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Winston-Salem, NC(April 9, 2012) — Heading into the second UARA-STARS Series race at Dillon Motor Speedway, Dillon Bassett was simply looking to complete all the laps and put his car in the top five following a sixth place finish in the season opener at Hickory Motor Speedway, three weeks ago. He could have never expected to be contending for the win with his older brother, Ronnie, Jr. and to have nabbed a second place finish on one of the most unique tracks on the UARA schedule.
The young driver immediately displayed speed on Friday in open testing as he was one of the fastest cars at the track. His speed on Friday was slowed a little as the track opened for practice on Saturday afternoon, but his team, led by Kenyon Davidson never gave up and after making a big swing at the car for qualifying was rewarded with good results.
The young driver posted the ninth fastest time and put himself inside the top ten for the start of the race, which would be important on a track that is known to be hard to pass on. Dillon got off to a fast start when the green flag dropped and put his car up as high as sixth quickly and from there found his groove and waited for the cars ahead of him to wear out their equipment.
“I knew we had a fast car,” said Dillon. “But, my guys were on me to just ride, so I just settled in behind Ronnie(Bassett) and just rode a little there.”
The drivers in front of both the Bassett boys seemed to lose a little speed as the race went on, as they had used up their equipment, but the Bassett’s were still rolling strong. Dillon decided not to stay behind his brother and took the third spot from him briefly, before Ronnie, Jr. battled back, but soon after that the two made their way to the front. Dillon found himself in the second position as the final couple of cautions waved giving him a chance to race his brother for the top spot.
“I knew when we had that first caution there at the end that I would have a chance to race Ronnie,” continued Dillon. “He was really good, but I had some strong restarts and thought there was a chance I could steal the win away from him.”
In the end, Dillon settled for a second place finish, giving the Bassett Racing team and family a 1-2 finish and for a rookie driver making his third UARA-STARS Series start and fifth Late Model Stock Car start, it was good enough for him.
“I wanted to win, don’t get me wrong, but getting to race my brother like that for a win in just my third start was pretty awesome. We used to do that all the time in Bandolero cars and it felt awesome to be up there racing him for the win.”
With his second place finish, the rookie driver grabbed the Rookie of the Race award and after passing the most cars on the night, seven, he was also awarded the Holley Performer of the Race. It was an incredible night for the young driver and his team and family and he’s hoping that it’s sign of things to come.
“We didn’t expect to run this good this fast, I know I’ve got a great team behind me, but to finish 1-2 this early in the season was incredible. I hope we can carry this to Rockingham next week and on into the season. I want to be able to run up there with Ronnie every week and I want to beat him one of these times.”
Dillon, the Bassett Racing team and the rest of the UARA-STARS Series drivers roll into Rockingham Speedway this weekend with no rest for the third start of the season. The one-mile track, will be the biggest venue that the young driver has ever raced on, but with the success he’s had so far he’s expecting to have a strong run at Rockingham.
“I’ve never raced at Rockingham or on any track that big, but I think with Ronnie’s experience there and my teams experience we’ll have a good car and we’ll be ready to compete.”
Dillon Bassett and Bassett Racing are supported by Bassett Gutters & More, Roof Shampoo, Rex Younger Galleries, G-Force South, WP Racing Shocks, Performancenter Racing Warehouse, Ford Racing, Kerry Lawrence Exhaust, Bulldog Rearends, Hank Thomas Performance and RACE22.com.
Want to keep up with Bassett Racing? Check out these links …
Website: http://www.BassettRacers.com/
FaceBook: “Bassett Racing”
Twitter: @BassettRacers
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/BassettRacers
Want more information on Dillon Bassett? Check out these links …
Website: http://www.dillonbassett.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DillonBassett44
Twitter: @Dillon_Bassett
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/DillonBassett44