STAYNER, ON- Third-generation competitor Brandon Watson earned a 12th place finish at Toledo Speedway on April 11th. The hard-fought performance marked Watson’s first ARCA/CRA Super Series start in over six months.
“It took a lap or two to get back in the groove today,” smiled Watson post-race. “This was probably the longest time we’ve had off in quite a while. I knew it would take a few laps to pick up my old habits, but I think I got up to speed pretty quickly”
After missing Friday’s optional practice due to Brandon’s school schedule, the family-run effort worked quickly to dial their Vandoorn Racing Development chassis in on Saturday morning.
“The car felt pretty good in practice,” said Watson. “Obviously a few extra hours on track would have been great, but our team got the car going pretty good despite the limited time we had on Saturday”
After time-trialing 14th quick, Watson worked quickly to establish a rhythm in the 100-lap event, but found himself plagued by a loose-handling racecar.
“Almost immediately, the car developed a loose condition,” explained the soft-spoken 22-year old. “The car was decent coming in, but was loose center and off. It was a handful”
The event was contested without a caution – the first race in ARCA/CRA Super Series history to do so – leaving Watson with no opportunity to adjust his car’s handling.
“We were just hoping for that early yellow that never happened,” admitted the Stayner, ON driver. “We had no choice but to just ride it out. All things considered, I’m proud of our team’s performance today”
“There was some top level talent here. It felt great to be back on track and was an awesome opportunity to knock some of the rust off. We have a few weeks before racing kicks off in Ontario – but, when it does, we’ll definitely be ready.”
Brandon’s next scheduled appearance will be at Sunset Speedway on May 23rd for the opening round of the APC United Late Model Series presented by Grisdale Racing Products.
The team’s 2015 season is made possible thanks to the support of Shear Metal Products, Royal Distributing, VanDoorn Racing Development and Knightworks Design.
Fans can stay up to date with Brandon all season long by following on Twitter @BrandonWatson15 or by visiting the official Brandon Watson Racing page on Facebook.
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
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