BY MARK McKEON
Defending Champion Joe Krawiec of Bristol, CT earned his second USAC DMA Powered by Ignite Racing Fuel feature of the year with a determined drive from the 12th starting spot. His teammate Kevin Chaffee of Fairlee, VT, who started 13th and led briefly, finished second while mid race leader and former Sprint Car pilot Scott Holcomb of Granby, CT came home third.
“My car owner Skip Matczak gave me an amazing car’, Krawiec said. “Kevin and Scott raced me hard, but they raced e clean, which was really great. It’s been an amazing year so far, we had a little shortcoming at the beginning, but we’re trying to earn as many points as we can, but with Kevin hot on our trail it’s going to be tough.”
The 25 lap event had the crowd on its feet to get a better view of the multiple lead changes and side-by-side action. Three yellow flags slowed the pace. Young Connor Leighton smacked the front stretch wall on lap 1; Tim Gallant spun on lap 5 and went to the back of the field but recovered to finish sixth. A three car pile-up on lap 16 saw the cars of Denny Zimmerman, Jim Mossman and Jeff Champagne all leave the track on wreckers. There were no injuries.
Retired ABC/ESPN broadcaster Jack Arute, who currently hosts a college football show on Sirius/XM radio, made his USAC DMA debut, substituting for Matt Covey who suffered non-life threating injuries in an ATV accident. Arute had a solid night until the final lap of the feature when a brake line let go and he tangled with Jim Close. Arute said he “had a blast” and hopes to return later in the season.
USAC DIRT MIDGET ASSOCIATION RACE RESULTS: June 16, 2012 – Bradford, Vermont –
Bear Ridge Speedway
FRIST HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Jamie Spalding (#93 Tefft), 2. Kevin Chaffee (#23 Matczak), 3. Tim Gallant (#33 Gallant), 4. Dean Christensen (#69 Miller), 5. Greg Olson (#0 Tefft), 6. Jack Arute (#26 Covey), 7. Jim Mossman (#1 Mossman), 8. Jeff Champagne (#77 Champagne). NT
SECOND HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Scott Holcomb (#91 Holcomb), 2. Joe Krawiec (#4 Matczak), 3. Adam Whitney (#12 Whitney), 4. Ray Miller (#1 Miller), 5. Dana Shaw (#6x Olson), 6. Chase Dowling (#76 Manafort), 7. Denny Zimmerman (#3 Matczak), 8. Dave Hotchkiss (#47 Miller). DNS: Jim Close (#7x Close), Connor Leighton (#84 Leighton). 2:39.78
FEATURE: (25 laps) 1. Joe Krawiec, 2. Kevin Chaffee, 3. Scott Holcomb, 4. Jamie Spalding, 5. Chase Dowling, 6. Tim Gallant, 7. Ray Miller, 8. Adam Whitney, 9. Greg Olson, 10. Dave Hotchkiss, 11. Jack Arute, 12. Jim Close, 13. Dana Shaw, 14. Dean Christensen, 15. Denny Zimmerman, 16. Jim Mossman, 17. Jeff Champagne, 18. Connor Leighton.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-9 Spalding, Laps 10-14 Holcomb, Lap 15 Chaffee, Laps 16-25 Krawiec.
NEXT USAC DMA MIDGET RACE: June 30, 2012 – Bradford, Vermont – Bear Ridge Speedway
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