Berkley, MA – (May 19, 2008) – In the second event of the season, Jake and the Mad Dog Motorsports (MDM) team brought home the team’s first top 10 finish in their newly-purchased #16 Ford Fusion. Avoiding an incident which could have ended his night halfway through the race, Jake kept the Propane Plus/Aubuchon Hardware-sponsored machine within a car’s length of the top five.
Jake started the 40-lap event in the fifth position by virtue of his heat race win. It was Jake’s first heat race win in only his second start. Situated in the midst of veteran drivers like Kenny Spencer, David Darling, and Fred Astle, Jake battled with Seekonk’s best drivers throughout the main event.
“We had a great car for the feature. It was tough getting there, though. We were too tight in the first practice then over corrected and were too loose. The adjustments after the second practice seemed to be right on because the car was great from the start of the heat race on,” Jake said after the race.
The only close call of the race came on lap 20 when Jake and Tom Scully, Jr. were battling for position. Coming up on the lapped car of Joe Melberg, contact was made between the three cars which resulted in Scully, Jr. and Melberg making contact with the outside retaining wall.
“That was too bad with what happened to Tom, Jr. We were battling for position and were trying to get around the #100, but we really were not getting enough room. That could have been an ugly finish for us,” Jake recalled.
As the laps continued to click off of the scoreboard Jake battled with both defending track champion David Darling and fellow young-gun Mike Brightman for a place in the top five. The result, however, was a sixth place finish. Jake concluded, “We had a great night. We won our heat and then finished sixth in the main event – our first top ten. We continue to get some quality seat time, and that is the name of the game in this sport. It’s all about seat time. Thankfully, we are logging some solid finishes in the process. I can’t wait until next week’s 75-lapper.”
The next race on MDM’s schedule is The Coors Light Silver Cup, a 75-lap feature event scheduled for Saturday, May 24, at the Seekonk Speedway (MA).
For all of the latest information on MDM, stay tuned to www.mad-dogmotorsports.com.