CONCORD, NC – When Mat Williamson joined Buzz Chew Racing in 2019, he didn’t realize how high the ceiling would be in his Big Block Modified career.
Fast-forward six years and the St. Catharines, ON driver is a three-time Super DIRTcar Series champion, a feat he accomplished last weekend with a walk-off victory at The Dirt Track at Charlotte during the World of Outlaws World Finals.
However, this year’s championship looked different than his previous ones in 2019 and 2024. While Williamson didn’t reach Victory Lane as much as he has in the past, it was his consistency behind the wheel of the No. 88 that set him apart from his competitors.
“Our bad nights were seconds, thirds, fourths, and fifths,” said Williamson. “There were no DNFs. We finished every lap. It says a lot about all of those guys that work on that thing. They give me something when you roll into the race track, you can beat the shit out of that thing and finish the race.
“I dreamed of this moment when I was a kid,” he continued. “I wanted to win one. In 2019, the year I started driving for Buzz, we won one of these things, and I thought it’d be a one-off. I didn’t think I’d get two, and the second one was tougher than the first one. The third one just feels special.”
Another difference with his third title was how he finished the season. It was the first time that “Money Mat” ended one of his championship campaigns with a victory, a feeling he said validates his accomplishment even more.
“Being in Charlotte, that’s the most euphoria you can have,” said Williamson. “Going into [Saturday] and clinching [Friday] was like two different emotions. When I clinched it, I finished second. I was emotionless. This isn’t how you want to win the championship; you want to win the race.”
This year’s Big Block championship is also a historic one. Along with the Super DIRTcar Series title, he also won his second DIRTcar 358 Modified Series title in 2025, meaning he’s the first driver since Danny Johnson in 1999 to win both titles in the same season. He said his consistency on both tours made it easy for him to go out and win races at the end of the season.
“It was something I felt we gave up last year,” said Williamson. “We had a really good 358 program last year, and this year we turned our focus to trying to get both. The 358 deal is only nine races, but it’s the easier one of the two. I figured if we won that, this was going to be the hard one. And fortunately, it ended up being the opposite.
“We were really good in both, and the points just fell with the consistency, and we capped it off with an easy end of the year.”
Two of the biggest reasons for an easy end of the year were his results at Super DIRT Week 53 at Oswego Speedway. For the second time, Williamson swept both the Salute to the Troops 150 and the Billy Whittaker Cars 200. His success during the event has turned “Racing’s Biggest Party” into one of his favourite stops of the season.
“Super DIRT Week is turning into an event that’s very special to me, being from the Northeast,” said Williamson. “And unless you’re from the Northeast, you don’t realize how special it can be to people. World Racing Group has done a great job improving it every year. It’s up there with my favourite week of the year with Christmas and New Year’s and everything.
“I always look forward to going there, and I try to bring back that nostalgia to it from the mile. I go down to DIRT Week with something new, design the body a little differently, and work on the body all winter. It probably doesn’t matter at the end of the day, but I like to make it special.”
With a third title under his belt and a fourth Billy Whittaker Cars 200 win, Williamson shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, his team is already trying to improve for 2026, a mindset that comes from car-owner “Buzz” Chew.
“I’m really fortunate to get to drive for Buzz,” said Williamson. “He gives me great equipment. He’s never settling for how we’re running. He always wants us to improve. We went to the wind tunnel over the winter. We always want to test, and that comes from him. There’s not that many people that want to work as hard as he does and want to keep improving.”
That mindset for Buzz Chew Racing has Williamson eager to start the 2026 season at Volusia Speedway Park during Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals (Feb. 11-14).
“If we look back at how the year played out, I think we’ve learned more than ever before,” said Williamson. “Our notebook is bigger and I’m really excited to go to Volusia. If we unload a car at Volusia like we did tonight, DIRTcar Nationals is going to be really good for us.”
Williamson will aim for his third Big Gator championship when the Super DIRTcar Series kicks off the 2026 season during Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, FL on Feb. 11-14.
