Starting on the pole is huge in a lot of ways in a dirt race, the biggest being running in clean air, and able to avoid wrecks or being taken out by someone else's indiscretion. Mat made great use of that advantage, as he cruised to a healthy lead in the first half of the race. Things changed on lap 28 when Mike Bowman, who had moved into second on lap 23, lined up right next to Mat on a restart after a melee in turn three. Mat got away from Bowman when the raced resumed, but it was apparent that Bowman was stout and Mat had to decide how hard to race him with the title on the line.
Two more restarts, one on lap 29, and another on lap 31, tested his mettle, as Bowman was able to get under him going into turn two, but Mat was able to turn him back both times. The second time, on lap 31, was made somewhat easier in that it was caused by Brachmann, whose drive shaft gave way, ending his night and his chances for the title. Thus, the title was basically decided right there, and Mat could now concentrate on racing for the win.
Still mindful of protecting his equipment, Mat was able to fend off Bowman on that final restart and gradually opened a lead over the rest of the race, which came to a sudden and unexpected end on lap 45 when a sudden downpour soaked the track. Thus, the win and the title were secure.
Talking about the race, Mat offered, “I just got lucky with the redraw. It's a good way to start a race because you don't have to worry about anybody else. I knew we had to get a good start, good restarts and just had to have 50 laps of solid racing. I saw Mike (Bowman) under me a couple times. I saw Pete (Bicknell) was coming through. I know he started seventh and got up to third. I was just worrying about hitting my marks and not messing anything up.”
As for the dicing with Bowman on the restarts, especially in turn two, he noted, “I didn't want to pound the daylights out of my stuff on the cushion for 50 laps. I would have been happy finishing second or third, if someone had wanted to beat on their stuff for 50 laps, because I just had to finish. That's all I was focused on. It was fun.”
As for his mindset when he saw that Brachmann was out of the race, he said, “That was when I knew we just had to race. All we had to do was hit my marks and win the race. It got kind of squirrely after one restart. I started to miss my marks and had to get back in the game and worry about the big picture.”
As for the rain, he added, “They called it pretty good. I was worried it was raining because it felt like when the guy in front of me is leaking gear oil or something, but there was nobody in front of me. It was a good call, and I'm happy we're on top.”
Of the big picture, Mat concluded, “This is surreal right now. It still hasn't hit me. I'm sure when we have a couple of beers around the campfire, we'll realize we just won the Merrittville Championship and put ourselves in a group with a bunch of good drivers, a bunch of Hall of Famers, really. It's awesome. It's a great feeling. You can't buy this stuff in the store. You've got to earn it, and it's pretty cool to do it.”
Rob Sawatsky, speaking for the team about the remarkable season, declared, “After the problems with the Big Block at Lernerville, where we actually won a race, we decided to concentrate all our efforts on the 358 program at Merrittville. All of these guys on the crew put so much time and effort into it. That's what pulls it all together. As the 358 program went on, we still had some obstacles, like oil problems in the engine and some problems with another engine, but ERD builds a very good piece, and we had a great car underneath us and a great bunch of guys who worked diligently on it. We didn't let things, like the battery failure, bother us. We all gathered up on Wednesday nights when we get into our repair program and we said, 'Let's go,' and we did. It didn't really bother us. It was a little bit of a stumble, but we put our heads into what we needed to accomplish. There was a little bit of luck we had here and there, along with the stumbles. Luck goes back and forth, but tonight Lady Luck was with us, and we pulled it off. It was nice to go out with a win. You can't ask for a better time.”
Thus, the 2014 Merrittville season is history and the desired goal has been reached. Congratulations to the entire team, and especially to Mat, who was the ultimate wheel man when the issue was in doubt. The team wishes to thank all of its loyal sponsors, all of those who helped out with food, moral support, and encouragement, and our many fans, who stuck with us through thick and thin. You can all enjoy this for a long time.
In closing, let us pay homage to the memory of Pete Cosco, a wonderful man, who meant so much for our sport, whose untimely passing tempered the celebration.
