Mason Mingus Takes 2nd at CRA Season Opener at Anderson Speedway

First Points Race of the Season Shows Drivers He Is a Force to be Reckoned With

Mason Mingus was a man on a mission this weekend.  He turned plenty of heads in the CRA Super Series season opener Saturday night at Anderson Speedway (IN), as he fought his way up to the front of the pack.  In a race with its fair share of cautions and battles, Mingus was able to keep his car out of trouble and drive his way to a second place finish in the Seal Wrap 125.  It was a fine start to his campaign for Rookie of the Year honors in the Midwest Super Late Model series.

Mingus and his crew weren’t new to Anderson Speedway.  In fact, the set up for the car was a bit of a work in progress.  At the Redbud 300 last year, several issues had them leaving the mid-Indiana track with an eleventh place finish.  This weekend, Mingus and his crew came into the weekend with some fresh ideas and a clean slate. 

Entering raceday on Saturday, the high school sophomore was unsure as to how his night would turn out.  The Tennessee / Kentucky 811 car seemed to struggle in practice on Friday, but the team made plenty of adjustments heading into qualifying on Saturday.  Mingus timed in 14th, but that wasn’t enough to hold him back when it came time to race.

“When we tried to make a qualifying run we weren’t where we wanted to be, but we did ok and came out about mid-pack.  We typically have a better racecar than we do a qualifying car and we were able to make our way up through the pack.”

Mingus pulled off an impressive performance.  He battled his way into the top five and then had an exciting challenge with Terry Fisher Jr. for the second in the final laps of the race. 

“We took opportunities when they came (in the race) and we battled with T.J. for a long time at the end.  It was awesome.  We finally overtook him on a restart and were able to get up behind the number eleven car (winner, Jeff Lane).  We probably had a better car than him, but we just didn’t have enough time left to get around him.”

A strong second place finish will definitely help Mingus in his drive for Rookie of the Year, but as with all drivers, there is always an even bigger goal ahead.

“We’re not just running for Rookie of the Year; we’re going to try to win the points championship if we can and this is definitely a plus.  Running second the first race of the year is good and hopefully we can keep up some top-3 finishes throughout the year.”

Up Next on Mingus’ schedule is the CRA Super Series Asphalt Wars 100 at Baer Field Speedway (IN) on Sunday, May 22nd.

Mason Mingus is supported by Tennessee / Kentucky 811, so make sure you call before you dig.

For more information on Mason Mingus, please contact Matt Kentfield at (704) 785-4013 and be sure to visit www.masonmingusracing.com.

Mason Mingus kicks off the season with a 2nd-place run.  (Jamie Williams Photo)