Mike McVetta Wins Heat, Feature, Secures Inaugural Midwest Supermodified Series Championship
by Tim Church
September 29, 2018 – Claremont, IN…Going into the race at Lucas Oil Raceway, Mike McVetta held a narrow 13 point advantage over Jim Paller for the inaugural Midwest Supermodified Series, (MSS), Championship. Mike made sure that he took care of business, winning both his heat race and the feature to wrap up the MSS Championship, but it wasn’t easy.
Mike McVetta won the MSS main event at Lucas Oil Raceway’s Fall Brawl and secured the season championship with a one, two punch. (Jim Davidson photo)
McVetta had to work through a number of problems during the day. He had to replace the magneto, a strut on the wing had given way causing more damage to a wing that had fallen off the trailer prior to the race, then as the laps counted down with McVetta looking to have victory in his grasp, the motor choked and seemed to be fuel starved. But, it was his night as the he found enough methanol to bring the #22 home to a historic victory lane celebration.
Beside himself with excitement, McVetta said, “I don’t know what to say, the car was so great tonight.” “On the lap nine restart it was like the light came on in the car and I could drive it anywhere on the track. The championship still hasn’t quite sunk in just yet, and to win at this track is amazing.”
Eighteen supermodifieds took the green flag and Dave McKnight jumped out to the early lead. But Dave Shullick, Jr. starting from his seventh position, was in front by lap four. AJ Lesiecki found his way to second and was running very well. With a lot of racing going on throughout the field, Talon Stephens found himself in third place by lap seven.
The yellow came out on lap nine when the #55 of Rich Reid had the rear axle break and sending him into the wall out of turn two. Rich was OK, but his race was over for the night. Shullick, AJ Lesiecki, Talon Stephens, Jim Paller, and Mike Lichty were the top five at this time. During the yellow, the number Lesiecki stopped on the front stretch and needed a push to the pits. He was pushed back out and restarted at the tail of the field.
On the restart, Mike McVetta, who had started ninth, suddenly found himself in fifth after just one lap. After two more laps McVetta had moved up to second and set his sights on the fast-moving Shullick, Jr, who was pretty much racing his own race.
Another yellow fell on lap 12 for the #19 of Trent Stephens who started smoking coming out of turn four. Stephens rough season continued and his night was done. The green came back out, but yellow quickly flew again, this time for the Jonathon Lesiecki The younger Lesiecki had a drive shaft brake which ruptured the fuel cell just after passing Dave Danzer in turn one. When the green came back out, Mike McVetta wasted no time and quickly moved around Shullick, Jr. to take over the lead.
Meanwhile, Jim Paller took over third place from Talon Stephens. The yellow flag would come out for the last time of the night for a spin by Dave Danzer. He would restart the race at the tail of the field. During the caution, Mike Lichty suddenly pulled in the pits while running in fifth place, done for the night. The green flag flew for the last time and Mike McVetta took off like a rocket, slowed only by the pinched fuel line, and took home the win in the first appearance by the supermodifieds at the Claremont oval since 1995.
Denny Fisher, the only participant from the 1995 race, finished in ninth place, an improvement on twelfth from the previous race. When asked earlier in the day what he hoped to accomplish, he was hoping for a top ten finish and he got it racing the only small-block engine in competition.
BOX SCORE
- Midwest Supermodified Series
- Fall Brawl – Season Championship
- September 29, 2018
- Lucas Oil Raceway
- Claremont, IN
Fast Qualifier: Dave Shullick, Jr. – 18.346
Heat Race 1-8 Laps: 1, Dave Shullick (95) 2, Talon Stephens (30) 3, AJ Lesiecki (77) 4, Rich Reid (55) 5, Preston Walker (7) 6, Jonathon Lesiecki (14)
Heat Race 2-8 Laps: 1, Mike Lichty (84) 2, Trent Stephens (19) 3, Dave Danzer (52) 4, Dan Connors (01) 5, Mark Sammut (78) 6, Jeff West (1)
Heat Race 3-8 Laps: 1, Mike McVetta (22) 2, Dave McKnight (70) 3, Jim Paller (64) 4, Danny Shirey (2) 5, Denny Fisher (81) 6, Larry Lehnert (92)
Feature-40 Laps: 1, Mike McVetta (22) 2, Dave Shullick (95) 3, Jim Paller (64) 4, AJ Lesiecki (77) 5, Talon Stephens (30) 6, Dave McKnight (70) 7, Dave Danzer (52) 8, Danny Connors (01) 9, Denny Fisher (81) 10, Mark Sammut (78) 11, Preston Walker (7) 12, Mike Lichty (84) 13, Jonathon Lesiecki 14, Trent Stephens (19) 15, Danny Shirey (2) 16, Rich Reid (55) 17, Jeff West (1) 18, Larry Lehnert (92)
