great use of that advantage, as he cruised to a healthy lead in the first half of the race. Things changed on lap 28 when Mike Bowman, who had moved into second on lap 23, lined up right next to Mat on a restart after a melee in turn three. Mat got away from Bowman when the raced resumed, but it was apparent that Bowman was stout and Mat had to decide how hard to race him with the title on the line.

Two more restarts, one on lap 29, and another on lap 31, tested his mettle, as Bowman was able to get under him going into turn two, but Mat was able to turn him back both times. The second time, on lap 31, was made somewhat easier in that it was caused by Brachmann, whose drive shaft gave way, ending his night and his chances for the title. Thus, the title was basically decided right there, and Mat could now concentrate on racing for the win.

Still mindful of protecting his equipment, Mat was able to fend off Bowman on that final restart and gradually opened a lead over the rest of the race, which came to a sudden and unexpected end on lap 45 when a sudden downpour soaked the track. Thus, the win and the title were secure.

Talking about the race, Mat offered, “I just got lucky with the redraw. It's a good way to start a race because you don't have to worry about anybody else. I knew we had to get a good start, good restarts and just had to have 50 laps of solid racing. I saw Mike (Bowman) under me a couple times. I saw Pete (Bicknell) was coming through. I know he started seventh and got up to third. I was just worrying about hitting my marks and not messing anything up.”

As for the dicing with Bowman on the restarts, especially in turn two, he noted, “I didn't want to pound the daylights out of my stuff on the cushion for 50 laps. I would have been happy finishing second or third, if someone had wanted to beat on their stuff for 50 laps, because I just had to finish. That's all I was focused on. It was fun.”

As for his mindset when he saw that Brachmann was out of the race, he said, “That was when I knew we just had to race. All we had to do was hit my marks and win the race. It got kind of squirrely after one restart. I started to miss my marks and had to get back in the game and worry about the big picture.”

As for the rain, he added, “They called it pretty good. I was worried it was raining because it felt like when the guy in front of me is leaking gear oil or something, but there was nobody in front of me. It was a good call, and I'm happy we're on top.”

Of the big picture, Mat concluded, “This is surreal right now. It still hasn't hit me. I'm sure when we have a couple of beers around the campfire, we'll realize we just won the Merrittville Championship and put ourselves in a group with a bunch of good drivers, a bunch of Hall of Famers, really. It's awesome. It's a great feeling. You can't buy this stuff in the store. You've got to earn it, and it's pretty cool to do it.”

Rob Sawatsky, speaking for the team about the remarkable season, declared, “After the problems with the Big Block at Lernerville, where we actually won a race, we decided to concentrate all our efforts on the 358 program at Merrittville. All of these guys on the crew put so much time and effort into it. That's what pulls it all together. As the 358 program went on, we still had some obstacles, like oil problems in the engine and some problems with another engine, but ERD builds a very good piece, and we had a great car underneath us and a great bunch of guys who worked diligently on it. We didn't let things, like the battery failure, bother us. We all gathered up on Wednesday nights when we get into our repair program and we said, 'Let's go,' and we did. It didn't really bother us. It was a little bit of a stumble, but we put our heads into what we needed to accomplish. There was a little bit of luck we had here and there, along with the stumbles. Luck goes back and forth, but tonight Lady Luck was with us, and we pulled it off. It was nice to go out with a win. You can't ask for a better time.”

Thus, the 2014 Merrittville season is history and the desired goal has been reached. Congratulations to the entire team, and especially to Mat, who was the ultimate wheel man when the issue was in doubt. The team wishes to thank all of its loyal sponsors, all of those who helped out with food, moral support, and encouragement, and our many fans, who stuck with us through thick and thin. You can all enjoy this for a long time.

In closing, let us pay homage to the memory of Pete Cosco, a wonderful man, who meant so much for our sport, whose untimely passing tempered the celebration.

Team on the Brink After Good Finish at Merrittville

By DAVE SULLY - A somewhat momentous week was capped off by a strong run by Mat in the semi-final point night at Merrittville on Saturday, August 23rd, setting up a final push next Saturday for the team's ultimate goal, the championship. It was not easy, as some shivers went up the team's collective spines at Humberstone in the Tri-Track Modified event the previous Sunday, after the Saturday event at Merrittville was rained out. While looking very good in winning his heat, the car began smoking, and it was feared that something had gone wrong with the motor. Upon further review, it was determined that the smoke was caused by a loose valve cover. The condition also soaked enough of the engine that the team decided not to take any chances by running the feature, so they packed it in and began prepping for Saturday.

They went into Saturday's race, now down to two point shows after the rain-out, with a thirteen point lead over Chad Brachmann, with the goal of staying close enough to Brachmann to ensure that they would be in the lead going into the final night.

Mat came from last to finish third in his heat, and because he won the previous race, started twelfth, while Brachmann went off eighth. After initially dropping back to let things sort out, Mat was able to utilize the top to make his way forward. He was able to catch and pass Brachmann midway through the race, reaching third after a lap 29 restart. Then a heart-stopping moment ensued when Mat clipped the guard rail in turn four and the front of the car jumped into the air. Fortunately, no damage was done and Mat was able to right the ship without losing too much valuable track position.

He actually nosed into second and was poised to make a run for the lead held by Tim Jones, when a caution erased that move and forced him to restart from third. After dropping back to fourth, he was able to reclaim third from Tom Flannigan in the final accounting. Brachmann ended up fifth, giving Mat and the team a seventeen point lead going into next week's finale.

Talking about the race and the early strategy, Mat declared, “I was simply trying to stay out of trouble. We had a good race car. In traffic I wasn't as good as I needed to be, but when I could get out and run my own lane, and when I got to third there and smashed the guard rail, I was good. I think we were good enough to get by Jonesie, but it was my own mistake. I smashed the guard rail, and it set us back two spots. It was a bad deal there, but we're focused on the big picture right now.”

Regarding his pursuit of Brachmann during the race, he added, “Once I passed him I didn't worry about it. It didn't matter if he was right behind me, or two behind me, or five behind me. As long as we didn't lose any points tonight, we put ourselves in a good position. I'm looking forward to next week because we don't have to start twelfth.”

Thus, the moment the team has been waiting for is at hand. As we all know, there are no sure things in racing, but the goal is in sight. The last chapter will be written next Saturday.

Mat Williamson & Team Back in the Driver's Seat After Win

By DAVE SULLY - The ups and downs of the 2014 Merrittville season continued on Saturday, August 9th, this time on a high, as Mat made a determined run from his seventh place starting spot to win the Modified Feature, vaulting him back into the point lead, with three point races remaining. It was a night when everything came together, and with a great race car under him, Mat made the most of it, turning an 11 point deficit into a 13 point advantage.

The night didn't start too well, as Mat, who has a notorious record in pill draws, drew fifty out of fifty, putting him at the rear of his heat. He got up to third, one spot out of the redraw, (“We were fast, just ran out of laps,” Mat noted), putting him in that seventh place starting position.

Of the race, Mat explained, “ I got rolling on the outside, just kept my momentum up, passed cars, one or two a lap. Before we knew it we were in third. (Brandon) Easey and (Tom) Flannigan had quite a lead. I think they were a half straightaway in front of me. I reeled them in and just got by them both. Then the caution came out with three laps to go, and the car was a rocket ship.”

Mat did most of his work on the outside, but was able to go to the bottom when he entered lap traffic.

Mat continued, “We were good right off the bat. I knew we were going to be a force to be reckoned with. I had a good race car. That's for sure.”

With the win and the realization that there are three point shows left, the question of strategy enters the picture. It would be easy to say that you just go all out and let the points fall where they may, but Mat will certainly be aware of where his chief opposition, Chad Brachmann, is running. Mat explained, “It's certainly in the back of your mind. I'm going to try to zone it out as much as I can. That way I don't worry about it until the last points night, and then just know where we have to finish and where Chad has to finish. The way I'm looking at it right now is that we have a good enough hot rod to win two more races at Merrittvile and go into the last race with a good point lead. That's the way I'm hoping it's going to turn out. We've got to make sure we cross our Tees and dot our I's.”

As we've noted before, nothing is for sure in racing. Witness the battery failure that put the team behind the eight ball in the St. Amand Memorial. Barring mechanical failure or some other unexpected development, like getting caught up in a wreck or suffering a flat tire, the goal is within reach. It won't be long before we find out if the stars line up correctly.

Mixed Bag for Team at Two Race Merrittville Weekend

By DAVE SULLY - Two races at Merrrittville, a point race on Saturday, August 2nd and the Bob St.Amand Sr, Super Dirt Series 100 lapper on Monday, August 4th, produced some encouraging results and some disappointment when the dust settled. The Saturday race produced a seventh place finish, which saw Mat drop to second in the standings with three point races left, while the non points Series race saw Mat make a gallant charge through the field after earlier entanglements forced him to utilize a track provisional to get into the Feature.

On Saturday, Mat started twelfth and was able to soldier to a seventh place finish on another night when it was tough to pass, which is becoming the norm at Merrittville because of the quality of the competition.

Mat summed it up, saying, “We were decent. We were going for fourth and just got caught up in other people's messes, I guess.”

The upshot of the Saturday finish is that, with the three remaining points races, Mat trails Chad Brachmann, who won the race, by eleven points, hardly insurmountable, but it will require due diligence by the team to bring about the desired outcome- the title.

On Monday, things were going swimmingly for a while. Mat, driving his Small Block, timed second and started outside Larry Wight, who had a Big Block under the hood, in the heat. The two bolted into the lead and quickly separated themselves from the rest of the ten car field. However, on the fourth lap the caution flew for a spin, necessitating a restart. Wight started inside and Mat started outside on the front row. When the green flew, things went awry.

Mat explained, “I went into turn one, and of course, I had a Small Block and Larry's got a Big Block. He was trying to protect the bottom. He did nothing wrong. I went in a little harder because we're a hundred pounds lighter. We can drive it in harder and the car is going to stick. I drove it in like I normally would in a heat race, not thinking that Larry was going to protect the bottom, and I got into his left rear. It was unintentional, but it was my own mistake. That basically set the night up for us.”

“We got two flat tires and a bunch of damage. We actually got the tires changed and got out on the lead lap and then cut another one down because it was rubbing on the sheet metal.”

The end result of the heat race was Mat had to start tenth in the consi, where only three cars would qualify. Mat was able to get up to sixth, but wasn't able to race his way in. Fortunately, he qualified for the Feature by way of the track provisional, along with Scott Wood, and ended up starting 29th in the 30 car field.

By any account, Mat had a great run, clawing his way to an impressive 12th place finish, which Mat actually thought could have been higher. He observed, “We looked forward to that race. We put so much effort in running good in it. We had a good race car. In a hundred laps it shouldn't matter where you start. I got up to about 13th or 14th and got door slammed going into turn three in the middle of the race. I don't know if it caused us to have a slow leak or what happened, but after that we didn't have as good a race car as we did the first 50 laps. It was just unfortunate, but we just have to move on to this week.”

To sum it up, Mat added, “We had a good race car the first 50 laps when it was slippery. The car was tight actually, so it would have been nice to see what it would have done the last 50 laps. A couple more cautions might have helped us, but to come from 29th to 12th, I'm happy, but I'm not happy.”

So, the die is cast, with three more point races, starting this Saturday. Mat and the team know what they have to do. Now they need to execute.

A Reversal of Fortunes Puts Team Back in the Title Hunt

By DAVE SULLY - With the bad taste still in their mouths after the disheartening battery problem produced a poor finish two weeks ago, the stars lined up for the team on Saturday, July 26th, resulting in their regaining the point lead. It took a bad break for Chad Brachmann and a gutty performance by Mat to turn the trick.

After finishing third in the heat, Mat started eleventh in the field, next to Brachmann, and the two were immediately caught up in a battle for positions, as Scott Wood grabbed the lead on lap three and established himself as the one to beat. Mat had moved up a few spots when the caution flew on lap 10 when Tim Jones spun in turn four after contact with Brachmann. Brachmann was sent to the rear for hitting Jones.

When the race restarted, Mat continued to advance, with each spot being surrendered grudgingly by his competitors. By lap 33, Mat had moved past Mike Bowman into third when the caution flew once again, setting up a green/white/checker finish. Wood held on for the win, while Mat kept digging and nipped Chad Chevalier for second at the line. Brachmann, meanwhile wound up finished 15th, which at the end of the day, saw Mat regain the point lead by a single point, with plenty of racing left in the season.

Mat had this to say about the goings on, “I've got a sweet hot rod right now. We worked for it. We got down on ourselves last week and tonight what happened was the perfect situation. It's bad luck for Chad. Whether he got into Jonesie or not, they put him back. I don't know the logistics of it. It was good for us. It just needed to be a deal where he had a bad night and I had a bad night. I had mine two weeks ago, and he had his tonight. We're going to do the last five nights here, I think it is, with some good runs and just hope we're ahead at the end.”

“Like I said at the beginning of the year, the ultimate goal is the point championship, and tonight couldn't have gone any better. It's like a win, coming from eleventh on a track like that, which is really tough to pass on. We've got a good hot rod and it showed. We just have to keep trucking.”

On the last second pass for second, which turned out to be huge, Mat added, “You have to look at it as it's four points. Third is two points, but if you get to second it's four more points, so you look at it like that when you're behind. Now that we're close, you can just go back to racing again. I had to get that distance that we lost. I had to get it down to where we don't have to worry about it any more. Now, we're back in the picture.”

Nothing regarding the championship is assured, as the team is readily aware, but it's a nice feeling to know that they're in the hunt. They'll carry that euphoria to the next race.

Clock Strikes Twelve for Mat Williamson at Merrittville

The recent Cindarella ride to the top of the Modified heap for the team saw the coach turn into a pumpkin, as a malfunctioning battery ruined a promising start at Merrrittivlle on Saturday, July 12th. Everything was looking good early, as Mat showed plenty of speed in winning the third heat. He drew eighth in the redraw, but with this being the 50 lap Jerry Winger Memorial, that shouldn't have been an overwhelming problem.

When the feature started, it became obvious that something was wrong, as Mat immediately began dropping back. On lap two he went off turn one to bring out the caution. He went to the pits and the team quickly replaced the MSD box, hoping that ignition was the problem. Unfortunately, it wasn't, and the car rolled to stop on the front stretch when Mat tried to continue.

Very disappointed, Mat observed, “I knew something was wrong right away. I just didn't know what it was. It's just frustrating. Now, all we've got to do is win every race from here til September and hope the points fall our way. If you start worrying about points, it bites you. Tonight, it was just one of those deals. You've just got to keep on trucking, just move on.”

As I mentioned to Mat, the hill just got a little higher to climb, but in the immortal words of Yogi Berra, “It ain't over till it's over.” I've been around racing a long time, and the one thing I learned is nothing is for certain. Sometimes, it takes more than talent and hard work. Luck and breaks play a significant role as well, for everybody. The team will get back to work and maybe the pumpkin will become a carriage again.

Near Win at Humberstone and a Win at Merrittville Keeps Team Geared Up

By DAVE SULLY - On Tuesday, July 1st, the team made the short tow to Humberstone for the track's first DIRTcar 358 Series race, a hundred lapper, and when the night was over, Mat came up one spot short of scoring his first ever Series win, and it took a bizarre sequence of events to deprive him of a race he should have won. Starting eighth in the 23 car field, Mat moved steadily forward while Mike Bowman and Todd Gordon were duking it out at the front, claiming second on lap 19 and then taking over the top spot on a lap 22 restart when Gordon chose the outside.

From there, Mat jumped out to a healthy lead, which he held until late in the race. Erick Rudolph moved into contention, by taking second from Gordon on lap 50 and then tried to reel Mat in. Things came to a head when Mat entered lap traffic and Rudolph was able to slice into the lead dramatically. When he showed Mat his nose on lap 88, Mat made a banzai move between two lap cars, which had the crowd buzzing, to put some distance between himself and Rudolph.

It soon became apparent that Rudolph would need a caution to have any chance to win, and he got it on lap 91. Here's the rub. He caused it, when he struck a marker barrel in turn four and the barrel bounced out onto the race track. Ordinarily the person causing the caution has to go tail, but since there was no wreck and Rudolph never stopped, he wasn't penalized, so he restarted second. On top of that, the two lap cars that Mat took great risk in passing were moved to the rear, by DIRTcar rules, so he restarted on Mat's bumper.

When the race restarted Mat was bent on protecting the bottom and on lap 96 Rudolph was able to drive around the outside to take the lead and the win. Mat told the crowd at the post races interviews of the top three finishers that he may have been a little too good too early, and he sealed a tire over on the last caution and that gave Rudolph the opportunity to make the pass on the outside. Rudolph referred to the timely yellow that gave him the opportunity to win and denied that he hit the marker on purpose to bring out that “timely yellow.” Only Erick knows for sure.

Though it was disappointing, Mat gave Rudolph credit for the win, while celebrating the fact that the car was very great.

With Humberstone behind him, Mat set his sights on Merrittville on Saturday. Starting twelfth in the feature, he clawed his way forward in the uncharacteristically rugged Modified race, which saw eleven cautions punctuate the event. He was able to avoid being collected and found himself in the runnerup spot by the time a caution flew on lap 13, after a prolonged battle with Scott Wood, which produced some contact.

Mat battled Bicknell for close to ten laps before finally getting around him for the lead on lap 23. From there, the car, which was every bit as good as it was at Humberstone, carried Mat to close to a straightaway lead, which was erased by a final caution on lap 33. From there, Mat was able to keep his now somewhat bent up race car ahead of Bicknell to claim his second win of the year at Merrittville. Couple that with Chad Brachmann's third place finish and Mat, who trailed Brachmann by two points going into the event, now is back on top by six markers.

Mat mentioned that the pursuit of the Merrittville title is now center stage, as two ailing big block motors have changed the main focus to the 358 program.

The team knows there is a long way to go, so they will concentrate on scoring as many wins and top five finishes as they can to keep the title in reach until the end of the season.

Short Week Ends on Positive Front for Mat Willamson

By DAVE SULLY - With a rain-out of the Big Block Series race at Utica Rome on Wednesday and the night off from Lernerville for their Firecracker Late Model special, the team only hit the track once this week, Saturday, June 28th at Merrittville. At the end of the night, the team found itself a mere two points out of the point lead, following a gutty fourth place finish in what at times was a frustrating affair.

Following his fourth place finish in the heat, Mat, with his win the week before being handicapped, found himself slotted twelfth for the feature. Following an early caution, the race went green to checkers, which proved to be a problem for some and a boon to others. One who profited mightily was Pete Bicknell, who suffered a left front flat early, but was able to keep running well as long as there was no caution. He ended up seventh. The ones who didn't profit were those who needed a caution to adjust on their cars.

Mat clawed his way up to fifth by lap 13, and then was involved in a grueling battle for position with Chad Brachmann, Mike Bowman and Todd Gordon, with young Travis Miller in the middle of it, as well. Being a rookie, it was tough for the others to predict what he might do, making passes for position problematical. As the laps wore down, Brachmann took over second, while Mat was able to grab fourth. He tried to challenge Gordon for third, but ran out of time in the race, which was won by large margin by Brandon Easey.

Mat talked about the night, declaring, “I think we had a better car than the guys that finished in front of us, maybe not Brandon. The starting position didn't help, and we got some unlucky breaks where Chad got some lucky breaks. We were just biding our time. We finished behind Chad and Todd, but at one point I was racing in front of them. It was certainly what lane you picked and who you were racing behind which determined who you passed and who you got caught up with. It was good racing between me, Bowman, and Todd. We raced three wide for the last fifteen laps trying to get by Miller. He's all over the place, so you're trying to figure out where he's going and not go with him. It was just hard. We've just got to keep the momentum going and the string of top fives. The S and W car has been great.

At the end of the day, the standings saw Brachmann assuming the lead by those two points, with plenty of racing to go. Heck, we're just entering July, so nothing has been decided yet. With a slew of Series races coming up, along with the weekly shows at Lernerville and Merrittville, there is no time to muse about the past.

Team Finishes Good Week on a High Note

By DAVE SULLY - Starting with a decent finish at New Egypt on Wednesday in the Dirt.car Big Block series event, the excitement built, with a second place finish at Lernerville and ended with a crescendo, as Mat took the feature at Merrittville on Saturday. It put the team in a justifiably euphoric mood,which was richly deserved.

The team's first visit to New Egypt was eventful, as a slew of cars were there to attempt to qualify for the A Main. Mat finished fifth in the first heat, which relegated him to the first B Main, which he won. That put him 21st on the grid for the feature. Against a very talented field and mired toward the rear at the start, Mat clawed his way to 15th at the checkered flag.

On the night, he observed, “We were a top ten car. We started twenty-first and were racing with Stewie (Friesen). We raced with good guys. We raced with Tomkins for a long time. If we could have gotten by some of them, I think we would have been up there. It's one of those deals where we started twenty-first. If we would have started tenth, we would have been a top ten car. We were holding our own, but there was that stag position, and it's tough to pass there.”

Two days later, the team journeyed to Lernerville and came away with a second place finish, which keeps the team in the hunt in what has become a very competitive field. Asked if he was satisfied with the result, Mat answered, “No. We've got a program where we can win every race. That's our expectation, and we hold ourselves to that expectation. When we don't win, we're disappointed. We work harder than anybody. We like to win. That's what it comes down to. I started fourth and any other time it would have been good enough to win, but we just lacked a little bit of motor. We're there. We haven't been out of the top five, and everybody down there has stepped up their games, so it's not as easy to win races there as it was last year.” Still, in all, the second place finish with a motor a little down on power is a plus.

Fast forward to Saturday at Merrittville, where it all came together in great fashion. After winning the first heat easily, Mat lined up seventh for the feature. While Ryan Susice grabbed the early lead, Mat soldiered into second on a lap 10 restart and then began stalking Susice. He tried several moves, both high and low, but was unable to mount a serious bid for the lead.

On lap 20, things changed. A caution flew, putting Mat next to Susice for the restart. Susice chose the outside, where his car had been performing well. Mat was able to get a good jump on the bottom and executed a perfect slide job going into turn two to take the lead. From there, he drew away and at the end was close to a straightaway ahead.

Talking about the result, Mat declared, “I'm very happy tonight. We needed it. It's good to be here.” About the race, he explained, “I knew when the caution came out, that was my only opportunity to do it. I knew I was faster than he was, and if I didn't do the slider in one and two, I wouldn't have gotten him. I actually like it slicker. If the cushion were gone we would have been even better. We relied on it (the cushion) tonight, but if it was gone we'd have been better.”

Of the duel with Susice, he added, “I tried a couple of times, and I'd lose ground, so I really had to time it good. When the restart came out, he gave me the bottom, and I knew it was game over. You know you can run with Ryan. You know he's not going to screw up. When you get a restart you've got to take advantage of it because he's pretty talented and deserves to be up front. You have a lot of respect for him. I'm certainly happy with the outcome tonight, and hopefully we'll do this every week.”

Any time is a good time to round into shape, but with the heavy part of the schedule coming up, it behooves the team to maintain the high that they are on now, and you know they won't be outworked.

Solid Father's Day Weekend Buoys the Spirits

By DAVE SULLY - After a previous week, where the team suffered a couple of uncharacteristic finishes, the team rallied to score two impressive efforts on Father's Day Weekend. After a fifth place finish at Lernerville, which, though solid, was not up expectations, and a tenth place finish the next night at Merrittville, which was definitely not acceptable following a twelfth the previous week, the team needed to have a couple of good runs to restore some confidence. Father's Day weekend provided the needed result.

A third place finish behind winner Dave Murdick and Rex King Jr. on Friday the 13th, kept the team in the hunt, with Mat currently lying fifth in the standings, forty-nine points behind Rex King Jr. With four good drivers in front of him King, King Sr, Murdick, and Jeremiah Shingledecker, it won't be an easy hill to climb, but being fairly evenly matched, it doesn't appear anybody is going to run away and hide like Mat did last year.

On Saturday, after winning his heat handily, Mat started fifth and was able to claw his way to second by lap 21, right behind leader Tommy Flannigan, who found the outside to his liking and had grabbed the lead on a lap 14 restart. A lap 25 caution put Mat right behind Flanniga, setting up an epic struggle for the lead, as Mat tried everything he could to get a run on Flannigan. Once on lap 27 he drew alongside and seemed to have the momentum to take the lead, but a caution killed that chance.

The two man battle continued for several more laps before it became apparent that this was Flannigan's night. However, the night seemed to put an end to the slump for now, and the close second gives the team some impetus for the future.

Of the night, Mat observed, “We made wholesale changes this weekend. The car was good, just not good enough. That's exactly what it came down to. Tommy was a little better driving off the corners than I was. I've just got to make some minor changes this week and get a little better. I'm certainly happy with the S and W car. It was good. Congrats to Tommy. Couldn't ask to finish second to anybody else. I'm happy for those guys, just as happy as we are for second. It's nice to finish second after the couple of weeks we've had. A win certainly would have been a lot nicer, but to finish second to Tommy, I'm not too upset about it. You know you can race him clean, and he's going to race you the same way you race him. That's the kind of racing you want every week. If there were twenty-four guys like Tommy Flannigan out there, we'd have a lot of fun every week.”

So, putting things into perspective, the team has two competitive cars, and should be in the hunt for the win each night. There are a lot of teams that would like to be in that position.

Positive Week for Team Ends on a Bit of a Downer

By Dave Sully - The team's week started early as they made the trek to Brockville for the DIRT.car Big Block Series event. It was a very positive night, as Mat came from tenth to record a top five finish. He was able to run with the big dogs all night long, ultimately holding off Danny Johnson for his fifth place finish behind winner Justin Haers, Brett Hearn, Billy Decker, and Matt Sheppard.

Mat explained, “It was great. We went up there, got in a tough group and we were nervous about qualifying, just holding our own in a Series race, but we've come a long way. We can run with those guys a little bit at most of the places we go to. It feels great to do it. We started fourth in the heat and finished third and got the last spot in the redraw. We drew tenth and were just kind of biding our time. Toward the end, the car came on and we were a lot better than most. We raced with Sheppard a little bit and Danny. We raced with some big names and it helps my confidence. Those guys race for a living. This is just our hobby. I'd like to get to the point in my career where I can do this for a living. I've just got to keep working hard at it. I'll put everything I've got into it.”

As to how many Big Block Series races the team will run, Mat said that their plans were up in the air. They are going to New Egypt in two weeks, a nine hour drive. They plan on going to all of them until they have a bad run. The plan was to go to New Egypt if they ran in the top five at Brockville, which they did. He explained that if they say in the top ten in points, they'll go to the next one. They'll just play it by ear.

On another note, the team used the bargain basement motor they used to win at Lernerville, prompting Mat to observe, “We've got two thirds of it paid off after two races.”

Following the midweek show at Brockville, the team ventured to Lernerville on Friday and turned in another solid performance, finishing second after once again starting tenth. Mat explained, “Rex King started on the pole and we started tenth. We had a great race car. That motor was stout again. The track was slippery, and that plays in my favor. Those guys down there don't see a lot of tracks that get that slippery. We race like that every Saturday night. We weren't very good until the first caution came out, then made some adjustments and kind of stayed out of trouble and picked my way to the front. When I got there, it was just two laps too late. I really like racing with those guys.”

On Saturday, reality reared its ugly head at Merrittville and showed that nothing is going to be easy. After winning his heat, Mat started eleventh, but was making some progress when he was involved in a scrum with Tim Jones and had to restart at the rear. He made a nice recovery, but the twelfth place finish left the team searching for answers.

Talking about the night, Mat said, “Guys weren't driving normally tonight and that's going to cause more wrecks. A lot of people were driving into the side of each other, but we'll regroup and get ready for next week. We can't get down on our luck. It' really one bad smash. We've just got to keep on keeping on.” Mat added that the car wasn't hurt enough that he could notice in the incident with Jones, but that it didn't really feel right all night. He concluded, “We'll be back. We're not really point racing. We're just trying to get the “W.”

All in all, it was a good week and Saturday's misfortune at Merrittville won't dampen the team's enthusiasm.

Positive Weekend Has Team Optimistic

By DAVE SULLY - After a slow start at Lernerville due to mechanical issues to start the season, the team rebounded nicely. Following a much needed win at Merrittville on Saturday, May 17th, Mat scored a hard-earned fourth in the 100 lap DIRT.car 358 Series on Monday, May 19th, after winning his heat, but drawing twelfth for the feature. He actually got as high as third, passing Tim McCreadie, but McCreadie fought back for the position at the end.

Fast forward to last weekend which started with a bang, as Mat parlayed a seventh place starting spot and a bargain basement motor to win on Friday night at Lernerville. To say the win was unlikely under the circumstances would be an understatement. After the primary Big Block motor was damaged two weeks in a row at Lerrnerville, it was suggested that they try a motor which Randy had picked up at Super Dirt Week last year.

Mat picks up the story, explaining, “We didn't even know if it ran. We stole the motor, basically, and went out and ran good with it.” Mat actually got in a few laps with it at Humberstone the previous Sunday after their show was over. Mat noted, “It ran good at Humberstone. It stayed together, which was what we wanted. We took it down to Lernerville. Lernerville's a little bit bigger. In the heat race, we lacked a little bit of power, but in the feature, we were good. The race car was great. The motor was great. It was just our night.”

The following night, back at Merrittville, Mat was looking for two in a row, but it wasn't to be. After winning the previous week, the handicapping put Mat in eleventh on the grid in a very competitive field of cars. He got what he could out of the car, given the conditions, ending up sixth. Chad Chevalier, who started on the pole and was very fast, picked up the win, holding off a late charge by Pete Bicknell.

Mat observed, “It was tough. Guys were racing really hard tonight. The car wasn't that good, but it was just the case that we started eleventh and Chad started on the pole. It might have been a different scenario if we had started on the pole (Keep in mind that to start on the pole, your previous week has to be a disaster.) or up toward the front. Pete came through pretty good. We weren't a good enough race car to go from eleventh to first. I would have liked to have got Jonesy to get in the top five, but it's a case where everybody's fast right now. Everybody got new stuff over the winter. It's only the second or third race. You can't get that advantage like you used to get. There's twelve guys that can win any night. That will keep it interesting.

With renewed enthusiasm following the win at Lernerville, and solid runs at Merrittville, including a win, the team needs to build on their successes, which they will make every effort to do.

Williamson Gets Redemption Win at Lernerville Speedway

It was redemption Friday at Lernerville Speedway.

Mat Williamson and Mike Pegher Jr. overcame troubles of the past few weeks to earn victories in their respective divisions.

Williamson won the V-8 Modified feature with a backup motor and Pegher responded from, two DNFs to win the Late Model feature. The features were two of the better races so far this season.

Williamson, the defending track champion, recorded his sixth career victory at Lernerville by finishing in front of Jeremiah Shingledecker in second, Steve Feder in third, Dave Murdick in fourth and Rex King Jr. in fifth.

Williamson started seventh, took the lead from Tommy Winkle on lap 10 and never relinquished the lead.

“We broke the motor the second week and the third week,” Williamson said. “So, we just put the motor in and came on down. We wanted to come down and do some testing. It was the same motor that we broke two weeks in a row.

“Absolutely, it has been frustrating because last year we had a perfect season, and this has been a nightmare start,” Williamson added. “This is a tough sport. You can be down in the dumps one week and be right back in it the next. Tonight I just rode the bottom and found the bite. Plus, we were good in lapped traffic.”

Shingledecker, the 2009 and 2011 track champion, was pleased with his car despite a few problems and had his best finish of the season.

“I thought the car was pretty good all night, but we had a little bit of trouble with the carburetor,” Shingledecker said. “But I'd say this was probably the best setup we have had this season for the track conditions.”

For Feder, the night started out with a scare as he avoided trouble in his heat race and then worked out some bugs in the car's setup to have his best finish of the season. His top two finishes at Lernerville are a pair of seconds.

“We were having some trouble with the car, turning, and after that it was just staying out of trouble,” Feder said. “We had Randy Williamson (Mat's father and partner) come up and give us some ideas. 

The track seemed a little slick tonight, but we kept it going pretty good tonight.”

Thomas Zuck is a freelance writer. 

Meet the Team- Cliff Warner

Cliff Warner is no stranger to the racing wars. Starting his career at the age of sixteen, the now sixty-four year old resident of Port Colborne was a legitimate star before technology began taking over the sport. His career began in the mid-fifties, piloting first Bombers and then 358 Sportsman. He was a familiar figure on both sides of the border, winning races and title at places like Perry Speedway, Canandaigua Speedway, and Freedom Raceway, in New York, along with Canadian tracks. He did make an excursion to the pavement, racing at Cayuga in the Bomber. He observed, “I think there were forty or fifty up there. We ran good for that first time, and that was it. The dirt was better.”

As noted, Cliff competed at a time when racing was far more affordable. He recalled, “The car was built with wrecking yard parts. No race parts at all. We had stock motors in the car. We had a Chevette, Acadian, and a Malibu. They were all stock. Nothing was done to those motors.”

Following his racing career, Cliff became a fixture at Gasport Speedway, which has now reverted to its original name, Humberstone, working for Al and Edith Wagner. He ran all the track grooming machinery, except the grader. “I didn't want anything to do with that,” he intoned. He mentioned how track prep was (and still is) a real challenge, especially when it came to watering. “Gasport was different. You had to water on Friday and Saturday. Then you had a good racing surface on Sunday. If you didn't look after the watering and maintenance on Saturday, you had a real dust bowl on Sunday,” he explained.

Warner, who has a tenure of 35 years at PC Forge in Port Colborne where he works in the maintenance department, tries to arrange his schedule so that he can travel with the team as often as possible, a valuable asset to any racing team that is on the road as much as the Williamson team.

His relationship with the Williamson Racing Team began in the early stages of Mat's career. He noted, “I hooked up with Mat when he first started racing, and I've been following him ever since. We've been to a lot of big shows. It's been good on the road. Going on the road with those guys, I have a ball. Going on the road was a real problem there for awhile because I was working fifty or sixty hours a week. Then Mat wanted to go on the road trips, so I had to put more hours in to get days off. Now, I'm looking to plan ahead to take more trips.”

Cliff contributes his time and energy to the team wherever its needed, including the arduous task of removing and installing motors, including, at his suggestion, the big block that was victorious at Lernerville on May 23rd, after the team's A motor suffered damage two weeks in a row.

He works at Merrittville on Saturday nights, so he is unable to participate on race nights there, but Cliff's contributions at the shop, and now, especially, on the road make him another of the much appreciated members of the Williamson Racing Team.

Meet the Crew- Adam Williams

Adam Williams, a resident of Grimsby, who will be twenty-six on June 1st, is no stranger to racing, having watched his uncle, Rick Book race for over 20 years and participating himself since the age of sixteen. He noted, “When I turned sixteen, I got my license, got a truck, got a trailer, and I've been racing four cylinder cars ever since then.

His crew experience began before he met Mat. He explained, “I started helping my buddy BJ Willard and then got introduced to Matty and then BJ kind of stopped racing. I just came over and started helping Matty every chance I could. Since I got hooked up with Matty about three years ago I haven't raced my car, but I've been helping Matty make his way to the front. I'll still race every once in a while, but I've mostly put it aside to help Matty go after championships and make sure his career is going the right way.”

As for his occupation, Adam is a pipeline inspector for Sun Canadian Pipeline. His work zone is from Sarnia to North Toronto, which keeps him in the area most of the time, which allows him to work with the race team. His job entails managing a high pressure petroleum pipeline in the ground and making sure that when anyone is working in the area of the line, he and his colleagues mark the area so that they don't hit the line. He also responds to accidents and makes sure that an accurate account of the occurrence is forthcoming.

He added that he spends as much time racing as time allows. As he put it, “That's for making money. This is for having fun. Sometimes you have to have fun too.”

Not all of the crew is able to travel, but Adam will try to go on the road a soften as possible. He observed, “I've already booked my holidays for North Carolina (for the Dirt.car event at Charlotte) and Super Dirt Week. Any time I get a free minute, I'll be hooked on with the trailer and head on wherever it's going.”

Adam has no special duties on the team. He does whatever needs to be done, from washing the car, scaling the car, grinding tires, or seeping the floor. He is just happy to contribute any way he can. He laughed, “I do whatever nobody else wants to do, getting dirty, all the fun stuff.”

As for his own racing future, he concluded, “Right now I've had my fill of it. I'm just having a fun time helping Matty.” With that outlook and his willingness to to do anything to help the team succeed, Adam Williams is the kind of guy every race team would love to have and the Williamson Racing Team is the beneficiary of his dedication.

Young champ Williamson eyes repeat in Lernerville Modified

It's safe to say Mat Williamson upset the applecart last season.

In his first season at Lernerville Speedway, the 24-year-old from St. Catharines, Ontario, won the track's V-8 Modified championship.

This year Williamson is set to make that 480-mile round trip each week to defend his championship.

“I'd say it was one of those years where we had a lot of races that went our way; that was mostly on Fridays,” Williamson said. “We also had some nights that we just wanted to forget. On Saturday at Merrittville (Speedway in Ontario) we won the most races, four, but still finished third in points because we had a couple of DNFs due to mechanical issues.”

Williamson races his 358 Modified on Saturday at Merrittville so that makes Friday night racing at Lernerville a bit easier to handle because the team does not have to prep the car for two consecutive nights of racing.

Last season's championship was Williamson's first. He won five features at the track and also scored 13 top-five finishes. His worst finish of the season was fourth, and part of that was due to a tire issue while he was running second. Williamson's points lead at the end of the season was 53 over seven-time track champion Brian Swartzlander.

Two weeks ago Swartzlander took the checkered flag in the V-8 Modified feature, his 83rd Lernerville victory. Williamson finished second.

“Last season was very good,” Williamson said. “I certainly didn't expect to come down and win a championship but we got lucky a few times and things came together.

“Lernerville is a wide track and that certainly allows you the ability to pass and to work your way up through the field,” Williamson added. “At Lernerville you get a handicap after you win and have to start the next feature in 12th, so it helps that there is enough room to pass.”

The team did make adjustments for this season.

“One of the biggest changes from last year is that we didn't have a shop,” Williamson said. “We have a shop now, and I'd say we are bit better stocked with parts. This is a whole new car. There is not much you would see that would show it is new, but most of the parts are new.”

Williamson does feel he is a different driver than he was last season, due mainly to an accumulation of experience.

“I really think you learn more each year as you go out and race,” Williamson said. “Just by doing more it helps you know what to do to prepare. As a team we have all been together for about 10 years so there are no surprises, and we all know what to do.”

Williamson's father, Randy, is a partner in Bicknell Racing Products with Pete Bicknell and Bob Slack. It is also where Mat works, but it is not as much of an advantage as some would suspect.

“We are, and we aren't, a guinea pig for the factory,” Williamson said. “You can try to do some new and innovative things but the rules have gotten so tight that it makes it tough to make anything new. You have to ask for approval and by the time you do that, everybody else has it too.”

Lernerville's history with V-8 Modifieds is well regarded and some of the sport's biggest stars have won titles, including Blackie Watt, Ed Lynch Sr., Bob Wearing Sr., Swartzlander and of course, Lou Blaney.

“It really is something to win a championship at Lernerville because you watch some of these guys get inducted into various halls of fame,” Williamson said. “One day you hope to be in that same situation. But for now we are going out and trying to win races.”