It was a successful start to the new year as the Simmons Civil Contracting/Matt Dumesny Racing team scored another podium finish at Valvoline Raceway to kick off 2019.
Dumesny continued his Ultimate Sprintcar Championship (USC) consistency last night despite a slower than usual start to the day in qualifying.
“The track was pretty slick by the time we went out and we didn’t really get the best lap down,” Dumesny said. “We started out of four in the heat and we were feeling really good – I just took my time and didn’t rush anything.
“On the last lap I tried to make a move on the leader, but it wasn’t worth risking anything as we knew a second-place heat race finish would put us in a solid starting position for the feature race.”
Quickly making his way through the field in the 50 lap points-paying feature race, the 24-year-old captured the lead from American driver Brad Sweet and began to lay down consistent laps.
“We started out of six in the main and right away we were pretty quick so I drove straight to third before moving my way up,” he explained. “At around lap 15 I started reeling in Brad and I passed him in the lapped traffic. We felt really good, the car just kept coming on and we lead the race right up until the fuel stoppage.”
Following the fuel stoppage it was a case of experience and risk taking that saw Dumesny fall under pressure once again from Sweet and fellow Australian Lynton Jeffrey who would eventually make their way into the first and second-place podiums positions, respectively.
“The track was pretty gone and we were just running through the middle in the slick, but with 50 laps on the track it was bound to take rubber at some point,” he commented. “We were just doing our thing all race trying to hit my marks, but Brad’s one of the world’s best right now and he’s really experienced.
“He ended up searching around and finding that it started laying rubber down the bottom, so he drove by me on the bottom and then Lynton got by me as well. I probably should have moved down myself, but it’s definitely hard to make those decisions when you’re in the lead.
“It was another solid night through and we landed three podiums out of four nights. When you’re racing with guys like Brad, you can’t complain and I’m definitely happy to be able to make a pass on him and lead a good part of the main event.”
Exiting the jam-packed Christmas/New Year racing schedule with strong results throughout, Dumesny again thanked his supporters and crew members for their endless efforts.
“It was an awesome night overall and a huge thanks goes out to Simmons Civil Contracting, Valvoline, KTM and the rest of our sponsors that make this happen,” he said. “I also have to thank Cam [Coghlan] and Boydy [David Boyd] for their hard work all week in the heat.
“We’ve got some good speed right now and I’m looking forward to the Scott Darley Challenge on 11-12 January. It’s one of the biggest races of the year and I think we have a pretty good shot at it.”
For further information on the Simmons Civil Contracting/Matt Dumesny Racing team visit www.mattdumesnyracing.com or Matt Dumesny Racing on Facebook.
