3/11/2014
Willamette Speedway
Getting Up To Speed With…Rick Wyatt
Getting Up To Speed With…Rick Wyatt
By Ben Deatherage
(Photo Courtesy of Doc's Photos)
Fans of the Willamette Speedway over the last five years have seen one of the nicest guys in the pit area, Rick Wyatt. In 2013 a terrible shop fire looked as if Wyatt’s entire racing career would be extinguished as he lost literally everything. But with the love and support of the fans at both Willamette and Cottage Grove Speedways Wyatt was back on the track before the year was over.
2014 will see Rick Wyatt a staple in the X-Factor Race Cars Super Late Model division. But it will also see him make a return into an IMCA Modified as he will make select appearances in that tough classification throughout the season. Through his eight years of racing Wyatt managed to win not one but two Strawberry Cup features in the same night in 2006 (one in the Late Models and the other in the Super Sports) as well as picking up a victory at the Cottage Grove Speedway in the Late Model portion of the World of Outlaws program in 2010. Now let’s get up to speed with Rick Wyatt.
Driver: Rick Wyatt
Home Track: Willamette Speedway
Hometown: Aumsville, Oregon
Occupation: Cabinetmaker
Age: 48
Years Racing: 8
Classification: X-Factor Race Cars Super Late Model/IMCA Modified
Team: Team Elite
Car: 24W
Chassis: Rocket Chassis/Hughes Race Cars
Sponsors: E.C.P. of Salem, Monty’s Racing Repair, Big Sky Landscaping, Don Frank Flooring
Special Thanks: To All Of The Fans
BD: Well Rick 2013 had to be a really difficult year for you and your family with the shop fire.
RW: Yes on July 10th my entire shop caught on fire. The reasons were inconclusive but there was fireworks going off in the area at the time. Pretty much it was a total loss. But the fans from Willamette and Cottage Grove Speedways both did a fundraiser and helped me out tremendously.
BD: Through the years of racing I’ve always seen you drive the #24. Was there a reason you chose that number?
RW: It was the only numbers that I liked that was left. I was #22 for most of my career in other things but at the time Jimmy Schram had that number and you couldn't have two cars with the same number.
BD: A couple years ago I interviewed you and you told me your favorite musical genre was rap. Is that still true?
RW: [laughs] No, I like types of music. I prefer Christian and Country right now if anything, I like a little bit of rap but not much.
BD: In 2006 you managed to win the Strawberry Cup in the Super Late Models and Super Sports. That has to be a memory that will never fade for you?
RW: Oh yeah it was awesome. At that time the Strawberry Cup was the biggest event at Willamette. It’s the one everyone wanted to win its pretty cool because the whole entire town came out. It was one of those nights where everything clicked and all of our choices went right.
I also won race in my rookie season in a Late Model. I made the feature in my first race where there was sixty-five cars and won my seventh or eighth time out. After moments like that I was hooked.
BD: Another big race I seen you win was the Late Model portion of a World of Outlaws race at CGS. That one came down to the last few moments. Tell me about that one.
RW: It was pretty cool unfortunately Mike Miller and I got together. I saw an opening and we touched and he spun. John Duty and I got together early in that race and I came from the back to win it. To win at that place was awesome Cottage Grove really packs the fans for the Outlaw shows.
The 2014 season is quickly approaching and Willamette Speedway is the place to get your racing fix. Saturday April 5th will kick things off with the test and tune open practice while the “Cabin Fever Season Opener” will be held the following Saturday on the 12th. Be sure and log on to www.trophymotorsports.com for the latest information regarding Willamette Speedway.
Submitted By: Ben Deatherage