Haley on a Legends hot streak

Haley on a Legends hot streak

WATERFORD — Sometimes you have to slow down to go faster.

That was the advice Colin “The Comet” Haley of Ashford received during a trip to North Carolina last fall. It’s a philosophy that helped him earn three straight podiums in the Legends division at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl, including his first-ever victory on July 4.

“I never thought that win was going to come,” said Haley, who has been competing in the Legends division for four seasons. “I kept falling short. But you have to stay humble and be consistent. As long as you give it your best effort, that’s all you can do. The wins will come.”

Haley will be seeking another win when Wild and Wacky Wednesday resumes Wednesday at the Speedbowl. The four regular divisions — the Legends, X-cars, Super X-cars and Bandoleros — will be joined by the Vintage Midget Racers. The action starts at 6:45 p.m.

Haley said his Legends career started to turn around when he visited North Carolina last fall to get some information — and a pep talk.

“I talked to a few guys down there and I learned a lot,” Haley said. “Three months later I went to Mooresville, North Carolina and I went to see Dennis Lambert and Jeff Jordan. They told me just to focus on my line. Sometimes you have to slow down to go faster. So I came back here and tried to do the things they told me and I started doing things the right way.”

He also needed the right car. That’s where Jags Palmer of Berlin came in.

“I had a rough three years in a Legend and had a lot of bad luck,” Haley said. “I sold my cars and went to see Jags Palmer. I purchased a new car and built another car. And that’s when my luck started to turn around. And we started to head in the right direction. Jags got me back into the game.“

That became obvious early in the 2018 season. Haley started his upward surge with a fourth place run on June 20. Then he moved up to third — his first podium finish ever — on June 27. That set the stage for Haley’s breakthrough night on July 4.

“That fourth place finish was like a win,” Haley said. “It’s unbelievable how many great drivers there are in the Legends division. If you can finish in the Top 5 and drive your car into the trailer in one piece, it’s like a win.”

That meant he was in the proper mindset on July 4.

“I went into that race feeling as confident as I ever have,” Haley said. “With 12 laps to go, someone blew up and the track was layered with speedy dry. When the race went green, I got crossed up into the speedy dry and slid up the track and got into Mike Blaskey and he hit the wall. 

“I was a little shaken up after that because Mike is a good friend of mine. But I collected all my thoughts and I ran consistently the rest of the way. I just put the hammer down and drove the wheels off the car.”

He almost pulled off  another win on July 11, but finished second to Peter Bennett.

“It was definitely crazy,” Haley said. “I was on the outside of Peter and had a chance, even though I thought he had the better car. On a restart, he just got on the gas before I did and that was the difference. But it was like a win again. I never expected anything more than third. I was happy.”

Haley started the happiness in his racing career when he competed in the Wild Thing Karts at Stafford Motor Speedway. He won 30 races and grabbed three track championships before moving to the Legends in 2013.

“The Legend car is one of the hardest to drive, that’s for sure,” Haley said. “If you can win in a Legend car, you can win in anything.”

Haley’s sponsors include Mac Electric of Coventry and Northeast Truck and Off Road of New London. His teammates include his girlfriend Morgan, His parents, Billy, Tyler, his spotter Glen, Jags and Jason Palmer, Jeff Jordan and Dennis Lambert.

“I just want to keep doing what I’m doing and stay consistent,” Haley said. 

Haley is also serving as a mentor to another young driver, Tyler Palmer of Watertown, who is in his first season of Legends after competing in the Wild Thing Karts.

“I’ve taken him under my wing and I’ve tried to coach him and give him advice,” Haley said.

Telling him that sometimes you have to slow down to go faster is a good place to start.

Press release from the New London Waterford Speedbowl

Contact Mike Serluca at mikeS@speedbowlct.com

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