Mason Zeigler, who has shown incredible skill in Bedford long distance races scored another win in the annual Labor Day 55 at the track. In opposition to the 2024 event where he only led the last three laps, this event was won in total domination as he led every lap. It was his 7th Bedford win, his fourth 55 win, third 55 win in a row. and was worth over $12,000.
In other action in the last point race of the season. Mitch Thomas dominated the EMod event, winning for the second time in 2025 in only his 4 appearances and Denver Dishong, who pretty much took himself out of the point chase with a hard crash in the prior event, received some redemption by taking the Pure Stock finale.
Mason Zeigler was fast from the start, timing fast enough to get into the 6 car dash, then winning it to start on the Late Model 55 pole. He grabbed the lead at the start but had time to think about things as the caution flew for a minor incident on lap 1.
On the restart, Zeigler again sped out to a huge lead ahead of Rick Eckert among others as the event went 30 laps green. Eckert, who had moved to second on lap 1, chased Zeigler but could not close until Zeigler ran into a knot of lapped traffic by lap 15. Zeigler successfully navigated that group then picked off lapped cars with ease and again pulled away from the challenger.
While the front pair navigated the traffic, the man on the move was Jeff Rine. Rine started ninth in the field and slowly crept forward from the start. He secured third after a long battle with Matt Sponaugle on lap 31 but the front two were long gone.
With the top 10 mixing it up among lapped traffic action was everywhere until a lap 49 caution slowed the field for only the third time. On that restart, although the field got one last look at Zeigler, he sped away to a 2.6 second advantage at the finish. Eckert took second ahead of Rine. Sponaugle, Justin Weaver and Bryan Bernheisel. Rine, who took the point lead only the prior event, secured the 2025 track title with the finish, his 10th track title at Bedford.
In other action, Sponaugle, Rine, Gregg Satterlee and Jakob Piper win the qualifying heats, Tim Smith and Shaun Jones won the B mains and Zeigler won the dash among the 6 fastest timers. 20 of the 26 starters were running at the conclusion in the cleanly run event, 16 on the lead lap.
Much like the Late Model event, the EMod race was total domination. Infrequent visitor Mitch Thomas took the lead from Beau Aikey on lap one and never looked back. Aikey found his hands full as Brandon Hoover came from fifth and finally took second on lap ten.
With Thomas way ahead, Hoover settled for second at the line ahead of Aikey, David Green and Mike Duck. Hoover had a large enough lead that he secured the 2025 track EMod title just by starting the event.
A wild crash stopped the Pure Stock event at the start as the front two rows all got together and incited a wild 7 car crash in turn 1. On the second attempt, Denver Dishong found himself elevated to the front row and led from the start.
Dishong was never challenged while 4 cars battled heavily for second in his wake. Kyle Beckett, also a beneficiary of the first lap carnage, held second until Dalton Ritchey finally got by on lap 8. Dishong, who saw his championship hopes diminished after a heavy crash in the prior event, scored the win ahead of Ritchey, Beckett, Madison Miller and Chubby Childers. Beckett and Miller won the heats.
With Charlie Clise having a bad night and Dishong only beating him by two spots, Kyle Beckett grabbed the 2025 Pure Stock title.
LATE MODEL 55 LAPS Mason Zeigler, Rick Eckert, Jeff Rine, Matt Sponaugle, Justin Weaver, Bryan Bernheisel, Gregg Satterlee, Trevor Collins, Spike Moore, Kyle Lee, Ross Robinson, Travis Stickley, Trevor Feathers, Tim Smith, Nathan L asalle, Austin Berry, Shaun Jones, Chad Homan, Andrew Wylie, Shawn Shoemaker, Dylan Yoder, Jakob Piper, Amanda Robinson, Tyler Ritchey, Triston Neiderer. Wayne Johnson DNQ Dave Stamm, Matt Glanden, Del Rougeaux, J T Spence, Devin Weyandt, Danny Snyder, Darrass Deneen. Matt Martin
EMOD 20 LAPS Mitch Thomas, Brandon Hoover, Beau Aikey, David Green, Mike Duck, Ed Vogel, John Whitfield, Todd Goss
PUER STOCK 15 LAPS Denver Dishong, Dalton Ritchey, Kyle Beckett, Madison Miller, Chubby Childers, Charlie Clise, Barry Clark, Brittany Beach, Braydale Bauman, Brad Boyd, Daltom Weyant, Derek Long, Brock Bunn, Dominic Weyandt,
