RPW Exclusive: With Multiple Agendas, Mat Williamson’s Heading To Land Of Legends Weekly In ’24

Column By: BOBBY CHALMERS / RPW – ST. CATHERINES, ONT – Mat Williamson will be busy during the 2024 racing season.

Not only will he be running the Buzz Chew Racing #88 on the Super DIRTcar Series and the Behrent’s Performance Warehouse #3 on the Short Track Super Series, he’ll chase another DIRTcar 358-Modified track championship on Friday nights at the Ransomville Speedway in John Cocco’s #6.

However, after last year’s tire situation his team faced, Williamson’s been searching for a steady plan to occupy his time on Saturday evenings.

He now has an answer.

“We’re going after the Big Block Modified title at Land of Legends Raceway,” Williamson said. “With all that happened locally last year, we needed to find a new home for Saturday nights. The track in Canandaigua is the next closest option for Saturday racing.”

Location was a huge positive for Williamson and his team in choosing Land of Legends Raceway.

“We could have gone up north and raced at Brockville (Ontario Speedway), but that’s four hours from home,” he said. “Canandaigua’s only about an hour and a half or so, depending on traffic.”

Now, Williamson will focus on racing his family-owned #6 Big Block Modified against some of the best the Land of Legends has to offer, including Danny & Alan Johnson, Peter Britten, Zach Payne and reigning champion Justin Haers.

However, he’s not just chasing checkered flags. There’s an ulterior motive.

“We’re heading to Paul Cole’s track to try to win as much as we can, but hopefully to get better for the Super DIRTcar Series,” he said. “I think racing Small Blocks every week kind of hurt us in that regard. If we can get our own car going at Canandaigua, I think it’ll really help us on the tour.”

The St. Catherines, ONT driver has run a Big Block Modified weekly in the past, and been successful in doing so. He was a regular at Lernerville Speedway for a few seasons where he’s captured four track titles in a five-year span (2013, 2015-2017).

Returning to weekly competition with a Big Block may be a strategic move for Mat but he has a clear plan he hopes to achieve.

“Our ultimate goal’s to try and develop a setup that we can feel comfortable,” he said. “That way, when the Series comes to town, we can be good right out of the box. We’ve been hit or miss at Land of Legends in the past. It’s a place we go with the Series and have never been able to really gain points on people.”

That’s truly been a thorn in Williamson’s side for years now.

“A lot of times at Canandaigua, we go and time trial fourth or fifth in our group, miss the redraw and have to start 18th to 20th,” he said. “That just doesn’t cut it anymore.”

In other words, the competition on the Super DIRTcar Series is at the top of its game, and Williamson is doing everything he can to step up.

“You have to be top five at every race now,” he said. “Hopefully, racing weekly at Land of Legends will help to eliminate that track as a sore spot for us.”

Unfortunately for Mat, he’ll miss another year racing close to home at the track in Thorold, ONT. He really misses the local fans and is hoping they’ll follow him to Western New York on weekends in 2024.

“We’ve got a huge following in the Niagara region,” he said. “Ransomville’s not far from home, like around 20 minutes across the border. Our loyal fans can still go there on Friday nights and possibly follow us to Canandaigua on Saturdays.”

Mat misses the local fan base he’s built over the years.

“I miss talking to everyone up there after the races,” he said. “I use to love chatting to fans that would come and visit with us in the pits afterwards or in victory lane. It sucks that we won’t get to see them. Unfortunately, we have to head down the road on Saturday nights now to try and grab wins.”

In the end, Williamson is a full-time racer and wants to win as much as possible.

“I wish I could race in front of my hometown fans week in and week out,” he said. “We just wanted to race another night and with Saturday’s being open, Land of Legends Raceway was the best option for our team.”

Fans can catch the S & W Service Centre, Marin Drywall, Becker Brothers Trucking, Optional Hose and Hydraulic, Wendt’s Propane and Oil #6 Bicknell in action when the season gets the first green flag at Land of Legends Raceway of 2024 for the 71st year of racing on April 27th.