WATERLOO – Dale Wilson had an impressive run at Flamboro Speedway to finish fourth on Saturday night.
After turning 20 years old earlier in the week, Wilson got a late birthday present in the form of a top-five and fell just short of a podium finish.
“The car was a little tight in the feature, but we had a lot of power out of the corner and I was really happy,” said Wilson.
The young driver from Waterloo, Ont. started the night with a fourth-place finish in his heat.
Wilson was consistent from the opening green flag in the feature, running in his fourth-place starting spot. Early in the race, Wilson battled for the top spots with the series veteran.
“I had a good car, a very good car,” explained Wilson. “I had a long, drawn out battle with Dennis Thompson (No.02), and he eventually got the better of me, but that’s just experience.”
Around the midway point of the 30-lap feature, Wilson slid back a few stops as the handling started to go away.
“Towards the halfway point, my car started to tighten up and became a little bit undriveable,” said Wilson.
“Some of the cautions definitely helped. I moved back to about seventh but then I was able to grab a few positions off restarts and finished fourth.”
Wilson tried to track down third place runner Justin Billington (No.24), but a tight racecar didn’t help his cause in the final laps. Wilson held off series rookie Mike Westwood (No.91) to earn his fourth-place finish.
Through two races of the 12-event OPC schedule in 2014, Wilson said he has learned where he needs to improve over the course of the summer in his new car.
“I have some learning to do when it comes to saving the car so that I’m there for the last bit of the race,” said Wilson. “I can’t be letting the veterans get away at the beginning of the race, but I can’t be letting them get away at the end either.”
The series takes a three-week break before shifting its focus to Sauble Speedway on June 14. Sauble does have some similarities to Flamboro, but Wilson said a new track will require a few adjustments.
“The biggest change is that we have to move the sway bar,” said Wilson. “I think there is a lot more speed at Sauble. You have to carry more in to the corners.”
Wilson’s 2014 campaign is supported by Warren Leis of AW Millwrights and Greg Toneguzzo of Rite Way Mechanical. The entire Wilson Motorsports team would like to thank the sponsors for their continued support.
Media Contact: Clayton Johns claytonjohns@hotmail.com
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