PETERSEN MEDIA
Struggling with the USAC/CRA Series thus far in 2013, Matt Mitchell made some steps in the right direction on Saturday night as he scored a fifth place finish, his best series finish of the season.
“We are getting a lot better, but we were so far behind, we still have some stuff to improve on,” he said.
Making his first start at the high-banked track of the season, Mitchell got off to a great start as he timed in third fastest during time trials, putting him inside the main event inversion.
“We have struggled a ton in time trials, so to step it up at a tough track like Tulare, was awesome,” he explained.
A fifth place finish in his heat, put him in the second row for the 30-lap feature event on the high-speed track.
When it went green, Mitchell hooked up in an entertaining with Danny Faria and Bud Kaeding.
Battling for third-fifth for most of the race, Mitchell wound up on the short end of the battle, as he dropped back to fifth.
Keeping Kaeding within striking distance, Mitchell was unable to get back up to the fourth spot, and settled with the fifth place finish.
“Everything about our night on Saturday was better,” he said. “We timed in better, raced better, and most importantly, we finished better. We still have a ways to go, but we will take progress.”
Matt Mitchell Racing would like to thank, A.R.T. Enterprises, MPD Racing, Parker Performance Engines, Caliagua, Bell Helmets, and Hedman Hedders for their support in 2013.
2013 BY THE NUMBERS: Races-14, Wins-1, Top 5’s-2, Top 10’s-6
ON TAP: Matt and his team will return to action on Saturday night at the Perris Auto Speedway for the USAC/CRA ‘Salute to Indy’.