(Interview) Hudson Weston – Sophomore Late Model Driver on the Rise

#43 Hudson Weston - Courtesy of Tanya Everett Photography

August 2nd, 2024

Introduction:

Hudson Weston has steadily risen through the ranks of Maritime racing in every type of car he has raced in. His journey, from humble beginnings to becoming a Sportsman championship contender and Super Late Model Series (SLMS) rookie of the year winner, showcases his upward trajectory.

Early Beginnings:

Hailing from St. Martins, New Brunswick, Weston began his racing career in a Bandolero at Speedway 660. He quickly made a name for himself, competing against future Late Model stand-outs such as Cory Hall, Ryan Messer, and Ashton Tucker. Weston's early success included finishing in the top-10 in points in 2014 and 4th in 2015.

Rise to Prominence:

In 2016, Weston debuted in the Late Model Sportsman series at Speedway 660, securing another top-10 points finish. By 2022, he had progressed to a top-5 finish in the standings. Switching to a Pro Stock in 2023 at Speedway 660, Weston saw significant success, placing 2nd in the standings with four podium finishes. His performance in the Super Late Model Series (SLMS) was equally impressive, finishing 12th overall and earning the 2023 SLMS Rookie of the Year title by being the Rookie of the Race in half of the 6 races.

His keen ability to listen, learn, and improve earned him recognition as Speedway 660's Most Improved Driver in both the Bandolero and Sportsman categories during his time in each series.

High Praise from Travis Benjamin:

Travis Benjamin, a seasoned racer with multiple championships, praised Weston for his performance after joining his crew in the 2023 Speedway 660 250 Lap Race. He noted his race craft, along with his ability to save his car and run strategically. He commended Weston’s maturity and racing acumen, particularly noting how Weston handled himself like a seasoned racer, which isn't always the case for a young driver.

Racing Style and Philosophy:

Weston is known for his clean and strategic racing style. He balances aggression with caution, ensuring respect from his competitors while striving for victory. His style emphasizes enjoyment of the sport, respect for peers, and continuous improvement.

Future Prospects:

With his recent championship and growing reputation, Hudson Weston is poised for even greater success. His journey serves as an inspiration for aspiring racers, illustrating that dedication, humility, and hard work can lead to significant achievements and advancement.

What would you say is probably the most significant lesson that you learned during your 2023 Season in a Pro Stock and in the SLMS?

I learned a lot in my first season last year. I would say the main thing that I learned was patience: that you just have to let the race come to you, and that you also can't get too down on yourself. We started last year with some bad luck. We were involved in a few wrecks and also had mechanical issues. We did have the speed, which was motivating us, and we knew we were close in that sense, but we just weren't getting the results. So we just really had to be patient, and then finally, the results started to come by the end of the year.

Learning the difference between Sportsmen and Pro Stocks, and how you approach the races differently, especially with the races being 150 laps typically in Pro Stock, compared to, say, 40 lap features in Sportsmen, was just a whole different ball game. In Sportsmen, it was just driving for everything you had all race. So I would say that was the biggest lesson learned.

How did you feel when you were awarded with the SLMS Rookie of the Year Title? And how did that tie in to where you said you started off with some struggles and mechanical issues and such.

That was definitely a big honour to receive that award. Yeah, as I mentioned, the year didn't start off as planned with the first two races - I think with the first 2 races we were dead last, and then we got a DNF (did not finish) in the third race. So after those first three races, I didn't even have my eyes set on the Rookie of the Year Award anymore. I just figured with all of that bad luck, there was no chance we would be able to win it at that point. But it was after the fourth race when we get a ninth place finish, and then it all started to come together, with an eighth and then finished the season off with an 11th place finish, and that was able to get us where we needed to be the top rookie.

It was definitely a huge honour, and it was awesome to get to share that with my whole family and the pit crew as well at the awards banquet, because without them, I wouldn't have been able to be up there to receive that award. So it was definitely a cool moment to get to experience that all with them.

You saying that one of the big lessons for you was not to get too down on yourself - I bet that your experience in not expecting to be in contention for the rookie of the year after the start of the season, and then that turning around, that probably played a role into that aspect.

Yeah, definitely. Because for that fourth race, we all said the mindset was that we just wanted to finish a race at that point, so that kind of did help take the pressure off and just get back to doing what we do best, to simplify it.

Could you describe your approach to race strategy and car/tire management, and what impact did having Travis Benjamin crew for you at the 660 250 Lap race play into that.

It was great to have Travis with us there last year; Very cool to get to work with someone who has the experience in the sport that he has. He's just a really nice guy, and extremely knowledgeable. So he definitely was a huge help on Speed Weekend. We were running in second a fairly good length into that race, too, which was something we did not expect going into that, with that being my first 250 lap race ever. That was kind of surreal for us. [That was probably the best Speed Weeks in several years, too] It was really cool because we watched that race for so many years, because we would definitely be in the Saturday show on Speed Weekend [in a different class], and we watched the Sunday race. So that was cool to get to be running up front in that race, where I watched it for so many years. Travis was a big reason for that, of course.

Yeah, Travis even brought that up to me, he said how he's impressed with poise and ability. I imagine you can tell a driver to, you know, manage their tires and stuff, but to actually do it is another thing, too. And at some points, I think he thought you might be pressing a little too hard when you should be riding, but it turned out that you were, in fact, managing them quite well, and just fast.

Yeah, we did have a fairly early pit stop in that race, and after that I was just riding along for a while, because I had newer tires than most cars out there, so there wasn't really a reason to push it. And then we were close to the front on a restart, and he said 'All right, you go to the front if you can', and then that's when I started to push it. I was able to get up the second because I had been saving. That race was one of the first where I really tried to focus on the tire saving, because earlier in the season, I think I was just happy to be running competitively, and I wasn't thinking in that kind of long run mindset, as I was later in the year, and I've really put a big focus on that this year - not pushing too hard at the start of the race and making sure we have a good car by the end, because that's the most important, especially if there's a late restart or anything, you still want to have your stuff, and that was huge in our Geary (Speedway 660) race this year, we fell back to around 14th place early in the race and ended up with a 6th place finish, and that was all because of tire management. We didn't really want to fall back as far as we did, though.

The car honestly wasn't handling the best that day, and the tire management is what was able to kind of salvage a strong finish, which is our best finish to date in the SLMS.

I am thinking with track position being important, obviously, and if it's a race that happens to money for laps lead, and you think you have a car that you can just ride with open air in the front, if appropriate, being up front early can be good. But also, like you mentioned, too, you ideally didn't want to fall back quite as far as you had at that race. And with saving, you don't want to risk getting put down a lap, or too far back in track position. It definitely sounds like a balance - being there at the end, and knowing you can't win a 250 in the first 125, or a 150 in the first 100 and stuff.

Yeah, definitely, you've got to find the right balance of saving and not driving too hard, and as you mentioned, you don't want to be in the position where you could get lapped or just have too many cars ahead of you, because it's not always the easiest to pass, even if you do have a faster car.

Yeah, and for example, what if you got stuck behind a door-to-door 2 wide battle for a bunch of laps, even if you're faster?

Yeah, that's the thing. You don't want to put yourself in a bad position like that. But you also don't want to be running in the top five and driving your car way too hard to stay up there, and then by the end, you just have nothing. So ideally, our mindset is trying to maintain a top 10 position, probably close to the top 5, ideally, and with around 50 (laps) to go, that's about when it's 'go time'.

That makes sense. And then you just have to hope for a little bit of fortune with the caution situation, since you can't really always control that, obviously. Sometimes for example, say, the leader is pushing hard, and maybe a little harder than they have to, but they're putting such a gap on 2nd place that if it stays green, then they're golden, kind of thing. But then, on the other hand, someone else, who's maybe conserving and not pushing the issue too much, but banking on, or hoping for a restart with 20 to go or something. And if that happens, they're golden. There's a lot of interesting dynamics in racing, a lot of like luck strategy interwoven with each other and stuff like that.

Yeah, cautions definitely play a big factor into all strategy, too. Like at the last SLMS race at Petty, it went 120 laps green flag, and there was only one caution and then just 30 laps go, and that messed up all of the strategy. We were saving a bit, but then we ended up getting lapped, so I had to drive it harder, earlier than I wanted to. But that typically is not the case, there's usually going to be more than one caution in those extended distance races.

For sure. You don't see that often! In terms of races to run, or just overall, like results and such: What are your goals for the 2024 season overall? I know it's halfway through now, but yeah.

So I'll start with last year. Our goal was essentially just to be competitive, and I'd say run out in the top 10. We got that by the end of the year, we got a 9th place finish, and an 8th place finish. So heading into this year, we're hoping to up that a little bit, to be running in the top five, hopefully get a a finish up there with maybe a podium, and then, obviously, ideally a win. So far, we have a 7th and then a 6th; So the trend is going towards that. So I would say the next goal is a top 5 finish, but overall, we just we want to see progress, and that's what really motivates us. And we know we're so close to where we need to be, but it still feels so far at the same time, because putting it together isn't always the easiest. There's so much talent out there these days.

You are definitely making progress in the right direction. And also, yeah, of course, it's gonna be, it's gonna be challenging, SLMS is quite a talent rich series, honestly.

It definitely is. Especially to get a top 10, you have to earn it. There's really no slouches up there in the top running cars.

Race wise, we're running the 5th SMS race at Oyster Bed this weekend, and then we're going to be at Geary (Speedway 660) for the last one, and then Speed Weekend (Speedway 660 250) and hopefully run the Mike Stevens (Memorial 254 - Petty International Raceway) as well as ideally/hopefully the last Maritime Pro Stock Tour race at Petty.

Oh, yes, that's right, the rescheduled one/points finale (last PST race at Petty).

Yeah, so we weren't gonna run that first one because it was in-between two SLMS races, so it really wasn't working scheduling wise, but with it being at the very end of our season now, it might be a good one for us to finish the year off with.

Yeah, and lets you get a little more experience racing with a few more of the Nova Scotian contingent too.

Yeah, definitely. And I'd say, over the last few years, Petty has become a track I really like running at. We used to mainly just do Geary and Petty occasionally, but I'm starting to get a lot more comfortable at Petty overall. I would almost it on the same level as Geary comfort wise now, and it used to be Geary over petty by a lot.

From a viewing stance, I really like all of the tracks. I do really like Petty a lot. I definitely like Scotia Speedworld a lot, too. It's seems like quite a technical kind of track, but yeah, Petty is fun. I'm not completely sure, but I think I might have Petty as my favorite. I know it's slightly bigger than a quarter mile bull ring, but it almost reminds me of a slightly bigger, and little bit different Slinger from Wisconsin, or Anderson from Indiana. Close to a bull ring with high banking, lots of two groove racing. I like the bigger Fast Tracks too, but I like the brake heavy kind of tracks.

Petty is a great track. Scotia, like you mentioned, we've only raced there once, and it was last year, one of the Pro Stock Tour races there. And yeah, that was a challenging track I found. I enjoyed it, but it was definitely, like you said, technical. It was harder than any of the other ones I've ran, in my opinion.

I suppose for many people who run at Scotia probably had prior experience in other classes, too, as opposed to their first start there being in a pro.

For sure, I guess I would say it's like that with Geary for a lot of people, too. I was comfortable there, because that's the track I started racing on. And a lot of others come here and struggle. So I think it is just one of those things. Like, to me, it doesn't seem too difficult overall, but that's just from the experience. But yeah, the ones who come there for the first time, it's something they've never seen before.

Geary kind of reminds me a bit of some of the Northeast tracks, like around Maine.

Yeah. You're essentially always turning in a way,

Almost more of an egg-shape in a way.

Essentially.

If there's anyone or anything you'd like to shout out, like people sponsors, etc. this is your space for that.

There are so many people and sponsors to thank, because without them I wouldn't be able to do what I do.

First off, my family, we are a family race team, so I'm the driver, but my dad is very involved, as he's the head of all the general maintenance on the car, mainly, with my uncles also very involved, Jeff and Bruce. Jeff is our tire guy, and Bruce is spotting for us. Kim Phillips on the crew, my cousins Scott and William help out every now and then.

This year my friend Matt has been helping out a lot as well. It's been great to have so much support on the team in that sense. And then also we have Jeff Armstrong from GD Fabrication, who's been a huge help for us going back to the sportsman days, to pro stock as well. We would not be running nearly as good as we are without him, so I have to definitely thank him for that.

Our sponsors are Bayview Trucks & Equipment Ltd. Valley Equipment, Cummins, Nova Truck Centers, Keith Wealth Management, GD Fabrication Ltd., Wilkins Signs, Shoreland Transport Inc., Connors Transfer Ltd., and Cooke Aquaculture Inc.