Archive for Midgets

The United States Auto Club.

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

Kevin Thomas, Jr. celebrates his 2nd 'Chad McDaniel Memorial' win Wednesday at Solomon Valley Raceway in Beloit, Kansas. (Rich Forman Photo)



KTJ SCORES SECOND CAREER "CHAD McDANIEL MEMORIAL" AT SOLOMON VALLEY

By: Richie Murray - USAC Media

Beloit, Kansas.....July 11, 2018 - Prior to Wednesday night's 9th annual "Chad McDaniel Memorial," the last appearance of Kevin Thomas, Jr. at Solomon Valley Raceway in 2015 resulted in a victory.

Likewise, the most recent appearance of Joe Dooling's No. 63 at Solomon Valley in 2016 resulted in a victory.

When you blend the ingredients of Thomas, Dooling and Solomon Valley, it's bound to be a recipe for success.

The Cullman, Alabama native became the first repeat winner of the 2018 USAC P1 Insurance National Midget season, leading all 30 laps on his way to a second "Chad McDaniel Memorial" win.

However, the road to victory lane from the pole position wasn't as smooth and pretty as it may appear on paper. Thomas admits that he was playing with fire on multiple occasions, nearly throwing away a surefire victory despite an otherwise perfect performance.

At the beginning, though, Thomas was flawless, grabbing the lead by a wheel at the line after battling with outside front row starter Logan Seavey for the entirety of the first lap. When Seavey stumbled at the exit of turn four on lap two, Thomas capitalized and immediately posted a half-straightaway lead. By the eighth lap, Thomas had already entered lapped traffic with a full-straightaway advantage.

With half the 30-lap distance in the rearview and Thomas on full Rad Racer cruiser mode, the beginning of the second half would prove topsy-turvy up front.

On the lap 16 restart following a Tyler Thomas flip, second-running Seavey clipped the turn two infield tire, losing ground that was all to Ryan Robinson's advantage as he took possession of second from Seavey and initiated his pursuit of K. Thomas.

However, on the 18th lap, K. Thomas got completely sideways between turns three and four. Robinson had nowhere to go and rammed into the side of the K. Thomas machine, kickstarting Thomas back into action, but accepting the brunt of the misfortune as he stopped at the edge of the infield to bring out the yellow. Robinson would restart from the tail and manage a 13th place finish by race's end.

Thomas knew he got away with one on this occasion, but that's racing, and on a bullring like Solomon Valley, it's sometimes a vicious part of the game.

"You had to be aggressive tonight because there were holes you had to get through to keep your tires spinning," Thomas recalled. "You couldn't go in there half-cocked. I did a few times and it about cost me the race. It was unfortunate for Ryan Robinson. He got turned around because of my mistake. That's small track racing. He did nothing wrong. It's just unfortunate that happened to him."

'There's a lot of depth and it's hard to win a midget race right now. It's so tough. You've got to be on your game and you can't make mistakes, and if you do make a mistake, you just got to hope for the best. Tonight, we got lucky with one of my mistakes and still ended up winning the race, but nine out of ten times, that doesn't happen.' - Kevin Thomas, Jr. (Brandon Anderson Photo)

Seavey got a reprieve and returned to second for the lap 18 restart, but Thomas was money once again, distancing himself from Seavey and, ultimately, widening the gap to a full-straightaway with five laps remaining as he tussled with lapped traffic, escaping with relative ease.

Thomas was in complete control down the stretch as he raced to his fourth career USAC National Midget feature win and his second at the quarter-mile in the north central Kansas birthplace of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rodger Ward. Second went to Seavey, followed by Justin Grant, Jason McDougal and Tanner Carrick rounding out the top-five.

"Bryan (Clauson)'s won this race a couple times and I've won this race a couple times now," Thomas reflected. "To win it the second time in the 63 that he won in, and in memory of Chad McDaniel, there's a lot of emotions running into one victory lane. I'm very humbled by the opportunity I've gotten with this team. Being able to win these races is something I can't even speak of."

Coming into Wednesday night's race, seven different winners had reached victory lane in the first seven events of the season, the longest such streak since 1987. Yet, Thomas was keen on putting an end to that factoid by winning his second series feature in his last three outings following a triumph in the "Indiana Midget Week" finale at Kokomo Speedway in June.

To Thomas, the fact that the season reached the mid-point of July to find a repeat winner, shows the talent and depth of the field he faces every time he steps into a USAC Midget, making each victory that more meaningful to him.

"Some people complain about midget racing," Thomas begins. "They say they run into each other too much or they drive disrespectfully. You've got a lot of people out there with a lot of talent and a lot of good racecars. It's good racing. Sometimes you get into people and that's not the way racing should be, but you're racing on fifth and quarter-miles, really small tracks. It's bound to happen. I'd like to see anybody else who complains about it get out here and do it and not run into something. You've got a lot of kids out here with a lot of talent. There's a lot of depth and it's hard to win a midget race right now. It's so tough. You've got to be on your game and you can't make mistakes, and if you do make a mistake, you just got to hope for the best. Tonight, we got lucky with one of my mistakes and still ended up winning the race, but nine out of ten times, that doesn't happen."

Contingency award winners Wednesday night at Solomon Valley Raceway included Tucker Klaasmeyer (Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner & KSE Racing Products Hard Charger), Zane Hendricks (Competition Suspension, Inc. Second Heat Winner), Maria Cofer (Chalk Stix Third Heat Winner), Tyler Courtney (Indy Race Parts Semi Winner) and Ryan Robinson (Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher).

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USAC P1 INSURANCE MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: July 11, 2018 - Solomon Valley Raceway - Beloit, Kansas - 9th Annual "Chad McDaniel Memorial"

QUALIFYING: 1. Holly Shelton, 67K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-11.944 (New Track Record); 2. Justin Grant, 17BC, Clauson/Marshall/Wood-12.033; 3. Tyler Courtney, 7BC, Clauson/Marshall-12.137; 4. Ryan Robinson, 71, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.172; 5. Chad Boat, 84, Tucker/Boat-12.176; 6. Logan Seavey, 67, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.177; 7. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 63, Dooling-12.177; 8. Jason McDougal, 15, Petry/Goff-12.179; 9. Tanner Carrick, 71K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.225; 10. Kyle Craker, 76E, FMR-12.243; 11. Brady Bacon, 76m, FMR-12.274; 12. Jerry Coons, Jr., 25, Petry/Goff-12.331; 13. Spencer Bayston, 97, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.377; 14. Brayton Lynch, 1K, RKR-12.452; 15. Tyler Thomas, 91T, Thomas-12.476; 16. Tucker Klaasmeyer, 27, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.545; 17. Zane Hendricks, 27z, Tucker/Boat-12.548; 18. Maria Cofer, 35, Petry/Goff-12.649; 19. Dave Darland, 85, Central-12.785; 20. Sam Johnson, 72, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.798; 21. Brett Becker, 2B, Becker-12.951; 22. Holley Hollan, 14, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.977; 23. Curtis Spicer, 4, Spicer-13.330; 24. Cole Bodine, 39BC, Clauson/Marshall-13.553; 25. Kyle Pfeifer, 54p, Pfeifer-13.570; 26. Glenn Waterland, 11c, Waterland-13.908; 27. Shaun Shapel, 84s, Shapel-14.636.

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps, top-5 transfer) 1. Klaasmeyer, 2. K. Thomas, 3. Bayston, 4. Robinson, 5. Shelton, 6. Darland, 7. Hollan, 8. Craker, 9. Pfeifer. 2:09.97

COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI) SECOND HEAT: (10 laps, top-5 transfer) 1. Hendricks, 2. McDougal, 3. Boat, 4. Bacon, 5. Grant, 6. Johnson, 7. Waterland, 8. Spicer, 9. Lynch. NT

CHALK STIX THIRD HEAT: (10 laps, top-5 transfer) 1. Cofer, 2. Coons, 3. T. Thomas, 4. Carrick, 5. Seavey, 6. Bodine, 7. Shapel, 8. Becker, 9. Courtney. NT

INDY RACE PARTS SEMI: (12 laps, top-7 transfer) 1. Courtney, 2. Craker, 3. Darland, 4. Bodine, 5. Hollan, 6. Johnson, 7. Shapel, 8. Spicer, 9. Waterland, 10. Lynch, 11. Becker. NT

FEATURE: (30 laps, starting position in parentheses) 1. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (1), 2. Logan Seavey (2), 3. Justin Grant (5), 4. Jason McDougal (8), 5. Tanner Carrick (9), 6. Holly Shelton (6), 7. Chad Boat (3), 8. Tyler Courtney (7), 9. Kyle Craker (10), 10. Tucker Klaasmeyer (15), 11. Spencer Bayston (13), 12. Brady Bacon (11), 13. Ryan Robinson (4), 14. Jerry Coons, Jr. (12), 15. Maria Cofer (17), 16. Zane Hendricks (16), 17. Holley Hollan (20), 18. Cole Bodine (21), 19. Sam Johnson (19), 20. Dave Darland (18), 21. Tyler Thomas (14), 22. Shaun Shapel (22). NT
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**Pfeifer flipped during the first heat. Lynch flipped during the semi. T. Thomas flipped on lap 16 of the feature.

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-30 K. Thomas.

KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER: Tucker Klaasmeyer (15th to 10th)

WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Ryan Robinson

NEW USAC P1 INSURANCE MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Seavey-537, 2-Boat-495, 3-Bayston-482, 4-K. Thomas-465, 5-Courtney-465, 6-Grant-460, 7-Bacon-443, 8-Robinson-398, 9-Carrick-389, 10-Zeb Wise-369.

NEXT USAC P1 INSURANCE MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACES: July 13-14 - Jefferson County Speedway - Fairbury, Nebraska - Riverside Chevrolet "Midwest Midget Championship" presented by Westin Packaged Meats and Schmidt's Sanitation

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

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

Winner Christopher Bell (USAC Photo)



BELL SCORES KUNZ'S 100TH USAC MIDGET WIN AT USAC'S RED DIRT DEBUT

By: Richie Murray - USAC Media

Meeker, Oklahoma.....July 10, 2018 - In the illustrious history of Keith Kunz's tenure as a car owner, no individual has won more USAC National Midget feature events than Christopher Bell.
Perhaps it was most fitting that it was Bell who drove Kunz's machine to victory lane for the 100th time with the series at "Tuesday Night Thunder" in USAC 's Red Dirt Raceway debut.

The Norman, Oklahoma native drove to his 22nd USAC National Midget victory Tuesday, tying Bobby East and Shorty Templeman in career wins as he moved into the top-25 on the all-time list.

Just as fitting may have been the fact that Bell did it in front of his home state crowd, which saw the series visit the Sooner State for the first time since 1975, in his Motorsports-Curb-Agajanian/TRD - IWX/Bullet by Spike/Speedway Toyota.

"It's just really cool to see how many people were here," Bell said. "USAC hasn't been here for a long time. Honestly, Oklahoma's dying for professional motorsports, so it's nice for USAC to be able to come in here."

While the eyes of many were affixed on the first sight of USAC Midget in the state in over four decades, even Bell had not laid eyes on Red Dirt Raceway since a brief session there earlier in the decade.

"I tested here one time after the Chili Bowl in maybe 2011 or 2012," Bell recalled. "I'm pretty sure it was an abandoned racetrack back then. I hadn't seen the place since (track promoter) Cody (Brewer) had redone it. It was pretty perfect. They got it to where we could run all the way to the very top and all the way on the very bottom. You couldn't ask for more."

You would have never known that fact by watching Bell after he laid down fast time in qualifying, then picked his way through the field and into second by the ninth lap of the 30-lap feature as his KKM teammates Ryan Robinson, Tanner Carrick and Logan Seavey each took their turn at the front of the pack.

Each driver found multiple ways to navigate to the front, with Robinson up top, Carrick crawling on the bottom and Seavey finding the bottom on the sixth lap to grab the lead. Meanwhile, Bell was searching, taking any avenue he could find as he swapped sliders with Robinson to move into second behind point leader and race leader Seavey. Bell rode the top as he attempted to reel in Seavey, yet Carrick wasn't quite finished yet, as he drove underneath Bell to retake second momentarily.

"I knew my car was really good from the get go," Bell said. "We had that yellow and, next thing you know, the 71K (Carrick) is leading me. I didn't even see him go by me! But I knew he started seventh, so I figured the bottom must be there. He was really good. He could run down. He could run up. It was just a matter of me getting my momentum built up top for me to get by."

Christopher Bell (middle), the winner of 'Tuesday Night Thunder' at Red Dirt Raceway, is joined by Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian teammates Logan Seavey (right) who finished 2nd and Tanner Carrick (left) who finished 3rd. (Richard Bales Photo)

Though a bit stunned, Bell stood his ground and drove back past Carrick on lap 14 to move back into second just prior to a yellow flag for Dave Darland, whose car slowed to a stop between turns three and four. With a clear track and a clear mind, Bell had just himself and Seavey to deal with.

Briefly, for a lap following the lap 15 restart, Bell followed Seavey on the bottom, but that was not in his long-term plans as he quickly whipped back up to the top with a hard-charging Carrick right on his tail tank entering turn one. The bottom at first seemed the place to be with Seavey holding about a ten car length lead, but that gap would narrow steadily over the ensuing laps as Bell stayed the course, ripping the lip.

On the 19th lap, his work would pay dividends as Bell finally surged ahead just prior to hitting heavy lapped traffic where the 2013 series champ diced from top to bottom to escape the clutches of Seavey's return.

"I think it was A, me gaining momentum and B, figuring out the top," Bell said regarding the why he was able to run down Seavey. "I figured out a trick in where I could kind of open up my entry into (turn) three on the top and that helped me gain a lot of speed off of four. I figured it out a little bit and it was a matter of just not making mistakes. It was very treacherous right on the lip in one and two. It had some character, had some bounce to it, and I was trying to not go over."

Bell appeared to be well on his way to victory when Ace McCarthy spun between turns three and four, setting a three-lap sprint to the finish. Bell led the field high through three and four prior to taking the green, then darted to the bottom in turn one, disallowing any chance of Seavey throwing a slider for the lead.

"Logan was really good on the bottom," Bell pointed out. "I felt really good on the bottom earlier in the race. It was just a combination of things. The top was getting really thin and it was pretty rough up there. Then, on the restart, the tire pressure is going to be a little bit lower. I'm thinking about how I don't want my tire to be low and get up there and bounce over. I felt good on the top of three and four, so I was just going to go to the bottom of one and try and drive off hard, then go back to the top in three."

Bell did just that, punctuating his first USAC start of the year with a W by a tick over half a second in front of Seavey, Carrick, Jerry Coons, Jr. and Brady Bacon.

Contingency award winners Tuesday night at Red Dirt Raceway included Chad Boat (Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner), Tyler Thomas (Competition Suspension, Inc. Second Heat Winner), Tucker Klaasmeyer (Chalk Stix Third Heat Winner), Spencer Bayston (Indy Race Parts Fourth Heat Winner & KSE Racing Products Hard Charger) and Ryan Robinson (Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher).

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USAC P1 INSURANCE MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: July 10, 2018 - Red Dirt Raceway - Meeker, Oklahoma - "Tuesday Night Thunder"

QUALIFYING: 1. Christopher Bell, 21, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-13.558 (New Track Record); 2. Tanner Carrick, 71K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-13.597; 3. Zane Hendricks, 27z, Tucker/Boat-13.628; 4. Logan Seavey, 67, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-13.647; 5. Justin Grant, 17BC, Clauson/Marshall/Wood-13.697; 6. Brady Bacon, 76m, FMR-13.727; 7. Tyler Courtney, 7BC, Clauson/Marshall-13.767; 8. Ryan Robinson, 71, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-13.837; 9. Jonathan Beason, 8K, Hard Eight-13.880; 10. Jerry Coons, Jr., 25, Petry/Goff-13.881; 11. Jason McDougal, 15, Petry/Goff-13.898; 12. Cole Bodine, 39BC, Clauson/Marshall-14.081; 13. Ace McCarthy, 28, Two-Eight-14.092; 14. Dave Darland, 85, Central-14.122; 15. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 63, Dooling-14.137; 16. Holly Shelton, 67K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.216; 17. Kyle Craker, 76E, FMR-14.260; 18. Tyler Thomas, 91T, Thomas-14.274; 19. Travis Scott, 2s, Scott-14.332; 20. Spencer Bayston, 97, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.443; 21. Chad Boat, 84, Tucker/Boat-14.461; 22. Cannon McIntosh, 08, McIntosh-14.472; 23. Tucker Klaasmeyer, 27, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.483; 24. Trey Marcham, 32, Marcham-14.508; 25. Holley Hollan, 14, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.559; 26. Maria Cofer, 35, Petry/Goff-14.607; 27. Sam Johnson, 72, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.693; 28. Brayton Lynch, 1K, RKR-14.799; 29. Payton Pierce, 77, Simmons-14.915; 30. Todd McVay, 89JR, McVay-15.098; 31. Curtis Spicer, 4, Spicer-16.117; 32. Shaun Shapel, 84s, Shapel-17.065; 33. Brett Becker, 2B, Becker-NT.

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer) 1. Boat, 2. Bell, 3. Grant, 4. McCarthy, 5. Craker, 6. Beason, 7. Hollan, 8. Pierce, 9. Becker. NT

COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI) SECOND HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer) 1. T. Thomas, 2. McIntosh, 3. Darland, 4. Bacon, 5. Coons, 6. Carrick, 7. Cofer, 8. McVay. 2:24.03

CHALK STIX THIRD HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer) 1. Klaasmeyer, 2. K. Thomas, 3. McDougal, 4. Courtney, 5. Johnson, 6. Scott, 7. Spicer, 8. Hendricks. NT

INDY RACE PARTS FOURTH HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer) 1. Bayston, 2. Shelton, 3. Robinson, 4. Seavey, 5. Bodine, 6. Marcham, 7. Lynch. 2:25.98

SEMI: (12 laps, top-6 transfer) 1. Carrick, 2. Coons, 3. Craker, 4. Beason, 5. Hendricks, 6. Cofer, 7. Johnson, 8. Hollan, 9. Scott, 10. Becker, 11. Pierce, 12. Lynch, 13. Marcham, 14. Spicer, 15. Bodine, 16. McVay. NT

FEATURE: (30 laps, starting position in parentheses) 1. Christopher Bell (6), 2. Logan Seavey (5), 3. Tanner Carrick (7), 4. Jerry Coons, Jr. (10), 5. Brady Bacon (3), 6. Justin Grant (4), 7. Jason McDougal (11), 8. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (14), 9. Spencer Bayston (18), 10. Tyler Courtney (2), 11. Chad Boat (19), 12. Holly Shelton (15), 13. Ryan Robinson (1), 14. Tucker Klaasmeyer (21), 15. Tyler Thomas (17), 16. Brayton Lynch (24), 17. Jonathan Beason (9), 18. Cannon McIntosh (20), 19. Zane Hendricks (8), 20. Kyle Craker (16), 21. Cole Bodine (23), 22. Ace McCarthy (12), 23. Maria Cofer (22), 24. Dave Darland (13). NT
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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Lap 1 Robinson, Lap 2 Carrick, Laps 3-5 Robinson, Laps 6-18 Seavey, Laps 19-30 Bell.

KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER: Spencer Bayston (18th to 9th)

WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Ryan Robinson

NEW USAC P1 INSURANCE MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Seavey-465, 2-Bayston-435,3-Boat-435, 4-Courtney-408, 5-Bacon-399, 6-K. Thomas-388, 7-Grant-387, 8-Zeb Wise-369, 9-Robinson-353, 10-Carrick-326.

NEXT USAC P1 INSURANCE MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: July 11 - Solomon Valley Raceway - Beloit, Kansas - 9th Annual "Chad McDaniel Memorial"

Categories : Midgets, News, Short Track, USAC
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Driven2SaveLives BC39

IMS TO BUILD DIRT TRACK, HOST LUCRATIVE USAC MIDGET EVENT SEPT. 5-6

INDIANAPOLIS, Tuesday, June 26, 2018 - The Indianapolis Motor Speedway will add to its luster as the Racing Capital of the World with the construction of a quarter-mile dirt track inside its famous oval, hosting a United States Auto Club Midget National Championship event during Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard Powered by Florida Georgia Line race week in early September.

Race week for the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard powered by Florida Georgia Line will feature an even wider variety of thrilling action with the USAC P1 Insurance Midget National Championship competing in a two-night spectacular event, the Driven2SaveLives BC39, on Wednesday, Sept. 5 and Thursday, Sept. 6. The event honors late USAC champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 starter Bryan Clauson and increases awareness of Indiana Donor Network and Driven2SaveLives.

The Driven2SaveLives BC39 will include a unique format ending with a 39-lap feature Sept. 6 in the richest Midget racing event in recent history. The event will feature more than $70,000 in purse and incentives, including a $15,000 winner's purse - the largest in Midget racing.

Dirt and asphalt racers from around the country have expressed interest in the event, with a large and diverse field - including NASCAR Cup Series drivers - expected to compete.

"This is an exciting new chapter of the longtime relationship between USAC and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and reinforces the connection between short-track racing and this facility," IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. "The Speedway truly is The Greatest Race Course in the World, and adding a dirt track will create even more opportunities for fans to enjoy the magic of IMS. We can't wait to see some of the best drivers and teams in America compete here during Brickyard race week."

Construction of The Dirt Track at IMS, located inside Turn 3 of the oval, started last week with the first loads of Indiana clay arriving for grading. Concrete walls and safety fencing will be constructed during the summer, and portable lights will illuminate the track.

Reece O'Connor of Kokomo (Indiana) Speedway is overseeing the track design and layout and supervising the construction. Allegiant International, a multinational advisory and consultancy firm based in Indianapolis, is facilitating the project.

The United States Auto Club and IMS were synonymous for many years after the sanctioning body was formed in 1956 by IMS owner Tony Hulman. USAC was the sanctioning body for the Indianapolis 500 from 1956 through 1997.

"Over the years, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has played such a critical part not only in the formation but also the successful growth of the United States Auto Club," USAC President/CEO Kevin Miller said. "Our roots originated at IMS, and our passion continues to reside here. To have USAC return to hosting a race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a historic and exciting new chapter for our Midget series. We are beyond thrilled for both our competitors and fans to add this race to our 2018 calendar."

Ticket prices will range from $35-50 and go on sale in mid-July. Camping also will be available. Visit www.ims.com/bc39 for more information about this event and to learn when tickets become available.

Indiana Donor Network, which oversees and coordinates organ, tissue and eye donation across the state, launched Driven2SaveLives in April 2016 with Verizon IndyCar Series driver Stefan Wilson to promote donation and transplantation awareness around the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500. At the time, the campaign honored Stefan's late brother, IndyCar race winner Justin Wilson, who died in August 2015 from injuries he sustained in a race crash and saved five lives as an organ donor.

Three-time USAC Midget and two-time USAC Sprint Car national champion Clauson, a versatile and beloved driver, died in August 2016 following a race accident. As a registered donor, he went on to save five lives as an organ donor and continues to heal the lives of countless others as a tissue donor. In January 2017, Indiana Donor Network partnered with Clauson-Marshall Racing and expanded Driven2SaveLives into dirt track racing in honor of Clauson.

Categories : Midgets, News, Short Track, USAC
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Jun
20

Birthday Boy Bailey Wins at Bethel

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ATQMRA


Birthday Boy Bailey Wins at Bethel
Hoosier Tire Mid Atlantic ATQMRA Powered by VP

Bethel, NY June 16 - This weekend the Hoosier Mid-Atlantic ATQMRA powered by VP Racing Fuel took a scenic trip up to the Catskills, NY for the first event of the year at Bethel Motor Speedway. This was a special night for the ATQMRA, as the history of Pine Brook Speedway was celebrated amongst the pit area.

A buzz was in the air prior to the cars hitting the track, as the news broke Friday afternoon that ATQMRA Champion Mike Tidaback would be in attendance with his wife Renee and son Mikey Jr. Tidaback, who is still recovering from an on-track incident in this year's annual Gambler Classic in Atlantic City, NJ, was in great spirits at the track this evening. Tidaback, along with his son Mikey not only gave the command to fire engines for the 30-lap feature event, but also enjoyed three parade laps in the speedway's pace car to the delight of the crowd. Tidaback's #11 modified which he most recently raced at Wall Stadium Speedway was on hand to pace the field of ATQMRA competitors as well.

The Mullen family, with son Cole led the field to green with his father Ronnie starting on the outside front-row. Heat race #1 winner Matt Janisch started 7th, and heat race #2 winner Joey Bailey started both due to handicapping.

The action was fierce right from the drop of the green flag as multi-car incident involving the likes of unofficial teammates Kris Graver and Matt Janisch resulted in Graver facing the wrong way in the speedway's infield just shy of the first corner. Graver would retire from the event as Janisch would continue on. Buddy Sload was plagued with engine issues during his heat race, and the issues continued into the feature. During the caution laps prior to what would be a complete restart of the event, Sload's Spitfire Chassis would also retire from the event without officially completing a lap.

The drivers did not skip a beat as Brick, New Jersey's Cole Mullen led the field back to the green flag and showed strength in the early going. However, C. Mullen was no match for both Joey Bailey and Ryan Tidman, who would soon overtake Mullen for the top spot.
For much of the race, the battle for the lead was between Bailey, Tidman and Janisch. With even times of side by side action for the lead, the leaders put on quite the show as they began to slice and dice through lapped traffic.

The second and final caution of the evening was displayed with seventeen laps remaining, as Dave Williams, making his 2018 ATQMRA debut found himself in trouble in the middle of turns one and two.
This caution would set the stage for a thrilling restart, featuring a drag race between Bailey and Tidman down the backstretch on the first green flag lap following the restart. Bailey would eventually clear Tidman off of turn four and never look back. Janisch would make a late charge for the lead in the closing laps but was no match for Bailey. This would result in the third, second place finish for Janisch in four ATQMRA events this season.

Joey Bailey would ultimately capture an emotional victory on the eve of his 21stbirthday. This was Bailey's first ATQMRA feature win since his victory at Stafford Motor Speedway in October of 2016. Furthermore, Bailey earned his first trophy racing for Alan Mollot.

As for other notables from the event, Ronnie Mullen had his most impressive showing of the year as he showed speed throughout the entire day. After finishing second in his heat race, R. Mullen brought his Spitfire Chassis home in sixth, his best finish to date this season.
Mark Yoder returned after a one race absence as he attended the Indianapolis 500 with his family this past Memorial Day. Yoder, who overcame an oil leak during the first practice session, finished a respectable seventh.

Paul Dodorico made his second start of the season in his home state of New York brought his car home in eighth. Dodorico, showed great improvement from his first career ATQMRA start at Wall Stadium last month as he continues to progress in his first season racing TQ Midgets.

Through four events this year, the Hoosier Mid-Atlantic ATQMRA powered by VP Racing Fuel has featured four different feature winners. The series now heads into the off-week prior to the fifth race on the 2018 calendar at Mahoning Valley Speedway, PA on June 30th, 2018.

Heat 1 Race Results

1. #48 Matt Janisch
2. #1B Ryan Tidman
3. #51 Kris Graver
4. #73x Cole Mullen
5. #55 Paul Dodorico
6. #11 Dave Williams

Heat 2 Race Results

1. #51B Joey Bailey
2. #17 Ronnie Mullen
3. #48 Tim Proctor
4. #36 Buddy Sload
5. #75 Mark Yoder

Feature Race Results

1. #51B Joey Bailey
2. #48 Matt Janisch
3. #1B Ryan Tidman
4. #98 Tim Proctor
5. #73x Cole Mullen
6. #17 Ronnie Mullen
7. #75 Mark Yoder
8. #55 Paul Dodorico
9. #11 Dave Williams
10. #36 Buddy Sload
11. #51 Kris Graver

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Categories : ATQMRA, Midgets, News, Short Track
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BRIGHT GRABS BAPS 20-LAP EASTERN MIDGET

York Haven, PA........Alex Bright of Royersford, Pa. won Sunday night's 20-lap USAC Eastern Midget feature at BAPS Motor Speedway, leading the final 17 laps after passing Ryan Greth on lap four. Steve Buckwalter took second at the checkered flag ahead of Greth, Kenny Miller and new series point leader Andrew Layser.

USAC EASTERN MIDGET CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: June 17, 2018 - York Haven, Pennsylvania - BAPS Motor Speedway

FEATURE: (20 laps) 1. Alex Bright (#77 Bright), 2. Steve Buckwalter (#0 Buckwalter), 3. Ryan Greth (#4 Lesher), 4. Kenny Miller (#23m Miller), 5. Andrew Layser (#35 Bright), 6. Steve Craig (#55 Craig), 7. Jason Rice (#57 Rice), 8. Brett Arndt (#12 Heckman), 9. Reed Salony (#22 Salony), 10. Kevin Thomas Jr. (#77x Bright), 11. Ryan Wilson (#29 Wilson), 12. Brett Conkling (#0nj Conkling), 13. Shawn Jackson (#7s Jackson). NT
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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-3 Greth, Laps 4-20 Bright.

NEW USAC EASTERN MIDGET CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Layser-540, 2-Jackson-534, 3-Greth-511, 4-Bright-500, 5-Miller-500, 6-Conkling-327, 7-Mike Meyers-303, 8-Adam Pierson-288, 9-Tommy Kunsman Jr.-267, 10-S.Buckwalter-250.

NEXT USAC EASTERN MIDGET CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: July 6 - Jonesville, PA - Linda's Speedway

Categories : Midgets, News, Short Track, USAC
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POWRi Racing

Seavey Takes Night Three of POWRi Illinois SPEED Week

Jacksonville, IL - At the end of the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League show at Jacksonville Speedway, Logan Seavey stood victorious for his fourth career win with the League. Seavey's victory came in the third night of the Sixth Annual POWRi Illinois SPEED Week. Tanner Thorson, the SPEED Week point leader heading into Jacksonville Speedway dropped out with mechanical woes in the feature event, deflating any chances he had of going three-in-a-row.

Starting ninth on the grid, Seavey went to work at the drop of the green flag while his fellow Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports teammate Tucker Klaasmeyer jockeyed for the lead with Tanner Thorson who led the opening lap. Taking control on lap two, Klaasmeyer commanded an impressive lead as Seavey worked through the field. By the red on lap ten for a gaggle of cars, including eventual second place finisher Ryan Robinson, Klaasmeyer had already approached traffic.

On the restart, Thorson fell off pace and was forced to the work area, but the issues the team suffered were enough to relegate them to the pit area for the rest of the event, ending his bid. Coming back to green, Klaasmeyer distanced himself from the field, but on lap 16 the red was displayed for Terry Babb who flipped after making contact with Brayton Lynch who jumped the cushion in turns three and four. Cannon McIntosh also was collected.

Returning to racing, Seavey sat in third behind Klaasmeyer and Tanner Carrick. After catching Klaasmeyer, Seavey engaged Klaasmeyer in series of slide jobs, but coming out of four on lap 22, neither driver was willing to give an inch, resulting in contact and a flat right rear for Klaasmeyer after brushing the outside wall.

Coming to the restart, Seavey held the top position to the checkered with Ryan Robinson and Zach Daum in tow. Joe B. Miller took fourth, with Karter Sarff in fifth.
"Our car was really, really good there," stated Logan Seavey. "Never like getting into our teammate there, but I felt like I did everything I could there. I'll watch the video, but I felt like he probably should have crossed me over. If it's my fault, I take full responsibility. Overall, just happy get these KKM cars back in victory lane."

"We were really good there," said Ryan Robinson. "It kind of sucked turning over in the first few laps, but I knew we had a really fast car and I knew we could get right back up there."

"I guess we're getting a little closer," commented Zach Daum. "It was just fun to watch these idiots try to take each other out there."

Midgets

Speedway Motors Heat Race Winners:
Heat 1: 71K - TANNER CARRICK,
Heat 2: 27 - TUCKER KLAASMEYER,
Heat 3: 71 - RYAN ROBINSON,
Heat 4: 3C - TANNER THORSON,
Heat 5: 9K - KYLE SCHUETT

Toyota Semi Feature Winners: 72 - SAM JOHNSON, 22 - ANDY MALPOCKER

Mesilla Valley Transportation Feature Winner: 67 - LOGAN SEAVEY

POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League Feature Results (30 laps): 1. 67 - LOGAN SEAVEY 2. 71 - RYAN ROBINSON 3. 5D - ZACH DAUM 4. 51B - JOE B MILLER 5. 21KS - KARTER SARFF 6. 71K - TANNER CARRICK 7. 9K - KYLE SCHUETT 8. 79 - BLAKE CARRICK 9. 21T - TYLER SEAVEY 10. 32 -TREY MARCHAM 11. 22 - ANDY MALPOCKER 12. 103 - BROC HUNNELL 13. 27 - TUCKER KLAASMEYER 14. 1K - BRAYTON LYNCH 15. 37 - TERRY BABB 16. 08 - CANNON MCINTOSH 17. 91 - SHANE COCKRUM 18. 91T - TYLER THOMAS 19. 3C - TANNER THORSON 20. 72 - SAM JOHNSON 21. 7 - AUSTIN BROWN 22. 2 - RYAN HALL 23. 3N - JAKE NEUMAN

For further information, visit www.powri.com, "Like" POWRi on Facebook and follow @POWRi_Racing on Twitter.

Categories : Midgets, News, POWRi, Short Track
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POWRi Racing

Thorson Goes Two-in-a-Row in POWRi Illinois SPEED Week Competition

Brownstown, IL - If there was any question about last night's dominating performance with the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League at Belle-Clair Speedway in the opening night of the Sixth Annual POWRi Illinois SPEED Week, Tanner Thorson doubled down and won night two at Fayette County Speedway. By virtue of the pole position after earning high point honors, Thorson led every lap of the feature event, stretching his lead during long green flag runs.

Enduring three yellows and one open red, Thorson handily covered the competition while the battle for position from second through fifth intensified. Eventual second place finisher Tanner Carrick fended off fellow Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports teammates Logan Seavey and Tucker Klaasmeyer, as well as Clauson-Marshall's Zeb Wise, throughout much of the feature event. Defending POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League champion Logan Seavey narrowly held off and shut out a hard charging Zach Daum from taking the final podium position in the final lap.

With 22 laps completed, Ace McCarthy took a hard ride in turns three and four, flipping end over end, collecting Presley Truedson who had nowhere to go. Karter Sarff and Trey Marcham were also involved. McCarthy's flip resulted in an open red, stopping the action and setting up an eight lap mad dash to the finish.

In the final laps, Thorson still had the field covered, while Tanner Carrick took second and Logan Seavey narrowly edged Zach Daum for third. Zeb Wise finished fifth. Thorson's POWRi Illinois SPEED Week victory was the 18th of his career and his eighth POWRi Illinois SPEED Week win.

"This 3C has been on rails the last few weeks we've been out here," said Tanner Thorson. "I can't thank this team enough, they built one bad to the bone piece. Between our motor package, shock package and chassis, we've got a pretty awesome piece. I can't wait for tomorrow night."

"He was pretty good on the restarts," commented Tanner Carrick. "We were pretty good early in the race, but once the track got slick and we got up top, we were a second place car. If I didn't make that mistake on the last couple of laps, I might have had a chance to get back up to him, but I don't know."

"That was a lot of fun," said Logan Seavey. "There's a lot of people complaining on social media right now about midget racing, but I think that was a heck of a race there. Second through fifth were all really hard, clean racing. I just have to thank my team for giving me a great racecar. I just took way too long to get into rhythm."

Midgets

Speedway Motors Heat Race Winners:
Heat 1: 08 - CANNON MCINTOSH,
Heat 2: 9K - KYLE SCHUETT,
Heat 3: 71 - RYAN ROBINSON,
Heat 4: 67 -LOGAN SEAVEY,
Heat 5: 39BC - ZEB WISE
Toyota Semi Feature Winners: 28M - ACE MCCARTHY, 21KS - KARTER SARFF

Mesilla Valley Transportation Feature Winner: 3C - TANNER THORSON

POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League Feature Results (30 laps): 1. 3C - TANNER THORSON 2. 71K - TANNER CARRICK 3. 67 -LOGAN SEAVEY 4. 5D - ZACH DAUM 5. 39BC - ZEB WISE 6. 27 - TUCKER KLAASMEYER 7. 71 - RYAN ROBINSON 8. 91T - TYLER THOMAS 9. 7BC - COLE BODINE 10. 91 - SHANE COCKRUM 11. 9K - KYLE SCHUETT 12. 08 - CANNON MCINTOSH 13. 21KS - KARTER SARFF 14. 72 - SAM JOHNSON 15. 77 - ALEX BRIGHT 16. 22 - ANDY MALPOCKER 17. 14JR - HOLLEY HOLLAN 18. 51B - JOE B MILLER 19. 32 - TREY MARCHAM 20. 28M - ACE MCCARTHY 21. 5T - PRESLEY TRUEDSON 22. 3N - JAKE NEUMAN 23. 7F - ANDREW FELKER

For further information, visit www.powri.com, "Like" POWRi on Facebook and follow @POWRi_Racing on Twitter.

Categories : Midgets, News, POWRi, Short Track
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