JACKSONVILLE, NC – Paul Williamson was faced with a must-win scenario on Saturday night, and for the second consecutive season, the Kenansville driver delivered under pressure.
Rusty Daniels won in the first of two races for the Late Model Stock Car division in controversial fashion, forcing the title race to come down to a winner-take-all showdown in the second act. After a full field invert, Williamson quickly raced his way to the lead but had Daniels in hot pursuit for most of the 40-lap race.
Williamson, however, saved his best for last – driving away from Daniels in the closing laps to clinch his second straight track championship.
“I seem to think we work under pressure the best,” Williamson said in victory lane. “The good Lord was looking out for us, and we were able to win it. Everybody worked hard and I appreciate it. My dad, Wendell [Davis], my fiancé Haley [Brown], my grandparents, everybody. There’s just so many people to thank and to be able to bring it home for everybody, this is for everybody else. This isn’t for me. It’s for everybody else.”
The victory in the second race was also a bit of redemption for Williamson.
In the first act of the doubleheader, he had led over Daniels for much of the race. However, in the apex of turns three and four on the race’s final lap, Williamson would spin off Daniels’s front bumper. Daniels would go on to win while Williamson would recover for a third-place finish.
“That was just hard racing,” Daniels said after the first race. “I believe he got on the binders a little bit for a couple laps there in front of me. I didn’t try to dump him.”
The on-track incident led to an off-track bruhaha between the Williamson camp, the Daniels camp, and NASCAR officials. After the kerfuffle, Williamson said he had to shift his focus.
“To say the least, I was pretty ill, but me and my dad went in the trailer and did the math,” Williamson remarked. “We knew what we had to do. I took all that energy and put it in my right foot on the skinny pedal.”
For Daniels, it’s the third straight season he has been in contention for a championship but not been able to clinch.
“It’s frustrating,” Daniels commented. “The best man won tonight though. Congratulations to those guys, they did a good job.”
The championship showdown between Williamson and Daniels overshadowed a career-best performance for Gerald Benton, who scored a runner-up finish in the first race and a third-place result in the second.
Brady Price picked up the win in the Bomber race over TJ Mederios and Eddie Humphery. Curtis Lanier scored the victory in Mini Stock competition after mechanical issues sidelined Brandon Clements while leading early in the race. Aiden McConnaughey once again won in Legends, while Cornell Williams was victorious in Rumbler competition, and Jay Hemmenway padded his points lead in Bandolero with his fourth win of the season.
New River All American Speedway roars back into action on Saturday, September 21, 2024, with championships on the line in Charger and Mini Stock. The racing program also features the Allison Legacy Series, Bombers, Legends, Bandoleros, and Champ Karts.
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).
Results for 9/7/2024 at New River All American Speedway – Jacksonville, NC
Late Model Stock Car – Race 1 | 40 Laps | 00:11:33.000
1.) #16 – Rusty Daniels; 2.) #51 – Gerald Benton; 3.) #29 – Paul Williamson; 4.) #42 – Chris Horton Jr; 5.) #61 – Michael O’Brien
Late Model Stock Car – Race 2 | 40 Laps | 00:11:27.721
1.) #29 – Paul Williamson; 2.) #16 – Rusty Daniels; 3.) #51 – Gerald Benton; 4.) #61 – Michael O’Brien; 5.) #42 – Chris Horton Jr
Bomber | 25 Laps | 00:08:47.585
1.) #32 – Brady Price; 2.) #91 – Timothy Medeiros; 3.) #14E – Eddie Humphrey; 4.) #83 – Robert Drum; 5.) #88 – Dale Drum; 6.) #13 – Dominic Baez; 7.) #5 – Joe Lazarczyk; 8.) #14 – Joey Vereen; 9.) #07 – Jonathan Thompson; 10.) #9 – Deanna Stancill; 11.) #34N – Matthew Newman; 12.) #66 – Ronnie Kropp; 13.) #34 – Michael Withrow; 14.) #0 – William Gresham (DNS)
Legend | 25 Laps | 00:07:52.103
1.) #71 – Aiden McConnaughey; 2.) #99 – Tyler Garretson; 3.) #32 – Brady Price; 4.) #6 – Austin Eckert; 5.) #2B – Luigi Maselli; 6.) #28 – Oliver Missner; 7.) #14 – Mike Ridenour; 8.) #63 – Dustin Mitchell
Bandolero | 15 Laps | 00:05:26.661
1.) #12 – Jay Hemenway; 2.) #45 – Rylan Speight; 3.) #15 – Benleigh Sandy; 4.) #1 – KrisAnna Sandy
Mini Stock | 30 Laps | 00:09:44.238
1.) #2 – Curtis Lanier; 2.) #99 – Travis Miller; 3.) #D6 – Rick Mitchell; 4.) #(DNF) 48 – Duane Walker; 5.) #7 – Brandon Clements
Rumbler | 25 Laps | 00:08:20.354
1.) #03 – Cornell Williams; 2.) #90 – Greg Walston; 3.) #17 – Brian Gooden; 4.) #21 – Dustin Jolly
