TIMBERLAKE, NC :: 36-year-old Mike Chambers has been competing in Late Model Stock Car racing for over 14 years and, in that time, victory has eluded him. That was until Saturday night when Chambers roared in to victory lane at Orange County Speedway.
“It’s like a weight off your shoulders. You work so long and finally get it, you put it on your shoulders and race so long, and come so close so many times, especially this year, and it’s like weight lifted. You start to wonder, ‘will I ever win and am I good enough to win?’ I feel better about it now.”
Bill Clinton was still the President of the United States when Chambers began racing. He started out in 1995 at Orange County Speedway and, through the years, picked up victories in the Grand Stock and Limited Late Model divisions. In 2000, Chambers finally made the move to Late Models but, much the same way as the Daytona 500 eluded Dale Earnhardt for so many years, victory in the Late Model division eluded Chambers.
Chambers started Saturday night’s race in the sixth position. He found himself in third when a competition caution came out at halfway in the 50-lap race. Then, on a restart, the two drivers ahead of him started trading paint which gave Chambers the opportunity he needed.
“The two guys touched a couple times and I got the run on them and got by,” Chambers stated.
The victory also propelled Chambers up the championship standings where he shares the top spot with Chris Denny. Now that he has a shot at the championship, that’s what he will focus on.
“We’re going to focus on winning the championship at Orange,” Chambers remarked. “We’re tied for the championship. We may still go to Martinsville and the bigger races now.”
Having finally recorded that first career win, Chambers now looks ahead to August 9th when Late Model racing returns to Orange County Speedway as he tries to take sole possession of the points lead in the track’s championship standings.
