Mat Williamson took the pole and won his qualifying heat Wednesday at Oswego Speedway, strengthening his bid for a fourth straight Salute to the Troops 150 title at Super DIRT Week. The 150-lap DIRTcar 358 Modified feature is set for Friday, Oct. 9, with $20,000 to the winner.
Williamson led a field of 103 entries with a 22.339-second lap around the five-eighths-mile dirt track, according to DIRTcar’s race report. He then won the third of four 20-lap qualifying heats by more than four seconds. Twenty-eight drivers secured spots in Friday’s feature through the heats.
The field was divided into four qualifying groups because of the number of entries. Darren Smith, Jimmy Phelps, Larry Wight, Billy Dunn, Peter Britten, Andrew Buff and Matt Caprara followed Williamson among the eight drivers who advanced to a re-qualifying round.
Williamson has won the last three editions of the 358 Modified Salute to the Troops 150 at Oswego. After Wednesday’s heat, he said his car was strong but that his team still needed to improve how it handled Turn 3.
Four heat winners lock in
Caprara led the first heat from the green flag and held off a field in which Alex Payne moved into second with four laps remaining. Anthony Perrego finished third. A late battle for the final transfer position included Lance Willix and Tim Sears Jr.; Sears hit the wall after contact and did not finish, while Willix qualified in seventh.
Wight won the second heat after passing Britten for the lead on Lap 8. Gary Lindberg finished second and Britten third. Chris Curtis took the seventh and final transfer spot after passing Jax Yohn following a Lap 15 restart.
Williamson controlled the third heat. Two-time Super DIRT Week small-block champion Tim Fuller advanced from sixth on the starting grid to second, passing Phelps on the final lap. Phelps finished third, while Cedric Gauvreau held off Erick Rudolph for the final transfer position.
Smith led every lap of the fourth heat and won by more than two seconds. Felix Roy climbed from sixth to second by Lap 12 but could not catch Smith. Brian Calabrese finished third, and Tanner Van Doren claimed the last transfer spot.
Friday feature follows another qualifying chance
DIRTcar says the remaining 74 drivers who had not locked into the feature will have a Last Chance Showdown on Friday. The 358 Modified Salute to the Troops 150 follows as part of Super DIRT Week 54 at Oswego Speedway.
The event is being carried live on DIRTVision, according to the series. DIRTcar did not provide a feature start time in Wednesday’s race report.
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