Berkley, MA ­ July 18, 2009 ­ Jake Vanada and the Mad Dog Motorsports team finished in the top five for the first time this season in their #28 late model on Saturday. The day¹s festivities were part of the Mid-Season Championships presented by Francis Farms.

For the 35-lap feature, Jake started in the third position behind Robert Hussey and Randy Burr but within two laps was able to clear below Burr for second. By lap 7, he nosed under Hussey in turns three and four for the lead. Two laps later, he was still holding strong in the lead position.

"The car was really good for this race. Every week we have been able to gain a little bit on it and we finally were able to get things working together for a good finish."

Following a mid-race restart, Vanada was forced high when Mike Cavallaro stuck the nose of his #87 Late Model underneath the DeSouza Motorsports-owned Late Model. Several other cars followed suit, as Jake fell all the way back to the 11th position. On lap 27 several top five cars got tangled up, relegating them to the pits. Jake made it through the wreckage unharmed and was able to restart in the fifth position when racing went back to green. In the remaining few laps, Jake was able to find his way underneath Al Clements to take control of the fourth position.

"I saw them all getting a little crazy up front and, thankfully, was able to avoid getting involved. That was a hard wreck those guys took. It is nice to bring the car home in one piece and get our first top five of the season.I'm really happy for our car owner, Eric DeSouza, because both of his cars finished in the top five tonight."

The Mad Dog Motorsports team will be back at the ³Action Track of the East² on Saturday, July, 25.