7/1/2014
Wayne Helliwell Jr
Up and Down: Top-5's and Mediocre Results.
Wayne Helliwell Jr. has had an up and down year of racing. From five top-3 finishes with the American Canadian Tour to battling for a win in the unsanctioned Coastal 200, to a mediocre 14th place finish with the Pro All Star Series, coupled with mechanical problems with a new chassis. The Ekeys-4-Cars, Butler MacMaster Ford Fusion driver has seen it all.
“That’s part of racing”, stated Helliwell. “You can’t win them all.”
Helliwell who has been the model of consistency with the ACT Tour continues to bring home top-3 finishes week-after-week. They Include a 21st to third run in the Spring Green 114 at Devils Bowl Speedway. Followed up by a furious runner up finish at White Mountain Motorsport’s Park.
“Our late model program has been solid”, stated Helliwell. “We've had winning cars each week… Devils Bowl we just started to far back. Me, Joey [Polewarczyk] and Brian [Hoar] were all the same speed. I think if I had chance to restart on the outside with Joey we could have won there... White Mountain I had the better car, I just got loose towards the end. I didn't want to force my way through there, It wouldn't have ended well for everyone involved. People are points racing… I was just patient, sometimes too patient for my own good…”
With the consistency Helliwell finds himself 5th overall in series points even after missing a race. In fact if he had competed at Airborne International for the series third event he and Joey Polewarczyk would be locked in one the series tightest point’s battles in a number of years.
“Everyone keeps saying… Oh if you had only run Airborne”, stated Helliwell. “We went into this year not to chase points. I spent time with my family that weekend. They support me week-after-week to race so it’s the least I can do. Going into this year we knew we would miss a race or two because of family obligations. We didn't want to focus on points; just go out and have a good time. Bring fun back into racing.”
While consistency has been the norm for the Bernhardt Motorsports late model program, their super late model has been anything but. Helliwell has been in contention to win or running among the top-5 multiple times only to have an issue such as a flat tire, a bad gauge or as he puts it “just plan run over”, has been the story with the Team’s new chassis.
“You’ll have those things with a new car”, stated Helliwell. “For the most part when we had a problem we were running up front when it happened. We finished mid-pack in the PASS race at White Mountain and know why, we found the issue. It takes some time to learn what a new chassis needs, we’ll get it straighten out.”
The Bruce Bernhardt Motorsports Team will head to Beech Ridge Motor Speedway this coming Saturday for the Pro All Star Series 150. It will mark the first start in a super late model at the 3/8-mile track for the Dover, NH driver.
“We practiced up there and things went well”, stated Helliwell. “We’re optimistic that we’ll be competitive there. I think we’ll have a good car…”
While the tracks are different Helliwell points out that setups between Beech Ridge and Oxford Plains Speedway tend to be similar. Competing at Beech Ridge serves as a decent test for the Team as they prepare for the Oxford 250 on July 20th.
"Both tracks are so flat, things tend to carry over from one-to-the other", stated Helliwell. "We'll see how things go.... We're just focused on finishing at this point, getting laps on the car will help us learn more than anything right now."
Next Event
What: Pro All Star Series 150
Where: Beech Ridge Motor Speedway – Scarborough, ME
When: Saturday July 7, 2014 – Post Time 6:00PM
Wayne Helliwell Jr. and Bernhardt Motorsport's would like to thank their proud partners for their support in 2014: EKeys-4-Cars • Unique Ford • Bernhardt Automotive • Pro-Turf Landscaping • DTB Tax • C&M Distributing • Butler MacMaster Performance Racing • Carbonneau Insulation Co • IICCEEE • Ford Racing • Schoenfeld Headers • Sunoco Race Fuels • Bassett Wheels • Joes Racing Products • Quarter Master • ARP Bodies • Welded Media • Mangus Transmissions • Coastal Candle Company
Conner McDougal Photo
Article Credit: Jason Lubin / Welded Media
Submitted By: Jason Lubin
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