PARIS, Texas — Skip Wilson pulled off what ranks as perhaps one of the biggest upsets in recent years of O’Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour National competition Friday night at Paris Motor Speedway.
Wilson survived some tense moments in lapped traffic to take his first career victory aboard J.B. Cook’s Speed Specialties/Bubba’s Plumbing No. 65 Avenger just ahead of past ASCS National champions Wayne Johnson and Tim Crawley.
And the win occurred in an event that nearly never happened, as torrential rains drenched much of northern Texas in the late afternoon. While the storms narrowly missed Paris Motor Speedway, several teams turned back toward home certain of a rainout.
“We almost didn’t come,” Wilson explained. “I’m glad we did though.”
A second place heat-race finish put Wilson seventh in passing points and into the redraw. He selected the pole and led all 25 laps. “I’m just kind of amazed right now,” Wilson said standing in victory lane.
After a yellow flag on the initial start, the race went green throughout.
“My arms were getting awful heavy there at the end, I was getting tired,” Wilson explains.
Johnson made a late challenge in traffic, but Wilson held on.
“I got hung up there a little, he was just racing his race,” Wilson stated. “I thought I saw someone’s nose under me in that one corner, then I got around him and I really felt like I got a little faster those last few laps.”
Johnson took second, with Crawley third. Jason Johnson and point-leader Gary Wright rounded out the top five.
The finish:
Skip Wilson, Wayne Johnson, Tim Crawley, Jason Johnson, Gary Wright, Travis Rilat, Nick Smith, Garry Lee Maier, Zach Chappell, Kenneth Walker, Gary Taylor, Eric Baldaccini, Justin Sturch, Kathryne Minter, John Ricketts, Don Young, Chris Tarrant.