CARLSON CORRALS DMA VICTORY AT BEAR RIDGE
By: John DaDalt
Bradford, Vermont (August 8, 2020)………Once again, the Seals-It Racing Team of Skip Matczak was in victory lane after the USAC DMA midget race at Bear Ridge Speedway on Saturday, August 8.
Seth Carlson started tenth and took advantage of a lap ten restart to pass early race leader Melvin Pierson and go on to record his second win of the 2020 season. Carlson along with teammate Will Hull have accounted for all four wins in USAC DMA midget competition this year.
Pierson and Jeff Horn brought the field to the green flag with Pierson jumping out to a commanding lead. Carlson wasted little time in getting up to the top five and using whichever lane was open, he moved into second place by lap seven. From there he began to reel in Pierson.
On lap ten, P.J. Bleau got into trouble and upside down in turn two bringing out the red flag. When the race resumed, Pierson and Carlson ran four or five laps of hard but clean racing before Carlson got the upper hand going around the outside of Pierson. The two ran close for a number of laps as Pierson did not give up the point easily. Eventually Carlson pulled away to a 2 second gap and held that for the remainder of the race.
While Carlson and Pierson were battling for the lead, Miller Racing teammates Joe Krawiec and Justin Phillips were working their way up into the top five. Both cars looked strong but slightly off the leader’s pace. The racing surface was in great condition with good, clean racing throughout the field.
Carlson was a happy winner and praised both the track and the man he had to pass for the win. “Melvin did an awesome job; I think he will be a strong contender weekly. The track was really fun and provided multi-groove racing for the midgets. Hopefully we can see more of that in the weeks to come”.
Phillips continues to knock on the door of victory lane. He finished third tonight which was his third finish in the top four this year so a win is getting close. “Yes, we’re definitely close but need to find a little more speed to catch the top few guys. The track was awesome with a little moisture in it. It really gave us two solid grooves to run. I think we were actually faster around the top which is pretty rare at Bear Ridge. I feel like we’ve got some good momentum built as we go to Albany-Saratoga next week. That has always been my favorite track to run so I’m pretty excited”.
Former series champion Krawiec had his best finish of the season bringing the Ray Miller Racing #1 home in fourth place. Krawiec also praised the track. “First off, my hat is off to (track owner) Butch Elms and the track crew, they gave us a great track throughout the entire night that I felt made for some exciting racing. As for the car, we took some major swings at the setup where I think we learned a lot and also found some additional speed. Overall, after a tough few weeks, it’s good to have a solid finish to build upon”. Krawiec added “Again, thank you to (car owners) Ray Miller and Zettie Shookus for everything”.
Manny Dias ran strong in winning the second heat but an early spin in the feature sent him to the tail of the field. Dias then had a strong run to work his way back to fifth at the checkered flag.
Two-time 2020 feature winner Hull had a shock broken by debris and had to pit under caution. Hull did not lose a lap but was off the pace and finished 12th.
Horn and Dias each won their second Seymour Performance Products heat races of the season. Horn’s win was highlighted by a duel with Pierson that saw Pierson take the lead for a lap but then nearly spun in turn four allowing Horn to get back to the front. The USAC-DMA midgets will make their only appearance of the season at Albany-Saratoga Speedway in Malta, NY this coming Friday August 14.
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USAC DIRT MIDGET ASSOCIATION RACE RESULTS: August 8, 2020 – Bear Ridge Speedway – Bradford, Vermont
FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. A1-Jeff Horn, 2. 33-Melvin Pierson, 3. 12-Adam Whitney, 4. 17-Justin Sheridan, 5. 44-Floyd Billington, 6. 92-P.J. Bleau, 7. 11-Alex Rose, 8. 50-Todd Hayward, 9. 5-Tim West.
SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. 42-Manny Dias, 2. 4-Seth Carlson, 3. 7-Brandon Piastka, 4. 1B-Joe Krawiec, 5. 2-Scott Holcomb, 6. 3-Will Hull, 7. 16-Justin Phillips.
FEATURE: (25 laps) 1. Seth Carlson, 2. Melvin Pierson, 3. Justin Phillips, 4. Joe Krawiec, 5. Manny Dias, 6. Jeff Horn, 7. Brandon Piastka, 8. Justin Sheridan, 9. Adam Whitney, 10. Floyd Billington, 11. Scott Holcomb, 12. Will Hull, 13. Tim West, 14. Alex Rose, 15. Owen Carbee, 16. P.J. Bleau. NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-14 Melvin Pierson, Laps 15-25 Seth Carlson.
USAC DIRT MIDGET ASSOCIATION POINTS: 1-Seth Carlson-297, 2-Brandon Piastka-257, 3-Justin Phillips-249, 4-Manny Dias-245, 5-Will Hull-236, 6-Justin Sheridan-232, 7-Melvin Pierson-193, 8-Jeff Horn-179, 9-Tim West-178, 10-Floyd Billington-176.
NEXT USAC DMA MIDGET RACE: August 14 – Malta, New York– Albany-Saratoga Speedway