QUEENSVILLE, ON- A racer forever married to his ‘wins over points’ philosophy, Sunset Speedway veteran Jason Witty just may be ready for a change of heart. With only 4 weeks left before his advertised retirement from fulltime Late Model competition, ‘Bam Bam’ is intent on kick starting a late-season push for his first career division championship.
“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a weird feeling,” admits Witty when asked about the prospect of no longer being a fulltime Sunset Speedway competitor. “I’ve spent most of my childhood and my entire adult life here. Next summer is definitely going to feel different. But, it just feels like now is a good time to walk away. We’ve had some awesome seasons here – but it’s just time”
A perennial bridesmaid, Witty has had a number of ‘close calls’ in championship competition, finishing 2nd in points on more than one occasion. But, regardless of the team’s impressive statistics in the feature win column, a division title has eluded the family-run effort year after year.
“We always joke in the shop that we’ve finished second to some of the best drivers that Ontario has ever seen,” laughs the Queensville, ON driver.
“Man, we’ve had some wars with these guys. And just when we would find a way to beat one – another would come along. I finished second to Chris Morrow, until I beat him and finished second to Stompin’ Tom. Then, I found a way to beat Stompin’ Tom and finished second to Dwayne Baker”
“When Dad and I started this deal with our Thunder Car back in the day, we told each other that we only ever wanted to race against the best,” continues Witty. “Throughout everything that’s happened over the years, I feel like we’ve stayed true to that”
Witty will enter August 15th’s event 16-points behind current leader Taylor Holdaway, and will have his sights set on minimizing that gap.
“I’m not a points racer. It’s really not my deal,” shrugs Witty. “But, just once, I wouldn’t mind seeing what the banquet looks like from that head table. Above all else – the boys deserve it. Because lord knows they’ve given a lot of their time and energy to making this program as good as it is”
“We race to win. And that’s what we’ll be doing on Saturday night,” continues the personable veteran. “Those are the nights that we’ll remember. I’d love more than anything to win a championship – but, if we don’t, we still had a lot of fun, made a lot of friends and drank a lot of beer.”
Visit www.SunsetSpeedway.ca for details on August 15th’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series event.
Jason Witty’s Sunset Speedway season is made possible thanks to the continued support of R&W Equipment, Queensville Sod, Carrot Express, Matco Tools, Speedy Auto Machine and LaRues Haulage.
Fans can keep up with ‘Bam Bam’ and the rest of the team by visiting the brand new Jason Witty Racing page on Facebook.
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
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