RPW Column: Could Mat Williamson Be Heading To Orange County Weekly In 2020?

RPW Column By: BOBBY CHALMERS / RPW – BARBERSVILLE, FL – Super DIRTcar Series champion from 2019, Mat Williamson, has his sights set on a second consecutive tour crown with his Buzz Chew #88 team.

While he’ll be chasing checkered flags and that title all over the Northeast, the St. Catherines, ONT driver still hasn’t decided where he’ll call home on Saturday’s this season.

“We’re going to be at Ransomville Speedway on Friday nights but our Saturday program is yet to be determined,” Williamson said. “We’re either going to run Orange County or Merrittville.”

Last season, Williamson ran his Saturday nights at Merrittville. He was able to capture seven wins, 12 top fives and finished fourth in track points, all while missing two races due to series commitments.

The impressive part of those statistics is that he never finished outside the top five in any of his starts at the Thorold, ONT facility. With those type of numbers, why would he not run there again in 2020?

“It’s all going to be dependent on if Merrittville is DIRTcar sanctioned,” he said. “With that, we also have to see what Orange County has to their schedule. It’s just a wait and see.”

No matter what, Williamson will be racing a lot in 2020, with his own cars as well as the Wendt #6, the Buzz Chew #88 and the Behrents #3.

“We just have to put everything together and see the schedules look like,” he said. “If it’s feasible to do Orange County, we may head down there because what Chris Larson has done with the place is pretty amazing and I’d like to be a part of it.”

As far as his 2020 season so far, Williamson has done pretty good for himself. He was able to capture the victory on Tuesday night and drove from eighth to third on Wednesday. He now holds a five point lead over Stewart Friesen for the Big Gator with three events remaining.