SHERIDAN BREAKS THROUGH FOR FIRST USAC DMA VICTORY
By: John DaDalt
Bradford, Vermont (July 31, 2021)………Justin Sheridan (West Suffield, CT) passed teammate Brandon Piastka after a mid-race caution to take the lead and score his first feature win with the USAC-DMA midgets at Bear Ridge Speedway on Saturday night.
Sheridan made the winning move off of turn four on lap twelve. Sixth starting Seth Carlson also got by Piastka but was unable to chase down Sheridan. Piastka held on to finish third.
“I was definitely the recipient of a good starting spot and early on it was clear that the bottom line was going to be the preferred groove” commented Sheridan after the race. “I was able to settle into second behind Brandon and just tried to hit my marks consistently. After the caution I had the opportunity to get by him in turn four and knew that was my best chance to get by. After passing Brandon I just tried to stay calm and not miss the racing line. My car felt like it was on rails, and it was pretty much smooth sailing to the checkers.”
Sheridan was an appreciative winner after the race ended. “This is my third year running the series, so I was excited to get that first win. I’m very fortunate to race for Ray Miller and Zettie Shookus. They treat our whole team like family and it’s just a great group of people to be around. I’m also glad my father James is willing to show up at the shop and track every week to help out. He’s super supportive and is a big reason I’m able to race with the series. I also need to thank Johnny, Justin, Brandon and Joe, those guys are always helping me in the shop with setup and have a ton of experience that they’re able to share. Overall I’m just excited to have a place and a series to race with. After getting rained out at our last two events this was a great way to kick off the second half of the season!”
Carlson’s string of twelve podium finishes in a row ended at the last USAC-DMA race at Albany-Saratoga Speedway but found his way back to the top with a second place finish. “Tough track conditions made for a race that requires patience and precision. We worked our way to second but ran out of time to challenge Justin. Congratulations to him on a well-deserved win.”
Plagued with mechanical gremlins most of the season, a third place finish was just the antidote needed by Piastka. “We finally had a good night after fighting mechanical problems most of the season, but we seem to have figured it out. The car was fast in winning the heat race and was also good in the feature leading for a while but couldn’t hold off Justin who was really hooked up. Congratulations to him.”
The USAC-DMA midget are right back in action next Saturday August 7 at Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford, VT.
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USAC DIRT MIDGET ASSOCIATION RACE RESULTS: July 31, 2021 – Bear Ridge Speedway – Bradford, Vermont
FIRST HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Brandon Piastka (#7 Miller), 2. Joe Krawiec (#1B Miller), 3. Justin Sheridan (#17 Miller), 4. Justin Phillips (#16 Miller), 5. Seth Carlson (#4 Matczak), 6. Josh Sunn (#76 Mancini) 7. Manny Dias (#42 Dias), 8. Will Hull (#3 Matczak). NT
SECOND HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Mike Chaffee (18c Miller), 2. Jeff Horn (#A1 Mossman), 3. Mike Netishen (#55 Netishen), 4. Tom Chaffee (#51 Chaffee), 5. Wayne Stearns (#35 Stearns), 6. Dylan Campbell (#85 Campbell), 7. Tyler Stark (#75 Stark). NT
FEATURE: (25 laps) 1. Justin Sheridan, 2. Seth Carlson, 3.Brandon Piastka, 4. Joe Krawiec, 5. Josh Sunn, 6. Justin Phillips, 7. Dylan Campbell, 8. Manny Dias, 9. Jeff Horn, 10. Wayne Stearns, 11. Tom Chaffee, 12. Tyler Stark, 13. Mike Chaffee, 14. Will Hull. NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: 1-11 Brandon Piastka, laps 12-25 Justin Sheridan.
USAC DIRT MIDGET ASSOCIATION POINTS: 1-Seth Carlson-412, 2-Joe Krawiec-395, 3-Justin Sheridan-386, 4-Will Hull-383, 5-Justin Phillips-380, 6-Manny Dias-354, 7-Brandon Piastka-346, 8-Josh Sunn-337, 9-Wayne Koehler-246, 10-Kelly Ferrell-184.
NEXT USAC DIRT MIDGET ASSOCIATION RACE: August 7, 2021 – Bear Ridge Speedway – Bradford, Vermont
