Dodge Carlbert Charges to Fourth Consecutive UARA Sportsman Victory at Auburndale

Not even starting at the rear of the field could stop Dodge Carlbert from winning his fourth consecutive UARA Sportsman Series event on Saturday night at Auburndale Speedway.

Carlbert set fast time in qualifying for the UARA Sportsman, but was disqualified in technical inspection following the time trial session. That turned the fast time award over to Tim Sozio and relegated Carlbert to the final starting spot in the running order.

That did not deter Carlbert, as he drove through the field in search of a fourth win in a row with the series. By lap 16, Carlbert was already in the top five. With 25 laps to go, he lurked behind Adam Briggs in second place.

With three laps to go, Carlbert and Briggs made contact battling for the lead. While Carlbert slowed to allow Briggs to regain control, Tim Sozio spun to avoid both drivers. This brought out the caution flag and reset the field for a late-race shootout.

On the restart, Carlbert passed Briggs on the outside for the lead, with the two drivers making contact again in turn three during the pass. Carlbert held on for the win, making history as the first driver in the UARA Sportsman Series to ever win four consecutive events.

“I respect Adam a lot,” said Carlbert. “I know he’s going to be mad at me, but that’s just hard racing with three laps to go. I gave him a lane and he hit my door. I don’t know what happened, obviously, I can’t see all that.

“It was good racing. It was clean on our part getting through the field without damaging anything. You could tell we had a lot of speed all night. A little overlook on tech, nothing that determines the race.”

In post-race technical inspection, Briggs was disqualified for a wheelbase violation. Dylan Bigley finished second in the official rundown, followed by Colton Bettis, James Seeright and Jason Bartram.

UARA Sportsman Series teams who preregistered for the event at Auburndale but could not attend due to the impacts of Hurricane Helene will be credited last-place points. They will also have their entry fees returned.

The UARA Sportsman Series returns to action on Saturday, October 19 at the Freedom Factory for its next stop.

-Photo credit: Tyler Sontag

UARA Sportsman at Auburndale Unofficial Results
September 28, 2024