CHAFFEE SCORES FIRST WIN OF USAC DMA SEASON

Bradford, Vermont (July 27, 2019)………Mike Chaffee of Corinth, VT made every lap count as he scored his first win of the 2019 race season at Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford, VT. Chaffee, who is a crowd favorite, dominated all night in his 18c Ray Miller Racing USAC DMA midget.

Taking in the racing action this night was 2020 Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence winner Dr. Dick Berggren along with Speedway Illustrated Magazine writer Joyce Standridge and Wanda Knepper who was the mechanic on the racecar her husband Arnie drove in the mid 1960’s and Wanda was the first women ever allowed in the garage area at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Heat race one (8 laps) started with the 18C of Mike Chaffee of Corinth, VT on pole and the 5 with Mike Netishen of Auburn, NH starting second. This was the first time piloting the 5 for Netishen. Under green with Chaffee’s 18C quickly taking command of the race followed by the 5 of Netishen for second. Owen Carbee of Groton, VT held third until lap three when the 17 of Justin Sheridan of Suffield, CT would make his move around Carbee into third moving the 50 of Carbee to fourth. The top three of Chaffee, Netishen and Sheridan would stay locked in position while fourth and fifth spots would be contested between the 50 of Carbee and Tim West in the 23 of Vernon, CT. In the end it was Mike Chaffee in the 18C Ray Miller Racing midget getting the win with the 5 of Mike Netishen in the Seals-it sponsored Skip Matczak owned racecar and for third was the Ray Miler Racing 17 of Justin Sheridan.  

Heat race two (8 laps) had TJ Foster of West Topsham, VT in the 26 starting pole position and Adam Whitney’s 12 of Warren, VT starting outside row one. When the green flag waived the 16 of Justin Phillips from West Suffield, CT moved from fourth to the lead and Jeff Champagne in the 77 from Westfield, MA went to the outside and into second place. Phillips 16 and Champagne 77 battled for the lead until lap five when Champagne would drive around Phillips and take the point. On the march forward was Joe Krawiec in the 1B of Granby, CT and now in third. The race would go green from start to finish with Jeff Champagne in the Industrial Steel/Brothers Custom Car sponsored 77 winning heat race two followed by the Whitney Tree Service number 12 driven by Adam Whitney for second and rounding out the top three was the 1B Ray Miller Racing midget piloted by two time series champion Joe Krawiec. 

With the fans ready for more racing action, the twenty five lap feature would begin with Mike Chaffee in the 18C of Cornith, VT starting inside row one and Mike Netishen from Auburn, NH in the 5 outside row one. With the green flag displayed Chaffee would show the same race command as he had done in heat race one. The 5 of Netishen would follow Chaffee for second and the 17 with Justin Sheridan from Suffield, CT in third.  On lap five, last week’s race winner Seth Carlson of Stafford, CT would head to the pits with mechanical issues. Lap six would have the yellow flag come out for a multi car accident in turn one that involved five cars many of which would not be able to return. Included in the incident was points leader Will Hull of Plainfield, VT in the 3 and Joe Krawiec of Granby, CT in the 1B who held second in points before this race. In a matter of two laps the top three in points Hull, Krawiec and Carlson all had issues.

Back to green and the 18C of Chaffee kept control of the race holding the lead over the 5 of Netishen and the 17 of Sheridan in third. On lap seven Sheridan’s teammate Justin Phillips of West Suffield, CT in the 16 would move in to third pushing Sheridan back to fourth. The top three of Chaffee, Netishen and Phillips would stay locked bumper to bumper, lap after lap. Adam Whitney in the 12 from Warren, VT was now fourth after starting the feature in the fourth row. The remaining laps would stay green and on the last lap and within feet of the finish line, Justin Phillips in the Ray Miller Racing 16 would get around the Seals-it sponsored 5 of Mike Netishen for second moving Netishen to third and Mike Chaffee in the Ray Miller Racing 18C would take the win.

The series will be back in action on Saturday night August 10th at Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford, VT. 

To learn more about the USAC Dirt Midget Association, please visit the series website at www.usacdma.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/DirtMidgetAssociation

For additional information regarding this press release please contact Mark J. Hann, USAC DMA Series Director, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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USAC DMA SPEED2 MIDGET RACE RESULTS: July 27, 2019 – Bear Ridge Speedway – Bradford, Vermont

FIRST HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Mike Chaffee (#18c Chaffee), 2. Mike Netishen (#5 Matczak), 3. Justin Sheridan (#17 Miller), 4. Tim West (#23 West), 5. Owen Carbee (#50 Carbee). 2:03.00

SECOND HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Jeff Champagne (#77 Champagne), 2. Adam Whitney (#12 Whitney), 3. Joe Krawiec (#1B Miller), 4. Justin Phillips (#16 Miller), 5. Seth Carlson (#2 Matczak), 6. T.J. Foster (#26 Foster), 7. Will Hull (#3 Matczak), 8. Wayne Koehler (#91 Koehler). 1:59.00

FEATURE: (25 laps) 1. Mike Chaffee, 2. Justin Phillips, 3. Mike Netishen, 4. Adam Whitney, 5. Justin Sheridan, 6. Owen Carbee, 7. Tim West, 8. Wayne Koehler, 9. Joe Krawiec, 10. Jeff Champagne, 11. T.J. Foster, 12. Will Hull, 13. Seth Carlson. NT

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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-25 Mike Chaffee.

NEW USAC DMA SPEED2 MIDGET POINTS: 1-Will Hull-853, 2-Joe Krawiec-794, 3-Seth Carlson-778, 4-Justin Phillips-660, 5-Manny Dias-638, 6-Adam Whitney-619, 7-Justin Sheridan-576, 8-Jeff Horn-518, 9-Mike Chaffee-512, 10-Dan Douville-502.

NEXT USAC DMA SPEED2 MIDGET RACE: August 10, 2019 – Bear Ridge Speedway – Bradford, Vermont