Ellington, CT: The USAC Dirt Midget Association crowned the series champion this past Saturday night during the Bear Ridge Speedway awards banquet. The banquet room at the Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee, VT was full with over three hundred in attendance to take part in the evening’s festivities. The event was hosted by the owners and promoters of the speedway, Butch Elms and April May Preston and the Master of Ceremonies was Mark Hann, Director of Business Development for Seals-it and Public Relations for the USAC DMA. Guest speaker for the event was Dr. Dick Berggren, President of the Racing History Preservation Group (RHPG).
Before the top ten awards there was a series of special awards given out to recognize some of the drivers for their achievements. The Lap Leader Award was presented to Adam Pierson for most laps lead during the 2014 season. The Raymond Brown/Cliff Bullis Award was given out to Joe Krawiec. Most Popular Driver Award, which is voted on by the fans, went to Mike Chaffee. The USAC DMA Rookie of The Year was awarded to Tim Hodge for his first year in the series. And recognized for his years in racing was Ray Miller for all he has done in the sport.
The Top Ten awards went to the following: Adam Pierson was crowned the champion in 1st, Josh Sunn 2nd, Scott Holcomb 3rd, Scott Viets 4th, Mike Chafee 5th, Ray Miller 6th, Dean Christensen 7th, Joe Krawiec 8th, Tim Hodge 9th and rounding out the top ten was Adam Whitney in 10th.
After receiving his championship award, Adam Pierson gave a heartfelt acceptance speech acknowledging all that have helped him over the years. Pierson and car owner Frank Manafort will be recognized on December 12th at the National USAC Awards Banquet in Indianapolis. IN.
There was some additional awards given out during the evening including the 2014 Chris Economaki Vision Award to Skip Matczak, President of Seals-it and USAC car owner for his role in the sport. Frank Manafort and his driver Adam Pierson received the Elliott Beveridge Award in memory of Elliott who was well known for his dedication to the sport of auto racing. The Sportsmanship Award was presented to Mike Chaffee for his role in making sure that Scott Viets was locked into his point’s position after suffering injuries before the race season was over. The Big Al’s Photos Hard Luck Award was given out to Scott Holcomb. The 2014 USAC DMA Promoters of The Year Award was presented to Butch Elms and April May Preston.
The USAC Dirt Midget Association also presented awards to those that help support the series and volunteer their time. The USAC DMA Dedication Awards went to Zetie Shookus, Ned Bush and Andy Krawiec.