In Saturday's UARA National Series event held at the Freedom Factory in Bradenton, Florida, Mario Gosselin is making a significant comeback to his racing roots. He will be competing in the highly anticipated Bill Bigley Sr. Memorial 128, driving the No. 12 Alloy Employer Services Chevrolet. With the nickname "Super Mario", Gosselin has an impressive track record, having won championships in the USA Super Late Model Series in 1994, the Hooters Cup Series in 1995, and the Hooters Pro Cup Series in 1997. Additionally, he served as a crew chief in the NASCAR Canada Series in 2014 and 2017.

Motivation Behind the Return

It is this deep love for motorsports that has led the 53-year-old driver from his humble beginnings at Hilaleah Speedway in Florida. Through the years, he has climbed the ranks and now owns a multi-car organization, DGM Racing, along with his wife and two adult daughters, Megan and Madison. "A bunch of my family really wanted to see me back in a car. It started with them hoping to see me in a [NASCAR] Xfinity [Series] car for one last race," Gosselin shared with Racing America on Saturday. "And since we were going to run an Xfinity car somewhere, the first step was for me to lose a bit of weight. I managed to shed about 20 pounds. The second step was to get back into Super Late racing and shake off the rust. Here we are now."

Preparing for the Event

With the help of some DGM Racing crew members and sponsorship from Alloy Employer Services, a partner of long-time DGM driver Josh Williams, Gosselin prepared the No. 12 Super Late Model for Saturday's event. He worked tirelessly to get the long-time racer back up to speed. "I really want to do well in this race tonight for my sponsors, Alloy Employer Services, Durham's Tree Services, and all the guys, including my wife and kids," Gosselin added. One of the main reasons for his participation is that his daughters were too young to remember when he was winning races and running well. They have seen the videos, but they never got to experience it firsthand. So, getting into the race tonight and achieving a top 10 finish would be a lot of fun.During practice, when the No. 12 team unloaded, they were initially quite far off. This was a result of not competing on the Super Late Model scene regularly. However, as the session progressed and Gosselin became more comfortable, his lap times improved and became more competitive, approaching the top 20. But the DGM Racing owner noted that there was still some rust to be knocked off, especially when it came to posting a time on brand-new tires. "Right at the end of practice, we put four new tires on, and I just pushed too hard in both corners and wasted the potential of the tires. So, I took it easy, did a cooldown lap to calm down, and then came back and ran an 80-something. I think if we make it to the top 20, it will all depend on me hitting my marks and doing a great job."

Time Trials and B-Main

Gosselin was 34th fastest in Saturday's time trials, which placed him in a seventh-place starting spot in the second B-Main. But as the laps accumulated, he kept improving and worked his way up to fourth. He was battling for the final transfer spot in a late-race restart but unfortunately came up short. After the checkered flag was displayed, track officials announced that Gosselin would receive one of the two available Provisionals, securing his spot in the field for the Bill Bigley Sr Memorial 128.For a driver who has spent a significant part of his life in the motorsports world, through various roles such as driver, crew chief, and team owner, Gosselin got emotional when asked to express in words what this race means to him. "There are several reasons. Number one, obviously, Mr. Bigley - he was always Mr. Bigley to me. I'm talking about 20-something years ago when I was running with Billy. That's a big deal. And with that, it makes me think about my mom who has passed away, my father-in-law, and so many other racers we've lost like Randy Fox, Bobby Gill, Richie Anderson, and Lee Collins. They are all people we raced with for years, and this race brings all those memories back."One thing is for certain. No matter the final outcome of Saturday's Bill Bigley Sr. Memorial 128 at the Freedom Factory, Mario Gosselin will continue to cherish the time he spends behind the wheel of a race car with his wife and daughters by his side. A good finish would just be the icing on the cake.Photo Credit: Will Bellamy, Racing America