Archive for Midgets
Courtney Corrals Port City’s USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Debut
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The United States Auto Club.
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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
Friday's Werco Manufacturing T-Town Midget Showdown presented by B & H Contractors USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget feature winner, Tyler Courtney.
(Rich Forman Photo)
COURTNEY CORRALS PORT CITY'S
USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK NATIONAL MIDGET DEBUT
By: Richie Murray - USAC Media
Tulsa, Oklahoma (May 22, 2020).........It's been quite awhile since Tyler Courtney and the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship were last in competition - 76 nights to be exact.
A little rust here and a few cobwebs to knock out there, the quarantine period during the COVID-19 pandemic around the world has knocked anybody and everybody off their normal routines.
But what has become routine over the last several years is a Courtney feature victory and the defending champ once again nestled into that routine Friday night for his first series victory of the year in the inaugural Werco Manufacturing T-Town Midget Showdown presented by B & H Contractors at Port City Raceway in Tulsa, Okla.
While it wasn't exactly a rough start to the season by any stretch for the Indianapolis, Ind. driver with a 4th, a 2nd and a 20th in his first three series starts, Courtney and the Clauson-Marshall Racing team dug deep during the time off to find that little bit of "extra" to propel them back to victory lane where they had resided eight times a year ago, including three of the first four, with the series.
"We made a few changes during quarantine and I think we found some stuff," Courtney admitted after capturing the victory in is NOS Energy Drink Turbo - ZMax/Spike/Stanton SR-11x. "I was a little rusty on the cushion there at the end of the race, and I need to get a little better at that. I saw those guys coming on the bottom, but I was kind of committed to the top by that point."
Courtney was referring to his late-race execution there, but first, he had to charge from the sixth starting position after establishing a track record earlier in the night during Fatheadz Eyewear/MSW Motorsports time trials, a lap of 9.444 seconds around the 1/8-mile dirt bullring, the first sub 10-second qualifying quick time lap in a USAC National Midget points race since John Andretti at the Toronto Skydome in 1993.
It was Courtney's CMR teammate Cole Bodine who established the early lead from the pole after an early side-by-side scuttle with outside front starter Chris Windom. Windom remained up top and eventually drove by on lap five for the race lead.
Courtney moved into the top-five on lap 10, passing second quickest qualifier Thomas Meseraull for the position. Moments later, Meseraull's bid for a frontrunning result came to an abrupt halt when he contacted Courtney's rear bumper and slid to a stop. Meseraull restarted and finished 13th.
Nearing midway, Courtney had closed in on a three-car tussle for second, which also involved Tanner Thorson and Buddy Kofoid. On the 21st lap, Courtney emerged from the herd with the runner-up spot, although Windom still held a hefty lead of nearly two seconds ahead of him.
That advantage was erased on the following lap when 15th running Daison Pursley stopped at the top of turn four, thus bringing out the yellow flag and bunching up the field for the restart. Courtney gripped low while Windom ran the top, but on the 25th lap, Windom's slight stumble on the turn one curb gave Courtney the crack in the door he needed to get through as he jolted to the race lead.
Windom remained in touch with his former CMR teammate Courtney just prior to a yellow for first-time USAC starter Emerson Axsom who spun between turns three and four.
Following a restart with 10 to go, Windom ultimately recharged the figurative batteries and made his bid to overtake Courtney, successfully sliding past in turn two with eight laps remaining. Courtney instantly ducked to the inside of Windom exiting turn two, and to Courtney's left, both Logan Seavey and Thorson created two more lanes of space on the bottom to briefly make it four-wide for the lead.
Courtney escaped the jam and entered turn three on the bottom with the lead with Windom going topside back to second and Thorson and Seavey getting momentarily shuffled out. Windom took one more run at Courtney in turn three to no avail just as the red flag flew on lap 34 when Hank Davis and Clinton Boyles made contact in turn one, sending Boyles flipping near the outside wall. He was uninjured.
In addition to scoring the night's feature victory, during Fatheadz Eyewear/MSW Motorsports time trials, Tyler Courtney turned a lap of 9.444 seconds around the 1/8-mile dirt bullring, the first sub 10-second qualifying quick time lap in a USAC National Midget points race since John Andretti at the Toronto Skydome in 1993. (Richard Bales Photo)
On the ensuing restart, Courtney utilized a quality start on the opening lap to carve out some distance between he and Windom. A hard-charging Seavey, who started all the way back in 19th, picked his way to second past Windom on the bottom with four to go and tried to hunt down Courtney, but time was short his hourglass was out of sand.
The checkered flag was Courtney's for the 14th time in his USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget career, tying him with Chuck Arnold, Jack Turner and Leroy Warriner for 49th all-time.
"It feels really good, especially being the first time back," Courtney said. "It's cool to come to these races when your friends Xia Xianna and Brady (Bacon) are promoting it, and stepping up, especially in a hard time like this. Thanks to them and Mike and Megan Eubanks who've done a hell of a job with this place."
Courtney competed in a micro sprint in his only previous Port City racing experiences, but this marked his first visit in a midget at the track, and after Friday's triumph, he's looking for even more on Saturday night.
"Tomorrow's going to be a tough one," Courtney continued when speaking of Saturday's night two of the T-Town Midget Showdown. "All these guys are going to keep getting better, so you can't slouch off. Hats off to my whole team who've worked their tails off with nothing really to do; they haven't backed down."
Sutter, California's Seavey made his debut in the Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports Midget a memorable one, driving from 19th to 2nd to earn Hard Charger honors courtesy of KSE Racing Products and Jerry Medlin in his AME Electrical Contracting - ZMax/Spike/Stanton SR-11x.
"We just had a heck of a racecar there," Seavey exclaimed. "I feel like we've struggled the past couple of days, but finally got the car gripped up to where I could drive through the slick and keep the car straight. That's really what you need on a track like this."
"I feel so good," the 2018 USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget champ stated. "I really wish we could've gotten by Sunshine (Courtney) there. He's passed me a lot driving through the slick while I'm up there pounding the curb, and I was hoping we could reverse the roles tonight but didn't quite get it done. I needed to make a few better moves once I got into the top-five; I just wasn't quite pouncing on the opportunities like I needed to. That's kind of what ended it for me once Sunshine got out to a little bit of a lead, I could close a little bit, but I knew there wasn't enough to get all the way there."
Windom (Canton, Ill.) led a race-high 20 laps, and after losing the lead with 16 laps remaining, came back with a strong second effort, although he fell to third at the conclusion after admitting to needing to "make a few less mistakes" in his Tucker-Boat Motorsports/NOS Energy Drink - Pristine Auction - K & C Drywall/Spike/Speedway Toyota.
"We got the lead and I started hitting the curb a little bit and getting tight on entry and Tyler got by us," Windom recalled. "We had a hell of a race back to the lead, but (Courtney) was just a little better at the end than I was. Obviously, we've got a really fast racecar and these guys are at the top of their game."
CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:
Fatheadz Eyewear/MSW Motorsports Fast Qualifier: Tyler Courtney
Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner: Kevin Thomas Jr.
Competition Suspension, Inc. Second Heat Winner: Clinton Boyles
AutoMeter Third Heat Winner: Justin Grant
Indy Race Parts Fourth Heat Winner: Cannon McIntosh
Indy Metal Finishing Semi Winner: Daison Pursley
KSE Racing Products / Jerry Medlin Hard Charger in Memory of Donnie Ray Crawford: Logan Seavey
Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher: Thomas Meseraull
Saldana Racing Products First Non-Transfer: Trey Marcham
ProSource Hard Work: Tanner Carrick
Jerry Medlin Last Car Running in Honor Of Leon Gentry: Ethan Mitchell
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USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: May 22, 2020 - Port City Raceway - Tulsa, Oklahoma - Werco Manufacturing T-Town Midget Showdown presented by B & H Contractors
FATHEADZ/MSW MOTORSPORTS QUALIFYING: 1. Tyler Courtney, 7BC, Clauson/Marshall-9.444 (New Track Record); 2. Thomas Meseraull, 7x, RMS-9.448; 3. Jesse Love, 97, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-9.481; 4. Buddy Kofoid, 67, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-9.486; 5. Daison Pursley, 9, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-9.502; 6. Andrew Layser, 82, Tucker/Boat-9.508; 7. Tanner Thorson, 19, Hayward-9.520; 8. Chris Windom, 89, Tucker/Boat-9.558; 9. Cole Bodine, 39BC, Clauson/Marshall-9.615; 10. Zach Daum, 5D, Daum-9.619; 11. Emerson Axsom, 15, Petry-9.629; 12. Dave Darland, 2ND, Harris-9.635; 13. Ethan Mitchell, 19m, Bundy Built-9.652; 14. Clinton Boyles, 98, RMS-9.686; 15. Tyler Thomas, 91T, Thomas-9.687; 16. Hank Davis, 42, Franklin-9.700; 17. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 5, Petry-9.703; 18. Logan Seavey, 19AZ, Reinbold/Underwood-9.706; 19. Trey Marcham, 32, Marcham-9.707; 20. Cannon McIntosh, 71K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-9.727; 21. Jonathan Beason, 8K, Hard Eight-9.742; 22. Ace McCarthy, 28, Dave Mac-9.743; 23. Justin Grant, 4A, RAMS-9.745; 24. Tanner Carrick, 35, Petry-9.759; 25. Emilio Hoover, 21K, Reynolds-9.773; 26. Robert Dalby, 4, Dalby-9.788; 27. Matt Moore, 85, Central-9.810; 28. Trey Gropp, 00, Mounce-9.815; 29. Kaylee Bryson, 71, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-9.870; 30. Noah Gass, 20G, Gass-9.872; 31. Matt Sherrell, 10J, Hunt-9.880; 32. Tyler Nelson, 88, Nelson-9.882; 33. Blake Hahn, 52, Hahn-9.887; 34. Jake Neuman, 21KS, Reynolds-9.892; 35. David Budres, 31, Manic-9.912; 36. Presley Truedson, 71x, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-9.953; 37. Gage Rucker, 19G, Hayward-10.166; 38. Cody Brewer, 96, Central-10.240; 39. Hayden Reinbold, 19A, Reinbold/Underwood-10.348; 40. Curtis Spicer, 4s, Spicer-10.488.
SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Kevin Thomas Jr., 2. Ethan Mitchell, 3. Cole Bodine, 4. Tyler Courtney, 5. Daison Pursley, 6. Kaylee Bryson, 7. Blake Hahn, 8. Emilio Hoover, 9. Gage Rucker. 1:38.966 (New Track Record)
COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI) SECOND HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Clinton Boyles. 2. Ace McCarthy, 3. Thomas Meseraull, 4. Logan Seavey, 5. Zach Daum, 6. Andrew Layser, 7. Robert Dalby, 8. Cody Brewer, 9. Jake Neuman, 10. Noah Gass. NT
AUTOMETER THIRD HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Justin Grant, 2. Tyler Thomas, 3. Tanner Thorson, 4. Emerson Axsom, 5. Trey Marcham, 6. Jesse Love, 7. Matt Moore, 8. Hayden Reinbold, 9. David Budres, 10. Matt Sherrell. NT
INDY RACE PARTS FOURTH HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Cannon McIntosh, 2. Buddy Kofoid, 3. Tanner Carrick, 4. Chris Windom, 5. Hank Davis, 6. Dave Darland, 7. Presley Truedson, 8. Trey Gropp, 9. Curtis Spicer, 10. Tyler Nelson. NT
C-MAIN: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the semi) 1. Blake Hahn, 2. Jake Neuman, 3. Matt Sherrell, 4. Tyler Nelson, 5. Presley Truedson, 6. Cody Brewer, 7. Gage Rucker, 8. Curtis Spicer, 9. Hayden Reinbold. NT
INDY METAL FINISHING SEMI: (12 laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Daison Pursley, 2. Hank Davis, 3. Jesse Love, 4. Jonathan Beason, 5. Andrew Layser, 6. Dave Darland, 7. Trey Marcham, 8. Robert Dalby, 9. Blake Hahn, 10. Trey Gropp, 11. Matt Sherrell, 12. Jake Neuman, 13. Kaylee Bryson, 14. Noah Gass, 15. Tyler Nelson, 16. Emilio Hoover, 17. Zach Daum, 18. Matt Moore. NT
FEATURE: (40 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Tyler Courtney (6), 2. Logan Seavey (19), 3. Chris Windom (2), 4. Tanner Thorson (3), 5. Cannon McIntosh (9), 6. Andrew Layser (13), 7. Justin Grant (10), 8. Cole Bodine (1), 9. Tanner Carrick (22), 10. Tyler Thomas (17), 11. Buddy Kofoid (4), 12. Kevin Thomas Jr. (8), 13. Thomas Meseraull (5), 14. Dave Darland (15), 15. Jonathan Beason (20), 16. Kaylee Bryson (23), 17. Hank Davis (18), 18. Jake Neuman (24), 19. Daison Pursley (12), 20. Emerson Axsom (14), 21. Jesse Love (11), 22. Ethan Mitchell (16), 23. Clinton Boyles (7), 24. Ace McCarthy (21). NT
**Matt Sherrell flipped during the third heat. Clinton Boyles flipped on lap 34 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-4 Cole Bodine, Laps 5-24 Chris Windom, Laps 25-40 Tyler Courtney.
KSE RACING PRODUCTS/JERRY MEDLIN IN HONOR OF DONNIE RAY CRAWFORD HARD CHARGER: Logan Seavey (19th to 2nd)
WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Thomas Meseraull
SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS FIRST NON-TRANSFER: Trey Marcham
PROSOURCE HARD WORK: Tanner Carrick
JERRY MEDLIN LAST CAR RUNNING IN HONOR OF LEON GENTRY: Ethan Mitchell
NEW USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Tyler Courtney-277, 2-Chris Windom-271, 3-Tanner Thorson-249, 4-Cannon McIntosh-244, 5-Buddy Kofoid-238, 6-Kevin Thomas Jr.-235, 7-Andrew Layser-223, 8-Tanner Carrick-201, 9-Daison Pursley-189, 10-Cole Bodine-185.
NEW PROSOURCE T-TOWN MIDGET SHOWDOWN PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Logan Seavey-17, 2-Tanner Carrick-13, 3-Matt Sherrell-12, 4-Jonathan Beason-12, 5-Tyler Thomas-8, 6-Blake Hahn-8, 7-Andrew Layser-7, 8-Tyler Courtney-6, 9-Cannon McIntosh-5, 10-Hank Davis-5.
NEW OVERALL PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Tanner Thorson-18, 2-Daison Pursley-18, 3-Chris Windom-18, 4-Logan Seavey-17, 5-Brady Bacon-16, 6-Andrew Layser-16, 7-Tyler Thomas-15, 8-Tanner Carrick-13, 9-Kevin Thomas Jr.-11, 10-Cannon McIntosh-9.
NEXT USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACES: May 22-23, 2020 - Port City Raceway - Tulsa, Oklahoma - Werco Manufacturing T-Town Midget Showdown presented by B & H Contractors
OSWEGO SUPERMODIFIED STARS CHASE INDOOR SERIES GLORY AT SYRACUSE MARCH 13-14
Posted by: | CommentsNEWS FROM LEN SAMMONS PRODUCTIONS
2020 BELFOR INDOOR AUTO RACING CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES FUELED BY VP RACING FUELS
ALLENTOWN, ATLANTIC CITY, TRENTON, NJ AND SYRACUSE
Event Promoter: Len Sammons @609.888.3618
MEDIA INFORMATION: Ernie Saxton Communications – Esaxton144@aol.com -267.934.7286
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OSWEGO SUPERMODIFIED STARS TO CHASE INDOOR SERIES GLORY AT NEW YORK STATE FAIRGROUNDS EXPOSITION CENTER MARCH 13-14
SYRACUSE, NY March 8, 2020 . . . Michael Barnes and Tyler Thompson, two highly regarded Supermodified drivers from Oswego Speedway, have entered the 2020 Indoor Auto Racing Series Fueled By VP Race Fuels events being held inside the New York State Fairgrounds Exposition Center on Friday and Saturday nights March 13-14.
Two days of action will feature complete programs for TQ Midgets, Slingshots and Champ Karts with overall BELFOR “Concrete Series” champions to be crowned on Saturday evening.
Barnes, Oswego’s Supermodified 2016 track champion, and Thompson, the 2019 Oswego Speedway Classic winner, are Jason Simmons Racing (JSR) teammates on the Indoor Series this season. After three events, JSR’s TQ team of Barnes and Thompson rank 11th and 12th respectively in points, after each qualified for the prestigious Gambler’s Classic inside Atlantic City, NJ’s Boardwalk Hall back on February 1st as well as the two early January races inside Allentown, PA’s PPL Center.
Barnes, who was the first driver in Oswego Speedway history to run a sub-17 second lap around the venerable oval in a non-winged car, was immediately impressed with the TQ Indoor discipline his first time out in Allentown. “It’s quick around here,” Barnes deadpanned. “Things happen fast in these cars, just like the Supers at Oswego.”
Barnes, 36, of Mexico, NY, finished tenth and ninth in Allentown and eleventh in Atlantic City. He was a bit more reflective after the Atlantic City race. “I never figured this place out at all,” Barnes remarked. “I was confident coming in but am leaving scratching my head. We could never get the car hooked up.”
Thompson, 17, of Fulton, NY became the youngest driver in Oswego Speedway history to win a Supermodified feature this past summer then, in one of the greatest upsets in racing history won the 63rd Budweiser International Classic 200. “When I won for the first time this summer, to be honest, I realized that winning the Oswego Classic wasn’t a dream, it was a possibility. That win was a huge boost of confidence,” Thompson shared.
Thompson, a rookie on the 2019 Indoor Series, finished a disappointed 20th in both of the Allentown races after early race problems. In Atlantic City, Thompson led the field to the green flag from the pole position and managed an eighth place finish, a total change from his teammate’s result. “Just tried to stay out of trouble in Atlantic City,” Thompson said. “Survive and finish.”
Oswego Speedway has stepped up as a sponsor of the event. The winner of each of the four TQ Midget Car heat races on both Friday and Saturday night will receive not only a spot in the A-Main but a $50 bonus thanks to Oswego, the home of SuperModified racing. Dr. Williams Lowe, a long-time supporter of TQ Midget racing, has also posted $200 to the fast qualifier both nights.
N.Y.’s JSR also has fielded a two car Champ Kart team for the 2020 Indoor Series. Allentown, PA winner, Tyler Brown, is in command of the Champ Kart standings following a third place finish in Atlantic City. After finishing 12th in both Allentown and Atlantic City, Dan Kapuscinski is tied for 11th in the Champ Kart order with two events remaining in Syracuse.
The race for the Indoor BELFOR Concrete Series championship will be decided between point leader Andy Jankowiak, Matt Janisch, defending champion Erick Rudolph and Tim Buckwalter after qualifying and feature events are held both nights in Syracuse.
Doors open on Friday at 5:30 and Saturday at 5 pm. Fans are allowed pre-race access to the pit each night for one hour after the doors have opened. Racing will begin nightly with heat races for all divisions with the first green flag on Friday at 7:30. On Saturday, action begins a half-hour earlier at 7 pm.
Tickets are available in a range of different prices through links on www.indoorautoracing.com and the venue box office. Tickets will be available each race night starting at 2pm at the Exposition Center Box office.
Race fans can enjoy a double header weekend at the Fairgrounds with the 34th annual Syracuse Motorsports Expo and Trade Show being held at the Center Of Progress Building on the Fairgrounds. This show opens on Saturday at 10 am giving everyone plenty of time to enjoy that show then walk over to the nearby Exposition Center for the races that night. The Trade show reopens on Sunday from 11 to 4 pm.
Sponsorship at a variety of levels to meet every budget is available for the Syracuse event. Interested parties should contact Danny Sammons at 609-888-3618 or e-mail danny@aarn.com.
Thorson Thrills with 15th to 1st Charge at Shamrock Classic
Posted by: | Comments- The United States Auto Club.
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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
Tanner Thorson's drive from 15th to 1st Saturday at the Shamrock Classic was the furthest back in the field a winning driver has started with the series since himself, also from 15th, at Indiana's Lincoln Park Speedway in June of 2019. (Rich Forman Photo)
THORSON THRILLS WITH 15TH TO 1ST CHARGE AT SHAMROCK CLASSIC
By: Richie Murray - USAC Media
Du Quoin, Ill. (March 7, 2020).........As Tanner Thorson recollected over his first three starts of the 2020 USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget season, one of his first thoughts was, "we should be three for three."
Instead, the 2016 series champ has had to settle for winning two out of three on the year thus far following Saturday night's Shamrock Classic victory at the Southern Illinois Center. And like a common refrain from a song you might've heard in the past, 'two out of three ain't bad.'
After capturing a season opening victory in Ocala during February, then dominating the second night at Ocala until an engine issue stifled a surefire victory, Thorson entered the Shamrock Classic with a plan to return to his winning ways, but that plan and the confidence went slightly askew early in the evening.
"After the qualifier, I thought I was about to load this thing up and get out of here," Thorson admitted. "This place has never been really too good to me."
Yet, Thorson and team remained tactful and honed in on the details that allowed him to drive from his 15th starting spot to victory lane, the furthest back in the field a winning driver has started with the series since himself, also from 15th at Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnamville, Ind. in June of 2019.
"We just kept at it all night," Thorson said. "I was really fast the last time I was here and we kind of brought the same set up here, but it didn't work. We just had to change some things and go through some stuff and it paid off."
In doing so, Thorson kept the streak intact of consecutive different USAC Midget winners to emerge at the Southern Illinois Center to nine and the run of different Shamrock Classic victors to five years running.
Furthermore, Thorson's 15th career series win elevated the Minden, Nev. driver to 46th all-time on the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget feature win list, equaling him with Don Branson and Larry Rice.
The resilient Thorson had unfinished business to attend to after missing last year's Shamrock Classic due to the serious injuries he suffered in a California highway crash. His two most recent visits to the 1/6-mile dirt oval netted him a 7th place finish in 2016 and a 21st place result in 2017.
On Saturday, Thorson began his quest from the last quarter of the field while defending race winner Cannon McIntosh controlled the race from the front with series Rookie Buddy Kofoid in close quarters just behind in second.
On the 12th lap, leader McIntosh clipped the turn three infield berm, forcing him to check up and leave teammate Kofoid no room to maneuver and no time to react. Kofoid tapped McIntosh's rear bumper as a result, sending himself into a spin toward the turn three outside wall and out of contention for the win.
The ensuing restart saw the infield berm rear its ugly head at the opposite end of the track for McIntosh on the lap 13 restart. McIntosh clipped it with his left front, sliding him to a stop and collecting second running Courtney in the fracas, ending both racers their bid for a win on this night.
Nearing the midway point, 2018 Jason Leffler Memorial winner Tyler Thomas was the man on the move, sending it to third by Cole Bodine on the inside of turn three on lap 21 and to second underneath Jake Neuman on the 26th circuit.
With less than 20 to go, it was Thorson's turn to rise to the occasion as he tussled within the top-five and was battling for the third position with Jake Neuman on lap 32 when the two made contact. Neuman received the smaller piece of the wishbone on the deal, spinning to a stop in turn one, while Thorson continued on.
"It's just short track racing," Thorson chalked it up to. "I had a bunch of speed going in there. He got up on the berm and I just got into his back bumper a little bit."
On the ensuing restart, Thorson immediately went to work on Thomas for the runner-up position, ultimately snagging the spot on the 33rd lap. Thorson instantly slashed into Windom's advantage, and two laps later, slid underneath Windom off the fourth corner to secure the lead, finally sticking the right rear tire to the surface, something that he admitted to struggling with all night.
From there onward, Thorson went virtually unchallenged. He clipped the turn one berm with his left front wheel on the lap 40 restart, but it was no harm, no foul as he carried on to a 0.837 second victory aboard his Hayward Motorsports/Oilfire - Factory Kahne - Walker Filtration - Smith Titanium/Spike/Stanton SR-11x.
"This race team is just a big group that works really hard and it helps," Thorson said. "The overall package we have from our shocks to motors to cars, just everything. It's cool to watch the things we do work. Sometimes they don't, obviously, but we're doing a lot of little things that no one probably even thinks about that all add up. We've got a really good team and I'm looking forward to the next one."
Thomas took second over series point leader Windom while career best series performances were turned in by Robert Dalby, who finished fourth, and Kyle Simon who collected a fifth in his first career USAC National Midget feature start.
CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:
Simpson Race Products First Qualifier Winner: Cannon McIntosh
Competition Suspension, Inc. Second Qualifier Winner: Buddy Kofoid
AutoMeter Third Qualifier Winner: Brady Bacon
Indy Race Parts Fourth Qualifier Winner: Jake Neuman
Indy Metal Finishing Semi Winners: Kyle Simon & Trey Gropp
KSE Racing Products / ProSource Hard Charger: Tanner Thorson
Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher: Ace McCarthy
Saldana Racing Products First Non-Transfers: Aiden Purdue & Anthony Nicholson
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USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: March 7, 2020 - Southern Illinois Center - Du Quoin, Illinois - Shamrock Classic presented by Dooling Machine
FIRST HEAT: (10 laps, passing points) 1. Tanner Carrick (#35 Petry), 2. Andy Bishop (#91 Harris), 3. Trey Robb (#08 Dave Mac), 4. Sam Johnson (#72 Johnson), 5. Kyle Simon (#23s Simon), 6. Gage Rucker (#19G Hayward). NT
SECOND HEAT: (10 laps, passing points) 1. Tyler Courtney (#7BC Clauson/Marshall), 2. Brady Bacon (#21H Hinck), 3. Ronnie Gardner (#7m Moonshine), 4. Logan Faucon (#52F Casson), 5. Kyle May (#39 May), 6. Tyler Robbins (#35T Robbins), 7. Michael Klein (#10A MWR). NT
THIRD HEAT: (10 laps, passing points) 1. Cannon McIntosh (#71K Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), 2. Chris Windom (#89 Tucker/Boat), 3. Kevin Thomas Jr. (#5 Petry), 4. David Budres (#31 Manic), 5. Anthony Nicholson (#5o Hagar/Proctor), 6. Robert Bell (#71B Bell), 7. Thomas Chandler (#1T Chandler), 8. Tyler Nelson (#88 Nelson). NT
FOURTH HEAT: (10 laps, passing points) 1. Buddy Kofoid (#67 Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), 2. Trey Gropp (#54G Mounce), 3. Robert Dalby (#4 Dalby), 4. Andrew Layser (#82 Tucker/Boat), 5. Aiden Purdue (#57D McCreery), 6. Austin Yarbrough (#13A McGee), 7. Matt Durbin (#12D Durbin), 8. Mark Chisholm (#3 Neuman). 1:50.410
FIFTH HEAT: (10 laps, passing points) 1. Ace McCarthy (#28 Dave Mac), 2. Cole Bodine (#39BC Clauson/Marshall), 3. Tanner Thorson (#19 Hayward), 4. Riley Kreisel (#56AP Young), 5. Chris Urish (#77u Casson), 6. Kendall Ruble (#11m Martin). 1:49.218 (New Track Record)
SIXTH HEAT: (10 laps, passing points) 1. Daison Pursley (#9 Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), 2. Tyler Thomas (#91T Thomas), 3. Jake Neuman (#3N Neuman), 4. Justin Grant (#4A RAMS), 5. Kyle Jones (#7R Moonshine), 6. Craig Oakes (#91x Oakes), 7. Sean Robbins (#53 Robbins). 1:50.231
ALSO AT THE TRACK: Derek Hagar (#9JR Hagar/Proctor) & Chris Andrews (#95 Miller)
SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST QUALIFIER: (12 laps, top-40 overall in passing points transfer to the feature) 1. Cannon McIntosh, 2. Sam Johnson, 3. Justin Grant, 4. Cole Bodine, 5. Austin Yarbrough, 6. Thomas Chandler, 7. Trey Robb, 8. Kyle Jones, 9. David Budres, 10. Daison Pursley. NT
COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI) SECOND QUALIFIER: (12 laps, top-40 overall in passing points transfer to the feature) 1. Buddy Kofoid, 2. Chris Windom, 3. Ace McCarthy, 4. Andy Bishop, 5. Aiden Purdue, 6. Riley Kreisel, 7. Mark Chisholm, 8. Ronnie Gardner, 9. Gage Rucker, 10. Matt Durbin, 11. Kyle May. NT
AUTOMETER THIRD QUALIFIER: (12 laps, top-40 overall in passing points transfer to the feature) 1. Brady Bacon, 2. Anthony Nicholson, 3. Kyle Simon, 4. Robert Bell, 5. Trey Gropp, 6. Tanner Thorson, 7. Tanner Carrick, 8. Kevin Thomas Jr., 9. Tyler Robbins, 10. Michael Klein. NT
INDY RACE PARTS FOURTH QUALIFIER: (12 laps, top-40 overall in passing points transfer to the feature) 1. Jake Neuman, 2. Tyler Courtney, 3. Robert Dalby, 4. Tyler Thomas, 5. Kendall Ruble, 6. Logan Faucon, 7. Andrew Layser, 8. Sean Robbins, 9. Craig Oakes, 10. Chris Urish. NT
INDY METAL FINISHING FIRST SEMI: (15 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Kyle Simon, 2. Tanner Thorson, 3. Daison Pursley, 4. Kevin Thomas Jr., 5. Aiden Purdue, 6. Austin Yarbrough, 7. Kyle Jones, 8. Thomas Chandler, 9. Tyler Robbins, 10. David Budres, 11. Gage Rucker, 12. Michael Klein, 13. Tanner Carrick. NT
INDY METAL FINISHING SECOND SEMI: (15 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Trey Gropp, 2. Trey Robb, 3. Robert Bell, 4. Kendall Ruble, 5. Anthony Nicholson, 6. Ronnie Gardner, 7. Riley Kreisel, 8. Andrew Layser, 9. Chris Urish, 10. Logan Faucon, 11. Matt Durbin, 12. Mark Chisholm. NT
FEATURE: (50 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Tanner Thorson (15), 2. Tyler Thomas (10), 3. Chris Windom (5), 4. Robert Dalby (7), 5. Kyle Simon (13), 6. Cole Bodine (8), 7. Buddy Kofoid (2), 8. Tanner Carrick (21), 9. Daison Pursley (17), 10. Trey Robb (16), 11. Kevin Thomas Jr. (19), 12. Kendall Ruble (20), 13. Ace McCarthy (9), 14. Justin Grant (11), 15. Cannon McIntosh (1), 16. Jake Neuman (6), 17. Brady Bacon (4), 18. Sam Johnson (12), 19. Robert Bell (18), 20. Tyler Courtney (3), 21. Trey Gropp (14). NT
**Tyler Nelson flipped during the third heat. Thomas Chandler flipped during the third heat. Daison Pursley flipped during the first qualifier. Kyle May flipped during the first qualifier. Craig Oakes flipped during the third qualifier.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-12 Cannon McIntosh, Laps 13-34 Chris Windom, Laps 35-50 Tanner Thorson.
KSE RACING PRODUCTS/PROSOURCE HARD CHARGER: Tanner Thorson
WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Ace McCarthy
SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS FIRST NON-TRANSFER: Aiden Purdue & Anthony Nicholson
NEW USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Chris Windom-202, 2-Tyler Courtney-196, 3-Kevin Thomas, Jr.-188, 4-Buddy Kofoid-187, 5-Tanner Thorson-182, 6-Cannon McIntosh-178, 7-Andrew Layser-167, 8-Daison Pursley-158, 9-Tanner Carrick-149, 10-Cole Bodine-130.
NEW OVERALL PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Tanner Thorson-18, 2-Chris Windom-18, 3-Daison Pursley-18, 4-Brady Bacon-16, 5-Kevin Thomas Jr.-11, 6-Andrew Layser-9, 7-Tyler Thomas-8, 8-Mario Clouser-8, 9-Anton Hernandez-7, 10-Dave Darland-7.
NEXT USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACES: April 10-11, 2020 - Riverside International Speedway - West Memphis, Arkansas
MIKE CHRISTOPHER JR. SET FOR SYRACUSE INDOOR RACING MARCH 13-14
Posted by: | CommentsNEWS FROM LEN SAMMONS PRODUCTIONS
2020 BELFOR INDOOR AUTO RACING CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES FUELED BY VP RACING FUELS
ALLENTOWN, ATLANTIC CITY, TRENTON, NJ AND SYRACUSE
Event Promoter: Len Sammons @609.888.3618
MEDIA INFORMATION: Ernie Saxton Communications – Esaxton144@aol.com -267.934.7286
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YOUNG MIKE CHRISTOPHER, JR. TO DEBUT NEW TREY HODDICK TQ MIDGET AT SYRACUSE INDOOR RACES
SYRACUSE, NY March 6, 2020 . . .The late entry of young Mike Christopher Jr. has added even more intrigue to the March 13-14 Indoor Auto Racing Championship Series Fueled By VP events to held inside the Exposition Center on the grounds of the New York State Fairgrounds.
Christopher, 20 years old from Wolcott, CT, is set to suit up to drive a yet-to-be-completed TQ Midget being constructed by Trey Hoddick of Buffalo, NY. Hoddick has fielded winning TQ Midgets for drivers Scott Kreutter, Andy Jankowiak and Christopher’s late uncle in past years.
Ted Christopher won eight Indoor Series features and two championships in his career before being killed in a plane crash in 2017.
While Mike Christopher will be making his first start in the Indoor Series, the drivers he will be competing against will be vying for the TC Cup, named in the honor of his late uncle, which is awarded annually to the TQ Midget Indoor Series champion.
The race for the 2020 Indoor Auto Racing Series BELFOR Concrete Series championship will be decided between point leader Andy Jankowiak, Matt Janisch, defending champion Erick Rudolph and Tim Buckwalter after qualifying and feature events are held both nights in Syracuse.
Mike Christopher, however, knows very little about TQ Midget car racing. He did watch his late uncle win Indoor events in Atlantic City, NJ and Providence, Rhode Island. He also attended the most recent series event in Atlantic City as an interested spectator in the pit area.
“I know from watching Uncle Ted this is a totally different form of racing than I am not used to,” Christopher said. “Way different. I do have some past experience in Legends Cars and Go-Karts besides Asphalt Modifieds but I don't think any of that will mean anything much. This is a whole new venture for me.”
Mike’s father, a twin to brother Ted, was a successful asphalt Modified racer himself. Mike Jr. followed in the footsteps of both in recent years winning SK Modified events at Ct.’s Stafford Motor Speedway.
Less than ten days before the start of practice on Friday afternoon March 13th in Syracuse, Christopher had not yet see his ride. This past weekend, he headed to Hoddick's western New York shop to be fitted for a seat.
“Trey had to build the roll cage and position the seat just for me. I'm six foot-two, so he wanted to build the roll cage longer and higher and put the seat back further than in the other cars he has built. I remember when Uncle Ted raced for Trey his cars were always fast, good equipment,” said Mike Jr.
Christopher and Hoddick talked about the possibility of an Indoor TQ effort not long after Ted was killed with a car that was in the planning stages for him to drive.
The two reconnected when the 2019 outdoor season was over and talked out Hoddick's plans to build a second car, initially as a back-up. At first, Hoddick hoped to have the car done for the late January Atlantic City Indoor race but wasn't able to finish it in time.
To aid his advance preparation even further, Mike Jr. has conferred with past series winner and champion Ryan Flores, who will not be in the Syracuse field, owing to his NASCAR Cup Team Penske commitments.
“Ryan and I talked at Atlantic City about Indoor TQ racing,” Christopher noted. “He told me some of the things he learned the first year he ran the Series.”
Christopher confirmed with Hoddick that he will be able to run his Stafford SK Modified number, the digital No. 82, on the TQ Midget.
At the end of the 2018 Stafford SK season, Christopher was being touted as a star of the present and future after winning the last three features. This past year, in the same equipment, he was winless.
“My father told me, 'racing is 90 percent down and 10 percent up,” Christopher related. “Last year the car was fast but it didn't produce good results. I had motor problems, power steering problems, couldn't finish races. I had never gone through the kind of struggle I did last year.”
Tickets are available in a range of different prices through links on www.indoorautoracing.com and the venue box office. Tickets can also be purchased by calling the Area Auto Racing News office at 609-888-3618. Tickets will be available each race night starting at 2pm at the Exposition Center Box office.
Race fans can enjoy a double header weekend at the Fairgrounds with the 34th annual Syracuse Motorsports Expo and Trade Show being held at the Center Of Progress Building on the Fairgrounds. This show opens on Saturday at 10 am giving everyone plenty of time to enjoy that show then walk over to the nearby Exposition Center for the races that night. The Trade show reopens on Sunday from 11 to 4 pm.
NY MODIFIED ACE RYAN BARTLETT FOR FOR INDOOR AUTO RACING ACTION IN SYRACUSE MARCH 13-14
Posted by: | CommentsNEWS FROM LEN SAMMONS PRODUCTIONS
2020 BELFOR INDOOR AUTO RACING CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES FUELED BY VP RACING FUELS
ALLENTOWN, ATLANTIC CITY, TRENTON, NJ AND SYRACUSE
Event Promoter: Len Sammons @609.888.3618
MEDIA INFORMATION: Ernie Saxton Communications – Esaxton144@aol.com -267.934.7286
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NEW YORK STATE DIRT MODIFIED ACE RYAN BARTLETT READY FOR INDOOR AUTO RACING SERIES FINALE IN FRONT OF SYRACUSE, NY HOME CROWD ON MARCH 13-14
SYRACUSE, NY March 4, 2020 . . . Ryan Bartlett, a versatile and experienced dirt Modified racer, is hoping that a home town crowd advantage is the boost he will need to win his first career Indoor Auto Racing Series Fueled By VP Race Fuels TQ Midget feature in the New York State Exposition Center in Syracuse. NY. over the March 13-14 weekend.
“Other than Tyler Thompson who lives in Fulton, I'm the home town guy for the Syracuse Indoor races,” Bartlett, 37, said.
The 2020 BELFOR Property Restoration TQ Midget, Champ Kart, and Slingshot Indoor Series Concrete championships will be determined after two complete shows are held on Friday and Saturday, March 13-14. Both nights will include qualifying and feature events for not only the headline TQ Midgets but the Slingshots and Champ Karts as well.
Since purchasing a new TQ Midget in the off-season, Bartlett has emerged from a mid-pack runner to a contender in the three feature races held so far this season.
Bartlett left the Atlantic City Gambler’s Classic racing weekend on February 1 sitting seventh in points; he had been second following the first two races, run back to back in Allentown, PA.
Bartlett and his father David bought the TQ from Lenny and Donna Boyd. It has made a huge difference.
“The car was race ready. Lenny (Boyd) had the motor freshened and the car was set up for the Allentown race when he sold it to us,” Bartlett said. “He shared the last two years of Indoor racing notes with me. It really only took me a couple of laps to get the feel for the car,” Bartlett said.
Bartlett brings a wealth of experience to Syracuse. His father and his team have Indoor TQ Midget roots that date back to 1998 at Niagara Falls Convention Center.
“I raced in that building until it closed and that's when Len (Sammons) started this Series. “I've entered every single one of his races except for the year when they raced over New Year's Day weekend in Providence (Rhode Island),” Bartlett said.
Bartlett says the Syracuse track was similar in size to the Allentown track where he ran so well in January. But that's as far as the comparison goes.
“The new concrete in Syracuse made the floor a lot more slippery than Allentown last March. With the dirt track experience I have, slippery is fine with me,” shared Bartlett.
Bartlett anticipates a cheering section of at least 50 people from Watertown, N.Y. who will be in the arena rooting for his No. 93. With the new equipment have come greater expectations.
“In years past, I was just happy to qualify for the feature. Now, we all expect a top ten finish at the minimum and a top five is realistic.,” he predicted.
In the two Allentown races in early January, Bartlett registered a fifth and seventh place finishes in the two features.
“In the second race on Saturday, the track started to get real slippery. That's when my dirt track experience kicked in. I hope Syracuse gets that way,” Bartlett summed.
The race for the 2020 BELFOR Concrete Series TQ championship has become essentially a four driver race with the two features in Syracuse this weekend to determine the outcome.
Buffalo. NY area driver Andy Jankowiak, the Atlantic City race winner the last two years, leads the standings with 256 points. Matt Janisch, of Nazareth, PA, who has been consistent in the first three races but hasn’t won, is just two points behind Jankowiak - a virtual dead heat.
Erick Rudolph of Ransomville, NY, a four time Series champion (2012, 2015, 2016, 2019), lurks just 14 points off the leader’s place. Rudolph, the 2019 DIRTcar 358 Modified champion, won one of the two races in January held in Allentown, PA. Tim Buckwalter, Douglassville, PA, a teammate of Rudolph, sits fourth just 21 points off the pace.
The point award differential between finishing first and second is ten points. The spread between first and last in a feature is 83 markers. With a complete show including a 40 lap feature both nights in Syracuse, one bad night by any of the front runners could torpedo their bid for the title.
The points chase in both the Slingshot and Champ Kart classes is more sharply defined.
Scott Neary, Columbia, NJ is atop the leaderboard with a 35 point margin over Brett Bieber and Cody Kline.
Tyler Brown has a 44 point bulge on Todd Crenshaw and a 54 point margin over Ron Midford, Jr. in the Champ Kart division. Brown, of Richfield, PA, the hired gun of Jason Simmons’ multi-car race team out of Fulton, NY, won the Saturday night
Tickets are available in advance at a range of different prices through a link on www.indoorautoracing.com and the venue box office the day of the events.
Windom Wins First for New Team in Ocala
Posted by: | Comments- The United States Auto Club.
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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
Chris Windom captured Saturday night's Winter Dirt Games XI feature at Bubba Raceway Park, his first for Tucker-Boat Motorsports in his second series start for the team. (DB3, Inc. Photo)
WINDOM WINS FIRST FOR NEW TEAM IN OCALA
By: Richie Murray - USAC Media
Ocala, Fla. (February 8, 2020)......... Chris Windom's second race as a member of Tucker-Boat Motorsports began much the same as his first the night before by having to quickly make up ground and dig his way into contention after starting behind the eight ball, and the first three rows.
Saturday night in the Winter Dirt Games XI finale for the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship, Windom immediately shed his starting spot of 10th with the snap of finger, climbing into the top-five by lap two and, ultimately, into the lead with six laps remaining, capitalizing on a golden opportunity that arose following engine trouble for race leader Tanner Thorson.
The victory provided a third career series feature win for the Canton, Ill. driver who joined TBM for the 2020 campaign and admitted to gaining an extra sense of personal motivation for he and his NOS Energy Drink - Pristine Auction - K & C Drywall/Spike/Speedway Toyota.
"I think I was just kind of pissed that I had to start 10th, so I was driving as hard as I could from the start of the race," Windom said. "I knew our cars were good enough to be up there. With the format change this year, it moved us back a row and we had to come from 10th there. We've been good here all week, especially in the features, and (car owner) Chad (Boat) has brought some badass racecars for us this year."
"To get a win the first weekend out, that's what you strive for at the start of the year," Windom added. "Hopefully we can keep it rolling because we're here to win a bunch of races and win the championship."
From the get-go, however, it once again looked like it was going to be Thorson's stage after capturing the prior night's season opener at the 3/8-mile D-shaped dirt track.
The 2016 series champ set a brand new one-lap track record in qualifying, then proceeded to carve his way from sixth to second on the opening lap, splitting between Petry teammates Kevin Thomas Jr. and Tanner Carrick in turn two, then sliced beneath pole sitter Tyler Courtney for second between turns three and four.
Cannon McIntosh controlled the field from the start but was rapidly encroached by Thorson's blitz that carried him into the race lead under McIntosh entering turn one on the fourth circuit.
The first yellow of the night arrived on lap 11 when seventh-running Tanner Carrick clipped an infield tire in turn three while negotiating lapped traffic, causing the car to stall to a stop in turn four. The 2019 USAC National Most Improved Driver restarted from the tail but came back to finish 10th.
The ensuing restart was where Windom turned up the wick, driving by McIntosh for third on the 14th lap, then underneath Courtney for second on the back straightway on lap 15.
Windom's motive was now right in front of his visor and within a reasonable striking distance. However, the gap between the two wasn't about to close at this rate with Thorson ripping several of his fastest laps of the race through the mid-section to construct a 1.5 second advantage with just 10 laps remaining.
However, with six laps remaining, just when you thought Thorson had all but sewn up a weekend sweep of Winter Dirt Games XI, his evening and his ride went up in a cloud of smoke, prematurely ending a superb weekend and handing the lead over to Windom, who felt like his car was just as good as Thorson's but may not have had enough to run him down if the race went clean and green the remainder of the way.
"I knew he was going to be good again," Windom admitted of Thorson. "I felt like we were just as good as him once we got to second. We probably didn't have the speed to run him down and pass him because it's just such a wide-open track. When there's that caliber of cars out there, you're not going to be a lot better than the next guy. You've got to put yourself in position to get there and that's what we did."
From that point forward, Windom was undeterred like a vapor trail in the empty air, distancing himself from Courtney by a 1.134 second margin at the checkered to earn the first USAC National Midget victory for a car numbered 89 since Parnelli Jones' 100-mile triumph at the Milwaukee Mile on August 12, 1961, for car owner Chuck Benda.
"To get a win the first weekend out, that's what you strive for at the start of the year," Windom said. "Hopefully we can keep it rolling because we're here to win a bunch of races and win the championship."
In the process, Windom earned KSE Products/ProSource Hard Charger Award for the night, advancing nine positions from 10th to 1st and also collected the most cumulative passes over the course of the two nights of feature racing with 14, earning a $200 Passing Master bonus from ProSource in the process.
Tyler Courtney came out of Ocala last year with two victories in two nights. Although 2020 didn't find the exact same winning results, the Indianapolis, Ind. driver and his Clauson-Marshall Racing/NOS Energy Drink - ZMax/Spike/Stanton SR-11x exited Winter Dirt Games XI with a fourth on Friday and a runner-up finish on Saturday.
"Unfortunately, when you start on the pole, you want to win because that's the best place to start," Courtney said. "It just wasn't in the plans this weekend. We came down here and won both races last year but weren't able to get it done this year. We're still learning a bit on the cars and stuff like that. We've got a really good racecar, but there's just a few things to do here and there. I'm really happy with (our car) and our whole Clauson-Marshall team. We're looking forward to the rest of the season."
Fresh off earning 2019 USAC National Midget Rookie of the Year honors, Collegeville, Pennsylvania's Andrew Layser stepped up his game to earn his best career series finish Saturday night with a third-place result in his Tucker-Boat Motorsports/Friedman-Schuman - Top To Bottom Solutions/Spike/Speedway Toyota.
"I can't thank (my crew) enough for all their hard work," Layser praised. "They're so precise on everything to make sure (teammate) Chris (Windom) and I have great cars every time. It's really exciting to put together my first podium finish and hopefully many more. Last year, I struggled with confidence a lot. To start off the season as well as we have is really huge. It started at the Chili Bowl where we had a lot of speed. I knew we were good last night, and it showed tonight."
In addition to Thorson's new one-lap track record earlier on Saturday night, Zeb Wise established the new standard for eight laps in a USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget around Bubba Raceway Park at 1:52.636 during the first heat race.
CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:
Fatheadz Eyewear Fast Qualifier: Tanner Thorson
Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner: Zeb Wise
Competition Suspension, Inc. Second Heat Winner: Cole Bodine
AutoMeter / Indy Race Parts Third Heat Winner: Tyler Courtney
KSE Racing Products / ProSource Hard Charger: Chris Windom
Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher: Tanner Thorson
ProSource Passing Master: Chris Windom
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USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: February 8, 2020 - Bubba Raceway Park - Ocala, Florida - Winter Dirt Games XI
FATHEADZ EYEWEAR QUALIFYING: 1. Tanner Thorson, 19, Hayward-13.724 (New Track Record); 2. Buddy Kofoid, 67, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-13.818; 3. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 5, Petry-13.866; 4. Tanner Carrick, 35, Petry-13.926; 5. Cannon McIntosh, 71K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-13.930; 6. Tyler Courtney, 7BC, Clauson/Marshall-13.948; 7. Andrew Layser, 82, Tucker/Boat-13.958; 8. Chris Windom, 89, Tucker/Boat-13.979; 9. Jerry Coons, Jr., 25, Petry-13.981; 10. Logan Seavey, 21KS, Reynolds-14.028; 11. Daison Pursley, 9, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.030; 12. Jesse Colwell, 21K, Reynolds-14.088; 13. Zeb Wise, 71, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.139; 14. Cole Bodine, 39BC, Clauson/Marshall-14.162; 15. Dennis Misuraca, 92, Davis-15.489; 16. Michael Magic, 4m, Magic-15.548; 17. Mark Cole, 6x, Cole-15.556; 18. Oliver Akard, 41, Akard-15.679; 19. Steve Buckwalter, 25B, Buckwalter-NT.
SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (8 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Zeb Wise, 2. Tanner Thorson, 3. Andrew Layser, 4. Tanner Carrick, 5. Logan Seavey, 6. Michael Magic. 1:52.636 (New Track Record)
COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI) SECOND HEAT: (8 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Cole Bodine, 2. Chris Windom, 3. Daison Pursley, 4. Buddy Kofoid, 5. Cannon McIntosh, 6. Mark Cole. 1:54.200
AUTOMETER/INDY RACE PARTS THIRD HEAT: (8 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Tyler Courtney, 2. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 3. Jesse Colwell, 4. Dennis Misuraca, 5. Oliver Akard, 6. Jerry Coons Jr. 1:53.516
FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Chris Windom (10), 2. Tyler Courtney (1), 3. Andrew Layser (9), 4. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (4), 5. Cannon McIntosh (2), 6. Buddy Kofoid (5), 7. Zeb Wise (7), 8. Daison Pursley (12), 9. Jesse Colwell (13), 10. Tanner Carrick (3), 11. Cole Bodine (8), 12. Logan Seavey (11), 13. Tanner Thorson (6), 14. Oliver Akard (17), 15. Michael Magic (15), 16. Mark Cole (16), 17. Steve Buckwalter (19), 18. Dennis Misuraca (14), 19. Jerry Coons Jr. (18). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-3 Cannon McIntosh, Laps 4-24 Tanner Thorson, Laps 25-30 Chris Windom.
KSE RACING PRODUCTS/PROSOURCE HARD CHARGER: Chris Windom (10th to 1st)
WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Tanner Thorson
NEW USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Chris Windom-152, 2-Tyler Courtney-146, 3-Kevin Thomas, Jr.-138, 4-Buddy Kofoid-137, 5-Tanner Thorson-132, 6-Cannon McIntosh-128, 7-Zeb Wise-121, 8-Andrew Layser-117, 9-Daison Pursley-108, 10-Tanner Carrick-99.
FINAL WINTER DIRT GAMES PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Chris Windom-14, 2-Daison Pursley-10, 3-Andrew Layser-9, 4-Zeb Wise-6, 5-Dennis Misuraca-6, 6-Steve Buckwalter-6, 7-Oliver Akard-6, 8-Cannon McIntosh-5, 9-Tanner Thorson-4, 10-Jesse Colwell-4.
NEW OVERALL PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Chris Windom-14, 2-Daison Pursley-10, 3-Andrew Layser-9, 4-Zeb Wise-6, 5-Dennis Misuraca-6, 6-Steve Buckwalter-6, 7-Oliver Akard-6, 8-Cannon McIntosh-5, 9-Tanner Thorson-4, 10-Jesse Colwell-4.
NEXT USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACES: March 7, 2020 - Southern Illinois Center - Du Quoin, Illinois - Shamrock Classic
Chris Windom earned the first USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget victory for a car numbered 89 since Parnelli Jones' 100-mile triumph at the Milwaukee Mile on August 12, 1961, for car owner Chuck Benda. (Rich Forman Photo)
JANKOWIAK WINS SECOND STRAIGHT GAMBLER’S CLASSIC INDOOR RACE AT AC’S BOARDWALK HALL
Posted by: | CommentsNEWS FROM LEN SAMMONS PRODUCTIONS
2020 BELFOR INDOOR AUTO RACING CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES FUELED BY VP RACING FUELS
ALLENTOWN, ATLANTIC CITY, TRENTON, NJ AND SYRACUSE
Event Promoter: Len Sammons @609.888.3618
MEDIA INFORMATION: Ernie Saxton Communications – Esaxton144@aol.com -267.934.7286
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ANDY JANKOWIAK WINS SECOND STRAIGHT GAMBLER’S CLASSIC SATURDAY IN ATLANTIC CITY’S BOARDWALK HALL; CHAMP KART AND SLINGSHOT FEATURES WON BY DOUG STEARLY AND SCOTT NEARY
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ February 1, 2020 . . . Andy Jankowiak marched to the front from fourth starting spot to grab the lead on the third lap of Saturday night’s NAPA Know How Indoor Auto Racing Series Fueled By VP Race Fuels Gambler’s Classic in Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall and held off Tim Buckwalter for the 40-lap feature victory.
“I knew Timmy (Buckwalter) was going to race me clean,” Jankowiak said. “He’s going to win one of these races soon. If I can’t win, I want to see him win.”
Buckwalter’s late race charge was hampered, he said, by a deflating rear that lost its remaining air in the post-race celebrations.
The latter stages of the race, which was highlighted by sustained, high speed, thrilling action, bodes well for the Indoor Auto Racing Series finale next month in Syracuse, NY.
Erick Rudolph finished third. He was right behind Buckwalter as early as lap four but became involved in a multi-car early race tangle that took out Ryan Flores and adversely affected his forward progress.
Matt Janisch, who came into this race as the Indoor Auto Racing Series Fueled By VP Race Fuels point leader ran a solid fourth with Briggs Danner fifth. Danner was driving a car owned by Janisch. Danner’s march from a 15th place start to fifth earned him the Hard Charger Award, sponsored by East Coast TQ Midgets in memory of the late Doug Craig. The award was worth $555.55, a reference to the late Craig’s lifelong car number, 55.
Doug Stearly of Trappe, PA came from the seventh row at the start of the Champ Kart feature and had to run down and pass Cale Ross of Lambertville, NJ to take the top prize. “We started 15th this year and had a lot of hard driving to do to win,” race winner Stearly said. He had won at Atlantic City last year for the first time under easier circumstances.
Scott Neary of Columbia, NJ held off a furious challenge from Jared Silfee of Saylorsburg, PA in the action-packed 25-lap Slingshot feature. “I was happy to see the caution flag we got late in the race,” Neary said. “It gave me a chance to regroup a little.” The win by Neary was the seventh at Atlantic City for car owner Randy Smith of Saylorsburg, PA and his first one-two finish as an owner in Boardwalk Hall.
An eight-car, five-lap TQ Dash set the starting spots for the first four rows of the Gambler’s Classic. Teenager Tyler Thompson won it over veteran Tim Buckwalter.
Four TQ Midget heats, each at ten laps, were taken by first time Indoor Auto Racing Series starter Dylan Woodling, Series point’s leader Matt Janisch, 600 Sprint driver Kyle Lick and Tommy Catalano.
Three wild 12-lap B-Mains, each with ten cars, awarded only the race winner with a transfer spot into the feature. The victors were Andy Nye, Michael Barnes and Chris deRitis.
Two Slingshot B-Mains each at 10 laps were won by Dave Carraghan and Josh Patterson while two Champ Kart B-Mains also at 10 circuits, were grabbed by Dalton Rovira and Brandon Tiezzi.
Gambler’s Classic TQ Midget Feature (40 Laps): 1. Andy Jankowiak, 2. Tim Buckwalter, 3. Erick Rudolph, 4. Matt Janisch, 5. Briggs Danner, 6. Anthony Payne, 7. Mike Bednar, 8. Tyler Thompson, 9. Bobby Holmes, 10. Jon Reid, 11. Michael Barnes, 12. Shawn Nye, 13. Kyle Lick, 14. Jeremy Haudricourt, 15. Anthony Sesely, 16. Chris deRitis, 17. Ryan Bartlett, 18. Shea Wills, 19. Tommy Catalano, 20. Dylan Woodring, 21. Andrew Molleur, 22. Scott Kreutter, 23. Patrick Emerling, 24. Andy Nye, 25. Ryan Flores, 26. Kyle Hutchinson.
Champ Kart Feature (25 Laps): 1. Doug Stearly, 2. Cameron Carter, 3. Tyler Brown, 4. Cale Ross, 5. Todd Crenshaw, 6. Ron Midford, Jr., 7. Missy Bootes, 8. Ryan Kendall, 9. Cody Crenshaw, 10. James Shutts, 11. Eric Zeh, 12. Dan Kapuscinski, 13. Mike Perry, 14. John Berger, 15. Joseph Mingola, 16. Brandon Tiezzi, 17. Dalton Rovira, 18. Gene Gregoric, 19. Alex Colasato, 20. Dominic Roselli, 21. Seth Whitney, 22. Andrew Swisher, 23. Jonathan Keister, 24. Jeremy Tuttle.
Slingshot Feature (25 Laps): 1. Scott Neary 2. Jared Silfee, 3. Cody Kline, 4. Louden Reimert, 5. Brett Bieber, 6. Danny Buccafusca, 7. Alexandre Tardif, 8. Jimmy Spellmon, 9. Fred Gamache, 10. Michael Lapicki, 11. Adam Svanda, 12. Tyler Truex, 13. Kurt Bettler, 14. Dylan Hoch, 15. Chris Grbac, 16. Matt Mertz, 17. Dave Carraghan, 18. Josh Patterson, 19. Nick Shaw, 20. Kyle Herve, 21. Mark Mohr, 22. Danny Spellmon, 23. Alex Reinsmith, 24. Tyler Ulsh.
The Indoor Auto Racing Belfor Property Restoration ‘Concrete Series’ continues at the New York State Exposition Center in Syracuse, NY on Friday and Saturday, March 14 and 15 where the three Series championships will be determined.
The third annual East Coast Indoor Dirt Nationals is the next event, at the Cure Insurance Arena in Trenton, NJ on Friday and Saturday, February 21 and 22.
