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For Sim-Racers, it isn’t hard to tell when Summer is in full swing. Beginning in mid June race attendance numbers for most leagues begin to fall off as people head out on vacation, attend their kid’s little league games and go to the real, rather than virtual track. BySeptember things begin picking back up and soon the full complement of drivers are showing up to race once again. The Michigan Circle Track Sim-Racing League is no exception to the rule. The July 9th race at Madison International Speedway only boasted a small field of six drivers versus the fifteen starters on the grid when we visited this half-mile Wisconsin track during the pre-season. The good things about a small grid are long green-flag runs and the great points opportunity it presents for the drivers that do show up.

MCT-SRL points leader John Hernly in the No.64 TV Land Chevy chalked up another pole with a 16.855 second lap (106.793 mph). I started my No.73 Ultra Tuff Safety Coatings Dodge on the outside of Hernly, with a 17.207 second effort (104.609 mph). Joining us on the track for the first time was Cameron McNamara, the son of our esteemed Publisher, Patrick McNamara.

After the green flag dropped, I challenged Hernly for the lead on a couple of occasions, but I was never a real threat to the former Central States quarter midget champion. I eventually settled in a few car lengths behind him and just let the laps click off. Midway through the 105 lap event, I almost took myself out as we quickly came up on a lapped car … on two separate occasions. ( A downside of having only a small number of drivers on the track is that one can easy become, shall we say, “less than attentive”, if you aren’t battling someone for position for long periods of time). The second lapse of attention resulted first in Craig Bristol in the No.3 getting past me for the second spot and then eventually going a lap down to Hernly.

Everyone had enough fuel to go the distance, but tires would be marginal. Any concern over tires went out the window on lap 73. The lapped car of Cameron McNamara slid up the track just as Bristol, who was running second, was over taking him in turn four. The two cars made contact, sending Bristol spinning right in front of the oncoming No.64 of Hernly. As the caution flew, Hernly was able to get his car checked up enough to avoid hitting Bristol’s car by inches. As the rest of the field pitted, Ken Shook in the No.34 stayed out to collect five bonus points. I was the recipient of the lucky dog.

The race restarted on lap 80 with Hernly and I as the only two lead lap cars, but I had nothing for him. Immediately after Hernly took the white flag, a spin the back of the field brought out the yellow and Hernly cruised to his 6th win of the season.

MCT-SRL Madison Race Results

MCT-SRL Standings after 9 of 15 Races (includes "missed race" points)