Ward, 53, said he’s taken the 22-year old as a racing protege. And though Ward has won 51 feature races through his 40 years of racing, the first one Burnside wins might be Ward’s proudest.
“I’m having more fun racing with Nic,” Ward said. “We knew when we helped build his car that we’ve got a rookie. We’re gonna have spin outs. We’re gonna have crashes. But we haven’t had that. … It’s unbelievable.”
While Burnside has kept his car off the wall, Ward had finally broken through it. Before this season Ward’s last win came in 2006. That’s 10 years of being stuck two shy of milestone victory No. 50 (though he did park his ride for four years). Ward, who holds a 63-point lead over Jesse Gade, has claimed three late model wins this season with help from crew members Rob Fetz and Fred Bell.
Fetz, 57, and Bell, 87, also help wrench Burnside’s ride. The rookie is fifth in points with a trio of second-place finishes and set quick time during qualifying once this season.
Ward thinks the best is yet to come. And it could be in Ward’s late model. He doesn’t plan on running for the points title next season, instead racing select events and helping Burnside’s adjustment to late models. Just like Urbana racing legend Neal Sceva did for Ward years ago.
Sceva, who won more than 600 races and competed until he was 61, gave Ward guidance and advice as Ward was starting his racing career. Now Ward wants to pay it forward.
“I’m not Neal Sceva. I’m not going to race until I’m 61 years old,” Ward said. “One thing Neal told me is when you get older your foot says yes but your mind says no. I’ve bounced off the walls enough that I know it takes longer to heal up. It’s a young man’s class.”
Ward jokes that Burnside wasn’t even born when Ward was “romping and stomping at Columbus (Motor Speedway).”
Burnside will be at Shady Bowl on Saturday watching Ward put the hammer down. And though Ward — sponsored by Fetz Heating and Plumbing, Dave’s Truck and Auto, Tempstar Heating and Cooling and Roger Winget Race Cars — needs to only qualify for the race to win the late model title, he said he won’t be cautious and post the slowest qualifying time in Shady Bowl history.
“I’ll try to set the track record,” Ward said. “I’m going to give it everything it’s got.”
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