Mason Zeigler grabbed his best LOLMDS finish of the season

Mason Zeigler discusses his 2nd place showing at Sharon Speedway, a track he’s never been to before

Mason Zeigler just recorded his best Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series finish of the season. He did it at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio, the 3/8-mile flat oval.

Zeigler jumped out of the gate and set overall quick time. He then drove to a heat race win. In the feature, he led the first 13 laps.

In that time, he fended off and early charge from Earl Pearson Jr. He then banged doors with Jonathan Davenport, to hold the lead once again. On lap 14, Don O’Neal worked under Zeigler to take the lead just before the track locked down.

Zeigler closed a gap of 20 car lengths down to just 5 in the closing laps. He came up just short of the win.

After passing tech, one of his crew members drove the car back to the hauler. He couldn’t climb from the cockpit. He was too heavy-duty to fit passed the mud shield. He was stuck in the race car. Mason Zeigler walked over to take off the shield so his buddy could get out.

After the quick surgery…

“I think we had a good car. Just, I hit the fence there and killed my momentum and gave Don an opportunity to reel me in,” Mason Zeigler said after his runner-up finish at Sharon Speedway.

“I just hauled her off in there. The track had transitioned enough that all that mud was turning into dust. I think guys were starting to come down off of it.”

“It was just the one lap that I drove off in there and didn’t expect it. It didn’t really hurt the car or anything, it just barely rubbed it.”

Mason Zeigler and Earl Pearson Jr at Sharon Speedway 1296
Mason Zeigler and Earl Pearson Jr at Sharon Speedway 1296

What’s your history with this track?

“Never been here.”

You were pretty quick at Mansfield too. Is this a trend? Did you find something? Or is it more of just the region the tour is in this week?

“Yeah, we were pretty quick. We got dumped in the heat race. I had to rebound from that.”

“We made it halfway through the field at Mansfield. Then, with got bottled up on a restart and got all tore up. It ripped the nose off the car. We finished the race but it was tore up pretty bad.”

“Today [ahead of Sharon Speedway] we put a new body on it and a fresh suspension. The car was back to how it should be.”

“We didn’t find anything in the car. It’s the same car, same everything. I think we’ve been fast pretty consistently.”

“We just have a lot of bad luck.”

Mason Zeigler now sits just 40 points outside the top 12 in Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series points. Why is the top 12 important? It comes with at least a $700 bonus, every race. In order to receive that bonus check from the series, you have to have prefect attendance and sit in the top 12 in series standings.

Zeigler missed a main event back in February. He was fast that week, just back luck kept him from starting the feature. He’s been fighting a several hundred point deficit ever since. He’s nearly there.

Tonight, the tour rolls into Muskingum County Speedway.

Jonathan Davenport and Mason Zeigler bang late model doors for the lead at Sharon Speedway 1310
Jonathan Davenport and Mason Zeigler bang late model doors for the lead at Sharon Speedway
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Related: Sharon Speedway: Results

Related: Mason Zeigler has been climbing his way toward the top 12 in LOLMDS points

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Mason ZeiglerSharon SpeedwayLOLMDS | Shane Walters

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