Casey Roderick Claims Meaningful World Series Crown But …

For well over two years, Casey Roderick has been scratching and clawing for the infrastructure needed to race Super Late Models with greater regularity.

A chance pairing with Anthony Campi Racing over the winter led him first to a Snowflake 100 victory and now the World Series of Asphalt championship at New Smyrna Speedway, the latter accomplishment wrought with strife.

Roderick won on both Wednesday and Thursday, but only after a Tuesday night engine change resulting from getting beat down the straightaways by the Donnie Wilson Motorsports cars driven by William Sawalich and Gio Ruggiero.

The Anthony Campi Racing No. 18 was easily the class of the field for the next three races. Roderick was arguably in position to three-peat on Saturday night but lost brake pressure on Lap 11. It was a failure that placed his championship at risk.

And then there was the continued animus with Sawalich and Ruggiero, but especially Sawalich, who took exception to how Roderick raced him on Wednesday. That tension carried over into Thursday when Roderick and Sawalich exchanged words over their continued race craft towards each other.

Then on Saturday, Rodrick continued trading paint with the Wilson Motorsports cars, but needed to overcome a failing brake line to race back into sixth to claim the championship. Finishing second, Bubba Pollard, took exception to how Roderick raced the Wilson cars too.

“There is nothing wrong with (Sawalich) racing,” Pollard said. “The 18 on the other hand, that’s stupid. I was glad to see (Sawalich) win. It’s not my battle, but it was good to see those kids stick up for themselves.”

When told of the quote, Roderick just shook his head, chuckled and shook his head again.

“I don’t even know what to say to that,” Roderick said. “I don’t think I was driving stupid. I was in position to win a race. Calling me ‘stupid’ for trying to win a race, I don’t know, I never touched (Sawalich) to pass him.”

https://twitter.com/d82wilson/status/1627168202684784640

“Say what he wants, passed a guy and never touched him, what am I supposed to do,” Roderick said. “It’s just a part of racing. We’re out there for ourselves. It is what is. When you have two team cars that are after you at the same time, I don’t think I did anything wrong tonight, the way I was racing or anything like that.”

Sawalich says he’s just in the middle of a ‘respect thing’ with Roderick.

“I did what I had to do to get some respect,” Sawalich said. “My team was behind me for that. Bubba respects me. I don’t want to be just a kid with a fast car who doesn’t have race craft.”

Roderick has a team owner behind him in Anthony Campi too.

“Tonight, it wasn’t like half a brake because it was no brake,” Campi said. “He’s coasting in there to make the corner. Everyone that passed us from then on out, we gave a lane. And listen, Bubba cries when Bubba don’t win.”

For Roderick, this past week and this championship is the personification of his dream of racing closer to a full schedule at the highest levels of short track racing. It’s something he hasn’t been able to do the past two years because he didn’t have the team able to take time off to race with him like the biggest teams have.

First, he linked up with Team Platinum over the summer and then Anthony Campi Racing. With their combined resources, Roderick is getting to race with regularity and they are able to take the fight to the other mega teams.

And that was his argument back to Pollard and the Wilson bunch.

“What people don’t realize,” Roderick said. Bubba, he races every freaking weekend. The (Wilson) cars race every weekend. I don’t. I don’t have family money out here racing like they are. This is for everyone out here who races for the next race. People can say what they want to. I don’t care. I have a lot of heart and I’m racing for wins for these guys. That’s my job.

“I never know if I’m going to race the next weekend or not. I’m going to race like it’s the last one.”

As for Sawalich expressing conviction that Roderick doesn’t respect him, that is the case now, but it wasn’t before the race or the last one.

“He needs to go back and watch last night’s race and think about what he’s saying here,” Roderick said. “I did respect William. The kid is young and has a lot of talent. He’s going to be really good. There’s no doubt about that.

“He’s proven that. I have respect for him in that way. But when you start racing that way and talking the way he did last night, I don’t have respect for that.”

SAWALICH CLAIMS FINAL RACE

William Sawalich didn’t come away with the championship but made a statement in a different way by outdueling Bubba Pollard in the Orange Blossom 100 race itself on Saturday.

The two traded the lead a couple of times late in the race with the winning move coming with 11 laps to go.

“That was a game of patience,” Sawalich said. “I had to analyze what my car had versus what he had. I capitalized on his weakness and got him with my strong points.”

If not for an engine failure on Tuesday in the Southern Super Series, which also paid points towards the World Series of Asphalt, Sawalich very well could have claimed the championship himself.

“We were just going for wins after we blew that motor,” Sawalich said. “We were going for wins all along. Wins make championships.”

Pollard, meanwhile, wasn’t even planning to race after Tuesday. He went to Disney World and his wife nudged him to race on the way back home. He led twice for the most laps but just couldn’t hold Sawalich off at the end.

“I just made us too tight,” Pollard said. “We had a real good car. We had a real good car on Tuesday too. We’ve got really fast cars and we’re starting to show it.”

Roderick again had a fast car but his busted brake line required constant pitting to refill brake fluid.

“I feel good, but I’m disappointed in our finish,” Roderick said. “A brake line or something came loose on the right rear. It just went to the floor, so I did the best I could to get in the corner, but I’m proud of these guys. They did an awesome job all week, but it sucks we didn’t have anything to show for it tonight.”

Orange Blossom 100
New Smyrna Speedway
February 19 2023

1. William Sawalich
2. Bubba Pollard
3. Gabe Sommers
4. Brad May
5. Connor Mosack
6. Casey Roderick
7. Gio Ruggiero
8. Austin Teras
9. T.J. Duke
10. Billy VanMeter
11. Steve Weaver, Jr.
12. Nicholas Naugle
13. Stephen Nasse
14. James Lynch
15. John Coffman
16. Trenton Henick
17. Patrick Thomas
18. Brandon Short
19. Nick White

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