It may have been championship Saturday night for the four series that race at Eastbound International Speedway, but one driver who didn’t claim a season title served notice he shouldn’t be forgotten.
Josh Collins powered his No. 23 Wing ’N’ It-sponsored silver and black machine through the field and captured his fourth straight Eastbound Finale 150, the longest and toughest of the 10 races the track hosts each season.
Collins grabbed the pole in time trials with a fast lap of 17.293 and used that sort of speed to overcome the NASCAR Division I series field and take the checkered flag, drawing the 2018 season to a close.
“Winning four in a row is great. These guys who put this car together work hard and give me a good car every time out,’’ Collins said as he waited in line to go through post-race inspection.
“We learned a few things from the problems we had two weeks ago, dropped a new engine in this car yesterday (Friday), made a few adjustments to our setup and felt we had a good car for today.
And to make it all the sweeter for the Placentia-based driver, he had to come from the back of the field where he had begun the day. Despite having the fastest qualifying time, he started in the back as he was serving a penalty from the Wounded Warriors 75 two weeks ago.
Collins may have been resigned to the fact Wayne Walsh had more than enough points to earn the 2018 NASCAR Division I title of the Whelen All-American series at Eastbound, but he knew his car and team were a contender all season, winning their fair share of races.
“I wish we had of run all 10 races his year, missing that one race hurt our chances,’’ he said.
“Winning a championship here is a goal of mine and we will be back to compete for win next year.
Championships decided
Walsh and his No. 99 team proved consistency makes a difference.
That effort will allow the man dubbed the ‘Flamin’ Bayman’ to make a return appearance at the season-closing banquet at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C., in November.
It was one of the four championships celebrated Saturday night.
The others saw Owen Groves winning back-to-back MNR Performance Bandolero series titles; Michael Neary, the rookie phenom, finishing on top in the Hanlon Realty U.S. Legends series; and Shane Collins taking the Atlantic Dodge Dealers Hobby Stock title.
Walsh was quick to share the victory with his crew, saying they helped his program remain consistent throughout the past season.
“We all work hard on this car. My shop is always busy as this is a full-time job on top of all our regular jobs,’ he said.
“This helps keep the car consistent and allows us to try and run for a win each time out.”
Walsh said winning a title is not all about winning races, although he says that helps. He said being near the front and amassing the most points available each week lets drivers like him run for a championship.
His team accomplished that and more.
“Tires are always the most important thing. You have to have the right stagger. That is key to my setup, and this crew always finds a way to get that right,” he said.
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Unlike the previous race when a review led to a loss to Nick Codner, breaking his unbeaten streak of 16 consecutive races, Groves was able to cap off his two-year-domination of the Bandolero series by taking Sunday’s win and punctuating his championship with an exclamation mark.
“A lot of people worked hard for me to get me here he said. My dad, my pops, the sponsors on my car like Quinlan Brothers — they all made this possible,’’ he said in a quick on track interview following the race.
Codner was second and, along with a talented group that includes Sara Thorne, Joey Arsenault, Jacob Lawrence, Austin Hiscock, is expected to vie for the title in 2019.
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Neary, who finished second to Groves in 2017 in the Bandolero series, had a meteoric rise in 2018.
A rookie driver in the Legends division, Neary swept all 10 races this season and even though it didn’t stand as the track record because the lap was unofficial, he posted a time of 17.440 on Lap 16 of the 25-lap final. A caution came out before the field could pass the timing loop, meaning Neary’s lap did not count for the record books.
But winning is hard and Neary knows it. Asked how he felt when he got out of the car after his 10th and final victory of 2018, he breathed heavily and said “I’m tired.”
He called the year a dream season, made possible by the hard work of his crew, his family, and the support he received from the fellow competitors, the fans, and his former colleagues in the Bandolero series who all ran down pit road to congratulate him.
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Shane Collins and his No. 33 car from Placentia captured the Atlantic Dodge Dealers Hobby Stock championship for 2018.
Collins started the day with nearly double the points of the rest of the Hobby Stock Series field and didn’t disappoint in what may be considered the most exciting level of racing at Eastbound, as he came through the pack to take the checkered flag and earn the right to be crowned champ of the Division II Whelen All-American series.
