Donnie Wilson Becomes a Southern Super Series Contender Every Week
Wilson Enters Gulf Coast Doubleheader Weekend on a 2014 Hot Streak
Donnie Wilson has never had an issue going fast. The Oklahoma City, Oklahoma driver won Super Late Model races and championships in the early 2000's, then hit a bit of a dry spell before turning the wick back up in recent seasons. Over the past handful of years, Wilson has led laps at major events throughout the country and been in contention for big race wins, but he hadn't had the luck on his side to turn those strong runs into victories.
Luck finally went his way in March Southern Super Series event at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville when he finished second on the track, then was awarded the win after the unofficial winner was disqualified in post-race technical inspection. Since then, Wilson has not finished outside the top five in any Southern Super Series event, inclulding a strong second-place finish last week at Montgomery Motor Speedway in Alabama. Wilson missed the season-opening Southern Super Series event at South Alabama Speedway because he had another commitment on the rescheduled race date after rain forced its postponement, but still sits seventh in points.
Now, Wilson enters the second Gulf Coast doubleheader weekend of 2014, May 23 at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida and May 24 at Alabama's Mobile International Speedway, armed with a strong start to the season and motivation to get that first Southern Super Series win on the track and continue progressing towards a championship.
"I hate that I had to miss the first race of the year after the rain out," said Wilson. "I look at itways, one if we are behind by that much then we can just focus on winning races. Second, perhaps we can make up the ground. Heck we are only a third of the way through the schedule and anything can happen."
The runner-up finish at Montgomery gives Wilson plenty of momentum headed towards the Gulf Coast. He led 83 of the 125 laps at Montgomery before finishing behind Bubba Pollard, who picked up his third win of the season. Finishing second to another strong racer like Pollard, especially at a place like Montgomery that has always been a thorn in Wilson's side, proves just how strong of a season he is having.
"It was a new Hamke racecar that we have been working on since after the Snowball Derby," said Wilson. "Montgomery was a good place to debut it and it was pretty much flawless despite not getting too much practice time.
"It's no secret that flat tracks are not my strong suit. I was really pleased with our performance. Butch Miller (crew chief) and Troy Smith have really helped turn things around for us. We have been strong at times every year, but since they have come on board we have been finishing on a high note each week."
The combination of Miller, Smith and Wilson might sound like a law firm, but the group has really made some chemistry in turning Wilson into a weekly contender much like he was in 2001 when he won the ROMCO Super Late Model title in Texas.
Wilson had qualified for the Rattler 250, the first race of the 2014 Southern Super Series, but when it was delayed a week by rain, he had to miss the race because he was already scheduled to move into a new house on the rescheduled date.
Even having missed the opener, Wilson cited last year's points battle that came down to the last lap of the last race as proof that he still has a shot at the title. Wilson was 100 points back after South Alabama and now sits 62 markers back with 11 races left in the schedule.
The Southern Super Series gets back underway with the Rubber & Specialties 125 at Five Flags Speedway (FL) on Friday May 23rd. That race along with the Miller Lite 125 at Mobile International Speedway (AL) on Saturday May 24th are a part of the Sunoco Gulf Coast Championship Series. For ticket information and more, visit www.5flagsspeedway.com and www.mobilespeedway.net.
For more information on the Southern Super Series, visit SouthernSuperSeries.com. The Facebook page for the Southern Super Series is located at www.facebook.com/southernsuperseries. The series is also on Twitter at @SoSuperSeries. For advertising or sponsorship questions, please contact the track representatives. For media inquiries, please contact Matt Kentfield at 51 Sports via matt@51sports.net.
May 16, 2014
