After a weekend where both Ryan Watt and his son Logan Watt left the track with wrecked cars, Ryan Watt had his hands full. The elder Watt elected to fix his son’s ride and looked to head to the races as just a crew chief for Logan. Then, the Wrights stepped in.
The Watts had a rough time during the Short Track Super Series’ Speed Showcase 200 Weekend on October 14–16 at Port Royal Speedway in Pennsylvania.
“Things seemed to be going well,” Watt, of Boyertown, Pennsylvania, said. “We made a pit stop on lap 84 [of 200], and we were expecting good results. Ten laps later, there was a wreck in front of me. I backed my car into the wall and then got hit in the rear.”
The impact damaged the bars surrounding the fuel cell of the Bicknell Racing Products chassis.
“The damage wouldn’t affect handling,” said Watt, “but it meant the frame would have to be cut apart and welded back together.”
Logan Watt, 12, also found himself in a crash during the crate 602 sportsman race. He incurred extensive sheet-metal damage. With two wrecked cars, Watt faced a decision for the next weekend.
“It would have been a lot of work to turn around both cars,” Watt said. “Logan has been running well this year. It was easier to repair his car than mine, so we focused on his car.”
At Delaware International Speedway, Watt arrived with only his son’s car. But, car owner John Wright offered Watt the seat his son Carson Wright typically occupies. However, not only in Wright’s big block modified, but also his small block.
“My son Carson was sidelined with a blood infection,” said John Wright, of Georgetown, Delaware. “With Carson being sick, I had good equipment sitting here.”
Wright befriended Watt after he recommended to him to car owner Jeff Brown for the DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in De Leon Springs, Florida.
“[Brown] wanted to put a ‘gun’ in the car — I recommended Ryan,” said Wright. “I thought our personalities would work well together. I didn’t know him — I had just observed his driving style and the way he interacted with fellow racers and fans. His personality was great.”
Since then, Wright and Watt have maintained a friendship by talking over the phone about setups and racing.
“Ryan and my son like the high side — banging the cushion to get the job done,” Wright said. “Ryan doesn’t get equipment torn up. He’s good at what he does. His crew is great to work with. A good attitude goes a long ways.”
In Wright’s rides, Ryan Watt finished fifth in the big block modified feature (pictured) and third in the small block one. Logan Watt won his heat, set fast time and finished sixth in the 30-car crate 602 sportsman race.
“Thanks to the kindness of the Wrights, I was able to race, Logan did fantastic, and I’ll have time this week to fix my car,” Watt said. “It will be 100% ready for this weekend’s race.”
Ryan Watt looks to race at Delaware’s Georgetown Speedway on October 29–30 for the Short Track Super Series’ Mid-Atlantic Championship weekend. It also serves as a points race for the locals, where Watt leads the track’s modified point standings. Wright said he’ll have his cars ready for Watt, if he should need them.
For more on Ryan Watt, read the following stories:
- “Ryan Watt: Finally Mastered the 4/10-Mile at Bridgeport”
- “A Mega Ryan Watt Smile: First Time in a Wingless Sprint”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
