The 2nd annual Big Dog Saturday took place last night at Freedom Motorsports Park featuring the 5th annual Mike DuClon Memorial for the Zimmer Service Center ULMS Late Model Series.
Max Blair picked up his fifth ULMS win at Freedom over the past two years along with his ninth series win on the season and officially wrapped the 2018 ULMS Championship.

Boom Briggs set the night off with a new track record in the Integra Shocks Qualifying with a fast time of 13.696 seconds, which would net him $300 courtesy of Murphy’s Logging. Boom would win the first heat over Chub Frank and Mike Wonderling Jr. Max Blair would win heat number two driving a special #58 numbered Rocket XR1 in memory of DuClon. Blair won in a close event over Greg Oakes and Nathan Hill.

The 30 lap Mike DuClon Memorial for the Zimmer Service Center ULMS Late Model Series rolled onto the speedway with dirt late model hall of famer and 2002 ULMS champion, Chub Frank and newly crowned ULMS champion Max Blair on the front row.

Chub and Max brought the field down to legendary starter, John Powell’s green flag. Chub would lead the field into turn one but Max would use the outside cushion to roll thru turns one and two to take the lead from Chub down the back stretch. As the field crossed the stripe to complete the opening lap, Zack Wiech would spin to bring out the first caution of the event.

The restart would see Blair shoot out in front from his Delware restart position as Oakes would grab second from Chub. Wonderling would grab fourth from Briggs on lap three as Frank kept the pressure on Oakes for second. Lap five would see Chubzilla back to second as he was working the low groove and Oakes rim riding the cushion. As Blair was pulling away, Frank and Oakes kept the crowd interested in the spirited battle for second and Boom was now back in fourth with Wonderling fifth fending off the challenges of Nathan Hill and Brad Mesler. By lap ten, Blair was in lap traffic already with a nearly a straightaway lead over the 1* of Frank.

As Blair worked his way thru lap traffic, Oakes kept the 1* within striking distance and Briggs started to close in on the #22 machine of Oakes. At the hallway point Blair had lapped up to the 8th place car with that being the #20 machine of Doug Eck. With ten to go, Oakes was applying heavy pressure on Chub for the runner up position as Boom was within striking distance and Blair had checked out. Oakes would grab the runner up spot on lap 22 turn 3 inside move. The second caution of the event came on lap 27 of the 30 lap event for Doug Eck slowing suddenly in turns three and four with oncoming traffic. This tighten the field back up and erased Blair’s straight away lead over Oakes. On the Delaware restart, Oakes choose the bottom line behind Blair as the part of the track seem to be working for #22 XR1 machine of Oakes. Blair rocketed back to the front on the start with Chub using the outside cushion to get around Oakes for second as the field roared down the backstretch. Chub would pull within a car length of Max with two to go as the field entered turn one and two and chased Blair with his nose on the rear bumper of the #58 of Blair for the next lap until the 1* Club29 machine of Frank pushed up the track allowing Oakes to sweep underneath to regain second and make one last push to catch Blair but would end up three car lengths from first. Following Max, and Oakes was Chub, Boom and the 2018 R&R Transmissions ULMS Rookie of the Year Mike Wonderling Jr. rounding out the top five.

In victory lane, Max Blair awarded the very special Wehrs Racing Products custom built Mike “Duke” DuClon Memorial trophy to the DuClon family. “I didn’t know Mike, but my wife, Brandy knew him and the family very well and we were asked by some friends at Mansfield if we would run his old car number tonight in his memorial race and if the family would allow me, I’d be honored to run his number again next year in his race.” Blair’s win in the Mike DuClon Memorial paid $3058 to win and he picked up additional $450 in lap money plus another $500 in winning the Close Racing Supply Big Dog Shootout that consisted of Blair, Oakes, Wonderling against three of Freedom’s Outlaw Big Block Modifieds and he topped the night with a $500 bonus for sweeping the winning both the shootout and the feature courtesy of Pleasant Valley Contractors of Delevan NY giving Team Blair Racing a $4508 payday and he will receive additional $5000 for capturing the 2018 Zimmer Service Center ULMS Racing Series championship at the post season banquet.

The 2018 Zimmer Service Center ULMS Racing Series season will come to a close on Saturday, September 29th at McKean County Family Raceway in part of the Fall Invitational weekend that will see the ULMS Late Models compete for $4000 on the Saturday portion of the program.

ULMS RACING SERIES is proudly supported by Zimmer’s Service Center, Plyler’s Entry System, Close Racing Supply, Insinger Performance, Sunoco Race Fuels, Precise Racing, Hoosier Tire Mid Atlantic, Lias Tire, American Racer Tire, Genesis Shocks, Integra Shocks, Keizer Wheels, Mary Norgrove Notary Public, Jays Automotive and Advocare by Advozuvy.com. The ULMS Racing Series gives the fans four divisions of action featuring the Zimmer Service Center ULMS Late Model Series, Plyler Entry UEMS Modifieds, Advocare by Advozuvy.com United 4 Cylinder Series and in 2019 the Super V6 Late Model Series.

Mike “Duke” DuClon Memorial:
MAX BLAIR, Greg Oakes, Chub Frank, Boom Briggs, Mike Wonderling, Jr., Nathan Hill, Brad Mesler, Andy Boozel, Jason Dobson, Al Brewer, Doug Eck, Zack Wiech

Zimmer Service Center Heat #1:
Briggs, Frank, Wonderling, Eck, Mesler, Wiech

Close Racing Supply Heat #2:
Blair Oakes, Hill, Brewer, Dobson, Boozel.

Integra Shocks Qualifying:
Boom Briggs #99B Club29 – 13.696 (NTR)
Greg Oakes #22 Rocket XR1 – 13.749
Chub Frank #1* Club29 – 13.821
Max Blair #58 Rocket XR1 – 13.957
Michael Wonderling Jr. #18 Rocket XR1 – 14.140
Nathan Hill #38 Rocket XR1 – 14.273
Doug Eck #20 Longhorn – 14.547
Al Brewer #71 Warrior – 14.593
Brad Mesler #24B Rocket XR1 – 14.638
Jason Dobson #75 CJ Rayburn – 14.913
Zack Wiech #6 Rocket – 16.696
Andy Boozel #12B Rocket NT