ST. THOMAS, ON- Following a pair of rough outings in Pro Late Model competition at Delaware Speedway, ‘The St. Thomas Express’ Mark Watson is hoping for a shift in momentum at Flamboro Speedway on July 26th.
The former Delaware Speedway champion will invade Flamboro alongside his Delaware counterparts, in round 4 of the hotly contested APC Six Pack Series.
“Right now, the goal is just to finish a race. We’re starting to forget what that feels like”, says Watson as he forces a smile.
“We’ve had an absolute rocketship the last 2 weeks at Delaware, but luck wasn’t on our side, and we ended up pretty banged up”
The back-to-back DNFs left Watson with a laundry list of damaged parts, and a number of late nights working in the McColl Racing Enterprises shop to have his lone chassis ready for what promises to be a hectic few weeks.
“This After Hours Racing team has been a pleasure to drive for. I can’t thank Ron Ouelette enough for the opportunity, and for sticking by us these last three weeks”, says Watson
“Ron’s shop is in Windsor, so in order to save me a pretty serious drive back and forth to work on the car, Mike McColl stepped up and let us use his facility to put our ride back together. It’s been a huge help”
As Watson details the amount of damage inflicted on the team’s No. 3, he makes sure to note a quick return would not have been possible without the timely support of his sponsors.
“It felt like we had a list a mile long of things that needed to be replaced”, explains the former Great Canadian Race winner, “Big Box Mobile stepped up and helped us get the repairs done. Without them, I’m afraid this car would still just be a pile of bent parts. They’ve been incredible”
“As we were getting the new parts bolted on, I mentioned to Ron O’Brien that we were having some issues being underpowered with our 603 crate engine”, continues Watson. “So, before I know it, Ron had gone out and picked us up a 604 crate so that we didn’t have to worry about it anymore”
With the repairs completed, Watson is ready to return to Flamboro Speedway in search of his first win in APC Six Pack Series competition.
“I think this series is the best thing to happen to the Pro Late Model division in quite some time. It’s produced some phenomenal racing so far. Our whole team is excited to get back to bullring racing at Flamboro. It’s a fun track, and we’ve done really well there in the past”
“Then, we head to Sauble for the Beat the Heat 150 on August 3rd, so our schedule is starting to pick up in a big way”
As the St. Thomas, ON driver reflects on the amount of work completed to be ready for July 26th’s event, it’s clear he’s taken nothing for granted.
“We’d be sitting at home pouting if it wasn’t for our sponsors, no question about that. It’s going to be tough to keep me away from the front this weekend, I’ll tell you that. It’s the only way I can thank Big Box [Mobile] and Ron O’Brien for their help. We’re going to go to Flamboro and get them a win”
For details on Round 4 of the APC Six Pack Series, visit www.FlamboroSpeedway.ca.
Mark Watson’s efforts are made possible thanks to Ron O’Brien Re/MAX, Big Box Mobile, McColl Racing Enterprises, Craig Stevenson Law Firm, Tilbury Auto Sales and Knott Auto Body.
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
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