Photo – Courtesy JasonPatisonRacing.com
Jason Patison, the first Lucas Oil Modified Series champion, made his return to victory circle August 17th with a dominant performance in the LoanMart Hot August 75 presented by Aero Racing Wheels at the Irwindale Event Center.
Patison, with five race wins and the title in 2006, took four years off from the series to concentrate on his career and filled his competitive need by racing in the Super Late Model class at Irwindale, including two second-place finishes in as many starts this year.
On August 17th, in the sixth of this year’s nine races, the 32-year-old MAVTV programming director put his local knowledge to good use with all the help he really needed from an invert draw that left him on the outside of the front row after qualifying third.
Jessica Clark, a series rookie, became the second woman this year and in series history to start on the pole. But on the first of the 75 laps around the fast half-mile super speedway she was overwhelmed by Jim Mardis, Patison, Tim Morse and Chris Gerchman.
Two-time series champion Mardis led the first five laps, but Patison got the nose of his Lucas Oil/MAVTV STR Chevrolet in front at start-finish on lap six and relinquished the lead only once after that, to Gerchman on lap 22 as the field regained its rhythm after the last of the event’s two yellow flags.
Once Patison was in front for the last time he was able to open a comfortable lead. Lapped traffic allowed Gerchman and Morse to close up occasionally, but neither offered any challenge.
Patison took the checkered flag 0.517 seconds ahead of Gerchman, who managed to hold off a half-dozen passing attempts by Morse. Matthews Hicks was fourth in the best finish of the season for the Santee, California, resident, Doug Hamm fifth and Mardis sixth. Clark finished 13th in the field of 27.
Gerchman, who had led every lap of the previous two races, started his evening by setting the pace in qualifying for the first time this season, with a lap of 19.119 seconds at 94.147 mph, and adding two points to his lead over Mardis, who was second with 19.139.
The second place finish left Gerchman 16 points in front of Mardis with three races remaining.
Jason Patison is our next guest on Fan4Racing Fan2Fan NASCAR-NHRA Talk, Monday, September 30th at 8:35pm ET. Call 347-996-5176 to interact with Jason Patison during the LIVE broadcast Q&A segment.
