WINSTON SALEM, NC :: Dillon Bassett clinched the UARA-STARS championship on Saturday night after scoring three wins on the season in the UARA tour.  Bassett’s championship season came after “Spark Plug”, as he’s been nicknamed, won Rookie of the Year in 2012 by virtue of his two wins that season.

“I can’t begin to tell you how it feels,” Bassett said.  “It means so much to me and my team.  We worked hard all season to win that championship.  We won rookie of the year last year.  To win the championship this year is remarkable.  It’s hard to explain the feeling because it’s so great.”

Bassett, who stepped out of his older brother’s shadow this season, said the feeling of winning the championship still hadn’t sunk in.

“It’s still pretty high up there,” Bassett remarked.  “It’s still coming to me but hasn’t quite because it’s strong.  It’s hard to grasp because this season’s been so good.  Martinsville, by itself, going to that race as a ‘nobody’ and coming out unforgettable – that race is going to be remembered for a long time I feel like.  In UARA, it’s pretty crazy to become the youngest UARA champion.”

Bassett also reflected on his memorable Martinsville appearance, saying he intends to race in the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 again next season to avenge the disappointment of his second place finish.

“We’re definitely going to go back to Martinsville,” Bassett explained.  “It just seems like Martinsville is like winning the lottery.  You could be the fastest car and not make the race or finish dead last.  It doesn’t matter how fast or good you are – you might not be able to win.  That’s what hurt so much.  First time there and, what happened, it sucks.  It taught me a lot.  I’ve learned how to move on and learn from it and it makes me want to win even more.  It really sucks.  In the long run, it’s only good for me I feel like.”

Bassett plans to run some races in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series in 2014 as well as continuing to race in the Late Model ranks.

“We’re working on some stuff for next season right now,” Bassett stated.  “If everything works out the way we hope it does, we plan on running six or seven K&N races and run some Late Model stuff when I’m not doing that.  We want to run enough K&N races where we can be a rookie the following year but get some experience in the car.”

Bassett won three races in the homestretch in the 2013 UARA tour with two of those wins coming at Caraway Speedway and the other coming at Kingsport Speedway.