iRacing: Bergeron Takes Limaland

Bergeron Scores at Limaland Motorsports Park

by Randy Chenowth

For the second round of the World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Championship Series, the greatest virtual late model drivers traveled to the tricky Limaland circuit. This 1/4-mile dirt track sees a lot of racing up high, but interesting opportunities to make moves present themselves in lower lanes when track conditions get right.

Initially the #35 of Nick Cooper looked like the car to beat after putting in fast time in qualifying and dominating his heat race, but the rest of the quartet of heat race winners of Bergeron, Fidler, and McKinney showed they were forces to be reckoned with before the Feature ever started.

Starting positions were valuable in the heat races, wtih each of the top four transferees in each heat having starting in the same top four positions. Austen Semmelmann looked like he may have the pace to drive through and snag a transfer spot, but he unfortunately ran out of time and had to run through in the Last Chance Showdown.

At the start of the Last Chance Showdown (B-Main) the high line looked like the place to be, but an interesting middle groove began forming near the end. Starting positions were key here once again, with the top four managing to hold onto the coveted four transfer spots to carry to the Feature though. Hard racing in the mid pack caused a handful of drivers to check up, which took away many drivers’ ability to work their way forward after losing too much time. In the end, Herchko, Dedmon, Diaz and Semmelmann transferred their way to the Feature.

The middle lane became more relevant in the Feature, while the top was quickest over all. With that said, some drivers found the middle more consistent throughout the field. For the first 25 laps, Nick Cooper seemed unbeatable. He stretched a lead and rode the rim more or less to perfection. Alex Bergeron, however, using a couple years of experience from the NASCAR Peak Antifreeze Series, was very good on the restarts and starting digging into the lead. Alex took his chances and timed the restart to perfection, maintaining just enough overlap into lap one to set it on the cushion and get clear of Cooper after a couple laps. Howard Weaver also looked to be having another amazing run while in second with a lap to go, but a slight mistake dropped him a couple of spots. In the end, Bergeron went unchallenged after getting the top spot and led the final 22 laps to the checkers.

Howard Weaver has also kept up an amazingly impressive run across both of the World Of Outlaws Championship Series. In four races — two Sprint Car and two Late Model — he has one win, three top fives, and a worst finish of seventh. If he is able to maintain this consistency, he has a really good chance at both championships.

The World Of Outlaw Craftsman Championship Series will return on June 12th as the Sprint Cars will have their shot at Limaland while the Late Models head out to Eldora on June 19th.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM LIMALAND MOTORSPORTS PARK, MAY 28, 2018

OFFICIAL RESULTS FROM LIMALAND MOTORSPORTS PARK, MAY 28, 2018

POINT STANDINGS AFTER LIMALAND MOTORSPORTS PARK, MAY 28, 2018