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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com

THORSON REPEATS USAC MIDGET WIN AT LANCO!

By: Richie Murray - USAC Media

Newmanstown, Pennsylvania.....August 15, 2017 - One year ago at Lanco's Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway, Tanner Thorson needed all the heroics he could muster to pull off a last-lap, last corner pass to take the victory.

In Tuesday night's third round of "Pennsylvania Midget Week" with the USAC Eastern Midgets presented by ARDC at the 1/8-mile bullring, it was a relative comfort cruise for Thorson as he led all 40 laps to take his second USAC National Midget victory of the year in his Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports/JBL Audio - TRD/Bullet by Spike/Speedway Toyota.

Lanco winner Tanner Thorson (#67) leads Brady Bacon in Tuesday night's 'Pennsylvania Midget Week' feature at Lanco's Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway. (Michael Fry Photo)

After a tumultuous 48-hour period that saw him lose his lead on the final restart on Sunday at Susquehanna, then some, shall we say, fireworks on the final lap of Monday's feature at Path Valley Speedway Park, Thorson was champing at the bit to return to the seat after seeing near victories go by the wayside the last two nights.

"Very, very eager." Thorson exclaimed. "I've learned to put my past races behind me. If you keep worrying about the stuff that happened the last couple of nights, you lose focus and forget what you're doing here today. The best thing you can do is go out there and do what you do best and put it behind you."

Thorson was the beneficiary of an outside front row starting position after an opening lap tangle between Clauson/Marshall Racing teammates Tyler Courtney and Justin Grant. Exiting turn two, Grant ramped over the right rear tire of Courtney's car, sending him flipping wildly, ending his night. After winning the "PA Midget Week" opener on the last lap at Susquehanna, Grant has found himself upside down on consecutive nights.

A double-file complete restart would move Thorson up a row from the outside of row two to the outside of row one alongside Courtney. Immediately, Thorson was gone and quickly dove down the bottom in front of Courtney to secure the position. The bottom would prove to be the place to stay on a heavy surface that was doused with moisture from Mother Nature over the past several days that didn't require the use of a water truck at any point in the track's preparation.

In most cases, you'd hear a driver describe the benefits of starting up front, but Thorson has a unique perspective contrary to the norm regarding where he prefers to begin his races. But after watching the prelims leading up to the 40-lap main event, Thorson changed his perspective, at least for this night.

"I was kind of glad I got to start on the outside of the front row," Thorson admits. "I had a feeling the track was going to stay on the bottom based on watching the micro sprint heats and B-mains. I'm not one who usually likes to start on the front row. I seem to lose more races starting on the front row than I do starting in the second or third row on back."

'I'm not here to race for points,' Thorson (middle) said. 'I'm going to take each race by itself as it comes. If I win, I win. If I don't, I want to run the best that I possibly can. I'm not going to dwell over worrying about points. Last year, I didn't do it one bit until the last couple of races. That's the plan this year and we'll see how it plays out. We come here to win and Keith (Kunz) has a lot of expectations for us because of his past success and the equipment that we're in. I'm really fortunate to be with the group of people I'm with.' (Rich Forman Photo)

"Last night, Brady (Bacon) ran a little different line than I was and that made me a sitting duck, not knowing what was going on behind me," Thorson expounds. "I like to be in that 2nd or 3rd row spot so I can have room to move around and find out which line is faster. I was kind of upset at first having to move up to the front row until we started and I saw that the track was moving down toward the bottom."

On the fourth lap, Brady Bacon got to the inside of Spencer Bayston entering turn three and was able to stick it on the bottom to claim second. Bacon led a combined 18 laps over the first two nights of "PA Midget Week" and put himself in position to make a bid for the lead if opportunity knocked.

Thorson would have to endure restart after restart, the last of which came after Holly Shelton and Kenny Miller, III got together on the back straightaway on lap 21, sending Shelton flipping multiple times. She walked away.

Consistency is the key when track position is so substantial. One slip up is all it takes and all could be lost as a freight train of cars drive by for the position. Thorson wasn't keen on letting that happen to him tonight.

"When the track's that heavy, the biggest thing is hitting your marks," Thorson notes. "The closer you could get to the infield tires, the better and not let anybody get underneath you. The way you could see the track forming up, nobody was running up there at all. It was rough and crumbly up there. It helps your mindset coming back from a yellow knowing that nobody's going to blow around you. I think that's a huge part of knowing the track and looking at it as you're rolling around there under the yellow."

With 19 to go, Thorson, Bacon and Courtney ran nose-to-tail, but gradually, Thorson kicked open the lead ever so slightly to leave Bacon and Courtney no chance down the stretch as Thorson drove away to his 12th career USAC National Midget win, tying him with a list of drivers that includes Danny Caruthers, Gene Force, Russ Gamester, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Grim and Ron Shuman. Bacon, Courtney, Bayston and Shane Golobic rounded out the top-five.

It was the second year in a row for Thorson to claim victory at Lanco, a place that he took to right from the get-go due to the similarities it shares with a track he grew up competing on regularly.

"It kind of reminds me of a go-kart track I raced at back home called Cycleland Speedway," Thorson explains. The track layout itself is the same, just a little bigger car and a little bigger track this time around."

Coming into August, Thorson stood 6th in the USAC Midget National Championship standings, 132 points out of the lead. After rattling finishes of 1st, 4th, 3rd, 2nd and 2nd in his first five starts of the month, and now another victory, Thorson finds himself 4th and 84 points back as he steadily makes a charge to become a back-to-back series champ, yet the Minden, Nevada native admits that hasn't played on his mind just yet.

"I'm not here to race for points," Thorson said. "I'm going to take each race by itself as it comes. If I win, I win. If I don't, I want to run the best that I possibly can. I'm not going to dwell over worrying about points. Last year, I didn't do it one bit until the last couple of races. That's the plan this year and we'll see how it plays out. We come here to win and Keith (Kunz) has a lot of expectations for us because of his past success and the equipment that we're in. I'm really fortunate to be with the group of people I'm with."

Contingency award winners Tuesday night at Lanco's Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway include Shane Golobic (ProSource Fast Qualifier), Justin Grant (Simpson Race Products 1st Heat Winner), Tim Buckwalter (Competition Suspension, Inc. 2nd Heat Winner), Alex Bright (Chalk Stix/Indy Race Parts 3rd Heat Winner), Landon Simon (KSE Racing Products Hard Charger) and Andrew Layser (Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher).

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USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP & EASTERN REGIONAL MIDGETS PRESENTED BY ARDC RACE RESULTS: August 15, 2017 - Lanco's Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway - Spring Run, Pennsylvania - "Pennsylvania Midget Week"

PROSOURCE QUALIFYING: 1. Shane Golobic, 17w, Clauson-Marshall/Wood-10.554; 2. Brady Bacon, 76m, FMR-10.672; 3. Tony DiMattia, 50, TDM-10.678; 4. Spencer Bayston, 97, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-10.687; 5. Tanner Thorson, 67, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-10.715; 6. Brayton Lynch, 1K, RKR-10.740; 7. Justin Grant, 39BC, Clauson/Marshall-10.751; 8. Tyler Courtney, 7BC, Clauson/Marshall-10.752; 9. Alex Bright, 77, Bright-10.858; 10. Chad Boat, 84, Tucker/Boat-10.871; 11. Timmy Buckwalter, 29s, Seymour-10.963; 12. Andrew Layser, 77L, Bright-11.005; 13. Ryan Greth, 4R, Lesher-11.020; 14. Tanner Carrick, 71K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-11.047; 15. Holly Shelton, 67K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-11.073; 16. Kenny Miller, III, 23m, Miller-11.175; 17. Landon Simon, 29, Clover-11.195; 18. Adam Pierson, 76E, Mancini-11.275; 19. Eric Heydenreich, 11, Heydenreich-11.437; 20. Shawn Jackson, 7J, Jackson-11.483; 21. Jimmy Glenn, 07, Glenn-11.672; 22. Tommy Kunsman, Jr., 21, Kunsman-11.859; 23. Kenney Johnson, 46x, Johnson-NT.

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Grant, 2. Golobic, 3. Bayston, 4. Miller, 5. Boat, 6. Heydenreich, 7. Greth. NT

COMPETITION SUSPENSION, INC. (CSI) SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Buckwalter, 2. Carrick, 3. Thorson, 4. Simon, 5. Courtney, 6. Bacon, 7. Johnson, 8. Jackson. 1:51.30

CHALK STIX/INDY RACE PARTS THIRD HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Bright, 2. Pierson, 3. Layser, 4. Lynch, 5. Shelton, 6. DiMattia, 7. Glenn. NT

FEATURE: (40 laps) 1. Tanner Thorson, 2. Brady Bacon, 3. Tyler Courtney, 4. Spencer Bayston, 5. Shane Golobic, 6. Chad Boat, 7. Timmy Buckwalter, 8. Tanner Carrick, 9. Tony DiMattia, 10. Landon Simon, 11. Kenny Miller, III, 12. Ryan Greth, 13. Andrew Layser, 14. Eric Heydenreich, 15. Holly Shelton, 16. Adam Pierson, 17. Brayton Lynch, 18. Alex Bright, 19. Tommy Kunsman, Jr., 20. Shawn Jackson, 21. Kenney Johnson, 22. Justin Grant. NT
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**Greth flipped during the first heat. Grant flipped on the opening lap of the feature. Shelton flipped on lap 21 of the feature.

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-40 Thorson.

KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER: Landon Simon (17th to 10th)

WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Andrew Layser

NEW USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Bayston-1220, 2-Bacon-1170, 3-Golobic-1145, 4-Thorson-1136, 5-Grant-1098, 6-Courtney-1098, 7-Boat-954, 8-Shelton-877, 9-Jerry Coons, Jr.-808, 10-Carrick-803.

NEW USAC EASTERN REGIONAL MIDGETS PRESENTED BY ARDC POINTS: 1-Greth-1317, 2-Bright-1174, 3-Miller-1102, 4-Pierson-1044, 5-Jackson-1019, 6-Layser-810, 7-Trevor Kobylarz-764, 8-Brett Arndt-754, 9-Josh Heckman-705, 10-Kunsman, Jr.-678.

NEXT USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: August 17 - Linda's Speedway - Jonestown, Pennsylvania - "Pennsylvania Midget Week"

Categories : ARDC, Midgets, News, Short Track, USAC
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USAC-ARDC Midget Series

USAC PARTNERS WITH ARDC FOR 19-RACE EASTERN REGIONAL MIDGET SLATE IN 2017

The United States Auto Club and the American Racing Drivers Club have announced a partnership that begins in 2017 with a 19-race slate scheduled at a bevy of traditional stops for midget racing in the east.

The USAC Eastern Regional Midget Series presented by ARDC will ensure that midget racing remains a stronghold in the east. The clubs are two of the most storied in the history of midget auto racing with ARDC's roots dating back to 1940 and USAC's to 1956.

The USAC Midgets' renewed presence in the east over the last couple of seasons has created new opportunities for the famed series to add on to its long-standing Western States Midget Championship with the Midwest Midget Championship, which debuted last year, and its new partnership with ARDC in the east.

"I am thrilled that we are partnering with an organization with the legacy of ARDC," USAC National Series Director Levi Jones said. "By partnering with ARDC, it solidifies the presence of USAC Midget racing across the United States' landscape from the West Coast to the Midwest to the East Coast, in addition to the USAC Midget National Championship. I am really looking forward to working with (ARDC President) Wayne Lesher, the drivers and teams of ARDC for the 2017 season and beyond."

"Everyone involved with the ARDC is very excited of our partnership with USAC," Lesher stated. "USAC gives the ARDC a national platform and ARDC gives USAC a regional presence on the east coast. Both organizations have a common goal of promoting midget racing, so it wasn't a hard decision for either side to make."

ARDC's 75th year of competition is highlighted by high-profile events including six that share the stage with USAC's national series. In fact, the series will share the event card with all three of the national divisions in 2017.

On June 15 and 16, the USAC/ARDC Midgets will race on back-to-back nights at the historic Williams Grove Speedway half-mile in Mechanicsburg, PA. The first of the two events, which are both part of the 11th annual Eastern Storm, takes place on Thursday, June 15 with the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship. The following night, Friday, June 16, the midgets compete on a docket that also features the USAC Silver Crown Championship's "Horn-Schindler Memorial" 100-lapper.

Amid the month of August, the third edition of Pennsylvania Midget Week comes to the Keystone State for four races at four different tracks in a span of five nights in a battle for territorial supremacy with the USAC Midget National Championship.

York Haven's Susquehanna Speedway kicks the week off on Sunday, Aug. 13 with races at Spring Run's Path Valley Speedway Park (Aug. 14) and Lanco's Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway in Newmanstown on the two following nights. A one-day break for rest or a possible rain date (if needed) is slated for Aug. 16 with the week concluding at a yet-to-be-determined venue in Pennsylvania on Aug. 17.

The remainder of the 2017 schedule will be showcased at a variety of familiar stops, including four dates at Linda's Speedway in Jonestown, PA on Mar. 31, May 5, June 30 and Sept. 29; three races on tap at Lanco on Apr. 1, Jul. 1, Aug. 15; four at Susquehanna on Apr. 29, May 20, Jul. 29 and Aug. 13; and a pair at Big Diamond Speedway in Pottsville, PA on May 19 and Jul. 21. Additionally, two TBA dates are slated for Sep. 8-9.

ARDC is the longest, continuously-operating midget racing series in the United States, crowning its first champion, Bill Schindler, after the 1940 season. In 2016, Alex Bright of Collegeville, PA, a veteran of both ARDC and USAC for several seasons as well as the winner of a Chili Bowl Midget Nationals preliminary feature win, earned the title.

The lineage of ARDC champions includes some of the most legendary and successful names in midget auto racing history including Henry Banks, Dutch Schaefer, Mike Nazaruk, Jiggs Peters, Len Duncan and Ray Bull. Plus, Nick Fornoro Jr. and Sr., Johnny and Joey Coy, Bob and Lou Cicconi, Jr., Steve and Tim Buckwalter as well as Bryan and Trevor Kobylarz.

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USAC EASTERN REGIONAL MIDGETS PRESENTED BY ARDC 2017 SCHEDULE
Mar 31: Linda's Speedway (Jonestown, PA)
Apr 1: Lanco's Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway (Newmanstown, PA)
Apr 29: Susquehanna Speedway (York Haven, PA)
May 5: Linda's Speedway (Jonestown, PA)
May 19: Big Diamond Speedway (Pottsville, PA)
May 20: Susquehanna Speedway (York Haven, PA)
Jun 15: Williams Grove Speedway (Mechanicsburg, PA)
Jul 16: Williams Grove Speedway (Mechanicsburg, PA)
Jun 30: Linda's Speedway (Jonestown PA)
Jul 1: Lanco's Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway (Newmanstown, PA)
Jul 21: Big Diamond Speedway (Pottsville, PA)
Jul 29: Susquehanna Speedway (York Haven, PA)
Aug 13: (N) Susquehanna Speedway (York Haven, PA)
Aug 14: (N) Path Valley Speedway (Spring Run, PA)
Aug 15: (N) Lanco's Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway (Newmanstown, PA)
Aug 17: (N) TBA
Sep 8: TBA
Sep 9: TBA
Sep 29: Linda's Speedway (Jonestown, PA)
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(N) represents a race with the USAC Midget National Championship during Pennsylvania Midget Week

United States Auto Club, 4910 West 16th Street, Speedway, IN 46224

Categories : ARDC, Midgets, News, Short Track, USAC
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Contact: Richie Murray | richie@usacracing.com

MOTHER NATURE TAKES PENNSYLVANIA MIDGET WEEK TITLE; WINS 3 OUT OF 4

Abbottstown, Pennsylvania August 17, 2016 - The quote "It's like déjà vu all over again" attributed to Yogi Berra has never been more apt than it is after these past 96 hours in the Keystone State as, for the third time in four nights, Mother Nature washed away USAC/ARDC Midget racing during "Pennsylvania Midget Week."

After rainouts at Susquehanna Speedway and Path Valley Speedway Park on Sunday and Monday night, respectively, Wednesday night at Lincoln Speedway was the latest victim, falling to the elements with just six of 30 laps completed during the feature.

At the start of the abbreviated feature, pole-sitter and ARDC regular Nick Wean jetted out front to the lead with a scramble for position following closely behind.

Spencer Bayston, eying redemption after losing the lead on the final corner of the final lap to Tanner Thorson one night prior at Lanco, hit the bottom of turn three underneath Wean. The two made contact and Bayston was able to capitalize, grabbing the lead while Wean got shuffled out as the field exited turn four at the end of the opening lap. Brady Bacon ducked to the inside, taking second, just trailing Bayston at the start/finish line by a half-car length.

As the frontrunners entered turn one on the second lap, sixth-starting ProSource Fast Qualifier Tanner Thorson put his heavy right foot on display as he nearly painted the inside turn one guardrail with the nose of his no. 67 as he threaded the needle three-wide on the bottom alongside Bacon and Wean, emerging with second by the time the trio hit turn two.

A yellow on lap three for the stalled car of Eric Heydenreich brought out the yellow, setting up a restart with Thorson just behind Bayston at the front.

When the green flag flew, Thorson hit the topside in turn one, riding the cushion to perfection, rocketing off of turn two with a run on the inside of Bayston, pulling away from Bayston as the two hit the back straightaway.

After a pair of cautions were displayed due to the stopped car of Steve Buckwalter, the skies began to open up and the rain began to fall, saturating the Lincoln Speedway surface.

After a valiant effort by the crew to nearly get the track back to near race-worthiness, the rain began to fall again, signaling an end to the night's activities and an unsavory conclusion to "Pennsylvania Midget Week" that saw two complete washouts, a rained out feature and a fantastically competitive feature at Lanco's Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway that was run after a lengthy rain delay.

The Lincoln event also was to be the third round of Jonathan Byrd's Indy Challenge. Rico Abreu won the opener at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway in June while Chad Boat took the "Belleville Nationals" earlier in August.

The next event for the Indy Challenge is scheduled for Sunday, September 4 when the USAC Western States Midgets head to Calistoga Speedway for the "Louie Vermiel Classic."

Next up on the USAC Midget National Championship calendar is the 35th running of the "4-Crown Nationals" on Saturday, September 24 at Rossburg, Ohio's Eldora Speedway.
Contingency award winners at Lincoln Speedway included Tanner Thorson (ProSource Fast Qualifier), Trevor Kobylarz (Simpson Race Products First Heat Race winner), Chad Boat (Competition Suspension, Inc. (CSI) Second Heat Race winner) and Alex Bright (Benic Enterprises/Indy Race Parts Third Heat Race winner).

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USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: August 17, 2016 - Abbottstown, Pennsylvania - Lincoln Speedway - "Pennsylvania Midget Week" (co-sanctioned by ARDC)

PROSOURCE QUALIFYING: 1. Tanner Thorson, 67, Kunz/Curb-15.942; 2. Steve Buckwalter, 27, Heffner-16.085; 3. Spencer Bayston, 97, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-16.102; 4. Carson Macedo, 71K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-16.179; 5. Brady Bacon, 76m, FMR-16.231; 6. Brenden Bright, 92, Bright-16.231; 7. Nick Wean, 78, Wean-16.234; 8. Ryan Robinson, 71, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-16.244; 9. Alex Bright, 77, Hemler-16.245; 10. Tyler Thomas, 91T, Thomas-16.320; 11. Chad Boat, 84, Tucker/Boat-16.329; 12. Holly Shelton, 67K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-16.367; 13. Trevor Kobylarz, 14, RT-16.391; 14. Gage Walker, 7, Walker-16.449; 15. Tony DiMattia, 50, DiMattia-16.487; 16. Brett Arndt, 46, Arndt-16.536; 17. Jamie Speers, 74, Speers-16.729; 18. Brett Wanner, 44, Fisher-16.793; 19. Ryan Greth, 4, Lesher-16.863; 20. Eric Heydenreich, 11, Heydenreich-16.888.

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Kobylarz, 2. Thorson, 3. Arndt, 4. Thomas, 5. Wean, 6. Macedo, 7. Greth. 2:10.20

COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI) SECOND HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Boat, 2. Walker, 3. Bacon, 4. Buckwalter, 5. Robinson, 6. Speers, 7. Heydenreich. 2:10.60

BENIC ENTERPRISES/INDY RACE PARTS THIRD HEAT: (8 laps) 1. A. Bright, 2. DiMattia, 3. B. Bright, 4. Bayston, 5. Shelton, 6. Wanner. 2:12.59

FEATURE: (Halted by rain after 6 of 30 laps)
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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-2 Bayston, Laps 3-6 Thorson.

NEW USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Bayston-911, 2-Boat-855, 3-Bacon-845, 4-Thorson-840, 5-Macedo-747, 6-Bryan Clauson-720, 7-Robinson-639, 8-Thomas-589, 9-Shelton-577, 10-Greth-467.

NEXT USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: September 24 - Rossburg, Ohio - Eldora Speedway - 35th "4-Crown Nationals"

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Contact: Richie Murray | richie@usacracing.com

THORSON'S LAST CORNER PASS CAPS SPIN AND WIN PERFORMANCE IN WILD LANCO USAC MIDGET DEBUT

Newmanstown, Pennsylvania August 16, 2016 - It took two whole days to finally get underway, but once it did, the 2016 "Pennsylvania Midget Week" opener was well worth the wait.

Minden, Nevada's Tanner Thorson recovered from a lap four spin, carved his way from the tail-end of the field, setting him up for a last lap, last corner slide job on teammate Spencer Bayston to take an improbable USAC Midget National Championship/ARDC feature win Tuesday night at Lanco's Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway.

A heavy shower in the late afternoon hours doused the Lanco surface with moisture, creating a lightning quick and gnarly racing surface for USAC's debut at the 1/8-mile dirt bullring.

Thorson got the jump from his outside front row starting position at the start of the 30-lap main event, using the topside to glide around Pennsylvania Midget star Alex Bright for the top spot who, along with Brady Bacon, formed a three-car breakaway in the opening laps.

However, on lap four, Thorson entered the first turn and promptly looped it all by his lonesome, bringing about a yellow flag and relegating him to the back of the pack where he would restart 19th with 27 laps to go.

Alex Bright would inherit the lead from Thorson and, throughout the middle portion of the race, would firmly establish himself as the man to beat as a hornet's nest of cars developed behind him in a battle for the lead as he resisted a challenge from the winner of three of the last four series races, Chad Boat.

Nearing the halfway mark, leading series rookie Carson Macedo threw a big slider for the second position on Boat, but Boat was able to slide him back to retain the spot as the two drag raced into turn one.

Yet, Boat's magnificent run of seven-straight top-five finishes would take a severe blow on lap 17 when he slid sideways through the middle of turns three and four while battling Macedo, coming to rest in the middle of the racetrack without making contact. Boat would restart.

On the lap 17 restart, Bright snaked the field down low to the green as Macedo jumped to the top, but just as quickly as it began, the red flag was displayed for an upside down Gage Walker who tipped it over against the guardrail between turns one and two.

On the ensuing restart, Bright chose the middle route into turns one and two while Macedo rode the cushion, but as Macedo began to line up a slider on Bright for the lead in the third turn, action slowed yet again as the yellow flag dropped for a backwards Holly Shelton between turns one and two.

Fourth-running Brady Bacon was involved in a tangle in the fourth turn on lap 18 that also collected top-10 runners Steve Buckwalter and Kenney Johnson. Johnson would be the only driver unable to restart.

Macedo was getting better and better as the race wore on, but yellow after yellow halted his procession to the front, keeping him at bay in the second position with just 13 laps to go.

But, on the following restart, Macedo hounded Bright for the top spot. Two accomplished racers - Bright, a Chili Bowl prelim winner and Macedo, a World of Outlaws feature winner - each duked it out for their first career USAC win with less than ten to go.

On lap 21, Macedo made his move, diamonding off turn two and rocketing down the banking to grab the lead from Bright as the two sprinted down the back straight. Bright counter-punched, slipping back by Macedo briefly in turn one before Macedo shot back by Bright to secure the point.

Heartbreak ensued for Bright shortly after losing the lead when his right rear tire deflated, forcing him into the infield with just a handful of circuits left after leading all drivers with 17 laps led during the feature.

With just four laps to go, Macedo, Bayston and now Thorson, who had charged his way back to the front from the tail, led the field to the restart. Macdeo maintained his high-side presence into turn one while Bayston dove to the bottom to slide up in front of Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports teammate Macedo for the lead.

As soon as Bayston cleared Macedo between turns one and two, Macedo hit the brakes with the intention of changing direction on a dime, dipping underneath Bayston and driving away on the back straight as Bayston's momentum carried him to the outside turn two wall.

However, Macedo's car stalled before he could put the notion into action, coming to a stop in the middle of turn two to bring out the yellow once again and, thus, moved Thorson to second, directly behind his teammate and race leader Bayston with just four laps remaining.

Bayston exploded off the starting blocks for a solid restart on lap 27 as he gapped himself from Thorson, but that proved to be short-lived as Thorson quickly reeled Bayston back in, putting him in prime position to pounce in a moment's notice.

As Thorson shadowed Bayston's every move, coming to the white flag, Bayston got a big bite coming off of turn two, pulling a wheelstand half the length of the back straight away, yet still maintaining his ever-dwindling lead over Thorson as the two entered the final lap.

Bayston and Thorson held court on the topside of turns one and two after receiving flagman Warren Alston's white flag, but Thorson, who proved to have the fastest car throughout the main event, appeared to be waiting for just the right moment to make the move, leaving no chance for Bayston to return the favor.

As Bayston entered turn three through the middle, Thorson aimed his machine like a dart from the mid-point of the back straight toward the bottom of turns three and four at full throttle, pitching the car sideways and sliding up in front of Bayston at the exit of turn four. That slowed Bayston's momentum and pulled his front wheels off the ground as he got back on the gas, allowing Thorson to nail the bullseye and finish out the last 30 feet to the flagstand in front to record the astonishing spin and win victory by .296 seconds over Bayston, Tyler Thomas, Jim Radney and Ryan Robinson.

Incidentally, it was the first time a last corner pass for the lead was made on the final lap in a USAC National Midget feature since Thorson lost the lead to teammate Rico Abreu at Sun Prairie, Wisconsin's Angell Park Speedway in July of 2015.

Thorson's last lap heroics led to his third win of the season after June victories at Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnamville, Ind. and Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark., tying him with Boat for the most series victories during the 2016 season in his Keith Kunz - Curb-Agajanian Motorsports/TRD - JBL Audio/Bullet/Speedway Toyota.

"I didn't think there'd be any way we could get back to the front after the spin," Thorson admitted. "I just misjudged my angle into the corner and got a little too sideways and spun it out. I'm just so happy we could do this for Bryan (Clauson). The track smoothed out a lot throughout the night and there were a lot of guys up top, but I never felt like we needed to get up there because we were strong enough running middle to bottom. We've all been itching to race this week, but it was worth the wait for this. We parked it for Bryan."

Despite Bayston's final lap heartbreak, the Lebanon, Indiana driver was able to extend his series point lead to 55 over Boat and 65 over Bacon after both encountered misfortune at Lanco, recording a second-place run in his Keith Kunz - Curb-Agajanian Motorsports/TRD - Mobil 1/Bullet/Speedway Toyota.

"I never felt like I was good enough to really be in the lead; it just fell into our hands," Bayston acknowledged. "But, I still hate to let it slip away at the end. Tanner was really good, but this was elbows up tonight. I just feel bad. Second is okay, but I want to win and when it's right there in front of you and you don't deliver, it's pretty frustrating. Regardless, we're glad to put on a show for Bryan. We know he's cheering us on from heaven."

Collinsville, Oklahoma's Tyler Thomas could finally breathe a sigh of relief after his long, strange trip to "Pennsylvania Midget Week" had him stuck in Dayton, Ohio for the previous two days with mechanical issues on their motorhome, making it just in time to Lanco to take third after starting 11th in his Tyler Thomas Motorsports/BT Machine - AirGroup/Spike/Esslinger.

"It's been a rough start to our week with motorhome problems getting out here, but we had a great car tonight," said a relieved Thomas. "The track was awesome and gave us a multi-groove surface we could race on. Tanner (Thorson) went by me like I was standing still, so it was impressive. One of these days, it'll be us in victory lane, but we're putting together some good runs here lately, and the more we're up there, the better chance we'll have to grab one."

Contingency award winners at Lanco's Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway included Carson Macedo (ProSource Fast Qualifier), Chad Boat (Simpson Race Products First Heat Race winner), Gage Walker (Competition Suspension, Inc. (CSI) Second Heat Race winner), Brady Bacon (Benic Enterprises Third Heat Race winner & Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher), Holly Shelton (Indy Race Parts Semi-Feature winner) and Brenden Bright (KSE Racing Products Hard Charger).

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USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: August 16, 2016 - Newmanstown, Pennsylvania - Lanco's Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway - "Pennsylvania Midget Week" (co-sanctioned by ARDC)

PROSOURCE QUALIFYING: 1. Carson Macedo, 71K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-10.208; 2. Spencer Bayston, 97, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-10.406; 3. Brady Bacon, 76m, FMR-10.578; 4. Ryan Robinson, 71, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-10.579; 5. Tanner Thorson, 67, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-10.604; 6. Alex Bright, 77, Hemler-10.615; 7. Chad Boat, 84, Tucker/Boat-10.642; 8. Ryan Greth, 4, Lesher-10.644; 9. Jim Radney, 95, Radney-10.648; 10. Steve Buckwalter, 27, Heffner-10.738; 11. Holly Shelton, 67K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-10.765; 12. Tyler Thomas, 91T, Thomas-10.799; 13. Brett Wanner, 44, Fisher-10.811; 14. Nick Wean, 78, Wean-10.889; 15. Tony DiMattia, 50, DiMattia-10.904; 16. Trevor Kobylarz, 14, RT-10.926; 17. Gage Walker, 7, Walker-10.973; 18. Kenney Johnson, 46x, Johnson-11.018; 19. Kyle Spence, 25K, Spence-11.032; 20. Tommy Kunsman, 21, Kunsman-11.205; 21. Jamie Speers, 74, Speers-11.277; 22. Brenden Bright, 92, Bright-11.319; 23. Josh Heckman, 12, Heckman-11.332; 24. Justin Grosz, 99G, Grosz-11.595; 25. Eric Heydenreich, 11, Heydenreich-11.732; 26. Brett Arndt, 46, Arndt-NT.

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Boat, 2. Macedo, 3. Buckwalter, 4. Robinson, 5. Kobylarz, 6. B. Bright, 7. Wanner, 8. Spence, 9. Heydenreich. 1:50.63

COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI) SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Walker, 2. Bayston, 3. Thorson, 4. Wean, 5. Heckman, 6. Greth, 7. Shelton, 8. Kunsman, 9. Arndt. NT

BENIC ENTERPRISES THIRD HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Bacon, 2. Thomas, 3. A. Bright, 4. DiMattia, 5. Radney, 6. Grosz, 7. Johnson, 8. Speers. NT

INDY RACE PARTS SEMI: (12 laps) 1. Shelton, 2. Wanner, 3. Kunsman, 4. B. Bright, 5. Heydenreich, 6. Arndt, 7. Johnson, 8. Spence, 9. Grosz, 10. Speers. 2:15.80

FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Tanner Thorson, 2. Spencer Bayston, 3. Tyler Thomas, 4. Jim Radney, 5. Ryan Robinson, 6. Chad Boat, 7. Brenden Bright, 8. Tommy Kunsman, 9. Holly Shelton, 10. Carson Macedo, 11. Steve Buckwalter, 12. Tony DiMattia, 13. Brady Bacon, 14. Brett Arndt, 15. Alex Bright, 16. Josh Heckman, 17. Kenney Johnson, 18. Gage Walker, 19. Justin Grosz, 20. Eric Heydenreich, 21. Nick Wean, 22. Brett Wanner, 23. Trevor Kobylarz. NT
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**Arndt flipped during hot laps. Walker flipped on lap 17 of the feature.

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-3 Thorson, Laps 4-20 A. Bright, Laps 21-26 Macedo, Laps 27-29 Bayston, Lap 30 Thorson.

KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER: B. Bright (19th to 7th)

NEW USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Bayston-879, 2-Boat-824, 3-Bacon-814, 4-Thorson-804, 5-Bryan Clauson-720, 6-Macedo-718, 7-Robinson-612, 8-Thomas-561, 9-Shelton-550, 10-Greth-442.

NEW USAC PENNSYLVANIA MIDGET WEEK POINTS: 1-Bayston-89, 2-Thorson-88, 3-Thomas-81, 4-Robinson-76, 5-Radney-75, 6-Boat-73, 7-Macedo-66, 8-Shelton-60, 9-Bacon-59, 10-Buckwalter-57.

NEXT USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: August 17 - Abbottstown, Pennsylvania - Lincoln Speedway - "Pennsylvania Midget Week" (co-sanctioned by ARDC)

Categories : ARDC, Midgets, News, Short Track, USAC
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The United States Auto Club.

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Contact: Richie Murray | richie@usacracing.com

MOTHER NATURE CLAIMS "PENNSYLVANIA MIDGET WEEK" OPENER AT SUSQUEHANNA

York Haven, Pennsylvania.........Heavy rains just prior to ProSource Qualifying forced cancellation of Sunday night's "Pennsylvania Midget Week" USAC Midget National Championship/ARDC opener at Susquehanna Speedway.

It was to mark the series' first ever visit to the track after rains cancelled last year's Susquehanna event as well.

Brady Bacon recorded the fastest time in hot laps on Sunday with a time of 17.504 seconds.

"Pennsylvania Midget Week" continues Monday night, Aug. 15 at Path Valley Speedway Park before heading off to Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway in Newmanstown on Tuesday, Aug. 16 and concluding with Abbottstown's Lincoln Speedway on Wednesday, Aug. 17.

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USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: August 14, 2016 - York Haven, Pennsylvania - Susquehanna Speedway - "Pennsylvania Midget Week" (co-sanctioned by ARDC)

RACING PROGRAM RAINED OUT

CARS/DRIVERS AT THE TRACK: Ryan Greth (#4 Lesher), P.J. Gargiulo (#5 JHG), Gage Walker (#7 Walker), Josh Heckman (#12 Heckman), Trevor Kobylarz (#14 RT), John Heydenreich (#22 Givens), Steve Buckwalter (#27 Heffner), Brett Wanner (#44 Fisher), Brett Arndt (#46 Arndt), Kenney Johnson (#46x Johnson), Tony DiMattia (#50 DiMattia), Jason Rice (#57 Rice), Tanner Thorson (#67 Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), Holly Shelton (#67K Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), Ryan Robinson (#71 Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), Carson Macedo (#71K Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), Brady Bacon (#76m FMR), Alex Bright (#77 Hemler), Chad Boat (#84 Tucker/Boat), Brenden Bright (#92 Bright), Jim Radney (#95 Radney), Spencer Bayston (#97 Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), Justin Grosz (#99G Grosz).

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NEW USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Bayston-800, 2-Bacon-765, 3-Boat-761, 4-Thorson-726, 5-Bryan Clauson-720, 6-Macedo-642, 7-Robinson-546, 8-Shelton-500, 9-Tyler Thomas-490, 10-Greth-432.

NEXT USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: August 15 - Spring Run, Pennsylvania - Path Valley Speedway Park - "Pennsylvania Midget Week" (co-sanctioned by ARDC)

Categories : ARDC, Midgets, News, Short Track, USAC
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The United States Auto Club.

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APRIL 25, 2016..... Officials of the United States Auto Club (USAC), POWRi and ARDC Midget Series today jointly announced a rule which will unify engine platform-specific RPM limits in all sanctioned races, effective May 29, 2016. This commitment to RPM limits constitutes a three-year commitment and any uniform limit modifications will be determined through on-going data analysis obtained through actual on-track racing.

RPM limits are used in midget racing as a “throttle” to limit the expense of further development of current midget racing engine platforms, save money for car owners with increased time between engine maintenance cycles, and as a means to enable midget racing to welcome lower cost alternatives to current engine platforms in the future.

The initial RPM limits will be adopted from a USAC sponsored study conducted by ILMOR Engineering and in use for the last four race seasons. These RPM limits can be found posted in the individual series rule books for USAC, POWRi and ARDC. Throughout 2016, additional race data will be collected to further study equivalency power curves among the varying midget engine platforms, including pushrod and overhead cam configurations. This data will be used to determine if RPM limit modifications will be required.

Additionally, all entrants using an EFI branded ignition must use the new EFI “R1” (Red) Ignition Box for all sanctioned races with USAC , POWRi and ARDC. The EFI R1 unit was designed specifically for midget racing and has a limited range of user interface which assures race officials adherence to RPM limit rules and eliminates traction control capabilities through the EFI module.

Categories : ARDC, Midgets, News, Short Track, USAC
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Newberrytown, PA........Tonight's final event of the 2015 USAC Pennsylvania Tour for Honda National Midgets and ARDC Midgets at Susquehanna Speedway Park has been cancelled due to rain. Rico Abreu, winner of Tuesday's race at Spring Run and Wednesday's race at New Oxford is third in the new standings behind Kevin Thomas Jr. and Tracy Hines. The series now moves on to the September 4-5 7th Annual "Gold Crown Midget Nationals" at Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, Ill.

Categories : ARDC, Midgets, News, Short Track, USAC
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