Tim Sears Jr. Takes 358 Modified Series Glory at Brewerton Speedway
BREWERTON, NY – July 27, 2018 – In a duel none in attendance will soon forget, Tim Sears Jr. in the no. 83X topped Lightning Larry Wight in the DIRTcar 358 Modified Series MDA 100 at Brewerton Speedway. The D-Shaped Demon gave drivers a fast, high racing line that the leaders were able to lean hard on and move through the field. However, half way through the race, drivers like Sears and HBR hot shoe Jimmy Phelps began to test the low line for traction. It would be on a late race restart that Tim Sears Jr. would outrun Larry Wight through turns one and two and down the backstretch for lead and the win.
The weekly Brewerton Speedway competitors were able to show the invaders how it’s done at their home track by finishing first and second. Tim Sears Jr. started on the pole but it would only take four laps for Larry Wight in the no. 99L to motor around the top side for the lead. Gary Lindberg pressured Sears hard for second and managed to grab the two-spot from him.
“We fell back to third there a little bit. Larry got around both us. Man the track was fast,” noted Sears in Victory Lane. After Ryan Bartlett pounded the front stretch wall, Sears count-punched on the restart to take second back.
While leading, Wight was exceptional at maneuvering through the lapped traffic and put a sizeable gap between himself and Sears. The race was his to lose. On lap 65 Sears outran Wight on a restart and passed the 99L going down the backstretch.
“I knew if I could stay close enough, I could try sliding him going into one but, he kept beating me coming off [the corner], but bobbled a bit coming off of two, and I actually tagged his rear bumper a little bit,” said Sears.
Tim Sears Jr. was ecstatic for his victory: “Considering the last couple of weeks [$4,000] sounds pretty good. I’m just speechless. This is the biggest race we’ve won. It means a lot. Laura, John, and Larry and all the Gypsum guys help us out a ton, and we wouldn’t be here without him.”
Larry Wight in the no. 99L had the car to beat all night but Tim Sears Jr. outraced him in the end. Wight comments on the restart that cost him the lead:
“We just didn’t quite have enough traction off the corner. The top was definitely the dominate line. I think if we could have stayed in lapped traffic, I think we could have either cleared him or if we didn’t have all those yellows we would’ve been alright. I was able to clear the lapped cars pretty quick. On the restarts there’s more traction off the bottom coming out of four but I knew I had to get to the top. On that last one I knew I lost too much time trying to slide up across the track.” It was a strong showing in the MDA 100 for Wight nonetheless.
The highest finishing invader Gary Lindberg no. 28z enjoyed his Breweton Speedway experience: “We’ve only been here a few times and I like it though. It’s fast and has a lot of bite.”
Lindberg was just a few tenths off the lead pace but was happy to be on the podium, especially after The Flying Squirrel Rocky Warner passed him for third mid-race. “The lapped cars were messing me up more than anything. I couldn’t get by them on the bottom. I lost third there for a while to Rocky Warner because I went on the bottom and he drove right by me. It was tricky, it seemed like I could hang with these guys [Sears and Wight] for a bit. I was hoping they’d race side-by-side and take each other out.”
Mike Bowman from Canada in the 71b grabbed quick time in Time-Trials and then followed that show of speed up with a victory in Heat Race #4. Unfortunately, Bowman would suffer a mechanical failure and finish twenty-fourth.
The next DIRTcar 358 Modified Series race is at Can-Am Speedway for the Showdown in September 100 on September 8, 2018.
DIRTcar 358 Modified Series MDA 100 – (1) Tim Sears Jr. (2) Larry Wight (3) Gary Lindberg (4) Ron Davis III (5) Mat Williamson (6) Jimmy Phelps (7) Rob Bellinger (8) Chad Brachmann (9) Rocky Warner (10) Pat Ward (11) Jordan McCreadie (12) Erick Rudolph (13) Glenn Forward (14) Billy Whittaker (15) Todd Root (16) Tyler Meeks (17) Jeremy Wilder (18) Joe Shields (19) Chris Cunningham (20) Billy Dunn (21) Lance Willix (22) Mike Bowman (23) Tom Sears Jr. (24) Mike Bowman (25) Bobby Herrington (26) Rick Richner (27) Tyler Trump (28) Matt Farnham (29) Roy Bresnahan (30) Ryan Bartlett
