NEWS ARCHIVE

WBR Claims 2 National Titles and 10 top 5's in WKA Competition in 2006

WBR WINS 2 at LOWES MOTOR SPEEDWAY Concord, NC- Jacob bested the Jr Champ Lite race with a dominating run leading from the pole position and pulling away from the field drafting up behind him. He placed 2nd in Jr Animal Champ after a 7th place starting position. He was put on the tail on lap 6 due to a crash involving 4 other karts and collecting him as well. Wilson charged back to the front and drafted his way back to 3rd at the white flag, only to get passed going into turn 1 the final time, but the 2 lead champs hooked tires coming off turn 4 handing the win to 3rd and 2nd to Jacob. He was 6th in Jr Lite after being knocked high while running 2nd and then hit off the track with no caution. He crossed the line in 4th but due to a red flag on the final lap the finishing order was reverted back one lap. Sunday Jacob qualified well sitting in the 2nd position for the Jr Champ Heavy feature. He led most of the laps until being passed going into turn 1 on the final lap, but unlike the day before, he passed back going into turn 3 and took the checkered flag for the win. The Jr Heavy kart race was pretty uneventful, Wilson started 4th and finished 4th, passing only once after being passed. 

CLINTON WINS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THE 2ND YEAR -Ben Hur Speedway; Crawfordsville, IN- Clint posted another Indiana State Championship to add back to back championships to his lengthy list of accomplishments. Big brother Jacob struggled a bit and had to settle for a pair of 3rd places. He won 2 last year and finished 2nd in another class.

JACOB WINS TWO IN JAMAICA, both BROTHERS WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS -Jamaica Raceway; Jamaica, IA- Jacob knew the fastest driver doesn't always win the race and outsmarted the competition for the top spot; once Saturday and again on Sunday. The super smooth asphalt track is prime for drafting and the elder of the 2 brothers settled into 3rd position and waited patiently to race for the win coming off turn 4 the final time. He was able to repeat his wizardry a 2nd time Sunday to clinch the Championship in one class, two runner-ups and a 4th in the final points tally. Clinton won the championship with a 3rd place to back up his strong run earlier in Springfield, IL. 

BLISTERING HEAT AND BAD LUCK FOR THE BROS. -Little Sunset Speedway; Greenwood, NE- Team WBR fought the 105+ temperatures all weekend on the small dirt oval only to have more bad luck in the 15 lap features that were short 5 laps due to the blistering temperatures. The brothers qualified well on the dusty slick track posting top 5 starting spots in their respective classes. Jacob got "piggy backed" while running in 2nd spot knocking him to the rear of the field and Clint spun from 3rd on the next lap sending him back as neither incident resulted in a caution flag. The racing only got worse from that point with each of them being caught up in crashes or pushed out high and dry. This was the first time in 3 years the neither brother scored a podium finish. Luck has to turn around for  Team WBR soon.

BAD LUCK AT THE BEAVER -Beaverun Motorsports Park; Wampum, PA- Jacob and Team rolled into Wampum looking for a couple of over-due wins on the big and fast 1/3 mile paved tri-oval only to have bad luck strike each time. Returning to the track where he got his 1st national win the team was confident and ready. Jacob qualified well and led in 4 of his 5 races, the 5th one was rained out, but he was only able to get a 4th and 5th podium spot for the weekend.

CLINTON DOMINATES and JACOB WINS -Mid State Raceway Springfield, Ill  -July 14-16, 2006- Clinton completely dominated Jr Champ Lite, setting the fast time and leading all 20 feature laps. He was even able to pull away from the field and break the draft all on his own. Jacob finished 4th and was unable to challenge his little brother. Jacob later took the top spot in Jr Animal Lite, drafting with 3rd place Dalton Dingman to run down the leader from a half lap down. Jacob pushed him passed the leader coming to the white flag and as the 2 leaders got together at the finish line Jacob swung low on the track and took the lead winning in an exciting finish going from 4th to 1st all in the final lap. Sunday Clint continued his domination of the Jr Champs with another fast time pole position and a perfect feature leading every lap on his way to a double-double weekend. Jacob suffered poor handling and was only able finish 3rd, 4th and 4th in his Sunday classes.

USAC Midgets at Anderson Speedway -07/07/06 ANDERSON, IN– After arriving a little behind schedule Team WBR got settled in and looked forward to a good night of racing. Jacob's car looked very good compared to Wednesday nights race, however he had early carburetor problems that got fixed after the first round of practice thanks to Mark Meister. The kenyon midgets were able to qualify for the first time ever at a race. So everyone was looking forward to something different, they also used transponders. Clinton qualified back at 18th do to a bad push getting into the corner. Jacob had a good time that put him into the 10th position. Jacob started 3rd in the first heat race and got knocked up high and ended up 5th. Clinton started 1st in the third heat race and got passed early and stayed in second for the whole race. For the feature they went back to the qualifying times. So Jacob started 10th and Clinton started 18th. Jacob moved up early and was looking really good, however Clinton got stuck in traffic and on lap 17 Clinton had a guy come up on him and put him in the wall ending his night early! Jacob ended up finishing with a solid 7th place finish. The whole team decided that they had more fun Friday night than they have had racing yet this year. Congratulations to Clinton for setting the second fastest lap of the night!!! 

Be sure to check out www.jacobwilsonracing.com and www.clintonwilson.com for their very own opinions of the race.   

07/05/06 ANDERSON, IN– Team WBR will be competing Friday night July 7th for the second time this week. They were all very happy that both cars completed all the laps Wednesday night after fighting fuel problems for the last 2 outings. Jacob fought a severly loose car spinning out while in 9th place and restarting on the tail. Clinton had similar problems in the heat race and started on the tail of the feature but wasted no time picking off cars on his march to the front. He made it as high as 11th place in the 21 car field but had to settle for a 13th place finish. Veteran Sprint car and Midget driver Kevin Besecker told Clint after the race "If you can pass 5 or 6 cars in the feature here at Anderson it's like a win, since the cars are all so evenly matched." Congratulations to Caleb Armstrong on his first victory of the year in Kenyon car competition.

05/03/06 ANDERSON, IN– WBR started off the season with a bang or crash anyway. Clint crashed hard in final practice and wasn't able to make the heat race while Jacob fought a bad push in his heat race finishing 5th. Jacob started 11th and Clint was dead last for the feature after the crew thrashed on his car to get it back in race trim Thanks to Kevin Besecker for wrenching on it and Dave Fuhrman for loaning us his spare axle. Jacob rocketed to the front using the high side of the banked 1/4 mile sitting in 5th place by lap 5. Clinton was battling for 16th on lap 10 when he lost his brakes and fell out of the race. Jacob wasn't finished though, utilizing the high line once again he moved up to 3rd and had a look at the lead until a lapped car shot up the banking and shuffled him back to 8th place. He passed Dakoda Armstrong on the white flag and snuck into the top 5. Next up Mt. Lawn Wednesday.

Midget Test at Mt. Lawn Speedway

NEW CASTLE, IN– Clinton traveled to Mt. Lawn Speedway to participate in a special USAC session for underage drivers this past Sunday. Big brother Jake was with the NMHS High Mileage Vehicle Competition Team at IRP, so Clint was the sole driver for the #4 and the #07 cars. The racetrack is a very technical track with flat corners and no two of them are alike. The Northridge 8th grader took a warm up session in each car before bolting on new tires and looking for good lap times. Clint was turning some real good laps until the right rear tire blew out. "The car was really hooked and felt great, I couldn't believe how deep I was driving it into the corners. I felt it hook hard going into turn one and felt the tire let loose." Clint said. "His crew chief (father) messed up and didn't space the tire far enough out from the rear spring allowing it to rub in the corners and overheat the side wall. Clint did an awesome job keeping it out of the wall and saving it." replied Mark.

Midget Test at Anderson Speedway ANDERSON, IN– Team WBR participated in a Test session Friday afternoon, March 31st, at "the Worlds Fastest High-Banked Quarter Mile Oval. Jacob was able to break into the 13 second range immediately and after a few minor adjustments was on the gas giving it all he had. Clint had trouble in the first session with a bad vibration in the steering, but after a short repair he was back on track and posting equally impressive laps. The big thunderstorms that spawned tornados south of Indy came after the 3 session. We loaded the cars and headed for the shop with smiles all the way around. Clinton was amazed at the g-forces he encountered in the corners and how hard the wind hit his helmet at the end of the straightaway. Jake was impressed with the speed and how well the car handled in the banked turns. He said "It feels like I could almost flat foot it all the way around the track, I didn't try it though." 

Constructed in 1948, historic Anderson Speedway is celebrating its 59th consecutive year of racing in 2006. Situated on over 35 acres near downtown Anderson, the Speedway presents some of the most exciting racing action you will find anywhere.

The quarter mile, asphalt track features 17 degree banking in the corners, which creates speeds unique to most short tracks. A record 10.444 second lap was run by Jimmy McCune in 2004 in a winged sprint car. Drivers have said of driving at the Speedway, “It’s like flying a jet airplane in a gymnasium.”

Next up: USAC Midget Testing at Mt. Lawn Speedway, Sunday April 23 and Anderson Speedway, Sunday April 30

WKA Pavement Nationals @ Lowes Motor Speedway CONCORD, NC– WBR rolled into town hoping to follow up on their domination of last seasons races in the Rage Karts Speedway Pavement Series. The weather was in the 50's and very breezy with the track temperature a bit colder than what anyone wanted to race on. Jacob drove his Phantom Chassis to 2nd place in Junior Lite and Junior Heavy leading many laps in both races but falling short to his good friend Kirby Howe both days, Congratulations Kirby! The Champ Kart Classes were similar with Jacob piloting his Rage Champ to good runs resulting in a 3rd and 6th place finish in Jr. Champ Lite and Jr. Champ Heavy while the Animal Champ class stood on qualifying times due to the 6:30 curfew imposed by the WKA, landing Jacob in 4th spot. The series stops in Vincennes, Indiana's Fast Track next where Jacob drove the #07 to 4 victories in 4 classes at the series stop there last year.

JACOB WINS HEAT RACE; 10th in FEATURE at the RUMBLE -THE RUMBLE in FORT WAYNE– On the 50th anniversary eve of the very first USAC midget race, in the same building that Gene Hartley opened USAC racing history on Jan. 8, 1956; Jacob Wilson scored his first USAC National midget heat race win. Starting 4th in the Star-Studded Feature, Wilson was able to finish a respectable 10th behind race winner and new track record holder Tony Stewart. The 15 year old Kart Champion remarked "I was able to drive everyone clean and finish the race without a scratch on my car. My goal was to make the show and finish the race and we did that plus some. The other drivers gave me room and nobody bumped me all night, I was kind of surprised they gave me that much respect."  Asked what his most memorable moment of the race was, he said "Giving Tony Stewart a little tap on a caution lap. I doubt if I ever have that chance again. We were pitted right next to Tony and he is super. I don't know how he handles all the attention, we had to have the deputy's help us get our car through the huge crowd each time we headed to the track." The tight fast indoor action suit Jacob's driving style just fine. Summing up the nights racing Jacob responded "I want to thank my brother Clint, Mom and Dad for being my pit crew, Dave Furhman for always having that part I forgot to pack, Don and Mel Kenyon for all the advice and Johnny Heidenreich for letting me back in line when the field was trying to freight train me. Gould Body & Paint, Impact and all the folks who support me. I think I gained some respect from the veteran drivers and USAC tonight." Wilson plans to compete at Anderson and Mt. Lawn this season in USAC competition. "I am also talking to some people in Indianapolis and have some meetings set up for next month. I want to win some more World Karting National titles too." he grinned. 

WBR Claims 8 National Titles in WKA Competition in 2005

JACOB WINS 3 of 4, CLINT POSTS TOP TENS

C&D MOTORSPORTS GRAND NATIONALS - September 23 - 25, 2005 • Lowe’s Motor Speedway • Concord, NC- The Brothers were back in victory lane again. Jacob just missed another perfect weekend finishing 5th in Jr Animal Champ and winning all 3 of the other classes entered making his run for the championship a strong one. Wilson now has won 7 of his last 8 races entered making propelling him to the top of the points standings in the Rage Karts National Speedway Pavement Series. The official points are pending but it looks as though the North Montgomery Sophomore has 2 Championship Titles and 2 -2nd place Titles, missing the coveted Triple Crown award by only 3 points! Jacob wants to thank Carl & Luke for all the hard work on the chassis and engines and Mom & Dad for making it all possible. Also thanks to Clinton for doing whatever it takes in the pits to get things done for him. Clinton was back in action in the Jr Sportsman Champs after a 2 year break from the Rage Karts National Speedway Pavement Series. He was able to put his rented Rage Chassis in the top 10 both days. The finishes don't give justice to the race he had getting spun out on the white flag lap Saturday while making a move into the top 5 and starting in the back Sunday after a miscue with qualifying and driving back to up to 6th place, running the 2nd fastest lap of the race. Clinton wishes to thank Jeff and Bob at Rage Karts for all the set up help and renting him the ride. Also thanks to Jay and Cullen for helping out when he needed it.

WBR Finishes Strong with 3 Grand National Wins and 5 National Championships!  AUGUST 19-24th JAMAICA RACEWAY, IA

JACOB LEADS BUT COMES UP SHORT IN USAC FINALE 

AUGUST 3rd- INDIANAPOLIS SPEEDROME-  Jacob Wilson looked strong charging to the front from the 4th starting position followed Chris Windom of Peoria, Ill. just waiting for him to slip up in the 50 lap Feature race Wednesday night. Wilson, who was returning for the first time since May, completed the pass for the point on Lap 45, but the pass was negated as Miranda Throckmorton was spun by another car. Wilson kept close on the restart lap, but dropped two car lengths back as the feature reached the penultimate lap. Jacob said "I could have spun him out for the win anytime in the last half of the race. I have had that done to me though and didn't want to win like that. I drive the guys clean who drive me that way and I hadn't raced with Chris before. I feel like we had the car to beat tonight, but unfortunately came up a bit short."

   Clinton was fast in the heat race, finishing 3rd, but went a lap down early from a tap from behind in turn 4 with no caution. "It was a real shame not to get to race for the win tonight, the car was handling the best it has all year." Clinton mused after the race. Look for the Wilson Brothers to return to USAC Action in the Spring of 2006 in the Kenyon's. Jacob hopes to land a ride in a Ford Focus Midget for some of the races in 2006, but nothing is set at this time.

CLINTON CLINCHES WKA PAVEMENT TITLE

JULY 29-31- SPRINGFIELD, IL- Clinton won the Jr 2 Heavy race Sunday clinching his first National Championship with one race to go in the best 2 of 3 series. He had fast time in qualifying and ran in 2nd place in the early laps. On lap 3 he put the #4 Phantom/ X-caliber kart out front for good. He was very strong Saturday qualifying on the pole. He was coming off turn 4 on the third lap when 3rd place hit his left rear sending him into the front stretch wall. It looked as if the Clint's day was over, but with help from Brandon Young, he was able continue without the body attached to his kart. Restarting on the rear of the field Clinton was able to charge back to a strong 4th place finish, in spite of his obvious aerodynamic disadvantage. He will have to wait to settle the Jr 2 Lite championship next month in Jamaica, Iowa.  Jacob had strong 2nd place finishes but was unable to secure any of his titles after winning all 4 divisions at the season opener at USA International Raceway in Shawano, Wisconsin. The Brothers will take this weekend off before heading off to Lasoski Speedway to contend for the Dirt National titles and then to Jamaica, Iowa to close out the Heartland Pavement Series where both of them lead the points standings.

JACOB SWEEPS WKA PAVEMENT with 4 WINS

JULY 22-24- VINCENNES PAVEMENT NATIONAL- The Temperature was hot but 15 year old Phantom/ X-Caliber Pilot was even hotter winning 3 poles and dominating the Junior Lite and Heavy as well as the Jr. Animal Champ and the Junior Champ Heavy divisions.

  Junior Lite was the first race of the weekend and starting from the outside pole position charged into the early lead and dominated the race winning by a couple kart lengths over New York’s Toby Parese.

Junior Animal Champ was the last class on Saturday with the WBR pilot sitting on the pole position for the Feature. When the green flag flew Jacob dropped into second for the first 10 laps pushing the leader far in front of the pack. Taking the lead at the half way point and never looked back for the win. Special thanks to John Ivers Jr. and Rage karts for helping us with the set-up.

Sunday came along with the heat index reaching 120 deg. Jacob sat the pole in the Junior Heavy division and led the opening laps that were plagued by 6 cautions, and the red flag on lap 8. When the race restarted, the remainder consisted of two lap runs until the checkers were dropped with the 07 out front.

 The final class of the weekend for Jacob and Team WBR was the Junior Champ Heavy division. Jacob once again sat on the pole but this time by 2 tenths of a second winning the Bondatti Performance award. Jacob led every lap finishing strong in his 4th victory of the weekend.

On the post race podium Jacob said” This was a feat that we didn’t even think about. I want to thank X-Caliber Racing Engines- Carl Young, Luke Gher / Phantom Racing Chassis- Harrill Wiggins & Tony Belk, Rage Karts- Jeff & Bob, Gould Body & Paint, Impact Racing, Vickery’s Speed Shop, Burris Racing, Lightning Light, Racer’s Edge, Kartshirts.com, Oval Kart Magazine, Mom, Dad, Clint and everyone else for their efforts this weekend. This is awesome!”

The Winning Streak Continues!

06.24.05 – Chapel Hill, NY- Rage Speedway Pavement Series- Jacob pulled off another win in Jr. Animal Champ, 3rd in Jr. Champ Heavy and 4th Junior Lite this past weekend. The new spec Dunlop tires threw the team a curve in the Kart classes but WBR was strong in the Champ Kart classes on the high banked fast oval. Jacob was running in 2nd place in Jr Champ Lite when 3 rd place spun him into the infield causing him to go a lap down. Despite the adversity he still cut the fastest lap of the race!

Clint wins another Double! Jacob wins one!

X-Caliber Racing Engines Nationals At KartWheels Speedway
06.17.05 – Heartland Speedway Dirt competitors are heading to Norfolk, Nebraska
More than 400 entries rolled into the outskirts of Norfolk, NE for round number 2 of the World Karting Association's Bully Clutches Heartland Dirt Series this past weekend.

Clinton swept Jr 2 lite and heavy with 3rd place qualifying and 2 wins. That makes him 4 for 4 in his last 4 national races 2 on pavement and 2 on dirt. In Jr2 Lite he charged to the lead and lead every lap from the green flag to checkered. Sundays Jr2 Heavy was a bit more challenging as he traded the lead back and forth in the early laps and restarting from the 2 cautions. On the restart he powered away from Saturdays runner-up, Mike Ballhagen, to the checkered flag and the win. “I am really happy to wish my dad happy fathers day like this!” Clinton beamed over the PA in his victory lane interview with Nascar Announcer Buddy Long.

Jacob started out with a roar setting the fast time poles for Jr lite and Jr Animal. He lost his air filter while leading the Jr. Lite and was forced to the pits to give up the win. He recovered to win the Jr animal race leading the final 17 laps and dominating the field. Bad qualifying spots put Jacob back in the field for Sunday’s races where he charged back to 4th in Jr Heavy and 6th in Jr Animal.

  They head to New York’s Chapel Hill Raceway this weekend with 5 more chances to win and add to their National wins.

SPEEDROME MIDGETS-WBR 4th & 6th 

After 2 red flag periods the brothers recovered to a 4th for Jacob and a 6th for Clinton in the best combined finish for the team. Jacob demonstrates how not to park a midget above causing the first red flag. The other car and driver were unscathed and continued as well after topping off with oil in the pits. 

WBR WINS 6 @ WKA Heartland Pavement Nationals-Clint wins his 1st National! & 2nd National too!

Shawano, WI - USAIR (USA International Raceway) The WBR Boys dominated both days of racing with 3 poles and 6 wins out of 6 classes. Clinton dominated his races leading all the laps from his outside pole starting position both in Jr2 Lite & Heavy. Jacob made a perfect weekend winning all 4 of his classes.

 WBR WINS 2 @ WKA Heartland Dirt Nationals, 4 top 10's

Waterloo, IA. Race-It Motorsports Track May 13-15 Friday practice was a rain out and we were afraid we missed out on some very important track time. Saturday morning we practiced fast and had a good handle on the track. Jacob qualified 4th in Jr. Lite and set the pole in Jr. Animal Lite while Clinton qualified 17th on a bad set of tires, but still good enough to make first round qualifying. Jacob raced his way to the front and bested the 48 kart class with a win. He fell back to 3rd on the start of the Jr. Animal race but was back in command by halfway. He stretched it out in the lapped traffic slicing through the field and winning by 6 seconds over 2nd place. Clinton's effort was made difficult by the constant spins and crashes in the 20 lap shoot out, setting him back every time the yellow flag flew. He was able to storm his way to 7th place at the waving yellow & checkered flag. Sunday the track was very cold and had a lot of bite in it. Jacob struggled a bit in qualifying and ended up 6th in the 54 kart Jr. Heavy and surged back to an outside front row in Jr. Animal Heavy. On the start he shot into 3rd spot and rode around for most of the 20 laps with a constant challenge from behind from 4th and 5th. He pulled out on them with a couple of laps to go and going into turn 3 the final time passed for a 2nd place finish! Clinton qualified 6th in the 26 kart JR2 Heavy class but was declared light at the scales; sending him to the back of the 26 kart field. Clint charged into the field gaining one or two spots every lap and like Saturdays race this one was a crashfest too! He passed into the top 5 at the waving checkered and yellow flags, passing 20 karts in 20 laps! He was placed officially in 10th place since the caution came out and the officials went back to the last complete lap. Tough luck for Clint! 26th to 10th is still a feat to remember. We will work harder on our efforts at the next Dirt National in June.

ROUGH WEATHER & TOUGH LUCK in FLORIDA 

Jasper, FL. Crossroads Motorplex Apr. 29- May1  The team was strong in Friday practice clocking fast times in all 5 classes. The weather was beautiful, 85 and sunny, Jacob was a bit under the weather with a cold, but that didn't affect him on the track. Saturday was nice in practice but the threat of rain moved in during qualifying and sprinkled on the track while the 07 cut his laps in Junior Lite causing him to drop to 13th on the grid, 4 tenths of a second slower than he had practiced. The Jr. Champ Lite run was perfect resulting in fast time and the pole. The Animal Champ effort was inhibited by a last minute engine change and the fuel system didn't get primed completely, resulting in a 6th place effort in qualifying. The racing started and Jacob immediately jumped to the top 5 and looked fast enough to catch Kirby Howe (NC.) who had pulled out to a big lead. Coming out of turn 4 six cars were gathered up in a spin forcing Jacob to go high off  the track and putting him back to mid pack on the restart. Once again he jumped to the top 5 and bumped with 3rd place in turn 2 moving the 07 up the track and back several positions, but by the time the checkered flag flew, Jacob had climbed back to 4th! What an effort by the whole team. The Jr. Champ Lite was a crash fest resulting in the 20 minute rule being used to end the race on the 9th lap. The 07 was light 1 pound at the scales and therefore dq'ed. However the officials noted that since half the laps hadn't been completed, the finish would be by qualifying order! We win! The ups and downs turned again with a failed tech inspection in the post race tear down. Sunday was a complete wash out with out even firing up an engine, we received  rain points which should move us to the top in Junior Heavy.

6 WINS in 10 Starts @ Indiana Divisional

Vincennes, In. Fast Track- April 9-10 We rolled in looking for good finishes to add to our national points transfer and that is what we did.  The weather was great and we enjoyed some very close racing winning one race by .03 seconds! The sportsmanship exhibited by the racers was 2nd to none. We are looking forward to hitting the dirt this weekend at Ben Hur Speedway.

1 WIN & 5 PODIUM FINISHES

LOWE'S MOTOR SPEEDWAY- March 18-21 WBR did what they said couldn't be done. Jacob started the weekend off right with a pole in Junior Lite. His first ever ride in a Champ Kart resulted in a 7th place qualifying effort and thanks to the hard work from Clinton, Luke, Carl and Mom & Dad they changed out the engine and put the same Champ Kart back on track and in the 3rd starting spot for Animal Champ. The first feature of the day for team WBR would be Junior Lite. The defending champion held on to the lead for the opening laps before dropping to second. At the half way point He resumed the lead and led the rest of the way untouched, taking the lead in the 5 race season long point standings. Jr. Champ Lite hit the track next and couldn't get started resulting in a single file start. Getting involved in a first lap tangle coming off turn 2 put the 07 back out of the top 15 but never phased Jacob who hooked up with two other karts and patiently drafted back into the top 10 by the 13th lap as the caution waved. On the restart he was after it again dropping to the inside and getting 2 more karts as the field rounded the fourth turn. Jacob rode in 7th until the final lap when he dove to the high side as a couple karts went spinning coming off the final turn putting him in 5th for his second podium of the day. A new class for the series is Animal Champ. From his 3rd place starting spot, Jacob pushed the pole sitter into the lead and himself to second. Falling a second behind the leader but maintaining his position until the 5th lap when it looked like he shifted into high gear. Jacob closed in on the leader waiting for the right moment to make his move but with around 5 laps to go a kart oiled down turn two and as he and the leader came through both spun off the track. The caution flew and their 2 second lead was erased. They both got their spots back  and ran in the same order to the checkered flag. After the race the announcer joked that Jacob and Joey Mattis (the leader) received a '10' for their dual pirouette's.  The new Phenom Champ Kart and Phenom Kart were flawless all weekend and very fast with the X-Caliber Power bolted to them. 

         Sunday brought more success to Team WBR with an outside pole in Jr Champ Heavy and what looked to be a pole in Junior Stock Heavy until another kart spun out in front of Jacob during his qualifying run, dropping back to 8th on the grid. He said " I really wanted another pole but the kart is real good and we will race fine". Jacob knew what he was talking about as he swapped the lead back and forth throughout the 20 lap feature finishing 2nd on the leaders bumper at the line. The Jr. Champ heavy race was another endurance race with Jacob leading before getting shuffled high and out of the draft bumping him back out of the top 10 as the caution flag flew. He fought back through the field and recovered to 4th as he and the 3rd place driver battled crossing the finish line. On the podium the WKA announcer noticed Jacob had been there a lot this weekend and asked " So, Jacob, After 5 podiums in 2 days what are you going to do next?". Jacob replied" I think I'm going to take a nap!" to the laughter of the crowd. 

    Team WBR and Jacob wish to thank: Harrill Wiggins Jr. and the employees at Phantom Racing Chassis, X-Caliber Racing Engines- Carl, Luke & Brandon, Impact Racing, Lightning Light, MyChron, Gould Body & Paint, Racer's Edge Graphics, Dunamis Clutches, Burris Tires, Don & Debbie Safrits, Vickerys Speed Shop, Renegade Toterhomes, kartshirts.com and the WKA and all of the track workers & officials for a 15th birthday weekend we all will remember.

CRAWFORDSVILLE, IN- WBR Shop- Clinton and Jacob continue preparations for the new racing season. Team WBR is planning on attending the WKA Speedway Pavement Series, Heartland Speedway Dirt Series, Heartland Speedway Pavement Series, Ben Hur Speedway Points Championships, and other big money races such as the Indoor National Kart Championships. Thursday Night Thunder will be a new venue on the WBR schedule for Clinton and Jacob's USAC Kenyon Midget's. The first of the races on our busy schedule will be at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Charlotte, NC, on March 18-20, 2005. This year Clinton will only be racing the dirt races while big brother Jacob looks to defend his national title in the Ultramax Speedway Pavement Series. Jacob completed last season with a National Championship in Junior Lite and coming home with a second in Junior Heavy and  Junior Animal! Clinton and Jacob both won track championships as well as finishing 1st and 3rd in the Inaugural Weekly Racing Series National AND Regional Points Championship. The Brothers are both entered in the Joe Karter RLV Weekly Racing Series again for the upcoming season.

Work in the shop has been tough and we have had to drop the engine out of Jacob's Kenyon Midget, to get it rebuilt. Clinton has been able to get his body repainted and hasn't yet seen it but can't wait, thanks to one of our very good sponsors Gould Body and Paint in Crawfordsville. It is not only the work in the shop that has kept us busy, but we have been trying to find more sponsors not just for the karts but also for the midgets as the racing budget is getting closer to the limit with two more national series on our schedule.   

FT WAYNE, IN- Rumble in the Dome- Jacob was fast in the heats and pulled to the early lead in the 1st nights feature. He was almost a half lap over 2nd when the caution flew and pulled out to a lead again when it went green. Eric Rudolph caught him and passed for the lead with 2 laps to go, so we settled for 2nd. We practiced fast the next day and were looking forward to another good finish. Jacob started the heat race from the tail and was passing for the lead on the 2nd lap. The driver he passed turned into his right rear turning Jacob hard right and flipping over into the cement retaining wall. Jacob was banged up a bit,  but the chassis was destroyed. Like some of the best drivers at the dome, his day was over from someone's lack of talent!

TUNICA, MS.- O'Reilly Auto Parts 14th National Indoor Karting Championships- Clinton was hooked up all weekend and qualified 14th out 80 karts in the 2nd round, then went on to finish 6th in the 20 kart field. Saturday was better for him qualifying in 4th and crossing the line in 4th for a podium finish. Jacob had 2 days of bad luck qualifying and never was able to cut a fast enough lap to make the feature race. He qualified 44th and 25th out of the 120 entered in his class. The event set a new world record for an indoor race with 1300 entries total.

WBR Double Champions at Ben Hur Speedway  BEN HUR SPEEDWAY- Oct 9 Clinton and Jacob finish local speedway at the top of their respective classes; Clinton wins Jr2 points championship with 6 wins and Jacob wins Junior Stock with 5 wins out of the 8 Ben Hur Speedway races!

2004 WKA NATIONAL CHAMPION!

2004 GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPION!

LOWE'S MOTOR SPEEDWAY- Sept 3-5  The Wilson Brothers and Crew rolled into Lowe's Motor Speedway with one thing in mind WIN.  The #07 kart was fast right off the trailer and with Carl tuning on the chassis we were able to improve each time on the track. We qualified a 14.430 around the 1/5 mile oval which was good enough for the Jr. Lite pole! Jacob took the green flag and charged into the early lead. The kart was very strong and he immediately built a lead that would never be challenged on his way to his first Grand National victory. The Jr Animal race was much tougher on the 14 year old driver. Starting from 3rd on the grid he was able to drive to the lead on lap 2 before being shuffled to the outside and back to 5th. He fought back to 2nd place and was holding the position from lap 11 to 16 when the caution flag flew. On the restart the 07 was pushed to the outside and dropped back to 8th with 3 to go, only recovering to 6th at the checkered flag. Jr heavy looked promising after qualifying outside pole, however once again the outside lane just couldn't keep up and Jacob fell back to 10th before he could get back in line in the 24 kart feature. On lap 8 he emerged into the top 5 where he bounced around until the last lap. Just past the finish line taking the white flag, the 07 moved inside the #1 of Jake Crum  to take over 5th spot. Crum's kart for no apparent reason turned hard left knocking the 07 into the infield and almost taking out the turn 1 flagman! We ended up 10th and Crum got DQ'ed. THAT'S RACING!

WBR's First Magazine Cover Photo!

BEN HUR SPEEDWAY- May 22nd Clinton and Jacob dominated their home track with twin feature wins. Clinton led every lap in his heat race from his outside pole starting spot and went on to win the feature and lead every lap in it as well. "My Nemesis was hooked up all night and was easy to drive wherever I wanted it to go." Clinton said after the feature win. He also turned the fast lap times in both races.  

Jacob managed to finish 2nd in the heat race after starting 12th in the16 kart field. Starting on the front row he jumped out to lead into turn one but Casey Povelonas fought back and the two were side by side coming off turn four. 3rd place  starter Stephen Applegate pulled along the inside and the trio headed into turn 1 side by side resulting in all 3 spinning out and by virtue of the 1st lap being complete were forced to restart on the tail of the field. On the restart Jacob wasted no time dicing back through the field with Casey and Stephen in tow. The red flag came out at halfway and gave the pilot of the X-Caliber #07 a chance to  get his breath before continuing his charge to the front eventually taking the race lead at the white flag from Kristin Reimer who finished 2nd. "My kart was really good tonight and that was a lot of fun to drive through the field like that." Jacob said in victory lane.

INDIANAPOLIS SPEEDROME- May 19th We headed into this race with some new confidence and high hopes after have master chassis tuner Jack French go through the car with Clinton and Jacob Tuesday night. When we arrived at the track the clouds opened up and looked like we were going home with out trying out our new set up. Mother nature gave us a break and the crews dried the track along with Jacob and a few other midgets in the only practice we would have this night. Starting 6th in his heat race Jacob charged to 3rd on the start and was able to for the lead until the final 2 laps when Brice Kenyon was able to get under him going into turn 3 and dropping the #07 back to 3rd at the checkered flag. Our best finish yet!!!   Feature time was exciting as the pole sitter, Thomas Hennigan brought out an early red with a flip over the Turn 1 wall. On the restart Jacob was able to maintain his 5th place spot but as the laps wound down the track tightened up  as well as the car and he was lucky to finish in 6th place on the lead lap. We'll see what we can do with them next week when the USAC National midgets will be in town and our race will be Thursday night instead of Wednesday.

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FAST TRACK- Vincennes, IN WKA Divisional - May 15th & 16th- Team WBR Dominate WKA Divisional on the way to 5 Championships! Clinton and Jacob combined for 8 fast time pole awards and 9 wins in a near perfect weekend of racing. Clinton clinched the JR2 Light and Heavy crowns while Jacob aced Junior Light and Heavy as well as Junior Animal.

INDIANAPOLIS SPEEDROME- May 12th  The USAC Kenyon Midget looked good in the heat race and Jacob finished one spot better than last week with a 4th. He once again was able to keep his nose clean and avoid the many cautions on his way to a 6th place finish that put him in a tie for 2nd in the elusive points race season.

INDIANAPOLIS SPEEDROME- May 5th  WBR fielded a USAC Kenyon Midget in the first of sixteen Wednesday night regional battles. Jacob finished 5th in his very first heat race and went on to finish 4th by keeping the car under him and staying out of trouble in the 50 lap feature that had a very high rate of attrition .

May 2004- BeaveRun, Wampum, PA;  WKA Pro- Kart Pavement Nationals-WBR WINS!!! Jacob Started on the Pole for the Junior Light and Junior Animal Features looking very strong. He led the first lap before starting a slide back to 7th position in what looked to be a disappointment for the team, however the kart finally came in and he was rocketing through the field picking the lead back up with 5 laps to go and pulling out to 1.4 second lead and turning the fastest lap of the race on the final lap!!!

Junior Animal was another good  run and Jacob led all but one of the 20 laps in this one with competitor Jason Shultz leading it and staying in the draft of the #07 the entire race making it exciting until the end. After all the high fives and celebrating we found in post race technical inspection the restrictor plate had been installed backwards and therefore was not in compliance to a rule that had been changed after the technical manual was printed. Jason Shultz was handed the victory and we were disqualified. Jacob's response was that of a true champion "Heck, forget it guys and don't worry we'll get 'em next time!" There weren't many dry eyes around the Team WBR pit for a while.

April- Opening Night at Ben Hur Speedway

Jacob Started 12th in the heat race and blistered the 1/3 mile oval with a 20.052 second fast lap on his way to the front. Starting from the pole Jacob led all the laps and captured the $100 Burris Bonus Money!

WKA Indiana Spring Divisional Series- 4 wins and 2 second place finishes! After the races we ran into some real party animals see the pictures here.

March 2004- Lowe's Motor Speedway, Charlotte N.C. WKA Pavement National- Jacob took to the 1/5 mile newly repaved oval like a duck to water and was very fast in practice Thursday and Friday. Saturdays Junior Light Qualifying was a real eye opener, 23rd fast was not where we had hoped to start. Junior Animal was much better with 3rd fast time. We knew the Junior Light feature would be crazy starting that far back in the field and Jacob rose to the occasion with an awesome start launching him to 11th place by the time the first caution flag flew at lap 9. This looked to be just what we needed was to bunch up the field after passing 12 karts and 11 more to go! Jacob got another good start and in the 2 green flag laps managed to pop into the top 5. We were now sitting in a position to be a factor at the end and possibly win our first national! While still under the caution a kart from the rear of the field shot to the inside of the line and hit Jacob in the left rear tire cutting down his valve stem and relegating him to 18th place finish.

Jacob had a good feeling starting 3rd in the Junior Animal Feature. The front 3 jumped out to a small lead with 2nd place Jesse State and 3rd place Jacob battled out and passed back and forth allowing the leader Jason Shultz to pull out to a 5 kart lead by the halfway mark of the race. Wilson and State got nose to tail and drafted back up to the leader at the white flag. Jacob dove to the inside of Jesse going into turn 1 and held him off to finish 2nd!

Sundays Junior Heavy saw the 14 year old Wilson starting 5th  on the grid with a very good qualifying lap. When the green flag dropped he was pushed to the outside and the field "freight trained" past him. He was able to get back in line in 13th place and at the halfway point the kart came in and he started his march to the front passing several karts and turning much faster laps. He was riding in 8th at the white flag and the lead 3 karts tangled going into turn 3. Wilson was able to avoid contact and diced his way to 5th in a hard battled podium finished.

JACOB WILSON WINS 

"THE RUMBLE IN THE RCA DOME"!

       WBR and Crew  raced to the RCA Dome looking for a couple of top 10 finishes in the annual indoor racing extravaganza that has Midgets, TQ's, Legends & Mini Sprints Headlining the big show along with the karts. Last year more than 15,000 spectators attended giving the kart racers the largest crowd they had ever competed in front before.

Jacob and Clinton were both very fast in final practice and we felt confident both could transfer to the feature directly from the heat races. When line-ups were posted we learned that our drivers would be in the same heat race, not a good prospect for any 2 car team. In heat race #1 Jacob moved to the front with Mark Anderson glued to the tail of the #07, Thomas Kennedy and Clinton falling in 4th at the line. Heat race #2 was inverted and we got stuck on the outside again due to the fact we had 9 in our heat instead of 8. The boys fell back on the start and Jacob was first to get to the inside unfortunately putting Clinton outside of a 3 wide battle into turn one. Jacob charged into 2nd with Mark Anderson in tow  while Clinton pulled to the inside in 7th place. Jacob was unable to catch pole sitter Kennedy and finished 2nd as Clinton wheeled the #4 kart through traffic into the 5th spot at the finish line. We felt Jacob would be in the show but Clinton would probably have to race his way in through the B main. We headed off to Hooters (The Official Restaurant of WBR) for supper and crashed till Saturday morning. We prepared the # 4 kart for the B main where Clint would start 4th and have to finish in the top 3 to advance to the feature. On the worst start the team got all day, Clint  got wheel hopped coming to the green and fell back to the tail end only recovering to 7th place and ending his dream of winning the rumble.  

Feature Time! Jacob was cool and collected as he readied himself to take the green flag from his 3rd place starting position. The karts rolled out onto the Dome floor and did a "4 wide salute to the fans" parade lap before pairing off in 2 lines to start. On the first start Jacob shot inside pole sitter Jacob Fields to take the lead going into turn 1, but contact in the middle of the field caused a complete restart. The second attempt Wilson drafted Fields to the backstretch and took the front going into 3, but once again a restart was declared, this time for Jacob Kincaid a friend of the Wilson Brothers, who crashed hard into the turn 2 tire markers, destroying his kart and chances at a victory. The next start was single file and Jacob held onto 3rd back to complete the first lap and charged to the inside passing for the lead going into turn one. The "Indiana Flash" extended his lead to about 20 karts over 2nd place until another caution waved when Michael May was collected by the outer wall as he tried to avoid a spinning Justin Sondgeroth. Jacob pulled back out to his original lead on the restart and looked untouchable as he sliced through the lapped traffic. Then with 3 laps to go the 07 slowed a bit allowing Kennedy to close in on him, the unthinkable was happening, after dominating the race Jacob was running out of fuel! Kennedy closed in and was on his tail at the white flag. Kennedy pulled to the outside coming off turn 2 and looked to be the new leader. Jacob slammed the door going into turn 3 and held the inside line going into 4. Kennedy pulled to the inside but Jacob held on to the top spot winning by less than half a kart length! Jacob was smiling inside his helmet as he posed with Big Bob Kinser holding the checkered flag in Victory Lane. Thanks to Todd Rogers, The Youngs & all of the X-Caliber teammates for the help and support this weekend.

WBR WINS at TUNICA! 

13th Annual Race-On Driving Experience National Indoor Kart Championships

    We headed down south to Mississippi for Thanksgiving hoping to make the show amongst the 1200 entries (a new national record for an indoor go kart race!). 

    Clinton and Jacob both were fast right off the trailer and it looked like we might be able to make the field in first round qualifying. Clinton turned a lap in JR1 light fast enough to lock him in 7th in the first round while Jacob struggled and was forced to 2nd round qualifying where  he placed 13th in the JR2 light starting grid.

    Clinton charged into 2nd place on the start and was setting his sights on the lead when a bump from behind slid him up to the wall and back to last place. He was able to recover to 14th before the checkers in a disappointing run that he had a good look at the win in. 

    Jacobs JR2 light feature was a wild ride as the 2 lead karts checked out on the field while he sliced his way to 3rd place. At the line they were lined up 123 nose to tail. Jacob was very excited coming from that far back in such a talented field of drivers and having a look at the win if only the race would've gone another lap.

    Saturdays qualifying turned out to be very exciting with both Clinton and Jacob making their respective fields in first the round in JR1 Heavy and JR2 Heavy . Clinton set the 3rd fastest time and Jacob blistered the 1/5 mile oval with an outside pole position! The excitement was overshadowed by the reality that a chance at winning was now possible. We prepared the karts and after the pre race ceremonies sent Clinton onto the track for the feature. On the start Clinton followed the pole sitter into turn one in 2nd place despite a hard shot from behind that resulted in the offending kart spinning and being collected by the rest of the field, causing a single file restart. On the restart he maintained 3rd spot for the first few laps while the leader pulled out to a half lap advantage. Clinton passed for second place at the halfway point of the race and was able to catch the leader in lapped traffic with 2 laps to go. Everyone was on their feet as he pulled inside of the leader going down the back stretch looking like he would take the top spot. He realized going into turn 3; both of them weren't  going to make it to the finish line and valor won out over greed as he allowed the leader back in line and settled for 2nd place! Not bad for his 1st indoor race. The television interview on the podium was "really cool" and in his own words he explained "I didn't want to wreck the guy in front of me for the win cause that sure wouldn't make me feel like a winner, I'll take 2nd and get the win next time. It was like driving real fast bumper cars out there and I had a lot of fun."

    The JR2 heavy feature was unable to start on the first try and went to the single file restart Jacob had hoped for. He and the leader broke free of the field on the start and on lap 2 Jacob passed for the lead. He held off hard charges on 2 additional cautions and managed the lapped traffic to win by more than 2 seconds over 2nd place. 

    The X-Caliber powered Phantom Nemesis were good all weekend on the Burris tires. Thanks to Bill Simpson of Impact racing for the super comfortable helmets and safety gear, Digitron for the reliable instruments, Carl, Brandon, Keith and Chris for helping us, and all of the X-Caliber teammates who are always there to help us out. Thanks to all our sponsors and Racer's Edge for the awesome decals (we received a lot of compliments on how nice the karts looked)

Thanks to everyone for a wonderful weekend of racing, family and friends.

SEPTEMBER 2003

WKA National Race # 5 -"Back home again" in Indiana for the final WKA Ultramax Speedway Pavement National Race. This was our last chance at the National Title. Clinton volunteered his Nemesis chassis to brother Jacob to help him win the title since Jacobs was crashed one month earlier. Unfortunately we struggled in qualifying and raced even worse this weekend. I always heard racing will bring you the highest and the lowest of times and we sure experienced both this season. Thanks to all the fine racers we competed with in the WKA Nationals, WKA Officials and all the sponsors who make our hobby possible!

AUGUST 2003

WKA National Race # 4 -We headed to Alabama for the WKA Ultramax Speedway Pavement National Race No. 4 with high hopes.  Clinton turned up the wick qualifying his career best with a 5^th place starting spot in JR1 light. Jacob struggled with a 11^th place start but we felt he would be able to race much faster than that. Clinton’s Feature Race started good but he got caught on the outside and was quickly shuffled to the back. He was able to climb back to 12^th before the checkered flag. Jacob started fast and after numerous first lap restarts was in 5^th spot by the 5^th lap, moving through the field and turning very fast laps. On lap 8 he was in 4^th with his eye on 2^nd & 3^rd when coming off turn 4 3^rd place bumped 2^nd and turned him around right in front of Jacob. He moved up the track to avoid it but the spinning kart caught the nose of his kart launching him upside down into the top of the retaining fence. He was very shaken up and took a precautionary ride to the Emergency Room where the doctor gave him the ok to race Sunday.

            Clinton peeled off a 6^th place lap in qualifying for JR1 Heavy but was too upset from seeing Brother Jacob’s crash to compete Sunday.

            Jacob was determined to keep his Championship hopes alive and was able to qualify no better than Saturday in 12^th. He had to use the dirt kart, as we feared his other one was damaged beyond repair. Jake Cook loaned us his practice motor as ours ran  while the kart was upside down in the crash. He rode out the race uneventfully in 11^th place and finished very sore and tired. Thanks to Bill Simpson and Impact Racing for the great helmets and safety equipment. Thanks to the Lord for keeping Jacob and Clinton safe on and off the track.

            We are now back to Fast Track to finish out the Indiana Pavement Divisional series next weekend. Clinton is leading Jr1 Light and Jr1 Heavy, while Jacob leads the points in both JR2 classes.

            The Final stop on the National tour is Vincennes Fast Track September 12^th –14^th!

July 2003

Boone County Fair Race  Lebanon, Ind. (July 23)--The winning ways continue for Wilson Brothers Racing. Jacob and Clinton both captured features Wednesday night at the Boone County Fair, one in dramatic fashion and the other in dominant form. Clinton rolled from outside row one and lead the first circuit of the Junior 2 Turquoise finale. He was quickly passed two laps later and sat in third coming to the halfway point of the 12-lapper. Before the 11-year old ace got there, he made it back to second and started his chase of leader Jacob Kincaid. The disadvantage diminished to nothing at the white flag. Clinton moved to the inside in turn one and took the top spot. He went on to the victory, keeping the Wilson win streak in the Junior class at that fair in tact. It wasn't as near dramatic in brother Jacob's Gold races. He dominated the 12-lap feature the same way as the heat race earlier. Jacob started on the pole of the feature and was never headed, winning by a full straightaway. The X-Caliber Racing Engines/Carpenter GMAC/Phantom Chassis/Digatron/Burris Tire machine was fast off the trailer, giving him his second straight Boone County Fair title. In their last ten features combined, Wilson Brothers Racing has recorded nine victories. Up next for the Crawfordsville duo will be their home track, Ben Hur Speedway, Saturday night

 WKA National Race # 3 from Chapel Hill, New York. Both Clinton and Jacob were fast in practice hoping for a run at the pole position. Saturday morning erased all chances for Clint in a final  practice round crash that bent his chassis as we later discovered. Jacob shared in the bad luck with his run at the pole. His first lap was unofficially fast enough for the pole but problems with the WKA transponder relegated him to 6th on the starting grid and a bad push in the feature race put him in 11th place at the end. Sunday was a whole different story for Jacob. He was very fast in final practice and managed to put his kart on the pole (his 1st in National competition). The Nemesis chassis handled well but we had set up for long runs and the track never stayed green for more than 5 laps at a time so the runner up spot was a great finish for Jacob! 

June 2003   -is it me or does it only rain on the weekends?

WKA National Race # 2 from Beaverun Pennsylvania was Jacobs time to shine. A crash in Jr Sportsman 2 Lights placed him on the tail of the 22 kart field with 10 laps to go and Jacob charged back to the front passing for 5th before the checkered flag. The race was called back 2 laps due to a last lap caution spotting him 9th officially. Sundays Jr Sportsman 2 Heavy turned some heads though. Starting outside pole Jake charged to the lead and by the halfway signal had pulled out to a full second lead on 2nd place Ryan Doherty. The Indiana Flash pulled back into the lead on the restart but Doherty stayed close this time and with 2 laps to go Jacob slid high in turn 3 giving up the preferred line and lead of the race. He was all smiles after the race and is excited and looking forward to Chapel Hill, New York for stop #3 in the National Series!