Super late models race at 1/5-mile bullrings such as Macon Speedway, inside The Dome at America’s Center, and now Action Track USA. The class debuted at the Pennsylvania dirt oval on September 7, with Trever Feathers winning the 60-lap feature.
“Everyone expected we would need new bodies after the race,” Feathers, of Winchester, Virginia, said. “Not so. Everyone drove with respect. The track raced well and I had no problem passing cars.”
Feathers battled with Mason Zeigler side by side for a dozen laps. Zeigler raced all around the U.S., winning the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Rookie of the Year honors in 2018.
“I never raced on anything that tiny,” said Zeigler, of Chalk Hill, Pennsylvania.
Action Track USA reminded Zeigler of Macon. The smallest track Feathers had experienced was Path Valley Speedway, a quarter-mile. The two drivers turned 11-second laps while pacing the field.
“You need to be more up on the wheel because aero doesn’t come into play,” Feathers said. “You can’t make mistakes. Everything is happening so fast I couldn’t even take the time to look at the people signaling me.”
Zeigler hit a rut during qualifying, which he cited as the source of his struggles during the feature.
“When we got home, I found out that I had bent the left bottom rod — I was wondering why I had no traction in the feature,” said Zeigler. “I had to bang off the wall to make speed.”
Likewise, the biggest source of bodywork for Zeigler was the wall, too.
“We were racing up against the guardrail all the way around,” Feathers said. “I clipped the wall and bent the deck about three inches, but that’s minor and it’s the only damage I had.”
Besides the rod, Zeigler only torn a quarter panel a bit. The rest of the car was unscathed. After the feature, Feathers and Zeigler discussed the track.
“We talked about how much more action there was with the steering wheel,” said Feathers. “Our arms got tired, and reaction time slowed.”
Both Feathers and Zeigler look forward to return to Action Track USA in a late model.
“It was a lot of fun to race at Action Track USA,” Zeigler said. “Would I race there again? Definitely.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
