With his father unable to attend for the weekend, older sister Nicole Corson took the mantle of family guidance on for the weekend, expressing that it put a smile on her face just to see R.J. on track in the family car.
“It’s really neat to see R.J. go and race against kids that are his age … as well as guys like Dave Darland … and to get to see him race against (his) heroes; he’s probably never dreamed of that and I know it’s just an honor for him to be here.”
“With the history that we have here, I know that he’s got big footsteps to fill, but I told him to go out and make his own footsteps. It’s all about him making his own way here and it will come in time. I’m smiling that he’s doing this.”
With the support of his father as well as his godfather, Patrick Wilda Sr., R.J. Corson plans to be a fixture at the Rumble in Fort Wayne for years to come.
He also added that smooth laps will be what he works on throughout the year in an effort to be better for the 20th annual Rumble in Fort Wayne, Dec. 29-30, 2017.
“Consistency is what I need to keep working on,” R.J. emphasized. “I have got to hit all my marks every single lap. When you’re running eight second laps, there is no time for mistakes and you have to be on the gas, on the brakes, hitting your marks and being smooth. That’s what my dad was so good at, being smooth. You have to make it hard for the guy behind you to pass you and once you do that, you can win some of these races.”
“Patrick Wilda, my godfather, he helped me out this weekend … I call him uncle Pat. He’s towed my car here, he’s been my crew chief. I worked him so hard this weekend … but he’s given it all and I can’t thank him enough, it means a lot to me. I can’t wait to be back here next year and for the next 20 years.”
Listen to Race Chaser Online’s conversation with the Corson family during the 2016 Rumble in Ft. Wayne:
About the Writer
Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network.
Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.
The 22-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.
Email Jacob at: [email protected]
Follow on Twitter: @Speed77Radio or @JacobSeelman77
Email Race Chaser Online: [email protected]
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