RPW Exclusive: Mat Williamson’s Getting His Shot At The Chili Bowl With A Powerhouse

Column By: BOBBY CHALMERS / RPW – RIDGEWAY, ONT – The saying ‘good things come when you least expect them’ could never be truer than a cold night in October at Orange County Fair Speedway for Dirt Modified standout Mat Williamson.

That was the night his dream to pilot a Midget and compete in the Chili Bowl Nationals began to become reality.

Now, it’s official.

The two-time Super DIRTcar Series champion will pilot a midget out of the Keith Kunz Motorsports (KKM) stable next month in Tulsa, OK.

“Running the Chili Bowl really was never on my radar,” Williamson said. “Then, during Eastern States Weekend at Orange County, I was talking with another driver who was interested in doing something like this. We discussed how it all came about and went on our way.”

Williamson thought that was it. Little did he know someone was ease-dropping on that conversation.

“A couple weeks after Eastern States, a gentleman (who wishes to be left anonymous) approached me and said he me asking about the whole Chili Bowl process,” he said. “He wanted to know if that was all true because to race with Keith Kunz is quite the opportunity. Do you think you could get something like that?”

Williamson was stunned. As a full-time race car driver, he’s never been in this situation.

“I honestly didn’t know if I could get a hold of them (KKM),” he said. “Jeff Behrent (Mat’s Short Track Super Series car owner) has some contacts so I reached out to him but told this guy that I might be able to.

However, he was intrigued, so he began making calls and told his silent sponsor to give him a day or so to find out.

“I was able to get the phone number of Pete Willoughby (co-owner of KKM),” he said. “When I talked to Pete, he told me they didn’t have a seat open at the time but there were a few that hadn’t finalized their deals. He wanted me to call him back on Monday (a few days after).”

It didn’t take that long.

“Pete called me on Saturday and said he had a seat open,” he said. “If we wanted to make something happen we probably could so that’s how this all came about.”

Since then, Williamson’s phone has been basically on fire as the young racer started to put things in place. Before heading to the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show last week in Indianapolis, he and his good friend, Mike Bowman, drove to the KKM shop to get acquainted with the team and get fitting in his ride.

“They have such a first-class organization at KKM,” he said. “Everyone there was extremely welcoming and I am looking forward to working with them in Tulsa.”

Knowing that the Kunz equipment can run up front and has won the event, has Williamson let it sink in that he’s going to the Chili Bowl for the first time in a car that could sit in victory lane?

“Honestly, this is the only way I’d ever entertain doing something like this,” he said. “It’d be equivalent to getting in the 88 Buzz Chew car on the Super DIRTcar Series. I feel like any time I go to the track, with any of the cars I drive, I go with a legitimate shot at winning. I don’t want to go to Tulsa, spend all this money driving a sub-par race car and not have a chance.”

Williamson is also a realist though. He knows this is a tall hill to climb.

“I’m new to this,” he said. “I’m not expected to win. If we make the A-main on Saturday, that will be a HUGE accomplishment for us but obviously, Keith has great drivers in his stable. There’s a reason when you think of Tulsa and the Chili Bowl, you think of the KKM cars.”

That’s what was enticing about this deal for Williamson…getting the chance to run for one of the top teams. However, he knows how he got this opportunity.

“I don’t think I’d do this any other way,” he said. “These days, it’s a ‘pay-to-play’ deal. They’re not hiring me or paying me any amount of money to drive their cars. I’m not proven and I don’t blame them. This is a first for me, ever paying to go racing which I’ve publicly been against but this deal came to me. I’ve got great people behind me who are making this happen.”

If things go somewhat well for Williamson at the Chili Bowl, could we see him spread his wings to include more midget events?

“I honestly am not sure,” he said. “I race for a living. If we went down there and win, that’d be awesome but it’s not something I expect to do but a checkered flag may chance our thought process. At this point, the Modifieds are where I was raised and I can make a good living close to home. I have great car owners and I don’t want to give up on that any time soon.”

While it appears as if Williamson’s Chili Bowl qualifying night is scheduled for Wednesday night, that’s all he knows as of this point.

“At this point, we’re looking for some sponsors to try and recoup some of the original money put up for the ride,” he said. “I’m not sure if we’re getting in a car with anything on the side to be honest. My original talks were that I could bring along whoever I wanted. Right now, we don’t know who the primary sponsor is going to be on the car but I’m sure I’ll know more after the holidays.”