GREENBRIER, Tenn. — After a steep learning curve with the USAC Speed2 Eastern Midget Ass’n, Sam Mazzo finally put all the pieces together for his first win with the series last weekend.
Mazzo, from Burns, Tenn., raced to victory in the second EMA race of the year by leading a 40-lap feature at Veterans Motorplex at The Rim from start to finish.
After starting outside of the front row, the teenager took the lead from his longtime friend Mason Hoskins on the initial start and never gave up control of the race.
Despite a red flag with seven laps left — when Chris Lamb crashed due to a brake failure — and subsequent restart, Mazzo held four-time defending series champion Jessica Bean at bay over the final run to the finish for his breakthrough triumph in his 19th series start.
Though Bean, a 17-time EMA feature winner and the series’ most dominant driver over the last half-decade, was on his bumper in the closing laps, Mazzo remained calm under pressure and pulled away until the checkered flag.
“I got out to the lead early and once I did, I focused on not over-driving the car and saving as much tire life as I could. I knew I had to be prepared for anything and that red flag with 33 laps complete was something I didn’t want to see because I’d been pulling away before that,” Mazzo noted. “But I stayed as relaxed as I could in the race car; I knew I had a car that was faster than (Hunter) Wise and Jessica.
“Hunter restarted on the outside of me for that last restart and I knew Jessica was right behind me, but I got the launch I needed and from there it was easy,” he added. “I knew I couldn’t think about what they were doing back there; I just had to worry about what was in front of me … and it paid off.”
Mazzo’s victory came during the first act of a twin-feature program for the EMA field at the quarter-mile paved oval. Mazzo backed up his victory with a fourth-place finish in the second feature.
“We had to line up in traffic in the second race and weren’t quite as strong, but I definitely had a lot more confidence after winning the first race,” Mazzo tipped. “Overall, I felt like it was a very strong and consistent weekend for us as a team.”
With his pair of top-five finishes, Mazzo moved to third in the point standings, just eight behind Bean for the lead and with more momentum than he’s had during his young career.
But Saturday’s victory was special to Mazzo in another way.
It came in front of his hometown crowd, considering he grew up an hour southwest of Veterans Motorplex (formerly Highland Rim Speedway), and rewarded him with one of the track’s unique guitar trophies.
“That was the cherry on top, honestly,” Mazzo said. “To get the win in front of my home crowd was one thing, but Greenbrier is usually one of the bigger weekends we have on the EMA schedule, which makes it one that everyone wants to win. The winner’s guitar is a trophy I’ve thought about since I was a kid and to have one at home now and know that we won it … there aren’t words to describe how special that is.
“Winning is definitely a confidence booster for our next race upcoming at Dominion, but in general, it’s a moment that I’ll never forget no matter where my career takes me.”
The USAC Speed2 Eastern Midget Ass’n schedule continues June 5 at Virginia’s Dominion Raceway.