Egleston feels at home behind the wheel

Bill Egleston of Atwater never tires of being behind the wheel.

A tractor-trailer truck driver Monday through Friday, Egleston is usually to bed by 7 p.m., up at 2 a.m., and on the road an hour later to haul hazardous materials across the state.

But come Saturday night, he’s steering a 700-horsepower IMCA Modified, sliding on clay through the tight turns of Merced Speedway, while rubbing fenders with up to 20 cars all vying for one checkered flag.

“It’s still a thrill to drive my race car on the weekend. It’s my reward for a hard week of work,” the 2013 track champ said.

Egleston has been racing for eight years. Way back in the beginning, a friend sold him a Hobby Stockthat was all apart. Egleston knew little about racing. He went to the track and took pictures of the other cars so he could figure out how to put his pile of parts together.

A year later, he was the track’s Hobby Stock Division Rookie of the Year.

But, Hobby Stock wasn’t enough of a challenge. Egleston wanted more speed, and to work more toward that goal. That’s why he moved up to the IMCA Modified Division.

It wasn’t until his sixth year of racing that he garnered his second championship – this time in a Modified.

“Winning a championship is hard – you can be at the top of the point list, and then you have a couple of bad nights and you’re not there anymore,” Egleston said. “You want to win, but you need to be consistent if you want to be a champion.”

One point out of the top position at Merced Speedway in the young season, Egleston is looking for top-five finishes and no DNF’s (Did Not Finish). His rival is up-and-coming star Alex Wilson – an invader of Egleston’s home turf who hails from Salinas.

Egleston’s crew members, Matt Wood of Merced and Donnie Peterson of Turlock, work all week to keep the car in tip-top shape for every racing weekend. Failure is not an option. Confidence is a must.

“Driving a tractor-trailer helps me visualize what is happening around me before it happens,” Egleston said. “When I am on the road, I am always looking side to side, over the front hood and in the rear-view mirrors. Trucking gives me an awareness on the speedway that helps me be a better racer.”

Egleston’s wife, Maria, would agree. She wears a proud smile bigger than her petite frame every time he races.

“She’s not only my No. 1 fan, she’s got my back,” Egleston said. “If need be, she’ll jump right in and help.”

This Week at Merced Speedway

The IMCA Modifieds are center stage as Saturday night’s program will also feature IMCA SportMods, Limited Late Models, Valley Sportsman and Hobby Stocks.

Kevin Joaquin of Sonora fought off Merced’s Ty Shelton in last week’s Hobby Stock feature. Mark Garner of Antioch is expected back to defend his streak in the Limited Late Model Division. Rick Diaz of Chowchilla will be looking for a win in the SportMod Division as he is on a drive for the championship.

Merced Speedway is located inside the Merced County Fairgrounds, 900 Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Merced. Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for senior citizens and $8 for children 6-12. A family four-pack of tickets admits two children and two adults for $32. Racing begins at 7 p.m. The grandstand opens at 5 p.m.

This story was originally published March 19, 2015 at 5:19 PM with the headline "Egleston feels at home behind the wheel."