Matt Brabham wins SST Mid-Ohio Race 1 amid post-race fight

Matt Brabham finally broke through for his first win of the 2021 Stadium Super Trucks season, but public attention focused on Bill Hynes and Bo LeMastus. As Brabham celebrated winning Race #1 of the Honda Indy 200 weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Hynes and LeMastus traded punches and even threw a helmet and steering wheel in response to LeMastus’ driving.

LeMastus started on the pole ahead of Jett Noland, while Hynes was third. Brabham, as the Fastest Qualifier, was at the rear.

As Brabham and Robby Gordon teamed up in the draft, LeMastus led Jett Noland through the opening corners before Jerett Brooks took the lead in turn four. LeMastus slipped down to fourth after Aaron Bambach and Robert Stout passed him prior to the first lap’s conclusion. Noland, Gordon, and Brabham also made overtakes on lap two.

By lap three, Gordon and Brabham joined Stout and Noland in the fight for third. As the next lap began, the Gordon/Brabham tandem applied pressure on Stout; Gordon tried a pass in the Keyhole but ran wide before clearing Stout after the jump. Brabham made his own move as Noland slid into the gravel. At the competition caution, Brooks led Bambach, Gordon, and Brabham.

Coming to the restart, LeMastus lined up aside Brabham before filing in front of Max Gordon. Bambach subsequently took the lead from Brooks with Robby Gordon in tow, but Brooks received drafting help from Gordon to regain the position on lap six. Brabham and Stout passed Bambach as the next lap started.

Gordon, Brooks, and Brabham battled for first with Gordon winning out. The final competition yellow came out with four laps remaining. The race resumed with Gordon continuing to lead Brooks and Brabham.

On the penultimate lap, Brabham took second from Brooks in the Keyhole, followed by becoming the new leader in turn four. Gordon was passed by Brooks after contact between the two, which Bambach capitalised on to claim third. Bambach and Brooks sparred for the runner-up spot, which enabled Brabham to pull away and win his first race of the year, second at Mid-Ohio, and twenty-second of his career.

Brooks finished second to score his sixth career podium in his first SST race on a permanent road course. Bambach kept Stout and Gordon at bay in the final corners to take third and his fourth podium; it is also Bambach’s first podium outside of Detroit.

“Honestly, I haven’t had that much fun in a long time,” Brooks said in an Instagram Story. “It was almost like on the go-kart track with your buddies. You don’t have a spotter, you’re just out there doing your own thing. Got to the lead early, second or first. Third turn, I was in the lead. Had a really good run.

“Three full-course cautions. Everyone said, ‘Save your equipment.’ I don’t know what saving equipment is, I race short course (off-road). It was sick, man. We battled hard with Robby and it was just so much fun.”

Meanwhile, Hynes turned LeMastus’ truck and confronted him about his conduct, particularly how he raced Max Gordon. Speaking with The Checkered Flag, Hynes explained LeMastus nearly pushed Gordon off a ramp and repeatedly impeded his passing attempts, the latter of which included tactics such as skipping jumps and cutting through the grass; Gordon signed LeMastus’ truck afterward. LeMastus also jumped both restarts.

After an animated exchange of words during which LeMastus took off his helmet and appeared to challenge Hynes to do the same, he chucked his steering wheel at Hynes like a frisbee. Hynes feinted a throw with the wheel, prompting LeMastus to back up, followed by spiking LeMastus’ helmet to the ground twice. LeMastus exited the track before trying to return with a fire extinguisher, though neither driver proceeded as track officials arrived.

“In Stadium Super Trucks we have a few rules and we race each other clean,” Hynes told TCF. “When a new driver comes into the series and doesn’t follow the rules and races other drivers dangerously, it’s up to the veteran drivers to police what happens on the race track. Bo was putting Max Gordon in some very dangerous situations on the track and that’s just uncalled for. Anytime a driver gets into a race car, it can be their last time in the car and the last thing we need are other drivers putting us in peril.”

LeMastus was competing in his second career SST weekend after débuting at the St. Petersburg season opener in April.

Although such an incident would ordinarily result in discipline in other disciplines, Gordon felt otherwise. Speaking in the paddock, he recalled throwing his helmet at Michael Waltrip in a 2005 NASCAR Cup Series race.

“I think I got a $50,000 fine or something like that,” he commented. “I think, as a series operator, I might buy that guy dinner for throwing his helmet, or at least do something. 50 grand for throwing a helmet? Come on, it’s entertainment!”

While Gordon was fairly lighthearted about the matter, the United States Auto Club (USAC) has not ruled out punishing LeMastus for his behaviour such as parking him for Sunday’s race.

The second and final race of the weekend will take place at 1:40 PM Eastern.

Race results

Finish	Start	Number	Driver
1	9	83	Matt Brabham
2	7	27	Jerett Brooks
3	5	3	Aaron Bambach
4	8	7	Robby Gordon
5	6	28	Robert Stout
6	2	50	Jett Noland
7	1	42	Bo LeMastus
8	4	77	Max Gordon
9	3	57	Bill Hynes