Chase McDermand is already one of the most accomplished midget drivers in the Upper Midwest. He’s a 2 time, back to back and defending Badger Midget Auto Racing Association Champion, as well as the youngest champion in its history, beating out NASCAR Cup Series winner and multi-time Chili Bowl Champion Christopher Bell for that honor. However, in 2021, Chase is looking for more, beginning with an opening night unlike any other; against the stacked and stout USAC National Midget Field at Port City Raceway this past weekend.
McDermand began the night qualifying only six-tenths of a second off of pole. At any other race, that’s not a terrible margin. Against the USAC National competitors, it’s a different story. The effort was only good enough for 34th overall.
“”I didn’t really qualify as well as I would have liked to,” Chase said. “It put us a little behind all night.” McDermand lined up 9th on the grid for his heat race, made solid laps against a stacked field and finished in that same 9th position.
“I didn’t really go anywhere in the heat,” Chase remarked. “But we learned a lot about what needed to be done for the C Main.” The C Main was a different story, with McDermand battling at the front with the likes of Joe B. Miller, Jacob Denney, Trey Gropp and Tanner Berryhill for just 4 transfer positions. McDermand would fight his way to a 3rd place finish, transferring into the B Feature.
“”We went 6th to 3rd in the C amongst some really good cars,” McDermand said. “Which put us in the back of the B. On the first lap, I lost the rear brake pads and had to retire from the race.” A tough end to the night for sure, but Chase and the entire McDermand Plumbing team are optimistic after a decent first outing in 2021.
“”It felt good to be back on track for the first time since Chili Bowl and shake the car down before our true season starts with Badger. I was pleased with the car’s performance, but we still have a lot to learn in terms of set up and shock package. That being said, we’re looking forward to chasing a 3rd BMARA title this season!”
McDermand will contend the entire BMARA Midget schedule this year, with select USAC, POWRi and USAC Regional events on tap as well. The next time the Springfield, IL native will be on track is this Friday, April 16th in Lincoln, IL piloting a D2 Midget to get additional seat time before the BMARA season begins.
You can follow Chase’s 2021 season on his social media; Twitter-@chasemcdermand, Facebook-Chase McDermand Racing as well as Midwest AutoSports PR on Twitter-@mas_autosports #TeamMAS, and Facebook-MAS AutoSports.
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