CARLSON WINS A THIRD, EXTENDS DMA POINT LEAD
By: John DaDalt
Bradford, Vermont (September 10, 2022)………Seth Carlson of Stafford, Conn. found himself in victory lane at Bear Ridge Speedway Saturday night for the third time this season.
The win gives Carlson a solid lead in the point standings for the USAC-DMA midgets as they head into their final race of the season in two weeks.
Dan Piastka led from the start and built up a solid lead throughout the feature while Carlson made an early move to take second on the first lap.
The first caution flag flew on lap six when Matt Tanner hit an infield tire in turn two and broke an axle.
As Piastka and Carlson led the field on the restart, Miller racing teammates Justin Sheridan, Brandon Piastka, Justin Phillips and Mike Chaffee all battled for position in the top five.
With a commanding lead and the race seemingly won, misfortune befell Dan Piastka as they came to the white flag. While attempting to pass a lapped car, Piastka hit one of the infield tires and broke an axle ending his race in disappointment.
Carlson inherited the lead on the restart and led the final two laps to take down the win.
Justin Sheridan picked up his third runner-up finish of the year, taking over second spot in the point standings with one race to go. Mike Chaffee also had a good race to finish third. Brandon Piastka and Justin Phillips rounded out the top five.
Carlson’s win kept him in the driver’s seat in the point race. “Track position was key tonight; we were able to make a move from sixth to second on the first corner and we were able to capitalize on that (Piastka’s incident) at the end of the race. We tried some new things on the car this week and had mixed results. Hopefully we can finish off the last race with a strong result.”
Missing from the lineup tonight were Josh Sunn, Will Hull and Nikki Ouellette. All three are nursing injuries sustained while racing. We wish them all a speedy recovery and hope to see them back at the track soon.
Mike Chaffee and Dan Piastka won their respective heats for the second race in a row.
Both heats went green to checker.
The final race of the season for the USAC-DMA midgets will be at Bear Ridge Speedway on September 24.
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USAC DIRT MIDGET ASSOCIATION RACE RESULTS: September 10, 2022 – Bear Ridge Speedway – Bradford, Vermont
FIRST HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Dan Piastka (#1B Miller), 2. Justin Phillips (#16 Miller), 3. Ralle Rookey (#50 Matczak), 4. Wayne Koehler (#91 Koehler), 5. Todd Mable (#2K Mable). NT
SECOND HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Mike Chaffee (#18C Miller), 2. Seth Carlson (#4 Matczak), 3. Justin Sheridan (#17 Shookus), 4. Brandon Piastka (#7 Miller), 5. Matt Tanner (#14 Matczak). NT
FEATURE: (25 laps) 1. Seth Carlson, 2. Justin Sheridan, 3. Mike Chaffee, 4. Brandon Piastka, 5. Justin Phillips, 6. Ralle Rookey, 7. Wayne Koehler, 8. Todd Mable, 9. Dan Piastka, 10. Matt Tanner. NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: 1-23 Dan Piastka, Laps 24-25 Seth Carlson.
USAC SPEED2 DIRT MIDGET ASSOCIATION POINTS: 1-Seth Carlson-651, 2-Justin Sheridan-603, 3-Brandon Piastka-585, 4-Josh Sunn-544, 5-Dan Piastka-529, 6-Ralle Rookey-384, 7-Manny Dias-343, 8-Todd Mable-312, 9-Mike Netishen-238, 10-Jeff Horn-220.
NEXT USAC DIRT MIDGET ASSOCIATION RACE: September 24, 2022 – Bear Ridge Speedway – Bradford, Vermont