Weekly Notebook presented by FK Rod Ends
Notes: Unexpected title run for Mississippi racer
By Todd Turner
DirtonDirt.com managing editor
David Williamson (That Whynot Kid Photography)
Heading into the racing season, chasing a points title wasn't a serious consideration for David Williamson, a third-year Crate Late Model racer from Seminary, Miss.
After all, besides transitioning to a new Longhorn Chassis after after a few seasons in an older car, Williamson and his wife Karleigh had plenty to keep them busy. He's getting his fledgling DRW Contracting business off the ground and she's in the home stretch of dental school at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
The 31-year-old Williamson wasn't even intent on racing as much as possible at his home-state tracks including Hattiesburg Speedway, Byram's Jackson Motor Speedway and Meridian's Whynot Motorsports Park.
"Funny thing, kind of at the first of the season, we didn't really race a whole lot," he said. "I was busy putting this new car together and I think we raced it two or three times. And then me and my wife actually took a three-week trip to Europe in May, toward the end of May into June. Obviously, I wasn't even thinking about points" after touring Switzerland, Italy and Germany, among other locales.
"So then we get back and it is just like a light switch flipped. I think we went to Hattiesburg and won four weeks in a row and won a race at Jackson there. I think we won five races in six weeks. And then it's like, 'OK, here we are leading the points now.' "
So despite juggling their busy lives and skipping nearly a month of spring action, Williamson is atop the Crate Racin' USA weekly points for 604 Late Models with fellow Mississippians Chase Holland, Shannon Lee and Chris McElhenney's among the division's winningest drivers. That puts him atop DirtonDirt.com's Weekly Notebook presented by FK Rod Ends.
"We're all good friends, so that helps everything out," said Williamson, the driver of the No. 28 car who owns a division-high eight victories through his first 26 starts. "We all race each other clean each week and at the end of it, if I win, good, if they win, I walk over and shake their hand and tell them good job ... if I don't win, then we'll try it again next year, hopefully."
Williamson pauses for a moment, then adds: "But we wanna win."
A championship trophy and the cash that goes with it would be a nice reward for a driver who graciously thanks supportive family members and his volunteer crew, some of whom occasionally pitch in to buy a tire or fuel to assist the self-funded team.
"I think if we could win three more races over the next six or seven weeks — I think there's six weeks of points left now," Williamson said. "I think if we can win about three of those races, I think we could wrap the points up. So I feel confident as long as we can just keep what we've had going, keep it going. I feel confident we can keep it going."
Williamson loves racing, but he didn't compete too much until completing his bachelor's degree in petroleum geology from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2016. He jumped into the street stock division after graduation, winning about 30 races over five seasons, including an 11-victory campaign in 2018 and a qualifying race for the prestigious Southern Street Stock Nationals at Whynot in 2020.
Eager for a new challenge, he moved into Crate Late Models in 2022, getting a 2017 Longhorn from the long-running Henderson Motorsports team and a powerplant from his father-in-law and brother-in-law, who'd stepped away from racing. He made a handful of starts that season and stepped up in 2023, winning a couple of Crate Late Model features.
"I kinda had all the pieces to the puzzle. So we put a car together and started racing Crates. It was a decent year for my first full year. It was a big learning curve," Williamson said. “This year has been a whole lot better.” He credits "a good car, good seat time and a good shock man" for finding his groove.
"Longhorn's been a huge help, Steve Arpin and Matt Langston and all the guys there have been a huge help with the new car," he said. "I think that along with actually racing a lot, because I think I've race 25 or 26 races this year so far. So that's more than I raced in the last two years combined. So I think that has a lot to do with. I think you have to stay in the driver seat and steady evolve. I think that's a big part, too.
"Along with that, I've got a great shock guy, Daniel Martin out of Georgia with Martin Motorsports. He's been a huge help. I swapped to him at the end of last year and I've got credit a lot to him because any questions I have, I can get help, or he's always bouncing ideas around."
While that three-pronged combo has produced results, the Williamsons still have their hands full of professional life. David, who worked for more than than 13 years of highway construction at RJM McQueen, recently launched his own company, DRW Contracting. Karleigh is a full-time dental student on track to become a full-fledged dentist in 18 months or so.
(If you're wondering if David is handy with the toothbrush, the answer is yes. "She's actually mad at me because I was one of her first patients and I didn't have any cavities," he said with a laugh. "So she didn't really get to do a whole lot to me.")
In launching his own highway construction firm, "I just decided last year that I was ready to try to start my own business and go out on my own. And so far it's been good and it's looking to get better. I'm working on getting my contractor license right now for the state of Mississippi, so that should open up a few more doors," Williamson said, adding that he saved up extra money by operating a trucking business with a friend the last several years, too. "You just gotta start somewhere and kind of build your business and get it to how big you wanna be I think I still have the first dollar I ever made. I've always prepared for the future, I've always invested, big on retirement, big on 401(k)'s and stocks and all. So I'd kinda saved up over the years."
So far, so good. "The lights are on and we got food and we go race every week. So we're blessed," he said.
Karleigh is as comfortable in the race shop as she is a dentist’s office, her husband said.
"She's pretty much my crew chief," he said." She has a lot of schoolwork she has to do, obviously, and seeing patients and stuff, but pretty much any night I need help in the shop, she grooves tires, mounts, tires, changes gears, bleeds brakes, whatever I need help with. She makes the time for it and she's there every weekend as well that she can be."
It helps that she loves racing as much as he does.
"Her brother raced before we met and that's how we actually met at Whynot Motorsports Park," he said. "So it's been kind of the perfect deal from the beginning. And obviously, it was gonna have to be. I love racing. So you just have to about meet somebody that has that same love for it because somebody outside of racing just don't (get it). It's more than just a hobby — it's a way of life."
With so many irons in the fire, "she manages time very well with school and then luckily the good part about being self-employed, if I need to take Friday off to finish up the car to go race Friday night, I have the freedom to do that now," Williamson said.
What helped immensely is that his racing has gone smoothly all season long.
"Our year is going extremely well in racing, so that makes it fun to go race," Williamson said. "Like I said, we're winning every other weekend or so right now, if not every weekend, so that makes it fun to go race. And we've been running up front so we haven't been tearing cars up. So really, each week it's just down to general maintenance and maybe doing tire work, grooving and stuff like that. So, the racing part, other than just being (at the track) every weekend, hasn't been too bad."
Williamson knows the points-racing grind can be tough — his friend Chase Cooper of Perkinston, Miss., suffered a little burnout after winning last year's CRUSA weekly title — so he'll be ready for a break this fall.
"We're definitely gonna take a few weeks off after that," Williamson said, "and get ready for some big races at the end of the year."
Weekly highlights
• Hometown driver Josh Pierce earned a $2,500 Limited Late Model payday Aug. 16 at Dixieland Speedway in Elizabeth City, N.C., for his second career victory in the division.
• With his Aug. 17 victory at Tyler County Speedway in Middlebourne, W.Va., Tyler Carpenter of Parkersburg, W.Va., stayed a perfect 6-for-6 on the season and picked up a guaranteed starting spot in the Hillbilly 100. Carpenter has 21 victories overall.
• Matt Becker of Rich Fountain, Mo., had a two-victory week in Late Model action, capturing Aug. 13’s event at Moberly (Mo.) Motorsports Park and Aug. 17’s victory at Central Missouri Speedway in Warrensburg, Mo.
• Reigning IMCA champ Cory Dumpert of York, Neb., tallied Aug. 16-17 victories in his home state, winning first at Albion’s Boone County Raceway and again at Norfolk’s Off Road Speedway.
• Winning the Key City Challenge, Evan Miller of Silvis, Ill., collected a $3,500 payday Aug. 18 at Dubuque (Iowa) Speedway in IMCA Late Model competition.
• Rusty Smith of Toledo, Ohio, on Aug. 17 notched his third victory in four weeks in Super Late Model competition at Oakshade Raceway in Wauseon, Ohio.
First things first
Recent first-time occurrences at the dirt track:
• Winning Aug. 16 at Crawford County Speedway in Denison, Iowa, 22-year-old Drew Baker of Omaha, Neb., notched his first Late Model victory during his third season in the division.
• Williamsport, Md.’s Austin Warrenfeltz won from the pole Aug. 17 at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway for his first career Limited Late Model victory.
• Seth McCormack of Muscle Shoals, Ala., won Aug. 17 in the Super Late Model division at Clarksville (Tenn.) Speedway, winning at the quarter-mile oval for the first time in his second trip to the track.
• Matt Becker’s Aug. 17 Late Model victory at Central Missouri Speedway was the Rich Fountain, Mo., driver's first at the Warrensburg oval.
• Winning Aug. 17’s 602 Crate Late Model feature at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., Tanner Thomas of Oviedo, Fla., grabbed his first victory in the division.
Weekly news briefs
• Selinsgrove (Pa.) Speedway announced details for its 40-lap Paul Long Memorial with the Sept. 1 event paying $6,300-to-win for the Super Late Model division. Bonuses include $630 for hard charger, $500 for fast time and $500 added to a random finisher’s pay. The winner of the previous night’s Butch Renninger Memorial at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway gets a guaranteed starting spot at Selinsgrove. Super Late Model drivers receive free admission. Sprint cars and road runners are on the undercard.
• Negotiations are underway between Potomac Speedway owner Ezra Beasley and a potential new leaseholder to continue competition on the Budds Creek, Md., oval for at least 10 years, reversing an announcement by track ownership two years earlier that said stock car racing would cease after the 2025 season. With Denise and Ronnie Hollidge announcing Tuesday they're ending a 16-year promotional run at the 3/8-mile oval, Beasley said he's been discussing a potential new per-race lease agreement with a "current driver and team owner" who also owns several businesses who is interested in taking over promotions in 2025. Beasley said the "biggest hiccup" in negotiations for a new leaseholder to promote stock car racing is the need for improved bleachers and catchfencing to satisfy insurance requirements. Beasley, who is concerned with "the liability of stock car racing on my property," estimated required repairs of between $200,000 and $300,000.
• Three-time Florence Speedway champion Robby Hensley of Walton, Ky., announced a planned sellout of his entire racing operation with the team stepping away from racing to focus on family and business. The 37-year-old Hensley is a 13-race winner at the Union, Ky., oval and won 2012, ’15 and ’18 track titles. He also has Super Late Model victories at Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway and MRP Raceway Park in Williamsburg, Ohio, where he was the 2018 champion
• Corinth (Miss.) Motor Speedway has added Tracy Terrill as technical director beginning with the Aug. 24 race program.
• Beaver Dam (Wis.) Raceway this week announced the track will run a special-event only schedule beginning in 2024. The 31-year-old facility that has run a Tuesday-night race program has infrequently run Late Model events in recent seasons with a single 2024 date for the Wabam Dirt Kings Tour. The track hosted the DIRTcar Summer Nationals in 2021 and the World of Outlaws Case Late Model Series in 2020 (a race co-sanctioned by the Dirt Kings circuit).
• Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, Ala., is mourning the passing of longtime tow-truck driver Jimmy Rollinson of Carrollton, Ga., who died Aug. 18 at the age of 66 after a lengthy cancer battle. The retired millwright “was always willing to lend a helping hand, and a smiling face ready to tackle whatever we threw at him,” Adam Stewart wrote on the track’s Facebook page. Survivors include several children, 10 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
• Mudlick Valley Raceway in Wallingford, Ky., has added a $3,500-to-win Super Late Model event on Sept. 1 with the track running on Sunday instead of Saturday for the Labor Day weekend.
Weekly points
DIRTcar (Supers): Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., has 2,379 points to lead Rusty Schlenk (2,117) and Tyler Erb (2,037).
IMCA (Limiteds): Cory Dumpert of York, Neb., has 786 points to lead Travis Denning (779) and Evan Miller (768).
POWRi (Limiteds): Tucker Cox of Jefferson City, Mo., has 5,920 points to lead Alan Westling (5,510) and Kyle Graves (5,280).
USRA (Limiteds): Cade Nelson of Hermantown, Minn., has 4,201 points to lead Matt Larson (4,169) and Jason McFadden (3,440).
WISSOTA (Limiteds): Tyler Peterson of Hickson, N.D., has 2,233 points to lead Shane Sabraski (2,158) and Dustin Strand (2,120).
American All-Stars (Crates): Brandon Fouts of Kite, Ky., has 600 points to lead A.J. Hicks (572) and Gunner Johnson (548).
Crate Racin’ USA (602 Crates): New leader Bryson Mitchell of Russellville, Ala., has 689 points to lead Colby Ponds (684) and Josh Parkerson (680).
Crate Racin’ USA (604 Crates): David Williamson of Seminary, Miss., has 689 points to lead Chase Holland (674) and Shannon Lee (672).
DIRTcar (Crates): Dakota Ewing of Warrensburg, Ill., has 1,475 points to lead Chase Osterhoff (1,405) and Tommy Elston (1,363).
Fastrak (Crates): Brent Trimble of Morgantown, W.Va., has 634 points to lead Braeden Dillinger (631) and George Casto III (617).
RUSH (Crates): Jeremy Wonderling of Wellsville, N.Y., has 1,339 points to lead Jason Genco (1,315) and Breyton Santee (1,306).
Upcoming weekly specials
Among non-touring and independent special events coming up for Late Models at dirt tracks around the country:
Gondik Law Speedway, Superior, Wis. (Aug. 23): The finale of the track's KME-sponsored miniseries pays $1,500-to-win, helping to settle a points fund that pays $7,500 to the champ, $5,000 to the runner-up and through 15 positions.
Penton (Ala.) Raceway (Aug. 23): The 602 Crate Late Model division chases a $1,250-to-win purse on a seven-division program.
Ohio Valley Speedway, Washington, W.Va. (Aug. 24): The fifth annual Keith Barker Memorial pays $5,000-to-win for the Super Late Model division in a race moved to Saturday instead of the track's customary Friday race night.
Silver Bullet Speedway, Owendale, Mich. (Aug. 24): DIRTcar-sanctioned Super Late Models make a rare appearance with a $3,000-to-win event sponsored by R&W Transmission. Five other divisions are in action including the $2,000-to-win Leo Yakes Memorial for street stocks.
Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway (Aug. 24): The Carey Ruwe Memorial pays $3,600-to-win for Crate Late Models, which will run topless. Dash for Cash pays $500. Four divisions are on the undercard.
Lancaster (S.C.) Motor Speedway: The seventh annual Phillip Knight Memorial pays $1,500-to-win, a race honoring one of the track's devoted fans. Eight divisions are in action including a powder puff event.
Needmore Speedway, Norman Park, Ga. (Aug. 24): The sixth annual Morgan Sheffield Memorial pays $3,016-to-win for the 602 Crate Late Model division with a $1,516 winner's share for 604 Crates. Practice is set for the previous night.
Correction: Fixes spelling of surname of Phillip Knight.
