With cloud coverage lingering over that of Nissan Stadium, many in attendance were wondering if moisture were going to overtake the track in the latter hours…luckily, much of the storm front would bypass the metropolitan area; though Honda’s Dean Wilson knew that he would excel regardless of the conditions. For practice, the track was a bit soft (in spots) with recent water accumulation coming to the surface; creating marred transitions almost instantly, though he and his machine who sported the number fifteen were thriving amongst the subtle ravines that were littered around the course. Leaping from the last roller of the sand section before heading into the right-handed corner, it was easy to sense the authority he proclaimed with his “attacking” style. Many in the division were pursuing the likes of Eli Tomac and Chase Sexton, who were running with elite speed atop the leaderboard; and with Dean eventually stationed in heat two, all bets were on, prior to the field funneling into the first corner. His array of triples before the dragon’s back on laps two and three were imminent, keeping Team Tedder’s Josh Hill at bay as only a few minutes of action had transpired. Fighting for traction in the various flat gradients that were scattered around the circuit, he would be precise with his line through the elevated corner with riders outside of transferring position trailing him, hugging the furthest inside rut and nearly clipping the inner tuff-block with his right foot-peg! Nearly washing the front-end with only two laps to go after the switchback corner, it seemed clear that he could sustain the speed that was needed to clench fourth, which was ultimately possessed prior to the main event. The beginning to the main event was encompassed with fury and grittiness from all in the field, as the top five (or so) were on a rampant trajectory within the first few minutes of action. The whoops were extremely cupped, and his Honda chassis was doing its best to remain straight near the outer boundaries of the raceway. This soil was developing into extremely choppy tenures, where a different assembly of braking bumps were popping-up in every vicinity around the course; though his way to link the latter half of the layout, would be phenomenal given the distance he was separating from that of Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo who trailed. Rolling into the rhythm lane in before the sand section over the last seven minutes of action, there were times when Cianciarulo in the background was appearing to catch-up to his rear wheel; but the throttle twisting antics displayed by Wilson were paramount as the checkered flag neared. He remained smooth and vigilant as yellow flags were thrown on behalf of Justin Barcia and countless others, avoiding troublesome sequences while en route to clinching a stellar seventh place overall. Eventually solidified amongst a multitude of factory competitors, Wilson’s attrition would be evident as he continues to roll through the 2023 SX series.