Taylor Wason Earns Capital District Racing Association Inaugural Points Title In 2024
Story By: ROB HAZER / CAPITAL DISTRICT RACING ASSOCIATION – FONDA, NY – Taylor Wason may not be a household name in Sportsman Modified racing, yet. He didn’t even park in victory lane during JAM Performance CDRA season one points chase presented by Elmo’s Speed Supply.
Instead, the young racer from Middlegrove, NY used consistency as his advantage to earn a trip to Capital District title town.
Wason did something unique in winning a championship without visiting victory lane. He had a trio of top five finishes, four top 10’s, which included back-to-back podium finishes at Albany-Saratoga and Glen Ridge. To top off his JAM Performance CDRA season, Taylor Wason didn’t shy away from the ‘Valley Swng’ and accepted the challenge of the high banks finishing 14th respectively.
Once the final points were tallied, Wason was atop the leaderboard with his Lenihan Paving-Lake Auto Parts 07w Bicknell racing chassis. The announcement he won the title was a relief to the champ, as he wasn’t sure how rewarding his season was.
“When I found out we won the CDRA championship it honestly was relieving. We went winless all season and felt there was nothing to show for our efforts, but we were consistent enough in speed to secure the points championship without a win,” said Taylor Wason.
So, what do we know about the kid who battled with Cody Ochs for the title right down to Malta Massive Weekend? Well, he began racing open wheel Sportsman Modified in 2019 in the Limited Sportsman where he visited victory lane at both Malta and the Ridge. He moved up in 2023 where he again found victory lane at the great race place in his rookie season.
“When I won at Malta in 2023, my rookie season, it felt great. Beating to of the best Sportsman drivers in the area gave us confidence we could compete at a high level,” continued Wason.
Wason owes it to his dad and sister for getting him hooked on dirt track racing where he’s grown to be quite the fan of dirt Modified racer Stewart Friesen and wheelman extraordinaire Kyle Larson.
While he enjoys the diversity of tracks like Albany-Saratoga, Lebanon Valley, and Airborne, it’s the Ridge that suits him. Don’t take our word for it, just ask the champ.
“I feel like I do the best at Glen Ridge. With the amount of laps I’ve turned there, and the short track being up on the wheel all the time, it fits my driving style best,” said Wason.
Taylor Wason has a bright future ahead of him. He’s only raced regular Sportsman Modified for a short time and he already has feature wins and a CDRA Season One series championship to his credit. He’ll be the first to say he didn’t do it alone and he had some people to thank.
“I can’t thank my mom and dad enough. They’ve done so much for me and none of this would be remotely possible without them,” Wason said.
He concluded by saying, “I of course have to thank all my fans and sponsors for their support also. Elmo’s Speed Supply, Lenihan Paving, Lake Auto Parts, Fastenal, Express Employment, HICO Fabrication, Gene’s Lawncare, Heaven Sent Lawn Service, Carbs By Ray, and Walsh Construction are great marketing partners.”
Wason made it clear he intends to defend his JAM Performance CDRA Racing title presented by Elmo’s Speed Supply in 2025. The champ is coming full speed into season two, and looks to top the Capital District Sportsman Modified driver pool again. Congratulations to Taylor and the entire Wason Racing team on a championship 2024 season.
CDRA is a nostalgic throwback to the CVRA days. A series designed specifically for Capital District racing. Six races make up a diverse schedule at storied dirt tracks to crown a champion. Are you brave enough to live life on the ridge, battle at the great race place, and tame the valley of speed? The drivers who do will earn hardware and some green for their efforts.
TOP 10 FINAL 2024 CDRA POINTS
POS # Driver Hometown TOTAL
- 07 Taylor Wason Middlegrove, NY 482
- 33 Cody Ochs* Rensselaer, NY 391
- 01 Zach Buff* Latham, NY 379
- 24B Brendan Gibbons Amsterdam, NY 365
- 12B Tyler Bobar Ft. Plain, NY 318
- 22 Tim Hartman Jr** Glenville, NY 307
- 711 Chris Crane Jr** Canaan, CT 304
- 89 Dylan Madsen Spencertown, NY 292
- 98 Craig Wholey Bolton Landing, NY 282
- 43 Tavien Blowers Caroga Lake, NY 277
