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

GRANT LARCENY IN PENNSYLVANIA MIDGET WEEK OPENER AT SUSKY!

By: Richie Murray - USAC Media

York Haven, Pennsylvania....August 13, 2017 - The old saying goes, "sometimes you'd rather be lucky than good." That's true to an extent, but the fact of the matter is that one must first put themselves in a position for good fortune to fall their way.

Justin Grant (middle) poses in victory lane with 2nd-place finisher Tanner Thorson (left) and 3rd place finisher Spencer Bayston (right) following Sunday night's 'Pennsylvania Midget Week' opener at Susquehanna Speedway.
(Michael Fry Photo)

Justin Grant was in that position on the final lap of Sunday night's "Pennsylvania Midget Week" opener at Susquehanna Speedway when he passed not one, but two of Keith Kunz's bunch, to win from third on the final corner of the last lap to score his second USAC Midget National Championship victory of the season aboard the Clauson-Marshall Racing/Driven 2 Save Lives - Priority Aviation/Spike/Stanton SR-11.

In fact, with just five laps remaining, Grant was running a mere fifth behind Tanner Thorson, Spencer Bayston, Brady Bacon and teammate Shane Golobic. Grant took advantage of fortuitous opportunities to the front, getting by Golobic with four to go, then advancing another spot to third when third-running Bacon slowed to a stop with a broken U-Joint with two laps remaining. Bacon had been the dominant driver throughout the mid-portion of the 30-lap feature, leading the ensuing 17 laps after snaring the lead from Thorson on lap six and held a nearly two second advantage with 13 laps remaining.

The race appeared it would be settled between reigning series champ Thorson and current point leader Spencer Bayston on the first attempt at a green-white-checkered while Grant lurked in third. As soon as the green flag dropped, Thorson got a solid jump while Grant put a move underneath Bayston for second, which would prove to be a harbinger of things to come.

Yet, the car of 15th running Jim Radney stalled on the front straightaway, negating the start and moved everyone back into single-file order for a second attempt with Thorson, Bayston and Grant running one-two-three at the head of the class.

Though Grant was able to pull even with Bayston during the initial restart, he admits he bobbled pretty bad off the second turn. He knew if he had one more shot, if he could hit it right, it was going to work out pretty well for him.

Right off the bat, Bayston put his own plan into fruition, sliding Thorson for the lead in turn one on lap 29. Thorson attempted to counter with a run into turn three to no avail as Bayston used the momentum from the high line to remain in front with the white flag in the air.

"On restarts like that, the guy not leading has the advantage, which was me," Bayston believes. "I kind of knew what Tanner was going to do and I knew if I could get a good restart, I could at least get in front of Tanner and break his momentum. If I didn't get a good restart, I knew he'd have track position and it would be tough to beat him."

As soon as it looked as if Bayston appeared to secure the spot, on the final lap, Thorson fought back to pull alongside Bayston midway through the back straightaway while, suddenly, Grant made a play to the far bottom and the trio were three-wide briefly before heading into three.

Both Bayston and Thorson slid side-by-side into the corner, never lifting, but both stumbled atop the cushion, allowing Grant to dart underneath both off turn four to win his first USAC National Midget feature since the season opening "Shamrock Classic" at the Southern Illinois Center in March. Thorson also slipped past Bayston off the final corner to take second while Bayston dropped to third ahead of Golobic and Tanner Carrick.

"I thought we could at least get one of them there on that restart, but I wasn't sure about both of them," Grant admits. "After Bayston threw the slider into three, I kind of figured, 'Well, we're going to end up second, maybe third.' I got Thorson and said, 'Okay, at least we're going to have second." Then, Bayston had a big bicycle and I thought 'Holy cow,' I think we're going to win this thing!' I was just hoping that he kept it going and a caution or red didn't come out and we'd have to do it all over again and fend them off another time or give the spot back to Thorson, but, luckily, it all worked out."

After Bayston threw the slider into three, I kind of figured, 'Well, we're going to end up second, maybe third.' I got Thorson and said, 'Okay, at least we're going to have second.' Then, Bayston had a big bicycle and I thought 'Holy cow,' I think we're going to win this thing!' - Justin Grant
(Rich Forman Photo)

"I'd been getting a good run off the bottom of (turn) two, especially late in the race," Grant continued. "I got up alongside those guys off two and almost was in a position to slide them both into three, but not quite. Bayston ran the big slider block on Thorson and I was able to slide past Thorson getting into the middle of the corner and he kind of got messed up on the cushion right as we were getting there. Bayston had so much speed sliding across the middle from blocking the slider that he hit the curb and bicycled and we were able to skate on through there unscathed."

While Grant's midget season hasn't been a disappointment by any means, the consistent strong runs just haven't translated into as many wins as he's had during his 2017 USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car campaign where he owns the point lead and four wins. The pressure can mount in such situations for any driver with the competitive nature that Grant possesses, but the 26-year-old feels he's in the right spot now with the right team.

"Sometimes, if you can't be the best guy, you've got to be the luckiest," Grant quips. "You have to be in the right spot to win them and, tonight, it worked out in our favor. We were good enough to capitalize on their mistake and that's what you've got to do sometimes. I've been running well, but I just haven't gotten a win in a few months. Running second, third, fourth and fifth, that's good and all, but it really starts to wear on you after a while, especially when you start out the year so strong and then kind of taper off. I put a lot of pressure on myself to win, but this team's really great. They let you do what you can do and they want to win, but they're not breathing down your back and that makes it a lot easier to do your job. Across the board, all the people I race with are that way and it makes it really fun and easier to do your job, for sure."

Minden, Nevada's Tanner Thorson appeared to be the dominant driver when the final caution occurred with two laps remaining, leading two different stints of the 30-lap feature in the opening and latter stages for a total of 11 laps before finishing second in his Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports/JBL Audio - TRD/Bullet by Spike/Speedway Toyota. Yet, to him, leading on a late-race restart such as he was is not the ideal place to be.

"It's a pretty big disadvantage," Thorson readily admits. "You're kind of a sitting duck there. When you're committed to running one line and that's it, you don't know exactly where everybody's going to go on the restart, what's going to work and what's not going to work. It's a situation I'd have rather been sitting in the second or third spot like Spencer and Justin. Spencer and I are teammates, but we're both here to win and we're going to do it what it takes to get it done. I wouldn't say we were worse than Justin or Justin was better than us, but I'd definitely say Spencer and I we're both pretty dominant throughout the whole race."

"It was a matter of three cars going into one turn and none of us were lifting," Thorson said of the final lap battle between he and Bayston. "We're all here to win and we're all going to do what it takes to win. I wasn't lifting, Spencer wasn't lifting for me and I wasn't lifting for Justin. Justin was on the line to be in and it definitely showed right there. It was a little bit slick through turn three. Our cars took off like rockets and gained some speed getting into the corner, which made matters a little worse and sent us hopping the cushion. I was able to get the car turned back down, get going and managed to get second. Can't be too mad about that. We just got beat."

Just eight days following his masterful performance on the Belleville High Banks, Lebanon, Indiana's Spencer Bayston came within one corner of becoming the season's fourth different repeat winner in his Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports/IWX - Curb Records - TRD/Bullet by Spike/Speedway Toyota.

"Neither Tanner or I wanted to lose, so we both drove it in deep," Bayston said. "I drove it in really deep and got up over the cushion and biked it up a little bit. Grant was there at the right time and just stole it from us. Both Tanner and I wanted to win really badly. I think both of our cars were better than the rest of the field's. it's kind of unfortunate the way it ended up."

Contingency award winners Sunday night at Susquehanna Speedway include Tyler Courtney (ProSource Fast Qualifier & Simpson Race Products 1st Heat Winner), Brady Bacon (Competition Suspension, Inc. 2nd Heat Winner), Tanner Thorson (Chalk Stix 3rd Heat Winner), Adam Pierson (Indy Race Parts Semi Winner), Tanner Carrick (KSE Racing Products Hard Charger) and Brayton Lynch (Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher).

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USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP & EASTERN REGIONAL MIDGETS PRESENTED BY ARDC RACE RESULTS: August 13, 2017 - Susquehanna Speedway - York Haven, Pennsylvania - "Pennsylvania Midget Week"

PROSOURCE QUALIFYING: 1. Tyler Courtney, 7BC, Clauson/Marshall-17.713; 2. Justin Grant, 39BC, Clauson/Marshall-17.998; 3. Shane Golobic, 17w, Clauson-Marshall/Wood-18.050; 4. Spencer Bayston, 97, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-18.137; 5. Brady Bacon, 76m, FMR-18.142; 6. Tanner Thorson, 67, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-18.164; 7. Trevor Kobylarz, 14, RT-18.169; 8. Chad Boat, 84, Tucker/Boat-18.259; 9. Ryan Greth, 4R, Lesher-18.323; 10. Brayton Lynch, 1K, RKR-18.364; 11. Alex Bright, 77, Bright-18.450; 12. Jim Radney, 95, Radney-18.486; 13. Steve Buckwalter, 74, Speers-18.496; 14. Adam Pierson, 76E, Mancini-18.587; 15. Holly Shelton, 67K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-18.643; 16. Tommy Kunsman, Jr., 21, Kunsman-18.676; 17. Tanner Carrick, 71K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-18.693; 18. Brett Arndt, 46, Essay-18.802; 19. P.J. Gargiulo, 5, JHG-18.886; 20. Kenney Johnson, 46x, Johnson-18.913; 21. Kenny Miller, III, 23m, Miller-18.938; 22. Landon Simon, 29, Clover-18.939; 23. Andrew Layser, 77L, Bright-19.136; 24. Jimmy Glenn, 07, Glenn-19.377; 25. Josh Heckman, 12, Heckman-19.390; 26. Rob Marhefka, 99, FM-20.259; 27. Jason Rice, 57, Rice-NT; 28. Shawn Jackson, 7J, Jackson-NT.

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Courtney, 2. Kunsman, 3. Kobylarz, 4. Bayston, 5. Buckwalter, 6. Gargiulo, 7. Lynch, 8. Jackson, 9. Simon, 10. Heckman. NT

COMPETITION SUSPENSION, INC. (CSI) SECOND HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Bacon, 2. Bright, 3. Grant, 4. Boat, 5. Carrick, 6. Pierson, 7. Johnson, 8. Layser, 9. Marhefka. NT

CHALK STIX THIRD HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Thorson, 2. Shelton, 3. Golobic, 4. Arndt, 5. Greth, 6. Miller, 7. Radney, 8. Glenn. NT

INDY RACE PARTS SEMI: (12 laps) 1. Pierson, 2. Lynch, 3. Radney, 4. Gargiulo, 5. Miller, 6. Layser, 7. Simon, 8. Glenn, 9. Johnson, 10. Jackson, 11. Heckman, 12. Marhefka. 3:45.25

FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Justin Grant, 2. Tanner Thorson, 3. Spencer Bayston, 4. Shane Golobic, 5. Tanner Carrick, 6. Chad Boat, 7. Alex Bright, 8. Holly Shelton, 9. Brett Arndt, 10. Trevor Kobylarz, 11. Adam Pierson, 12. Kenny Miller III, 13. Brayton Lynch, 14. Andrew Layser, 15. Tyler Courtney, 16. Brady Bacon, 17. Jim Radney, 18. Steve Buckwalter, 19. Kenney Johnson, 20. Landon Simon, 21. P.J. Gargiulo, 22. Tommy Kunsman, Jr., 23. Ryan Greth. NT
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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-5 Thorson, Laps 6-22 Bacon, Laps 23-28 Thorson, Lap 29 Bayston, Lap 30 Grant.

KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER: Tanner Carrick (14th to 5th)

WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Brayton Lynch

NEW USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Bayston-1112, 2-Golobic-1047, 3-Bacon-1043, 4-Grant-1026, 5-Thorson-1012, 6-Courtney-952, 7-Boat-814, 8-Jerry Coons, Jr.-808, 9-Shelton-717, 10-Carrick-690.

NEXT USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: August 14 - Path Valley Speedway Park - Spring Run, Pennsylvania - "Pennsylvania Midget Week"

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

BAYSTON BLAZES THE HIGH BANKS FOR FIRST BELLEVILLE VICTORY

By: Richie Murray - USAC Media

Belleville, Kansas.....August 5, 2017 - All year long, the focus for Spencer Bayston and the Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports team has been to win Belleville.

After running second to Chad Boat in the 2016 Saturday night finale, then again to Boat in this weekend's Friday prelim, the target was clear. It included pulling out all the stops, including a new, specially-built chassis designed to take on the Belleville High Banks.

After another weekend of Boat domination, the tide turned when Bayston established new 4-lap and 8-lap track records earlier Saturday, solidifying his position on the pole for the 40-lap main event by defeating Boat head-to-head in the 4-lap dash.

Spencer Bayston celebrates victory in Saturday night's 40th 'Belleville Midget Nationals' at the Belleville (Kans.) High Banks. (Rich Forman Photo)

The stage was set for the Lebanon, Indiana native to rout the 24-car field in a stirring high-wire act up against the fence for 40-straight laps in the 40th annual event to capture his first "Belleville Midget Nationals" victory, a win that was 365 days in the making.

"We've been focused on Boat all year long," Bayston said. "Knowing how good he was last year, we knew we had to be on our game coming into this weekend. We built this car especially for this place and we've been working hard all-year-long to try to build up for this weekend. To bring it home on this night really means a lot."

Right from the start, Bayston blazed a trail in his Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports/IWX - Curb Records - TRD/Bullet by Spike/Speedway Toyota that no other driver could keep pace with as he separated from Boat exiting turn two while teammate Tanner Thorson followed in tow, powering by Boat for second heading into turn three. By the third lap, Bayston's advantage was a half-straightaway and, by lap 10, the lead was a full-straight.

Dissimilar from the night before, the track was wide and vast from lap one, up on the rail in classic Belleville style. Bayston stood on the loudpedal, never breaking stride as he threaded the needle through lapped traffic, slicing between Terry Goodwin and Scott Hatton in turn four on lap 15.

Just before halfway, all three Clauson/Marshall Racing cars with drivers Shane Golobic, Tyler Courtney and Justin Grant saw right rear tires go down, putting into question the factor of tire wear in an intense 40-lap contest. Keeping the car as straight as possible up top was the key for Bayston.

"I knew going into it that we'd have to be somewhat careful with our tires," Bayston explained. "Last year, this place wore down on left rears before it started to get cleaned off there up top. I was trying to pace myself and figure out what I need to be doing there. The higher you go, the faster you go here. I could lean on the cushion and keep the car as straight as possible and the wheel spin down."

Conversely, second-running Thorson wasn't as concerned, which he credits to the work his team does in addition to his growing experience behind the wheel of a stock car in races that are 200-300 laps in length in most cases.

"I wasn't too worried," Thorson admits. "I could kind of feel our tires. They're really good and the way our guys groove these things and get them ready for us is pretty awesome. I was just hoping for some rubber there at the end. I'd say I'm a better rubber racer here than I am anything else. I hoped that, in the long run, we would have something to worry about with tire wear and I would've been able to save my stuff and been better at the end. It's something you've got to look at with these longer races. It's something that running stock cars has really helped me with."

On the lap 23 restart, Thorson was finally able to stick with Bayston as the light switched green, shadowing his teammate up on the topside. Thorson remained in racing purgatory, not moving forward or backward as the laps wound down past the three-quarter mark while Thorson took on a bit of a conservation mode in hopes that the track would change in his favor near the conclusion.

'You look into the past with guys like Larson, Bell and even guys that are in our pit area with us, like Jay Drake (a 1996 and 2000 prelim feature winner). There's a long list of very talented drivers who've achieved big things. To put my name up there with those guys, it's a true honor.' - Spencer Bayston ...(Rich Forman Photo)

"The race just kind of came to me," Thorson explains. "I was trying to save my stuff a little bit toward the end. I saw the top was starting to get a little bit black. I was saving my stuff with the hope that if there's rubber, we'd have a little bit more tire, but it didn't work out that way. We had a couple of restarts and we were able to get close. Longer in that run, we got messed up with some lapped cars, but I don't know if we were good enough to pass him. We were only good enough to hang with him for a little bit, but each time, he started to pull away a bit. I just felt like I wasn't in the track as much as I was in the beginning part of the race. Maybe I should've attacked a little harder at the beginning."

As the laps ticked inside ten to go, Bayston carved out another two-tenth increase over Thorson from 0.6 to 0.8 to 1.0 to 1.2 seconds over a four-lap span by lap 36 and appeared to be putting the finishing touches on a masterful performance.

However, with two laps remaining, Terry Goodwin found himself skidding to a stop at the entry of turn one. Sixth-running Ryan Robinson entered turn one with nowhere to go and pitched his mount sideways in an attempt to avoid Goodwin, to no avail. Robinson's right rear contacted the front left of Goodwin, sending Robinson end-over-end into turn one. Robinson climbed out of the car without serious injury.

That set up a two-lap dash to the finish. Under the red flag, Bayston was content with what he had. The car was on a rail, but he felt his teammate had something up his sleeve. Yet, Thorson felt the benefits of the red flag to his race were miniscule.

"I don't know if that red flag helped us at all," Thorson wonders. "I'm never good when it comes to restarts following red flags and yellow flags. I like to keep the green flag pace going. I'm not sure if our right rear tire sealed up or what, but we didn't have as much drive as we did just before that red flag."

A green-white-checkered finish is practically a two-lap qualifying run and Bayston was on the clock from the word 'go.' Incredibly, despite 38-lap old rubber and a track that had seen 38 laps of green flag action, Bayston ripped off his two fastest laps on lap 39 and 40 to seal the deal for the biggest win of his career.

"I ran the first few laps trying to get away and build a big lead," Bayston admits. "On that last red, I knew I really had to break away. For the whole race, I was maintaining, just being patient and smart. I got really comfortable and set it on cruise control, almost. Those last few laps, I was running as hard as I could and as fast as I could. Throughout the race, the car got better and the crew had the thing absolutely spot on. That really tells you the type of team this is."

Bayston provided car owner Keith Kunz with his sixth Belleville Saturday night victory, following in the footsteps of drivers Page Jones (1993), Kevin Doty (1994), Kyle Larson (2011), Christopher Bell (2013), Rico Abreu (2014).

"You look into the past with guys like Larson, Bell and even guys that are in our pit area with us, like Jay Drake (a 1996 and 2000 prelim feature winner)," Bayston begins. "There's a long list of very talented drivers who've achieved big things. To put my name up there with those guys, it's a true honor."

Belleville has become a more comfortable place for Bayston since his 22nd place debut in 2015. Since then, the 18-year-old has scored successive finishes of 4th, 2nd, 2nd and 1st.

"It's a place you have to respect," Bayston laid out. "When I first came here, racing for Bryan Clauson, Kokomo is his place of worship, but this place was also special in his heart. He dominated here and, every time he came here, he was the one to beat. The first year here, we were just trying to get comfortable and didn't run too great. Last year, we were so close and I got so much more comfortable throughout the feature. This year, coming in, I knew we had a really good shot at beating Chad. I have a lot of confidence in this team and the car that they've given me. We've been fast all year long and, to come here to this place, it really is a good feeling to know how fast we truly are."

Reigning USAC National Midget champion Tanner Thorson was knocking all around the podium both Friday and Saturday night in his Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports/JBL Audio - TRD/Bullet by Spike/Speedway Toyota, following up Friday's third-place finish with a runner-up result in Saturday's finale.

"I'm not happy if I don't win," Thorson said point blank. "That's how it is. If I don't win, I'm not happy. We're all here to win and I think that shows how much drive our team has."

Chad Boat's streak of three consecutive Belleville wins came to a close with a third-place finish in his Tucker-Boat Motorsports/PristineAuction.com - K & C Drywall/Spike/Speedway Toyota. After swapping engines following Friday night's victory, Boat found the car to be just a tick off, which, at Belleville, can be the decisive factor in running first, second, third or tenth.

"It's a pretty fine line," Boat said. "If you're just a little off, it rears its head, especially in a 40-lapper. The track took us a little bit by surprise. It was a lot slicker last year and that's where we excelled. Our car was just a little bit too tight all night. I felt like I was just trying to hang on this year, but overall, the car performed pretty well all weekend. We tried to make a couple changes, but on that two-lap run, we knew it was going to be tough. Those guys were just a little better than we were. What we needed to change, we really couldn't change under a red."

Contingency award winners Saturday night at the Belleville High Banks include Chad Boat (Simpson Race Products 1st Heat Winner), Spencer Bayston (Competition Suspension, Inc. 2nd Heat Winner), Jerry Coons, Jr. (Chalk Stix/Indy Race Parts 3rd Heat Winner), Brady Bacon (KSE Racing Products Hard Charger) and Tyler Courtney (Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher).

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USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: August 5, 2017 - Belleville, Kansas - Belleville High Banks - 40th "Belleville Midget Nationals"

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Chad Boat (#84 Tucker/Boat), 2. Ryan Robinson (#21 Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), 3. Tyler Courtney (#7BC Clauson/Marshall), 4. Jeff Stasa (#91 SBR Motorsports), 5. Terry Goodwin (#2G Goodwin), 6. Robert Bell (#71½ Bell), 7. Ashley Oerter (#16 RKO Management), 8. Ryan Oerter (#43 RKO Management). NT

COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI) SECOND HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Spencer Bayston (#97 Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), 2. Tanner Carrick (#71K Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), 3. Shane Golobic (#17w Clauson/Marshall/Wood), 4. Justin Grant (#39BC Clauson/Marshall), 5. Brayton Lynch (#1K RKR), 6. Zach Middleton (#43A RKO Management), 7. Cody Brewer (#96 Central Motorsports). 2:17.56 (New Track Record)

CHALK STIX/INDY RACE PARTS THIRD HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Jerry Coons, Jr. (#25 Petry/Goff), 2. Tanner Thorson (#67 Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), 3. Brady Bacon (#76m FMR), 4. Holly Shelton (#67K Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), 5. Scott Hatton (#1 Hatton), 6. Ty Williams (#91s SBR Motorsports), 7. Collin Rinehart (#20 Rinehart), 8. Randy Oerter (#48 RKO Management). 2:22.26

POLE DASH: (4 laps) 1. Bayston, 2. Boat, 3. Thorson, 4. Robinson, 5. Coons, 6. Carrick. 1:08.98 (New Track Record)

B-DASH: (4 laps) 1. Golobic, 2. Courtney, 3. Grant, 4. Bacon, 5. Shelton, 6. Stasa. 1:10.80

FEATURE: (40 laps) 1. Spencer Bayston, 2. Tanner Thorson, 3. Chad Boat, 4. Jerry Coons, Jr., 5. Brady Bacon, 6. Holly Shelton, 7. Justin Grant, 8. Tanner Carrick, 9. Shane Golobic, 10. Ryan Robinson, 11. Jeff Stasa, 12. Terry Goodwin, 13. Tyler Courtney, 14. Robert Bell, 15. Scott Hatton, 16. Collin Rinehart, 17. Brayton Lynch, 18. Ryan Oerter, 19. Matt Johnson (#85 Central Motorsports), 20. Zach Middleton, 21. Randy Oerter, 22. Ty Williams, 23. Ashley Oerter, 24. Cody Brewer. NT
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**Robinson flipped on lap 39 of the feature.

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-40 Bayston.

KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER: Brady Bacon (10th to 5th)

WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Tyler Courtney

NEW USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Bayston-1040, 2-Bacon-1002, 3-Golobic-976, 4-Grant-945, 5-Thorson-936, 6-Courtney-905, 7-Coons-808, 8-Boat-754, 9-Shelton-717, 10-Robinson-671.

NEXT USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: August 13 - York Haven, PA - Susquehanna Speedway - "Pennsylvania Midget Week" (With the USAC Eastern Midgets presented by ARDC)

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

BELL CAPITALIZES TO WIN HIS 2ND "CHAD McDANIEL MEMORIAL" IN BELOIT

By: Richie Murray - USAC Media

Beloit, Kansas.....August 2, 2017 - Rarely do we have the opportunity to accurately measure the accomplishments of racers in the midst of their careers to those who came before them. After all, that's what record books are for. But, when you join a name such as A.J. Foyt in any record book, it's certainly something worth mentioning.

Bell did just that Wednesday night in the 8th Annual "Chad McDaniel Memorial" at Solomon Valley Raceway where he recorded his 20th career USAC National Midget feature victory, equaling the number of wins the four-time Indianapolis 500 champ procured with the series in his legendary career.

Yet, after seeing his one-lap track record fall earlier in the night, Bell more than made up from having his name erased from that segment of the record book by leading the final ten laps to join Bryan Clauson as the only two-time winner of the "Chad McDaniel Memorial."

However, the 2013 event winner from Norman, Oklahoma would quickly point out that he was not the one to beat on this night, inheriting the lead after Tyler Thomas' front end collapsed while leading exiting the second turn on lap 21 of the 30-lap event.

"The best driver didn't win tonight, that's for sure," Bell said. "Tyler was doing a great job up there on the top. I could see he was struggling just like we were. I just wasn't sure if he was going to be able to hang on for 30 laps. As it turned out, it was his car that couldn't hang on for 30 laps. That was such a tough break for him."

With that said, to inherit, you must first put yourself in position to grab opportunities when they arrive. Bell led in two separate stints, initially taking the lead between laps 7-14 before Thomas reclaimed the lead with a turn one slider on the 15th lap.

Christopher Bell tied A.J. Foyt for 31st on the all-time USAC National Midget win list with his 20th career win Wednesday night at Solomon Valley Raceway in Beloit, Kansas. -Rich Forman Photo

As Thomas began to extend his lead entering the final ten-lap stretch, his night would unexpectedly and heartbreakingly end when he began to slow dramatically with the front wheels as cockeyed as Marty Feldman's eyes. It was a cruel twist of fate for the Oklahoman who, one night earlier, lost his lead late after leading the majority of the laps at Fairbury, Nebraska's Jefferson County Speedway.

The shakeup moved Bell to the front and Justin Grant to second after he scurried back to the front following a drop to fifth in the opening stages.

On the restart, though, Bell erased any notion Grant had of victory on this night, quickly distancing himself from the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car point leader in the final laps to score his third series win of the season in his Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports/DeWalt - TRD/Bullet by Spike/Speedway Toyota.

The feature wasn't all smooth sailing for the 2013 USAC National Midget champion who was routinely seen bouncing through the turns as he manhandled his ride atop the quarter-mile dirt oval.

"It was a tough, technical track tonight and that made it hard to run consistent laps," Bell explained. "My biggest thing was that I had to lift down the straightaway to make sure the car wasn't squatted. I had to have the car up so that it could glide across the holes and then find the smoothest part of the racetrack to get through."

On paper, it appears Justin Grant had a fairly smooth run to second from third, but after dropping back early on before making a late surge, his race was anything but in his Clauson-Marshall Racing/Driven 2 Save Lives - Priority Aviation/Spike/Stanton SR-11.

"I just tried to not get in a panic and, instead, let the racetrack come to us," Grant said. "Our car was really good at the end and we started clicking back by guys and working the bottom lane while other guys were bouncing around the top. We really felt like we had something for Bell until that last caution."

On off weekends, third-place finisher Holly Shelton travels back home to her native California and competes in an Outlaw Kart at Cycleland Speedway in Oroville. Last weekend, she won her second race there in four attempts before starting this four-race if five-night midget swing in the Heartland. While the differences between each of the cars are stark, Shelton admits that despite the differences, driving (and winning) in a variety of racecars simply makes you tougher to beat each time you get behind the wheel.

"An Outlaw Kart has no power steering and no shocks; they're really low to the ground and your feet are hanging over the front tires," Shelton detailed. "The first couple times I went from that to a midget, I struggled a bit. Whatever car you're in, you should be able to adapt. Running the different cars just makes you a better driver."

With the series at such a high-level right now and the competition so even amongst at least half the field each night, every little bit of an advantage a team can find does help. Shelton was the first to bring down the existing one-lap track record Wednesday night, ultimately timing in third, which guaranteed her a prime starting spot in the top few rows for the feature in her Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports/Black & Decker - TRD/Bullet by Spike/Speedway Toyota.

"Qualifying is key in this series," Shelton acknowledged. "The competition's so stout, if you have to start mid-pack, it makes it really difficult on you. I learned that last night (at Fairbury, Neb.). I started 11th and really couldn't get past them. Tonight, it was really major and we were able to take full advantage of a good qualifying run."

Contingency award winners Wednesday night at Solomon Valley Raceway include Brady Bacon (ProSource Fast Qualifier), Cody Brewer (Simpson Race Products 1st Heat Winner), Shane Golobic (Competition Suspension, Inc. 2nd Heat Winner), Tyler Courtney (Chalk Stix 3rd Heat Winner), Jerry Coons, Jr. (Indy Race Parts 4th Heat Winner), Joe B. Miller (KSE Racing Products Hard Charger) and Tucker Klaasmeyer (Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher).

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USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: August 2, 2017 - Beloit, Kansas - Solomon Valley Raceway - 8th Annual "Chad McDaniel Memorial"

PROSOURCE QUALIFYING: 1. Brady Bacon, 76m, FMR-12.319 (New Track Record), 2. Tanner Thorson, 67, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.334, 3. Holly Shelton, 67K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.451, 4. Justin Grant, 39BC, Clauson/Marshall-12.588, 5. Brayton Lynch, 1K, RKR-12.599, 6. Tyler Thomas, 91T, Thomas-12.602, 7. Christopher Bell, 21, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.616, 8. Tanner Carrick, 71K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.641, 9. Spencer Bayston, 97, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.671, 10. Tyler Nelson, 47, Mason-12.689, 11. Tyler Courtney, 7BC, Clauson/Marshall-12.696, 12. Chad Boat, 84, Tucker/Boat-12.780, 13. Ryan Robinson, 71, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.784; 14. Shane Golobic, 17w, Clauson-Marshall/Wood-12.789; 15. Tucker Klaasmeyer, 27, Klaasmeyer-12.814; 16. Jerry Coons, Jr., 25, Petry/Goff-12.897; 17. Cody Brewer, 96, Central-13.074; 18. Matt Johnson, 85, Central-13.150; 19. Chett Gehrke, 11c, Matteson-13.159; 20. Paul Babich, 69, Hamilton/Halarr-13.173; 21. Joe B. Miller, 7u, Trifecta-13.207; 22. Terry Goodwin, 2G, Goodwin-13.331; 23. Jeff Stasa, 91s, SBR-13.368; 24. Troy Simpson, 7, Hamilton-13.371; 25. Shaun Shapel, 84s, Shapel-13.479; 26. Collin Rinehart, 20, Rinehart-13.611; 27. Glenn Waterland, 11cw, Waterland-13.658; 28. Ryan Oerter, 43, RKO-13.752; 29. Randy Oerter, 48, RKO-14.318; 30. Ashley Oerter, 16, RKO-15.681.

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Brewer, 2. Miller, 3. Bacon, 4. Robinson, 5. Bayston, 6. Lynch, 7. Shapel, 8. Ra. Oerter. 2:13.75

COMPETITION SUSPENSION, INC. (CSI) SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Golobic, 2. Thomas, 3. Thorson, 4. Nelson, 5. Goodwin, 6. Johnson, 7. Rinehart, 8. A. Oerter. NT

CHALK STIX THIRD HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Courtney, 2. Klaasmeyer, 3. Bell, 4. Shelton, 5. Stasa, 6. Gehrke, 7. Waterland. NT

INDY RACE PARTS FOURTH HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Coons, 2. Grant, 3. Boat, 4. Carrick, 5. Simpson, 6. Babich, 7. Ry. Oerter. 2:12.14

SEMI: (12 laps) 1. Bayston, 2. Lynch, 3. Johnson, 4. Gehrke, 5. Babich, 6. Simpson, 7. Rinehart, 8. Ry. Oerter, 9. Stasa, 10. Shapel, 11. Waterland, 12. Goodwin, 13. Ra. Oerter, 14. A. Oerter. NT

FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Christopher Bell, 2. Justin Grant, 3. Holly Shelton, 4. Tanner Thorson, 5. Brady Bacon, 6. Spencer Bayston, 7. Brayton Lynch, 8. Tanner Carrick, 9. Shane Golobic, 10. Jerry Coons, Jr., 11. Chad Boat, 12. Tyler Nelson, 13. Tucker Klaasmeyer, 14. Joe B. Miller, 15. Troy Simpson, 16. Tyler Thomas, 17. Tyler Courtney, 18. Chett Gehrke, 19. Ryan Robinson, 20. Matt Johnson, 21. Cody Brewer, 22. Paul Babich. NT
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**Courtney flipped on lap 14 of the feature.

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-6 Thomas, Laps 7-14 Bell, Laps 15-20 Thomas, Laps 21-30 Bell.

KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER: Joe B. Miller (21st to 14th)

WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Tucker Klaasmeyer

NEW USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Bayston-892, 2-Bacon-889, 3-Golobic-873, 4-Grant-827, 5-Courtney-812, 6-Thorson-792, 7-Coons-697, 8-Boat-608, 9-Shelton-594, 10-Thomas-587.

NEXT USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACES: August 4-5 - Belleville, Kansas - Belleville High Banks - 40th Annual "Belleville Midget Nationals"

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

THORSON THUNDERS TO FIRST USAC MIDGET WIN OF 2017 AT JEFFERSON CO.

Fairbury, Nebraska.....AUGUST 1, 2017- Patience is a virtue, so they say and, indeed, good things come to those who wait.

Tanner Thorson was the epitome of each proverbial phrase at Jefferson County Speedway's 2nd Annual Riverside Chevrolet "Tuesday Night Thunder" presented by Westin Packaged Meats and Schmidt's Sanitation. The reigning series champ out of Minden, Nevada, relentlessly hassled Tyler Thomas for the race lead throughout the first half of the 40-lap main event. On the 25th lap, Thorson made the winning move with a successful turn four slider on Thomas and, from there, never relinquished the point to capture his first USAC National Midget feature victory of 2017.

The 21-year-old hadn't won in the series since tearing off a three-race win streak in October of 2016 to propel him to his first USAC title. Tuesday night's victory was the first for Thorson in nearly 10 months. Furthermore, his win in his Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports/JBL Audio - TRD/Bullet by Spike/Speedway Toyota was the latest in the season a defending USAC National Midget champion has gone before scoring his first win since Jerry Coons, Jr. in 2008.

#67 Tanner Thorson battles Tyler Thomas for the lead in Tuesday night's USAC National Midget feature at Jefferson County Speedway in Fairbury, Nebraska.--Lonnie Wheatley Photo

Patience speaks many languages and Thorson was able to transcribe them into a sweet song during the 40-lap main event, ten laps longer than the norm. As Thomas broke away for the lead, Thorson knew he had the car and the ability as well as the inclination that traffic would most likely come into play, so he waited until the race came to him.

"When I got close to Tyler (Thomas) in the beginning part of the race, I knew it was still pretty early," Thorson recalls. "I just wanted to be in ride mode. He ended up pulling away from me for a little bit. We ended up running him back down because of lapped traffic. We're not used to having these longer races, so ten more laps are a little bit different and it's a little bit harder. More laps definitely played into our favor instead of us trying to go all out at once at the beginning part of the race."

Yet, outside front row starter Thomas appeared to be under control as he ripped the top to secure the top spot early on. From the outset, though, Thorson was never too far in the background as he took a gamble to try and slide Thomas numerous times, coming up snake eyes on each occasion, including on lap nine when Thomas slipped over the turn four cushion in lapped traffic. Thorson was there, but not quite close enough to wrap the horseshoe around the stake.

For Thomas, conservation was not a viable option. As soon as he pushed off for the start of the feature and gassed it the first time, he noticed an off-kilter sound that was out of the ordinary. As it turned out, his engine was down a cylinder. Behind the eight-ball before the green flag, Thomas felt that, despite the extended distance, preserving equipment while racing in the lead was not in the plans.

Despite the mechanical bugaboo, by the 15th lap, Thomas held a 1.7 second lead over Thorson as he bid to become the second-straight driver to win his first career USAC National Midget feature at Jefferson County Speedway in as many years. A freight train of cars rode the rails at the top of the one-fifth-mile as they entered lapped traffic, making it a challenge to simply throttle past a fellow competitor and, instead, required alternate railways to make a clean pass.

"The way the track was, it was really fast around the top compared to the bottom," Thorson explained. "If you left the groove, it was hard to get back up into it without getting into somebody. I was trying to be very careful and respectful without getting into Tyler. I don't like racing that way. We just played it patient. He ran into some lapped traffic and then we were lucky enough to get a yellow. That definitely saved us."

Thomas, on the other hand, wasn't as delighted to see the yellow. In many cases, a yellow for a leader working through lapped traffic is a blessing as it provides an open highway without an obstacle in sight. Nonetheless, for Thomas, the obstacle lied under his hood, making each ensuing restart a chore.

"That first long run we had, we were good," Thomas remembers. "I kept my momentum up around the top and didn't really have any pressure behind me. The yellows really killed me because I couldn't restart well. Once I got to the top, I just didn't have the power to pull out of it. I wasn't sure if I needed to slide myself or just get to the cushion. I don't think it mattered. I didn't have the power to pull myself out of anything."

Following a lap 24 caution for the stopped car of Justin Grant, Thorson knew he couldn't be shackled much longer. Despite his self-described habits when attempting sliders, Thorson went to school throughout the first half of the race and realized what he needed to do. The moment was his this time around and he wasn't going to let this one slip away.

"I had to push it a little harder," Thorson exclaimed. "I have a tendency of getting in there a little soft when I throw slide jobs. I don't feel like wrecking and I don't want to wreck anybody else. On the restart, he didn't quite get going because of his motor. We had a pretty good run going down the front stretch and I was able to break his momentum a little bit and then we were able to get a run coming off of four once again the next lap. I just had to push it off in there. We're all here to win, so you have to use up as much space as you can."

After multiple cautions, the lap 30 restart saw Golobic take advantage of Thomas's disadvantage, sliding him for the second spot into turn one. Meanwhile, Thorson checked out to a half-straightaway lead and held strong.

The battle for third heated up with Thomas and Bacon exchanging slide jobs at opposite ends of the track on five consecutive occasions from laps 35 to 37 until a caution set up a three-lap sprint to the finish. With the number of sliders that were thrown by Thorson himself during the race, he wasn't going to allow himself to be the slidee this time as he entered through the middle of turn one before sliding up to the cushion, thus preventing Golobic from having a clean look.

"You don't want anybody to get the leading edge on you by getting to the bottom and throwing a slider like the one I used to get by Tyler," Thorson explained. "I was kind of cheating the entry and sliding myself. The cushion got kind of hard to run coming off turn two. There was nothing there and, all of a sudden, it showed up. It definitely helped entering a little bit below there and we were able to get a run going down the straightaway without my front end getting all twisted up. It was something I had to do just for my mind so I didn't get up over the cushion. I knew there were only a few laps left and I was trying my hardest not to mess up. I did the same thing with turns three and four. The cushion started to move over farther and farther. That made it harder and harder to run. I had to do play a little defense, be patient and be really particular on how I ran the top."

Thorson cemented his position at the front while the battle raged on for second. Brady Bacon advanced from fourth to second past Thomas and Golobic in a rapid-fire, furious charge while Thomas found a second wind in the engine to get third back from Golobic on the final lap.

None of that action concerned Thorson, though, as he nailed down his 11th career USAC National Midget victory over Bacon, Thomas, Shane Golobic and Christopher Bell.

Runner-up Brady Bacon of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma cherished each opportunity the restarts presented in his FMR Racing/Brown & Miller Racing Solutions - Black Watch Farms/Beast/Toyota, helping him to his third consecutive top-two finish in USAC National competition over the last four days.

"All the restarts at the end helped," Bacon admits. "Everyone was getting a little tighter and tighter on the top and I was trying the bottom in one and two because I knew they were going to start sliding each other on the restarts or get tight. I knew I could be on a clear lane by myself down at the bottom. It just kept working better and better and better. The bottom in three kept getting cleaner so I could slide further. If it wasn't for those yellows at the end, it would've been pretty hard for me to pass."

Collinsville, Oklahoma's Tyler Thomas led 24 laps and earned a solid third-place finish in his Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports/JBL Audio - TRD/Bullet by Spike/Speedway Toyota. Yet, unlike his counterpart Brady Bacon, Thomas didn't see much personal benefit with the cautions.

"That last late restart really hurt me," Thomas acknowledges. "I knew Brady was quick. He made the bottom work, but to get (Brady or Shane), I just had to wait for them to screw up. When they both went to the bottom in turn one, that opened up a door for me to get a run and I was able to get around Shane in three and four on the last lap."

Contingency award winners Tuesday night at Jefferson County Speedway include Chad Boat (ProSource Fast Qualifier), Tucker Klaasmeyer (Simpson Race Products 1st Heat Winner), Jerry Coons, Jr. (Competition Suspension, Inc. 2nd Heat Winner & KSE Racing Products Hard Charger), Christopher Bell (Chalk Stix 3rd Heat Winner), Tanner Thorson (Indy Race Parts 4th Heat Winner) and Tanner Carrick (Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher).

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USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: August 1, 2017 - Fairbury, Nebraska - Jefferson County Speedway - Riverside Chevrolet "Tuesday Night Thunder" presented by Fairbury-Westin Meats

PROSOURCE QUALIFYING: 1. Chad Boat, 84, Tucker/Boat-11.105 (New Track Record); 2. Justin Grant, 39BC, Clauson/Marshall-11.149; 3. Brady Bacon, 76m, FMR-11.155; 4. Tanner Thorson, 67, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-11.305; 5. Tyler Thomas, 91T, Thomas-11.344; 6. Shane Golobic, 17w, Clauson-Marshall/Wood-11.432; 7. Christopher Bell, 21, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-11.457; 8. Spencer Bayston, 97, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-11.475; 9. Tyler Courtney, 7BC, Clauson/Marshall-11.508; 10. Ryan Robinson, 71, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-11.528; 11. Holly Shelton, 67K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-11.528; 12. Tanner Carrick, 71K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-11.577; 13. Tucker Klaasmeyer, 27, Klaasmeyer-11.625; 14. Jerry Coons, Jr., 25, Petry/Goff-11.633; 15. Chett Gehrke, 11c, Matteson-11.647; 16. Brayton Lynch, 1K, RKR-11.817; 17. Paul Babich, 69, Hamilton/Halarr-11.913; 18. John Klabunde, 77J, Klabunde-11.948; 19. Clinton Boyles, 98, Boyles-12.050; 20. Troy Simpson, 7, Hamilton-12.055; 21. Tyler Nelson, 47, Mason-12.056; 22. Joe B. Miller, 7u, Trifecta-12.085; 23. Lance Bennett, 10, Bennett-12.100; 24. Jeff Stasa, 91s, SBR-12.126; 25. Collin Rinehart, 20, Rinehart-12.205; 26. Bob Harr, 2, Hamilton/Halarr-12.214; 27. Matt Johnson, 85, Central-12.254; 28. Glenn Waterland, 11cw, Waterland-12.668; 29. Terry Goodwin, 2G, Goodwin-12.719; 30. Ryan Oerter, 43, RKO-12.759; 31. Randy Oerter, 48, RKO-13.116; 32. Ashley Oerter, 16, RKO-14.038; 33. Jeff Crook, 5J, Crook-NT.

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Klaasmeyer, 2. Thomas, 3. Boat, 4. Courtney, 5. Nelson, 6. Babich, 7. Rinehart, 8. Goodwin. NT

COMPETITION SUSPENSION, INC. (CSI) SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Coons, 2. Golobic, 3. Grant, 4. Robinson, 5. Harr, 6. Klabunde, 7. Miller, 8. Ry. Oerter. NT

CHALK STIX THIRD HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Bell, 2. Bacon, 3. Shelton, 4. Boyles, 5. Gehrke, 6. Johnson, 7. Ra. Oerter. 2:00.16 (New Track Record)

INDY RACE PARTS FOURTH HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Thorson, 2. Bayston, 3. Carrick, 4. Lynch, 5. Stasa, 6. Simpson, 7. Waterland, 8. A. Oerter. NT

SEMI: (12 laps) 1. Gehrke, 2. Miller, 3. Nelson, 4. Babich, 5. Harr, 6. Stasa, 7. Klabunde, 8. Simpson, 9. Goodwin, 10. Waterland, 11. Ra. Oerter, 12. Rinehart, 13. A. Oerter, 14. Johnson, 15. Ry. Oerter. NT

FEATURE: (40 laps) 1. Tanner Thorson, 2. Brady Bacon, 3. Tyler Thomas, 4. Shane Golobic, 5. Christopher Bell, 6. Spencer Bayston, 7. Tyler Courtney, 8. Jerry Coons, Jr., 9. Ryan Robinson, 10. Tucker Klaasmeyer, 11. Chad Boat, 12. Holly Shelton, 13. Tanner Carrick, 14. Joe B. Miller, 15. Clinton Boyles, 16. Brayton Lynch, 17. Chett Gehrke, 18. Paul Babich, 19. Jeff Stasa, 20. John Klabunde, 21. Tyler Nelson, 22. Justin Grant. NT
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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-24 Thomas, Laps 25-40 Thorson.

KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER: Jerry Coons, Jr. (14th to 8th)

WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Tanner Carrick

NEW USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Bayston-833, 2-Bacon-819, 3-Golobic-819, 4-Courtney-775, 5-Grant-750, 6-Thorson-720, 7-Coons-646, 8-Boat-561, 9-Thomas-548, 10-Robinson-535.

NEXT USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: August 2 - Beloit, Kansas - Solomon Valley Raceway - "Chad McDaniel Memorial"