Fuel Gamble and Full Send as Mitchell Steals Lime Rock

Lakeville, CT — In a race defined by razor-thin margins, strategic gambles, and the unforgiving nature of heavy stock cars on a tight road course, Zach Mitchell claimed a hard-fought victory in Round 4 of the Red Light Racing League’s Scrambler Series at Lime Rock Park. The event marked the series debut of the ARCA car, a machine notorious for sliding under power and demanding constant driver input, especially around Connecticut’s compact and technical circuit known as the “Little Bull Ring.”

Entering the night, the spotlight rested squarely on Maxime Theriault, who arrived riding a two-race win streak and holding a slim points advantage over Trent Potter and Sean Single. That narrative shifted quickly in qualifying, however, as Mitchell flexed his road-course prowess by capturing the pole position with a blistering 51.1-second lap. With the race set as a 35-lap sprint and no expected cautions, drivers knew mistakes would be punished immediately, with no field resets to offer relief.

The opening laps were deceptively calm, as the field worked cleanly through the daunting Big Bend corner at the start. That calm didn’t last long. Early in the race, Ryan O’Donoghue spun, collecting Bill Benedict and splitting the field. The incident allowed a lead group of five, Mitchell, Theriault, Chris Hammett, Trent Potter, and Adam Matz, to break away and establish control of the race.

Mitchell led confidently through the opening stages, but the margin for error at Lime Rock is razor thin. On lap 19, his night nearly unraveled when the rear of his ARCA car stepped out heading uphill, sending him into the outside wall. The mistake cost Mitchell valuable momentum and allowed both Theriault and Hammett to slip by, seemingly swinging control of the race back toward the points leader.

With tire wear proving minimal and the pit window wide open, strategy became the deciding factor. Some drivers, including Potter, opted for an early peel to gain track position, while the leaders rolled the dice and stayed out deep into the race. Ultimately, pit road determined the winner. Mitchell dove in for a lightning-quick 3.6-second stop, taking fuel only and skipping tires entirely. Despite broadcast concerns that he might have shorted himself on fuel, Mitchell emerged ahead of both Theriault and Hammett. Theriault also stayed off tires to preserve position, while Hammett mirrored the strategy, but Mitchell’s efficiency in the pit box handed him a virtual lead he would not give back.

As the closing laps ticked away, lap traffic turned the race into a high-speed chess match. On lap 33, disaster struck for Theriault. While navigating a tight cluster of back markers and attempting to clear Ethan Troutman, Theriault looped the car without contact. The spin abruptly ended his bid for another win and dropped him out of podium contention, opening the door for Potter, who had quietly maintained a strong pace all night, to move into third.

Mitchell crossed the finish line first, his gamble paying off in full. Post-race, he revealed he still had two laps of fuel remaining, confirming the precision of his strategy. Hammett followed in second, continuing an impressive run of consistency with his third consecutive podium finish, while Potter completed the podium after capitalizing on Theriault’s late-race misfortune. Theriault recovered to fourth, and Adam Matz rounded out the top five as the spotlight driver.

With Lime Rock’s grass, walls, and narrow racing surface now in the rearview mirror, the Scrambler Series turns its attention to road racing at Daytona International Speedway, where the drivers will once again adapt as the rotation shifts to NASCAR Cup machinery for the next chapter of Season 21.