Bergman Showcases Talent At Fred Brownfield Memorial Weekend

Night 2 of the Fred Brownfield Memorial Race was shaping up to be an intense evening. After a successful previous night, which saw Seth win his heat race and finish sixth in the A-Main Seth found himself 3rd in points after night one of racing. After an unfortunate pill draw of 10th in the 2nd heat, Seth was able to pass several cars and land himself a top 5 starting position for the A main event. Fans and the crew were thrilled to see this chance for Seth to take it all.

The B main events came and went, with the familiar names showcasing their talents as usual and landing spots in the back of the A main event (Rutz, Cole, Solwald.) Fans applauded as each driver was individually introduced and proceed through a loud, strobe-lit, smoky entrance through the stands and onto the track for the A Main event.

Bergman’s team was experimenting with a new setup on the car, and judging by his results, their ingenuity had paid off. Seth was showing signs of strength and agility in his maneuvering around the track, despite dry and dirty conditions. Fans enjoyed dirt caked on them everywhere, a true sign of a real love of the sport.

For the A main, Bergman was in for a challenging evening, surrounded by strong contenders including Mitch Olson, Outlaws driver Shane Stewart, and ARCA Series driver Taylor Malsam, to name a few. Seth began in the 5th spot for the A main event, followed by the points leader, Jared Ridge.

Seth began the race flying around turn one and overtaking two cars in the first lap! A caution ensued due to another car spinning out, but Bergman was looking great and had secured the 3rd position in only a few seconds. This writer, needless to say, was beside herself with excitement.

Several laps passed. Jared Ridge, a rookie and the points leader for the ASCS NW thus far, was battling to pass Bergman. On turn 2, Bergman was on a strong line and beginning to turn when Ridge, on the outside, collided with Bergman’s right rear tire, causing Ridge to spin out and damage his car. Bergman suffered a broken right rear shock due to the collision. Ridge, upset at his error and potential point-loss, proceeded to throw his steering wheel at Bergman’s car. Fans loudly booed at Ridge’s unsportsmanlike conduct.

Bergman was pushed to the pits. Ridge’s pit crew was there waiting for him. One of Ridge’s crew members proceeded to push Seth’s father, clearly blaming him for the collision. Despite Seth’s crew’s efforts, they were unable to fix the broken shock in time for re-entry due to the impedance of others. The night was now over for the team.

The race went on to completion quickly with not a single tumbling car. Shane Stewart took the win with Crockett finishing second.

After the race, fans crowded around Bergman in the pits, asking for autographs and speculating what Ridge’s penalties would be. One older fan was clearly enraged at the situation. “He’d better get fined for that stupid stunt,” she mused. “I don’t bring my grandkids here to watch that garbage.”

Seth, though upset at the situation, was pleased with his weekends efforts for the evening, as were his crew and his fans. Seth was competing with the best and proving himself as the talented and professional driver his admirers all know him to be.

After the results of the evening were posted, it was clear why Ridge was so intent on winning this race. The crash cost him his points-leading status. Jayme Barnes is now the leader by a slim margin of 2 points, with Ridge following in 2nd position with defending champion Roger Crockett a further two points back in third. Seth moved up to 5th place in the points standings right on the heels of Jay Cole who is in fourth.

Next week brings a double-header end of the series for Bergman in Yakima, WA for the ASCS Northwest Region Championships. With less than 100 points in the standings between the top 5 racers, next weekend will prove to be an intense and unforgettable finale for Snohomish’s favorite driver.

For complete results of Saturday’s race, check out http://www.ascsracing.com/results.asp?ID=57968 .