7/18/2012
Wayne Helliwell Jr
Mid-Season Report... It's Impressive
As Wayne Helliwell Jr. heads into his biggest weekend of the year with both his current race teams; it also marks the halfway point on his full 55+ planned race schedule and gives us a chance to look back through the first half of and already stellar 2012 season.
As the Witkum Brothers racing team prepare the Scherbon Consolidated #21 small block 350 supermodified for a possible $5,000 to win Money Bags 100 this upcoming Friday evening at Lee USA Speedway. Across the state in Pelham, NH; the orange 27NH Ford Fusion Ekeys-4-Cars, Unique Ford team of Bruce Bernhardt Motorsports prepares for the single richest one day late model event in North America, the TD Bank North Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, ME this coming Sunday.
Having already completed 26 events with two different types of cars in 2012 Helliwell has a combined 13 wins, 20 top 5’s, and 23 top 10’s in those 26 races. Realistically if it wasn’t for three freak issues that for some strange reason all revolved around radiator’s, Helliwell could easily have 26 top 10’s. For any driver those stats would be a very successful career year; and Helliwell is just hitting his stride.
Outside the impressive overall stats Helliwell finds himself enthralled in a total of 6 championship points battle at once with all the divisions he has entered in this season. Battling for his first track championship at Canaan Fair Speedway in Canaan, NH where he leads the overall track points by 58 and has taken home 10 of his 13 victories.
He leads the American Canadian Tour Series championship with a 19 point advantage and with the removal of the 30th place finish at Oxford Plains Speedway he has two wins and two runner up finishes with the series in 2012. He is on his way to three-petting as the American Canadian Tour Ford Blue Oval Challenge champion with over a 100 point lead in the years standings.
He is contending for a record 10th overall track championship at Lee USA Speedway in Lee, NH while trying to win the title for the second straight year piloting a Small Block Supermodified. After back to back 15th place finishes with a broken radiator during a double feature night he sits tied for 3rd in the overall standings with one victory on the year.
He currently leads the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series New Hampshire state championship by a whopping 250 points. His total of 534 overall points sits him 11th in the National Championship chase as he guns for a $25,000 payday with 13 events left to compete in.
Even through all the success during the first half of the season Helliwell remains humble and ecstatic with what the teams he competes with have accomplished already this year.
“If it all ended tomorrow we be fine with it, Helliwell said. “Of course we are top of a bunch of things right now so that’s a good reason to end it… All joking aside what we have done this year I never expected or even thought was possible. Over the winter we really didn't make a lot of changes. I feel like in the last two years we have learn more than the last 10 combined and it really seems to be showing... I couldn’t be happier with what we have done, I really can’t believe it.
We just focus on being prepared every time we show up. You sacrifice a lot racing like we do and it’s tough for everyone involved. But the results make it worth it. I’m pretty sure I can’t do another season like this again… so it all or nothing right now.”
As he prepares himself for the big tasks this coming weekend Helliwell hopes to get back on track with one car and continue the success with the other. “We have struggled and had some bad luck with the Super as of late. The stats might not show it but it has been a difficult season at Lee [USA Speedway] this year. We continue to work to make the car better; Friday is a great time turn it around with the extra money on the line.”
Heading back to the track that he calls his “Arch Nemesis”, statistical he has struggled throughout his career at the flat Maine oval. He has found more comfort in recent races and test seasons; and is more confident in the setup and car the Bernhardt team plans to bring this weekend. “Ya, that track hates me for whatever reason I have no idea… I enjoy racing there but have never been really comfortable or haven’t been able to find the right feel in the car there. The ACT show [this year] we had the best car I've ever had there, I think we had a top 5 car without our radiator cap issue. We are even better now getting ready for the [Oxford] 250. I’m looking forward to it… That in itself says a lot about what we have, in years past you couldn’t pay me to look forward to racing there. Believe it or not i’m excited about it.
Regardless of this weekend’s results Helliwell and the teams he drives for have had an outstanding year and if things end up the way they look right now it will be a season for the record books.
Our 2012 Proud Late Model Partners - EKeys-4-Cars / Unique Ford / Bernhardt Automotive / A Handy Company / DTB Tax / C&M Distributing / Carbonneau Insulation Co / Hillside Country Store / IICCEEE / Ford Racing / Schoenfeld Headers / The Brake Man / Joes Racing Products
Our 2012 Proud SBS Partners ~ Scherbon Consolidated Inc / Locke Crane Service / Westford Glass / Witkum Flooring / Harrington Brothers Paving
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Article Credit: Jason Lubin
Submitted By: Jason Lubin
