@Sunset_Speedway • INNISFIL, ON — Despite suffering a crash during practice, Rick Walt would bounce back in top-shelf fashion, posting a pair of top-fives in the Late Model features on Saturday night at Sunset Speedway.
“It started off rough and finished pretty good,” Walt commented post-race. “We wrecked it in practice, but the guys went to work and got it fixed up and we finished third in the first one, fifth in the second one. That’s two wins in my mind.”
The night started off messy as Walt would make contact with the wall during practice, resulting in heavy front end damage to the No. 31 Cindy Snow ReMax, Rust Check Canada, Eisses Pumping Services, Oro Collision, Simone Autosport, HOTC, Walt Fab, Seaton Structures, Pizzaville, Redline Graphics and Apparel, Innovative Plumbing Solutions, Red Castle Performance, and Trackside Innovations Late Model. The Walt Motorsports team would quickly go to work on repairs, having the car ready to go for time trials that afternoon.
Even with the damage, the speed was there as Walt would qualify fifth for the first feature with a solid lap of 14.935 seconds. When the race got started, Walt began his climb to the front, moving up to the fourth spot before the halfway mark in the event. A caution would fly at lap 14, and on the restart, Walt tried to move his way by Brandon Watson to move into third, but was unable to make the pass stick – for the time being.
In the final five laps of the event, Walt tried the move on Watson once again, this time making it stick as he was able to finish the first 35-lap feature in the third spot.
Virtue of the top-14 invert, Walt would start the second feature from the 12th position. Walt would quickly begin to move his way to the front in the traffic, battling for eighth with Jordan Latimer at lap 20. Walt would make the pass stick, grabbing the eighth spot before the caution flew at lap 26.
He would then pick up another two spots to move into sixth before the caution flew once again with six laps to go. He would fall back to seventh with two laps to go, but was able to use the late race restart to his advantage and grab the fifth spot coming to the flag for his second top-five on the night.
With a pair of top-fives on Saturday night, Walt now has three top-fives and four top-10s in the first six features of the season. Moving forward and looking to continue the success, Walt says the key will be keeping up with the track.
“The track is always changing and we just need to keep up with it,” he commented. “I thought we did a good job of that tonight and the car was really fast in the second one; it was just hectic starting 11th. To get fifth from 11th with the caliber of drivers and cars here is pretty good.”
The next points night for the Sauble Falls Tent and Trailer Park Late Models is July 4. It’s also a fan appreciation night so be sure to come out early and meet the drivers. Details can be found via http://www.sunsetspeedway.ca.
Press Release by Ashley McCubbin
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