Will in victory lane after winning the MAARA 100 at Jennerstown Speedway
Driver Profile:
Racing History: Will's involvement in racing dates back to his birth. His father, Bill, was an ultra successful car owner dating back to the early 60's. Bill forged a relationship with his driver Lou Blaney in 1963 that fostered decades of excellence throughout the northeast. The Blaney-Thomas team captured over 300 feature victories and numerous track championships spanning over four decades. It is through this relationship that Will got his start into racing.
Like most drivers today, Will got his start at a young age in go karts racing from age 8-14. After that is where things got different when Will took a break from driving to focus on football. Will was a standout football player during both high school and college with his only racing involvement being as a crew member for both Lou and Dave Blaney.
Upon completion of college, Will's competitive spirit wouldn't rest so he returned to racing right back where he had started in go karts. After driving a couple of seasons in go karts and Allison Legacy Cars, Will moved up to the very competitive late model division at Lake Erie Speedway.
The 2003 season was a learning year for Will. In his rookie year, he finished with seven top-five finishes and 12 top-ten finishes out of 15 starts. He also was able to set a track record of 14.92 seconds at Lake Erie Speedway, which still stands today.
Will improved in his sophomore season in 2004, and had 2 feature wins and a 3rd place points finish at Lake Erie Speedway. Will also made 3 starts in the newly formed ASA latemodel series.
The 2005 season was a regrouping year for Will. He brought in a new Crew Chief, Jack Dudkiewicz, to help build a first class late model team. The team traveled to new tracks that they had never raced at before and Will got some valuable seat time and experience which helped to prepare for the 2006 season.
The building year paid off and the 2006 season was a great year. Will won the inaugural MAARA championship by winning three out of the five races in the series. The 100 lap Jennerstown MAARA race, the Historic Budweiser 100 at Holland Speedway, and the US Open at Lancaster Raceway Park were the 3 races that clinched the MAARA championship. Those wins combined with numerous other wins made 2006 the best season to date. On top of the MAARA championship, Will finished 2nd in Lake Erie Speedway points and had some strong runs with the ASA Late Model Series.
This coming year will mark Will's fifth season in a late model. With the same crew returning and Will's improvements as a driver, 2007 is expected to be the best year yet.