JACKSONVILLE, NC – Defending New River All American Speedway track champion Paul Williamson and 2009 champion Rusty Daniels will face off in a high-stakes championship showdown at New River All American Speedway on Saturday night.
The two drivers enter Saturday’s Humphrey Heating & Air Conditioning 200 separated by four points in the official track championship standings, setting up a potential winner-take-all showdown. Williamson holds the slim advantage, with 95 points, over Daniels’ 91 points.
For Williams, it is familiar territory.
The 27-year-old from Kenansville, North Carolina, won the 2023 track championship, which was contested under a playoff format, in similar fashion – by winning the final race of the season after both Daniels and T.J. Barron had mechanical problems.
“When we did the math and realized it was going to be a similar night to last season’s championship, we knew we were ready to fight,” Williamson said. “We tend to work well under pressure. My dad and Mr. Wendell [Davis] really came through for me over the duration of last season’s race. I know we’re a good team and we can do it again. Going into this Saturday, I’ve just got to be patient, listen, adapt, overcome, and hit my marks.”
While Williamson was enjoying the thrill of victory and the spoils that come with a championship, Daniels, 51, from Grantsboro, North Carolina, was left heartbroken for a second straight season. Once things calmed down after a frantic series of events led to multiple wrecks and red flags, Daniels has pulled away to a big lead late, but his motor would let go in the closing laps, forcing him to watch Williamson win the title from the pits.
“It was horrible,” Daniels commented. “Didn’t have any motor trouble all year, and then we break a valve. There was nothing we could do, it just happened. You can’t help that kind of stuff. We could go into why, all the red flags is probably what broke it. If people hadn’t been wrecking one another, we never would have had the red flags.”
Williamson’s victory in last year’s championship finale was his only win of the year. Since then, he and the Wendell Davis team have only improved, notching his first career multi-win season in 2024 and being in contention for the victory every race.
“Winning the championship for a second straight season would mean a lot,” Williamson remarked. “We’ve worked hard to put ourselves in the position to fight for the title on Saturday night and I hope we can pull it off. We’ve had a tough year off the track for different reasons, so for us, to have the success we’ve had on the track this season has really kept our morale up.”
Daniels, who is one of the throwback, independent racers, is giving it his maximum effort.
“I’m going to do my part in the shop,” Daniels stated. “Make sure everything is like it’s supposed to be, and we’ll let the cards play where they play. If I do my job here and on the track, that’s all that anybody can ask for. We’ll see who prepares the better car and go from there.”
Saturday’s Humphrey Heating & Air 200 will be a double feature night for Late Models. Under New River All American Speedway’s championship format, a feature race win is worth three bonus points while the fastest qualifier collects a bonus point. If Daniels were to win the pole and the first of two races, it would set up a scenario where the highest-finishing driver in the second race would likely clinch the playoffs. Adding to the challenge is the NASCAR-mandated invert for double features which will put the winner of the first race to the back of the field to start the second.
The Humphrey Heating & Air Conditioning 200 marks the beginning of Championship Season at New River, with champions being crowned throughout the next three races. Championships will be decided on Saturday, September 21, in the Moore’s Barbeque Charger and in the Mini Stock division. The remainder of the track championships, including Bombers and Legends, will be decided on Saturday, October 5 in the Gary Rochelle Memorial.
New River All-American Speedway is Jacksonville’s Action Attraction featuring racing and other events. For more information about New River All-American Speedway, check out the speedway’s website, like/follow “New River Speedway” on Facebook and/or follow @newriverswy on X (formerly known as Twitter).
