TICKFORD Racing co-owner Rod Nash says a mix of gradually adjusting to life as a two-car team and a change of approach helped lay the foundations for its Perth win.
Much was made of how Tickford would benefit from a decision to downsize from four cars in a bid to funnel its full focus into two frontrunning entries this year.
While the vibe around that streamlining has been positive, Tickford entered the Perth SuperSprint holding eighth in the teams’ championship with star Cam Waters 15th in the drivers’.
Now, after an excellent weekend, those respective rankings are third (teams’) and fourth (drivers’).
“We particularly in the last couple of meetings have just been trying to, back at home, create a bit more simplicity about how we apply ourselves at the track,” said Nash.
“We certainly came here this weekend just to try to fly under the radar a little bit and keep it simple and not get too aggressive with too many car changes and everything else, and just try to get it to come to us.
“Early days, but it’s great to get that monkey off our back.”
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Waters won the Sunday race at Wanneroo despite crossing the line second – a reversal from two years ago when a time penalty cost him victory at the very same track.
The result also came after a Lap 1 slide off the road that had left him “perplexed”, and has fuelled hopes that a much-anticipated 2024 championship challenge might be possible after all.
“I’m hanging on by my fingernails… we have just got to do a lot of winning now,” said the #6 Monster Energy Mustang driver, who is 381 points behind leader Will Brown with eight rounds remaining.
Teammate Thomas Randle is ninth overall after finishing 10th and fifth in the pair of Perth races.
Waters will make his NASCAR Cup Series debut at Sonoma Raceway before returning to Australia for the Darwin Triple Crown on June 14-16.
