Post by jkelly57 on Apr 28, 2008 9:10:25 GMT -6
Skip Wilson Pulls Off O'Reilly ASCoT Surprise at Paris!
Lonnie Wheatley, PARIS, Texas (April 25, 2008) – Skip Wilson pulled off what ranks as perhaps one of the biggest upset wins in recent years of O'Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour National competition by topping Friday night's 25-lap main event at Paris Motor Speedway.
Wilson survived some tense moments in lapped traffic to take his first career series win aboard J.B. Cook's Speed Specialties/Bubba's Plumbing No. 65 Avenger just ahead of past ASCS National champions Wayne Johnson and Tim Crawley.
And the win occurred in an event that nearly never happened, as torrential rains drenched much of North Texas in the late afternoon. While the storms narrowly missed Paris Motor Speedway, several teams turned back towards home certain of a rainout.
"We almost didn't come," Wilson explained of the last minute decision. "I'm glad we did though."
A second place heat race finish put Wilson seventh in passing points and into the redraw. And by the time his turn to draw came around, two pills remained: the one and the two. Wilson drew the pole position, with Wayne Johnson slotted into the front row outside.
Twenty-five lightning fast laps later, the Mesquite, TX, veteran racer was standing in victory lane, commenting that, "I'm just kind of amazed right now."
While Wilson led all 25 laps, he had to work for it as several of the nation's top Sprint Car shoes nipped at his heels all the while.
The initial attempt to start the feature was waved off when top heat race passing points earner Don Young bicycled off the top of turn one from his eighth starting slot. Young exited to the pit area before the green flag flew again.
And when the green flag reappeared, it was non-stop for 25 laps.
"My arms were getting awful heavy there at the end, I was getting tired," Wilson explains.
Jumping into the lead at the outset in front of Johnson and fourth-starter Crawley, Wilson set a quick pace and reached traffic just prior to the midway point. And when he got to Justin Sturch in the latter stages, Johnson and Crawley sensed opportunity and moved in for the kill.
"I got hung up there a little, he was just racing his race," Wilson stated. "I thought I saw someone's nose under me in that one corner, then I got around him and I really felt like I got a little faster those last few laps."
And that was the case, as Johnson poked his nose underneath Wilson in the final handful of laps. But when Wilson got around the lapped car, he broke away to a six car-length advantage that he held to the checkered flag as he raced in open track over the final circuits.
After swapping a hurt Fisher powerplant for a healthy Wesmar after heat race action, Johnson took runner-up honors in Mike and Tim Hammers' H&H Enterprises/Pearson Farms No. 94 Maxim, with Crawley right on his tailtank in third aboard Mike Ward's McCarver-powered Boater Sports No. 88 Maxim.
Jason Johnson battled past Gary Wright for fourth on the 19th lap and kept Lanny Row's Wesmar-powered The Shop Motorsports No. 41 Eagle there the rest of the way, with Wright maintaining his current series points lead by rounding out the top five in the Wright-Cooper Motorsports Wesmar-powered Richwood Construction No. 9 Maxim.
Travis Rilat crossed the stripe sixth, wit Nick Smith, Garry Lee Maier, Zach Chappell and Kenneth Walker completing the top ten.
Young, Jason Johnson and Maier topped heat race action.
John Ricketts flipped in the second heat, but was able to return for the feature event.
O’Reilly ASCoT Paris Motor Speedway Results:
Heat Races:
Brodix Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 75-Don Young, 2. 29-Travis Rilat, 3. 9-Gary Wright, 4. 50z-Zach Chappell, 5. b4-Eric Baldaccini, 6. 71-Chris Tarrant.
Wesmar-Shaver Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 41-Jason Johnson, 2. 65-Skip Wilson, 3. 94-Wayne Johnson, 4. 15s-Nick Smith, 5. 9x-Justin Sturch, 6. 76-John Ricketts.
Brodix Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 11x-Garry Lee Maier, 2. 88-Tim Crawley, 3. 5*-Gary Taylor, 4. 2-Kenneth Walker, 5. 13-Kathryne Minter, 6. 91-Don Droud, Jr.
O’Reilly ASCoT "A" Main Event:
“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 65-Skip Wilson, 2. 94-Wayne Johnson, 3. 88-Tim Crawley, 4. 41-Jason Johnson, 5. 9-Gary Wright, 6. 29-Travis Rilat, 7. 15s-Nick Smith, 8. 11x-Garry Lee Maier, 9. 50z-Zach Chappell, 10. 2-Kenneth Walker, 11. 5*-Gary Taylor, 12. b4-Eric Baldaccini, 13. 9x-Justin Sturch, 14. 13-Kathryne Minter, 15. 76-John Ricketts, 16. 75-Don Young, 17. 71-Chris Tarrant. DNS: 91-Don Droud, Jr.
Lap Leaders: Skip Wilson 1-25.
O’Reilly ASCoT Points (Top Fifteen): 1. Gary Wright 993, 2. Wayne Johnson 959, 3. Jason Johnson 937, 4. Garry Lee Maier 855, 5. Zach Chappell 849, 6. Travis Rilat 816, 7. Eric Baldaccini 785, 8. Jason Sides 756, 9. Don Droud, Jr. 699, 10. Nick Smith and Kenneth Walker 672, 12. Jack Dover 613, 13. Kathryne Minter 598, 14. Brian Brown 593, 15. Gary Taylor 555.