The dust has settled after another year at Berlin for the UARA National Tour as Tristan McKee enjoys the accolades of winning the Tekton 250 Battle at Berlin from the pole. Before we put this event to bed for the year, let’s take a look at a handful of tidbits you may have missed.
A Rowdy history
What is now known as the Tekton 250 Battle at Berlin grew out of what was originally dubbed “The Rowdy Race”, co-promoted by NASCAR star Kyle Busch and the Championship Racing Association (CRA). That first race, held in 2009, contested 151 laps. The first winner was Brian Campbell.
The following year, the race expanded to 251 laps. Kyle Busch began a three-year winning streak, claiming the victory in the event which bared his own nickname from 2010 to 2012.
In 2013, Johnny VanDoorn won as the event transitioned to the “Battle at Berlin”, remaining at 251 laps. In 2021, the race was shortened to 150 laps, with Kyle Crump winning. In 2022 the Battle at Berlin was set at 250 laps, where it has remained since.
Cleetus has soaring live stream numbers
Cleetus McFarland made his Super Late Model racing debut in this year’s Battle at Berlin 250. As has become customary for the YouTube star, he provided a live in-car stream of the race from the cockpit of the No. 33 machine.
That stream reached a peak of over 25,000 concurrent viewers during the race. That number, while large in its own right, is a mere fraction of the 4.8 million subscribers McFarland has on the platform.
The most notable moment of the stream was of Evan Szotko giving McFarland the bird as he lapped by during a green flag run about 2/3rds through the race.
McFarland ultimately came about 20 laps shy of finishing the race after a crash on lap 230, relegating him to a 19th place finish.
NASCAR connection: Hocevar & Majeski
An interesting component of races at Berlin each year is the attraction of NASCAR stars. Holding these premier races as mid-week events allows NASCR racers the ability to enter and compete.
This year, it was home track hero Carson Hocevar and Midwest region legend Ty Majeski representing the NASCAR contingent.
Hocevar, who cut is teeth as a teenager racing at Berlin under the tutelage of Johnny Benson, was a contender throughout the night, finishing third behind winner Tristan McKee and runner up Bubba Pollard.
Majeski, in contrast, appeared to struggle during much of the race, barely maintaining a top ten position until late in the event. It would seem Majeski was on a strategy play, saving his tires until the final 50 lap segment where he charged through the top ten, making his way up to fourth on the night.
The Midfielder
This week’s Midfielder in the Battle at Berlin 250 was Daniel Webster.
Webster started in 10th and made some aggressive adjustments to his car early in the race. He ran in the top 15 during the first segments, then after a pit stop in the middle of the race picked up a bad vibration in his right rear tire. That eventually led to Webster falling down a lap. From there, the Florida driver spent the remainder of the race trying to get himself in a position to catch a free pass during a yellow. He climbed as high as 8th, but remained a lap down. Towards the end of the race, Webster, who won the UARA National race at Citrus earlier this year, transitioned the final segment of the race into a test session, finishing the night in 13th place.
Webster is set to race on Saturday in the Cleetus Late Model Series Big Ass Lakes 75 at Berlin.
