PETERSEN MEDIA
Struggling in qualifying, and then missing the scales, Matt Mitchell rebounded very nicely at the Kings Speedway on Saturday night, as he charged from his 15th starting spot to score a fifth place finish aboard the Josh Ford Motorsports No. 73 machine.
“I made a bonehead move after time trials, and fortunately enough, we had a great car all night and moved forward,” Mitchell said.
Starting dead last in his heat race, Mitchell had his elbows up aboard the King Racing Products/A&A Precision CNC/Pacific Coast Maintenance machine, as he scored a third place finish, transferring to the 30-lap feature event.
Lining up in the 15th spot, Mitchell was on a mission as soon as the green flag waived. The Yorba Linda, CA driver seemed to pick off cars at will on the tacky 3/8 mile Kings Speedway.
Working up into the fifth spot at the halfway point, Mitchell began to have shock issues with his left rear shock, making his machine a little tricky to maneuver.
With just seven laps to go, Mitchell worked up into the fourth spot as he chased after Markus Niemela, and the rest of the top three, with Bud Kaeding on his tail.
Fighting his car over the last few laps, Mitchell ultimately surrendered the fourth spot to Kaeding, and settled for a fifth place finish.
“I have to thank Jimmy, and all of the guys who work on this thing for giving me such a great car,” he said. “We were definitely moving, and it was a ton of fun.”
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-30, Wins-3, Top 5’s-8, Top 10’s-17
ON TAP: Mitchell will be back behind the wheel of the JFM No. 73 this Thursday night at the Thunderbowl in Tulare, CA for the non wing Trophy Cup, before the JFM team bolts wings on the 73 car for the winged Trophy Cup this Friday and Saturday.