Wilson wins on same night mentor Hampshire inducted into Speedway Hall
Greg Wilson scored an emotional win Saturday at Fremont Speedway.
The Benton Ridge driver took the lead at the halfway point of the 410 sprint feature, and survived a tangle with an infield tire and near catastrophe with a lapped car to score his second win of the season at Fremont. His uncle, mentor and former car owner, Bob Hampshire, was inducted Saturday into Speedway Hall of Fame.
It was his 15th career win at Fremont.
"To win the night that Hamp got inducted, it’s a pretty good win for me personally," Wilson said. "That man taught me a lot about life, a lot about racing and a lot about how to treat my kids and make sure I include them because they grow up quick.
"He’s the guy who talked to me about that so to be here the day he was inducted into the hall of fame and to do it with a guy like Andy Potter who is a lot like a Bob Hampshire and won a lot of races. He gambles and he gambled a lot [Saturday]."
With his second-place run, DJ Foos closes the gap on Cole Macedo for the All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads/Kistler Racing Products Attica Fremont Championship Series.
Macedo recently had his car owner purchase a 360c.i. engine in advance of the Trophy Cup later this year in Macedo’s home state of California. He took the lead in the 25-lap Great Lakes Super Sprints feature on Lap 6 and only a late race caution after he built a nearly six-second lead delayed his march to victory.
Macedo drove away to the victory, his third of the year at Fremont and seventh career at Speedway. A tire that came apart late in the Fort Ball Pizza Palace 410 Sprints A-main may have prevented Macedo from earning a pair of feature victories Saturday.
"Hopefully he's happy with his purchase," Macedo said of Ray Brooks. "This is a brand new car. We junked a car last week doing the All Star deal. We put it together this week and won first night out. Steven (Linder) worked really hard.
"I was kind of on him to get it better and better. It just feels weird to be in the 360s. You just don’t have as much power. I played with the wing there and got it better. With all our bad luck lately this is a good turn around."
Fremont’s Paul Weaver, a multi-time track champion in the Fremont Federal Credit Union 305 Sprints, led all 25 laps to dominate for his second win of the year at Speedway. It was the 66th career win at the track for Weaver, who sits third on the all-time list.
The victory moves Weaver closer to a third straight title with the NAPA of Bryan Attica Fremont Championship Series.
"If you started on the front row you had a good shot," Weaver said. "I wasn’t very good. The harder I ran, you know how it is to run the bottom, you have to lift way before the flag stand and I couldn’t do it very well.
"I would have moved to the top if I would have heard somebody behind me. I would like to thank Bob Hampshire. If it wasn’t for him I probably wouldn’t be out here."
Speedway plays host Saturday to 410 and 305 sprints, Burmeister Trophy Dirt Trucks and the Great Lakes Traditional Sprints (non-wing).
This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Hampshire energy races on with current Speedway drivers
