After having an uphill climb in each of the first four DIRTcar 358 Modified Series Features this season, Mat Williamson took full advantage of a front-row starting spot Sunday at Weedsport Speedway.
The St. Catharines, ON competitor drove away from Jordan McCreadie on the opening lap and never looked back to win the $5,000 winner’s share in the Speedweek Finale.
It’s a win Williamson will enjoy, especially since he said he was trying some things for future races at the 3/8-mile track.
“We were actually trying some stuff tonight to be better when we come back with the Big Block,” Williamson said. “I think that’s promising. My small block program has been pretty good this year. The whole S&W six team has been on rails.
“It’s cool to win at Weedsport. I think with the Big Block last time we finished second, maybe third, so to get back on Victory Hill is pretty cool.”
Williamson and McCreadie led the field to the green in the 50-lap Feature, with “Money Mat” grabbing the early advantage. The 2023 Series champion started pulling away from the field until the race’s only caution flew for Steve Lewis on Lap 6.
When the race resumed, Williamson continued his lead out front, quickly putting space between himself and McCreadie.
Mat Williamson puts Garrett Poland a lap down at Weedsport/Joe Grabianowski
While it seemed to be an leisurely cruise, Williamson struggled to sneak by two lap cars in the race’s first half. As Williamson approached Lewis and C.J. Castelletti, who were racing side-by-side, he leaned on Lewis’ No. 11s to try and pass him on the bottom on Lap 18. When that didn’t work, he saw Lewis slip up a lane on the backstretch and passed both drivers with a burst of speed as they entered Turn 3.
From there, Williamson continued his pace out front, while McCreadie tried holding off three cars behind him, battling for second. That didn’t last much longer, however, as, like Williamson, McCreadie struggled to pass Lewis in traffic. While McCreadie tried sneaking underneath Lewis, Tim Sears Jr. used Lewis as a pick in Turns 3 and 4. That’s when “Timmer” drove around both McCreadie and Lewis to take second away on Lap 23.
Tim Sears Jr. drives around Jordan McCreadie for second/Joe Grabianowski
However, that’s as close as the Hastings, NY driver would get to the lead, as Williamson took the checkered flag by more than 11 seconds to secure his third Series win of 2025.
It was the first time redraw luck went Williamson’s, giving him an opportunity, he said, he had to capitalize on.
“You want to give the fans the show that they deserve,” Williamson said. “But we’ve started in the last row of the redraw in every Series race this year. This was the first time we weren’t in that last row.”
With the win, Williamson reclaimed the points lead for the third time this season. He leaves Weedsport with a 12-point lead over Mike Mahaney, who finished seventh.
Sears settled for second, his best DIRTcar 358 Modified Series finish in two starts this season. He said it’s a step in the right direction, after struggling with his 358 early in the year.
“We made some really good gains on our Troyer car,” Sears said. “We won last night, and we’ve taken a lot of swings, so we had to just sit back and regroup. I think we’re starting to head back in the right direction.”
“We definitely gained on it tonight. Hopefully, this translates into some good speed.”
Rounding out the podium was defending Series champion Felix Roy. The Napierville, QC driver bounced back from engine issues in Hot Laps, which forced him to drive his brother Jeremy’s No. 90 machine.
“It was running good,” Roy said. “The guys worked really hard on the car to get it to fit my style because me and my brother drive different. And it paid off.
“The car was pretty good. I could pretty much go where I wanted in traffic and run that middle and top. A lot of guys were stuck on the bottom, so I figured I’d go up there and make it work.”
Ronnie Davis III finished fourth, and McCreadie rounded out the top five.
UP NEXT: The DIRTcar 358 Modified Series returns to action with a two-country doubleheader in Mid-July. First, the Series visits Cornwall Motor Speedway on Wednesday, July 16. Then, drivers head to Mohawk International Raceway on Thursday, July 17.
For more on the DIRTcar Northeast, follow the DIRTcar Northeast Facebook page and the Series’ X/(Twitter) page.
DIRTcar 358 Modified Series Feature (50 Laps): 1. 6M-Mat Williamson[1]; 2. 83X-Tim Sears Jr[5]; 3. 91-Felix Roy[6]; 4. 32R-Ronnie Davis III[3]; 5. 28-Jordan McCreadie[2]; 6. 28F-Alan Fink[12]; 7. 35-Mike Mahaney[4]; 8. 31-Lance Willix[10]; 9. M1-Dave Marcuccilli[11]; 10. 18R-Brad Rouse[7]; 11. 5-Amy Holland[8]; 12. 60-Jackson Gill[13]; 13. 7Z-Zachary Payne[19]; 14. 21A-Peter Britten[15]; 15. 3B-Chad Brachmann[20]; 16. 63-Adam Roberts[17]; 17. 98H-Jimmy Phelps[25]; 18. 12-Darren Smith[14]; 19. 42P-Pat Ward[18]; 20. 22-Noah Walker[16]; 21. 92-Andrew Buff[26]; 22. 26-Kyle Richner[24]; 23. 160-Max Hill[21]; 24. 17G-Garrett Poland[23]; 25. 427-Carter Gibbons[30]; 26. B24-Brendan Gibbons[29]; 27. 11S-Steve Lewis Jr[27]; 28. (DNF) 38J-Jarrett Herbison[22]; 29. (DNF) 117-CJ Castelletti[28]; 30. (DNF) 99L-Larry Wight[9]
Post-Race Tech: Exhaust ports were checked on the top five. All passed.
Hoosier Racing Tire Award (Free Tire): Carter Gibbons
