Chiaramonte Battles Back to 12th After Enduing Flat Battling For Lead
PETERSEN MEDIA: Braden Chiaramonte and the Tiner Hirst Enterprise team flirted with their first win of the season together on Saturday night in Merced, CA until a flat tire forced the youngster to give up the race lead as he was forced to the work area and subsequently the back of the field for a late restart.
“It was really a bummer to have a right-rear go down while we were battling up front,” Braden Chiaramonte said. “We had such a good car and we had a ton of speed where I think we would have been right in the thick of the battle for the win at the end of the race.”
With 43 cars on hand Saturday night for the Sprint Car Challenge Tour’s second installment of the 2025 season, Chiaramonte timed in second quickest in his qualifying flight which put him in the second row of his heat race.
Needing to transfer to ensure a spot in the Dash, Chiaramonte flexed some muscle as he got the THE/Shield No. 94Th up on the Merced Speedway curb and tallied a second place finish.
Solidifying a spot in the Dash, Chiaramonte went on to win the eight lap affair and earned the pole for the 35-lap, $3000-to-win feature event. Following a quick track prep, the field was off and running and Chiaramonte found himself in a torrid battle with Dominic Scelzi for the early lead.
With Scelzi finally getting the best of Chiaramonte, the El Cajon, CA driver stayed strong despite slipping back to third amidst a fast-paced feature event that saw action all over the ¼ mile bullring.
As the leaders got into traffic, Chiaramonte was able to make a pair of savvy moves that propelled him into the lead before a late stoppage bunched the field back up. Under the caution period, Chiaramonte’s right-rear tire showed signs of losing air, and as he got his machine back to life he didn’t quite get the jump as his right rear used the heat to build what pressure it could back up.
Lasting for a few laps, Chiaramonte came to a stop on the 23rd lap with a fully flat right rear tire, and was forced into the work area with no guaranteed time. Able to get a fresh tire bolted back on, the youngster was back on track despite lining up back in 20th.
In the final 12 laps of the race, Chiaramonte was able to salvage decent results as he worked his way back up to 12th when the race was over.
“It was a really fun race, and we continue have good speed,” he added. “I know we will pick up a win soon, we just have to stay positive and keep doing what we are doing, because we have a ton of speed.”
The Tiner Hirst Enterprise Racing team would like to thank Tiner Hirst Enterprise, Hepfner Racing Products, EMI, Fisher Racing Engines, System 1, Larry Davis Farms, and Slade Shocks for their continued support.
BY THE NUMBERS: Starts- 10, Wins- 0, Top 5’s- 3, Top 10’s- 4
ON TAP: Chiaramonte and the THE No. 94TH team will head to Tulare, CA on Saturday night for another round of NARC/KWS action.
STAY CONNECTED: Stay connected with Braden Chiaramonte by following him on Instagram at @Braden_Chiaramonte73.
