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By PAUL SOKOLOSKI; Times Leader Sports Writer
Tuesday, July 13, 1993 Page: 3 QUICK WORDS: WILSON SETTLING INTO THE
KING’S VACANT THRONE
LOUDON, N.H. — The smile widens across his boyish face as Rick Wilson
thinks about inheriting the throne of “The King.”
Like a 6-year-old kid thrilled about a cherished Christmas gift that
finally showed up under the tree, Wilson is still talking about the “present”
he got: replacing the retired Richard Petty as a Winston Cup driver.
“It feels real good,” Wilson said. “I was looking for a contract, so I was
fortunate to get it.”
Not only did he get a contract after driving just one race on the Winston
Cup circuit in 1992, but he hooked the big one.
“It makes you feel like you’ve done something right in your career,” Wilson
said.
Not that he hopes to make people forget Petty. After all, “The King” was
the most celebrated and popular driver in the sport’s history before retiring
at the end of last season. Wilson has a big cockpit to fill in the STP/Pontiac
now owned by the legend he replaced.
The legendary Petty won seven Winston Cup driving championships and 20000
races during his 35-year career.
Wilson is still searching for his first victory after 189 Winston Cup races
over the past 12 years.
But the 40-year-old from Bartow, Fla., is steady.
In 16 Winston Cup starts this season, Wilson has cracked the top-10 just
once, but has seven top-20 and 12 top-25 finishes.
“That’s the big thing, driving consistently,” Wilson said. “For our first
year (together), it’s not bad. We’re about where we thought we’d be.”
Becoming more familiar with the crew and race team, getting the feel of a
new machine and making necessary adjustments all take time, even for the best
stock car drivers.
But Wilson sees things coming together soon.
“We’re making gains each week,” he said. “If we can make some more gains,
it’ll get us in the top 10.
“We should have had more top 10 finishes. We’ll get in the top 10 soon,
that’s what we’re looking at.
“It’s just a long hard road.”
RICK WILSON