2008 Horizon Award

Shining brightly in the distance is the horizon- a spectacle that can make you mysteriously continue to look forward into the distance.  Our Horizon Award was put into place to recognize drivers, whose careers shine as brightly as the sun on the horizon.  Some of the past winners of this award are Matt Lux, Mike Pegher, Danny Holtgraver, and Eric Gabany- an impressive group of talented, young racers.

Tonight we recognize two more young racers that come from strong racing families and both have bright paths ahead of them.

The first recipient was a relative newcomer to Mercer Raceway Park in 2008.  He got his feet wet in the 2006 Little Guy Nationals and made a half-dozen starts in 2007, while competing full-time at Deerfield Raceway.

Experience is invaluable and his father made sure his son got seat time and learned the ropes so to say at Deerfield before making the move to Mercer.  And learn the ropes he did scoring the first two wins of his career on July 7 and August 11 of 2007.  Toward the end of 2007, the then 14-year-old racer found Mercer to his liking.  He scored a fourth on September 8 and really turned some heads with a runner-up to Rod Jones at the finale of the Little Guy Nationals, where 44 of some of the best Mod Lites in the Northeast had gathered.

Enter 2008.  He came right out of the box with a 5^th on opening night and a third the next race.  At that point he was second in points.  On August 9 he could say he was a Mercer Raceway Park feature winner.

With consistency and a strong determination, Bud Watson claimed the 2008 Mod Lite Championship.  He’s mature beyond his 15 years and those same virtues will carry him a long way in this sport.

Bud…please come forward to accept your 2008 Horizon Award