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Mat Williamson finishes second, closes within six points of Matt Sheppard for Series points lead
Mike Warren
Joe Grabianowski Photo
Michael Parent broke a 22-race streak Monday night at Autodrome Drummond.
The Granby, QC driver, led the final 34 laps to win night one of King of the North, becoming the first French-Canadian driver to win a Super DIRTcar Series race at the track since Steve Poirier in 2002.
“That’s unbelievable,” Parent said. “Especially with the season we’ve had. We’ve struggled with the 358 (Modified) this season. We haven’t got a win. This Big Block car is just completely different.
“We felt good from the get-go. We were quickest in [Qualifying], won the Heat, and finished it with a Feature win. This was unbelievable.”
Darren Smith, the SRI Performance and Stock Car Steel Pole Award winner, led the field to the green in the 75-lap Feature alongside Justin Stone.
The Binghamton, NY driver battled side-by-side with Stone as the two raced down the backstretch and nosed ahead as they completed Lap 1.
However, that was the only lap Smith led as Stone’s momentum on the top carried him around the outside of Smith, taking the lead on Lap 2.
Behind the Middlebury, VT driver, Michael Parent started moving forward on the outside line, driving past Matt Sheppard for third on Lap 15 and Smith for second on Lap 36.
As Parent chased Stone, the Rookie of the Year contender held a full straightaway lead, efficiently working through lap traffic.
But on Lap 41, Stone’s bid for a Super DIRTcar Series victory ended. As the caution came out for C.G. Morey, who slowed, Stone hit the outside wall on the front stretch, flattening his right rear tire.
That forced Stone’s No. 15X car to the pits, handing the lead to Parent.
The Quebec driver pulled away from the field, extending his lead to over two seconds over Mat Williamson, who drove past Smith for second on Lap 51.
Racing in traffic, that lead dwindled to under a second with three laps to go. But that was as close as Williamson got as Parent held on to score his first career Super DIRTcar Series victory.
Parent said a trick he learned racing at Drummond helped him keep his momentum going on the outside.
“You have to set your entry a little bit different,” Parent said. “If you go in and you’re still on it, that car will bounce with the weight of the Big Block. So, you have to settle a little bit back in the straightaways.
“But the car was perfect, the handling was good. DIG Racing products gave us some really nice shocks, so shock control was great. It was perfect.”
Williamson finished second, but not without a battle at the end. Tim Sears Jr., who finished third, almost snuck by the No. 88 as they raced toward the checkered flag.
On the last lap, Sears entered high in Turn 3 and dove underneath Williamson, racing him to the line.
However, Williamson beat Sears by 0.035 seconds to earn his seventh Super DIRTcar Series podium in eight races.
The St. Catharines, ON driver said that although he found momentum on the top in the last 10 laps, Parent’s car was better.
“I was reeling him in a little bit, but I was driving so hard to reel him in,” Williamson said. “I think with him leading he didn’t want to make any mistakes, so he was driving less hard. He ran a great race, hats off to them.”
With his runner-up finish, Williamson moved up to second in points—six points behind Sheppard, who finished fourth.
Sears’ third-place finish was his fourth top five in his last five Super DIRTcar Series starts. “Timmer” attributed it to unloading with a fast race car at the beginning of the night.
“We’ve been getting better every time we hit the racetrack,” Sears said. “So, we’re definitely trending in the right direction.
“It was hard to be consistent, but we were really good [on the outside]. I could roll around it better than some guys could. I was just getting through the rougher spots a little better than they were.”
Alex Payne rounded out the top five—his best Super DIRTcar Series finish.
Jimmy Phelps finished 14th, and Anthony Perrego finished 20th. Those results dropped them to third and fourth in the standings, respectively.
Stone finished 17th after leading 40 laps.
For a complete look at the Super DIRTcar Series points standings, CLICK HERE.
UP NEXT: The Super DIRTcar Series returns to Autodrome Drummond for night two of King of the North on Tuesday, July 23. Drivers will battle in another 75-lap Feature, but this time, $10,000 and a guaranteed starting spot at Super DIRT Week 52 are on the line.
If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all of the Super DIRTcar Series action on DIRTVision, either online or with the DIRTVision app.
King Of The North Night 1 (75 Laps): 1. 25P-Michael Parent[4]; 2. 88-Mat Williamson[5]; 3. 83X-Tim Sears Jr[6]; 4. 9S-Matt Sheppard[3]; 5. 70A-Alex Payne[8]; 6. 12-Darren Smith[1]; 7. 99L-Larry Wight[7]; 8. 91-Felix Roy[10]; 9. 27J-Danny Johnson[22]; 10. 25-Erick Rudolph[11]; 11. 1-David Hebert[13]; 12. 44G-Sebastien Gougeon[15]; 13. 2-Jack Lehner[14]; 14. 98H-Jimmy Phelps[24]; 15. 21-Yan Bussiere[19]; 16. 90JR-Jeremy Roy[20]; 17. 15X-Justin Stone[2]; 18. 61-Donovan Lussier[26]; 19. 35-Mike Mahaney[16]; 20. 4-Anthony Perrego[12]; 21. 15B-Brianna Ladouceur[18]; 22. 25*-Steve Bernier[27]; 23. (DNF) 151KB-Brian McDonald[21]; 24. (DNF) 1M-Mathieu Desjardins[9]; 25. (DNF) 3RS-Dalton Slack[23]; 26. (DNF) 124-Mario Clair[17]; 27. (DNF) 14-CG Morey[25]; 28. (DNF) 54-Steve Bernard[28]
Contingency Awards:
JAM Performance Fastest Hot Lap Award: Erick Rudolph ($100)
Billy Whittaker Cars Quick Time Award: Michael Parent ($100)
VP Racing Fuels Award: Felix Roy ($50)
ARP Bolts Award: Matt Sheppard ($50)
ASI Racewear Award: Jack Lehner ($50)
Behrent’s Performance Warehouse Award: N/A ($50)
Cometic Gasket Award: Jack Lehner $50
Comp Cams Award: Erick Rudolph ($50)
DIG Racing Products: Jimmy Phelps ($50)
Fox Factory Award: Tim Sears Jr. ($50)
MSD Award: Alex Payne ($50)
Swift Springs Award: Darren Smith ($50)
Weld Racing Wheels Award: Mat Williamson ($50)
Hoosier Racing Tire Award: Alex Payne (Free Tire)
SRI Performance/Stock Car Steel Pole Award: Darren Smith ($100)
Post-race Tech: Right front shocks were checked on top five. All cars passed.
