BY: Chris Santos
9/12/22…CHICO CALIFORNIA: WEDNESDAY NIGHT, MAX MITTRY WOULD MAKE THE TRIP TO ONE OF HIS FAVORITE TRACKS FOR THE SPRINT CAR CHALLENGE TOUR VERSION OF THE 2022 GOLD CUP RACE OF CHAMPIONS. IT WAS A TOP-32 IN POINTS INVITATIONAL, BUT WITH SEVERAL DRIVERS DROPPING OUT, MAX WOULD GET THE INVITE AND MAKE THE TRIP TO OPEN UP GOLD CUP.
HE WOULD GET HIS WEEKEND STARTED OFF WITH SPRINT CAR CHALLENGE TOUR GROUP QUALIFYING. MAX WOULD HEAD OUT IN GROUP NUMBER 3 AND GO 3RD QUICK IN A VERY GOOD GROUP OF WINGED 360 SPRINT CARS.
THE HEAT RACE WOULD SEE MAX ROLL OFF ON THE OUTSIDE OF ROW NUMBER 1 IN THE SECOND STARTING POSITION. MAX WOULD NEED TO WIN THE HEAT RACE IN ORDER TO MAKE THE DASH. HE WOULD TAKE THE LEAD ON LAP 1 AND LEAD EVERY LAP, GOING ON TO WIN THE HEAT RACE AND LOCK HIMSELF INTO THE WEDNESDAY NIGHT DASH.
FOR THE DASH, MAX WOULD PULL THE 3 PILL AND ROLL OFF FROM THE INSIDE OF ROW 2 IN THE 3RD STARTING POSITION. AFTER STARTING 3RD, THE DASH WOULD GO BY QUICK AS MAX WOULD RUN 3RD ALL RACE AND WHEN THE CHECKERED FLAG FELL HE WOULD FINISH IN THE 3RD POSITION.
WHEN THE FEATURE EVENT CAME AROUND, MAX WOULD START ON THE INSIDE OF ROW 2 IN THE 3RD STARTING POSITION. EARLY ON MAX WOULD GRAB 2ND AND RUN BEHIND YOUNG CHANCE GRASTY. IN TRAFFIC MAX WOULD MAKE HIS MOVE AND TAKE THE LEAD. HOWEVER, WITH 9 TO GO SHANE GOLOBIC WOULD MAKE THE PASS FOR THE LEAD ON MITTRY. AT THE LINE LARSON WOULD EDGE HIM OUT, PUTTING MAX IN THE 3RD FINISHING POSITION.
MAX WOULD HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL FRIDAY NIGHT FOR HIS PRELIMINARY NIGHT OF THE 2022 GOLD CUP RACE OF CHAMPIONS AT SILVER DOLLAR SPEEDWAY. HE WOULD HAVE A TOUGH PRELIM NIGHT AS A VERY STRONG FIELD OF 30 WINGED 410 SPRINT CARS WOULD FILE INTO THE PIT AREA, LOOKING FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOCK INTO THE GOLD CUP FINALE ON SATURDAY.
QUALIFYING WOULD SEE MAX ROLL OUT AROUND HALFWAY THROUGH THE FIELD. HOWEVER, HE WOULD LAY DOWN A GREAT LAP AS HE WOULD END UP 8TH QUICK OUT OF 30 410 SPRINT CARS AND EVEN QUALIFIED AHEAD OF SOME VERY GOOD OUTLAW GUYS.
FOR THE HEAT RACES, THERE WOULD BE A 6 CAR INVERT WITH ONLY 5 TRANSFERRING TO THE FEATURE. MAX WOULD START 5TH, NEEDING TO MOVE UP A SPOT TO GET SOME HEAT RACE POINTS. HE WOULD DO THAT AS BY THE TIME THE HEAT RACE WAS OVER, HE WOULD FINISH IN THE 4TH POSITION AND LOCK HIMSELF IN TO THE FRIDAY NIGHT FEATURE.
IN THE FEATURE, THERE WOULD BE AN 8 CAR INVERT WHICH WOULD PUT MAX ON THE OUTSIDE FRONT ROW FOR THE FEATURE. EARLY ON HE WOULD RUN SECOND, HOWEVER ON A RESTART HE WOULD GET OVER THE CUSHION AND FALL BACK TO AROUND 8TH. THE REST OF THE FEATURE JE WOULD BATTLE AROUND THEIR AND BRING HOME AN 8TH PLACE FINISH PUTTING HIM 14TH IN POINTS.
SATURDAY NIGHT MAX WOULD RETURN TO SILVER DOLLAR SPEEDWAY FOR THE 3RD AND FINAL NIGHT OF THE 2022 GOLD CUP RACE OF CHAMPIONS. A STRONG FIELD OF 51 WINGED 410 SPRINT CARS WOULD FILE INTO THE PIT AREA LOOKING FOR A GREAT NIGHT OF RACING WITH THE BEST IN THE WORLD.
THEY WOULD GET STRAIGHT INTO HEAT RACES BASED OFF OF PRELIMINARY NIGHT POINTS. MAX WOULD START ON THE INSIDE OF ROW 2 IN THE 3RD STARTING POSITION NEEDING TO FINISH IN THE TOP-4 TO MAKE THE FEATURE. HE WOULD DO THAT WITH EASE AS HE WOULD FINISH WHERE HE STARTED IN THE 3RD POSITION AND LOCK INTO THE GOLD CUP RACE OF CHAMPIONS FEATURE.
IN THE FEATURE, MAX WOULD START ON THE OUTSIDE OF ROW 7 IN THE 14TH STARTING POSITION. ON LAP 1, MAX WOULD SPIN IN TURN 2 PUTTING HIM TO THE BACK OF THE FIELD. AFTER STARTING IN THE BACK, MAX WAS ABLE TO MAKE SOME MOVES AND SLOWLY STARTED MOVING HIS WAY BACK UP THROUGH THE FIELD AS THE FEATURE WENT ON.
AT AROUND HALFWAY THROUGH THE RACE, HE AND RYAN BERNAL WOULD GET INTO AN INCIDENT AS BERNALL WOULD COME TO A STOP BUT MITTRY WOULD KEEP GOING. AT ONE POINT MAX WOULD GET HIMSELF BACK TO THE 12TH POSITION. HOWEVER, AS THE CHECKERED FLAG FELL, HE WOULD GO FROM THE BACK TO 15TH WHERE HE WOULD FINISH.
IT WAS A GREAT WEEKEND FOR MAX MITTRY. HE SHOWED HE COULD COMPETE WITH THE BEST IN THE WORLD WHILE MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF ON THE NATIONAL LEVEL AS ONE OF THE TOP YOUNG DRIVERS IN NOT JUST CALIFORNIA BUT ALSO THE COUNTRY.
MAX WOULD LIKE TO THANK HIS SPONSORS; WWW.MITTRYCONSTRUCTION.COM, SHARK RACING ENGINES, ARAI HELMETS, KEVIN SHARRAH DESIGNS, FAST FOUR MEDIA, 24HOUR ROADSIDE SERVICE, AND JUSTIN SANDERS RACING.
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