Ryan Wilson Shows Strength In Win-Tron Racing Debut At Lucas Oil Raceway

Ryan Wilson Shows Strength In Win-Tron Racing Debut At Lucas Oil Raceway

Topics: Ryan Wilson, Ansell Protective Gloves 200

Ryan Wilson Shows Strength In Win-Tron Racing Debut At Lucas Oil Raceway

Chris Knight
Knight Motorsports Management
Win-Tron Racing
August 1, 2011

CLERMONT, Indiana (August 1, 2011) - - NASCAR Whelen All-American Series (NWAAS) star Ryan Wilson started his second career ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards event Thursday night at Lucas Oil Raceway (LOR) for the veteran Win-Tron Racing team.

And while Wilson and the Lakeville, Minnesota-based team didn’t attract the finish that they wanted, they sent a message to the competition that this pair was not to be taken lightly.

Aboard the No. 32 Champion Oil Toyota Camry, Wilson working with veteran crew chief Mike Chaffee utilized the lone practice session on Thursday afternoon to dial in their Japanese nameplate while also allowing the Randleman, North Carolina native the opportunity to be acquainted with the historic short track.

Mounting the 16th fastest lap in practice, Wilson, Chaffee and the Win-Tron Racing group knew that they had more to deliver. In qualifying, Wilson was the third machine to make an attempt for the 12th race of the season. Hustling his No. 32 Champion Oil Toyota Camry around the .686-mile paved oval in 22.757 seconds or 108.520 miles per hour, the team recorded the second-fastest time overall. They remained on the outside pole for a majority of time trials before sliding to sixth quickest overall.

Exceptionally pleased with their starting position, the veteran team turned their attention towards the race. From the drop of the green, Wilson found himself hunkering down and logging laps while flirting between the sixth and eighth position.

As the laps continued to click away, Wilson’s machine adapted better to the longer runs. Moving in towards the top-five, Wilson would suffer hardship when the right front tire deflated on lap 68 which resulted in a green flag pit stop. The unscheduled trip dropped them two laps in the arrears to the leaders.

Frustrated by the misfortune, Wilson and the team knew they still had a job to do and were hoping to find themselves in contention for the “lucky dog” to reinsert themselves back into the top-10. Sadly, the opportunity never materialized forcing Wilson to just log laps in first ARCA race since last October at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway.

Through attrition and hard racing, Wilson steadily climbed through the running order and found himself gunning for a 14th place finish but when the No. 55 checked-up in front of the 19-year old with two laps remaining, the two machines spun and slammed the wall.

Wilson left the accident scene under his own power but the damage was too massive to repair with the number of laps remaining. Wilson dejectedly climbed from his No. 32 Champion Oil Toyota Camry extremely appreciative for the opportunity but was pondering the “what-ifs.”

“I have to thank Win-Tron Racing for giving me such a stout race car,” said Wilson. “I thought for our first race together, we all worked really well. I can’t say enough about Nate (Thiesse, co-car owner), Mike (Chaffee, crew chief), Mike (Resop, car chief) and their whole bunch for keeping my confidence up throughout the day. I think if we didn’t have the tire issue, we definitely were top-five material. It just stinks, because we had a good car and nothing to really show for it. I want to also thank Champion Brands for allowing me to represent their company at Lucas Oil Raceway.”

Thiesse offered his sentiments on Wilson’s debut at Win-Tron Racing. “Ryan has nothing to hold his head down about. He did a superb job. We were impressed with how well he adapted to the track with no experience and we were proud of him for his qualifying efforts. He did a nice job in the race. He logged laps and learned a lot. He knew if not for the tire, he would have been racing those leaders for a position instead of trying to get back on the lead lap. We’re looking forward to having Ryan back real soon.”

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series is a return to trip to the “Tricky Triangle” at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway for the running of the Pennsylvania 125. The 50-lap shootout is set for Saturday, August 6 with live coverage on the SPEED channel beginning at 3:00 p.m. Wilson will return to the driver’s seat for his inaugural debut at the 2.5-mile racecourse.

Further information including driver opportunities with Win-Tron Racing is available by visiting win-tronracing.com or contacting Nate Thiesse at 612.306.1641

For more on Champion Brands LLC and their extensive line of products, please log on to championbrands.com or championsusechampion.com.

PHOTO CAPTION: Ryan Wilson, driver of the No. 32 Champion Brands Toyota Camry in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards for Win-Tron Racing at Lucas Oil Raceway.

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TEAM COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT:
NAME: Chris Knight, Knight Motorsports Management
PHONE: 239.834.9797
EMAIL: chris@chrisknightpr.com / knight849@aol.com