Relief seemed to be the overwhelming feeling as 19 year-old Will Armitage crossed the finish line this past Saturday night at Red Hill Raceway in Sumner, IL. After countless times a bridesmaid, the driver of the XKGLOW #7A would finally stand on the top step of the podium.
“It’s been a rough road.” Armitage admitted. “There have been a lot of nights where it has felt so close and slipped away. To say we put our partners in victory lane this year means the world to me and our team, and now we go out and try our best to get some more.”
Starting at the back of his heat race due to drawing a 97 pill to begin the night, Armitage carved his way to a 3rd place finish. The charge earned the Athens, IL Pilot the outside pole for the night’s 25 Lap A Main.
“The night just felt right.” Armitage stated. “Despite the 97 pill draw, we made a 7th to 3rd run in the heat, started 2nd in the show and led every lap of it.”
And lead every lap he did, withstanding multiple stoppages and ensuing restarts and holding off hard charging drivers Reed Whitney and multi-time feature winner Tyler Duff. The victory wasn’t without some last lap drama, however, as the #7A was dangerously low on fuel after the multiple red flag and extended caution periods.
“After an insane amount of cautions, I was getting worried about fuel load, and next thing I knew it was starting to lean out pretty bad.” Armitage said of the chaotic race. “On the final restart I was only able to give it 1/4 throttle on the last lap, and the car died as I crossed the stripe.”
Armitage and the entire #7A team felt a huge weight lifted off of their shoulders, as the Illinois based team felt they’d done just about everything in 2024 so far (including a World of Outlaws Dash Appearance at the Ironman 55 in Pevely, MO and multiple podiums) but won a feature.
“To be able to pick off our first 410 win after a stretch where we thought we would never catch a break was the best feeling.” Armitage stated. “To the people that help me, my incredible sponsors, family and friends, and our growing fan base, this felt like the fuel we needed (all jokes aside) to go on a late season run, and I’m looking forward to these last races of the 2024 season.”
Will Armitage Racing will continue their 2024 campaign with a doubleheader this Friday night at the Carolyn Schuh Memorial at Jacksonville Speedway. Tickets for this Friday will be available at the track with the race live streamed on DIRTVision for those unable to attend in person.
Will Armitage Racing would like to thank their 2024 partners for their support this season!
XKGLOW
CHE Precision Inc.
Armitage Collision Center
MPV Express
AlignLife Chiropractic
Smith Plumbing Heating and Cooling
Alliance Community Bank
Graue Chevrolet Buick
Gillmore-Allen Insurance Agency
Meteer Manufacturing
Craig Engines
Schure Built Suspensions
Maxim Racing
Guess Performance Parts
TI22
MetTec Titanium
Wilwood Brakes
MPD Racing
Sharp Advantage
Rise Graphics
Pacesetter Solutions
You can follow Will's race team on his social media channels! You can find Will Armitage Racing on Facebook at Will Armitage Racing (group), Twitter at @armitage_will7 and on Instagram at @will_armitage_7. You can also follow his PR with Box3 Media on Facebook, @box3_media on Instagram, and @box3_racing on Twitter.
Brendon Bauman Photos
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