KOKOMO TO DECIDE 2021 USAC INDIANA MIDGET WEEK CHAMPION ON SATURDAY
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Kokomo, Indiana (June 9, 2021)………The championship decider for USAC’s Indiana Midget Week comes down to the one and only Kokomo Speedway this Saturday night, June 12, to cap off the eighth and final race of the 2021 mini-series for the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midgets.
The track has been conducive to producing some of the most spectacular moments and finishes in Indiana Midget Week history, with the most recent of those coming just last year.
Tanner Thorson’s charge late in the going allowed him to score a narrow victory in the Kokomo IMW round of 2020. The 2016 USAC National Midget champion who hails from Minden, Nev. finished 7th at Kokomo’s IMW that same year, was 8th in 2014 and 9th in 2017.
Kevin Thomas Jr. (Cullman, Ala.) has secured multiple USAC National Midget feature wins at Kokomo in his career, including a last lap victory during the Kokomo Grand Prix in 2019, which followed up a stirring drive in the 2018 Indiana Midget Week race in which he reigned victorious. The 2016 Kokomo Sprint Car track champion also owns three USAC National Sprint Car wins at Kokomo.
Brady Bacon’s success at Kokomo dates back to 2006 where he was the victor of his first career USAC National Midget race during IMW at the age of 16. The Broken Arrow, Okla. driver’s list of accomplishments at the 1/4-mile dirt oval spans more than a decade-and-a-half with a two-night sweep of the Kokomo Grand Prix in 2017 and recently locking up the 2020 sprint car track championship. In IMW at Kokomo, the three-time USAC National Sprint Car titlist has been the fast qualifier in 2008, and finished 4th in 2016, 5th in 2017, 6th in 2013 and 2018, and 10th in 2014.
Like Bacon, Emerson Axsom (Franklin, Ind.) burst onto the scene with a first career USAC National Midget victory at Kokomo, doing so earlier this year on April 30. For the 16-year-old, it was just his second career start in any type of car at Kokomo Speedway.
Chris Windom (Canton, Ill.) followed up the next night on May 1 of this year with his second career win in USAC National Midget competition at Kokomo. In fact, he’s now won two of the last three series races at the track, having won last September’s Double Double. The 2010 and 2018 Kokomo Sprint Car track champ owns three USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car wins at Kokomo. His Kokomo IMW resume includes a 3rd in 2020, 5th in 2012, 6th in 2011 and 10th in 2008. Windom also possesses a USAC Regional Midget win at Kokomo from 2016.
Thomas Meseraull (San Jose, Calif.) won the USAC Regional Midget portion of the Kokomo Klash in 2020. He’s the owner of three career USAC National Sprint Car wins at the track and has finished inside the top-ten during Indiana Midget Week at Kokomo on two occasions, 9th in both 2010 and 2020.
Justin Grant (Ione, Calif.) is a two-time track champion at Kokomo in 2017 and 2019, owning a single USAC National Sprint Car win to his credit. He also collected a Kokomo sprint car victory at BC’s Indiana Double in late May. The reigning USAC Silver Crown champ turned in a best Kokomo IMW performance of 4th in 2017.
Logan Seavey (Sutter, Calif.) has seen success as both a USAC National Midget champ (2018) and an Indiana Midget Week champ (2019). He also knows success at Kokomo, having won a USAC National Sprint Car race there in 2019 and a 3rd place finish during the Indiana Midget Week round of his championship season in 2018.
Kyle Cummins (Princeton, Ind.) has racked up three career USAC National Sprint Car victories at Kokomo, including his first in 2016. He recently debuted in USAC National Midget victory lane with his first win with the series last Sunday at Tri-State Speedway. At Kokomo during 2020 IMW, Cummins finished an impressive 5th and recently took the checkered again at Kokomo with a May Sprint Car win during the Kokomo Grand Prix.
Returning Kokomo Indiana Midget Week starters ready to rock in this Saturday’s finale include Broken Arrow, Oklahoma’s Jason McDougal (3rd in 2018); Royersford, Pennsylvania’s Steve Buckwalter (8th in 2008 & 2011); Penngrove, California’s Buddy Kofoid (10th in 2020); St. Peters, Missouri’s Sam Johnson (11th in 2018); Bixby, Oklahoma’s Cannon McIntosh (12th in 2020); Locust Grove, Oklahoma’s Daison Pursley (15th in 2020); Muskogee, Oklahoma’s Kaylee Bryson (17th in 2020); Rossville, Indiana’s Cole Bodine (18th in 2020); Mooresville, North Carolina’s Ethan Mitchell (19th in 2020); and Olathe, Kansas’ Tyler Nelson (20th in 2016 & 2018).
An impressive crop of first-time Indiana Midget Week competitors are set to finish out their first experience with the eight-race series in 2021, some of whom do have a bit of Kokomo USAC Midget experience in last September’s event. Brenham Crouch (Lubbock, Texas) was 12th; Bryant Wiedeman (Colby, Kan.) was 14th; Chase Randall (Waco, Texas) was 19th; and Hayden Reinbold (Gilbert, Ariz.) was 22nd.
They’ll be joined by first-time Kokomo competitors Brian Carber (Lewisberry, Pa.), Trey Gropp (Lincoln, Neb.), Corey Day (Clovis, Calif.), Hayden Williams (Auckland, N.Z.), Chance Crum (Snohomish, Wash.), Blake Brannon (Morgan Hill, Calif.) and more.
Saturday’s Indiana Midget Week round at Kokomo Speedway will feature the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship and the Kokomo Sprint Cars.
You can save $5 with purchase of advance tickets at www.TracPass.com. Tickets and pit passes will also be sold at the gate where general admission tickets are $30, kids aged 12 and under are free. Pit passes are $35.
Pits open at 3pm EDT with grandstands opening at 3pm, drivers meeting at 5:30pm and hot laps at 6pm.
Every Indiana Midget Week event will be streamed LIVE on FloRacing at https://bit.ly/3dgONXz.
2021 INDIANA MIDGET WEEK SCHEDULE:
Jun 3: Paragon Speedway – Paragon, IN
Jun 4: Bloomington Speedway – Bloomington, IN
Jun 5: Lawrenceburg Speedway – Lawrenceburg, IN
Jun 6: Tri-State Speedway – Haubstadt, IN
Jun 9: Circle City Raceway – Indianapolis, IN
Jun 10: Lincoln Park Speedway – Putnamville, IN
Jun 11: Gas City I-69 Speedway – Gas City, IN
Jun 12: Kokomo Speedway – Kokomo, IN
KOKOMO INDIANA MIDGET WEEK WINS:
3-Bryan Clauson
1-Rico Abreu, Brady Bacon, Spencer Bayston, Christopher Bell, Brad Kuhn, Kyle Larson, Michael Pickens, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kevin Thomas, Jr. & Tanner Thorson
KOKOMO INDIANA MIDGET WEEK WINNERS:
2006: Brady Bacon (8/20)
2007: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (8/12)
2008: Bryan Clauson (8/10)
2009: Bryan Clauson (6/14)
2010: Brad Kuhn (6/20)
2011: Michael Pickens (6/12)
2012: Kyle Larson (6/17)
2013: Christopher Bell (6/16)
2014: Bryan Clauson (6/15)
2016: Rico Abreu (6/5)
2017: Spencer Bayston (6/11)
2018: Kevin Thomas Jr. (6/3)
2020: Tanner Thorson (6/21)
KOKOMO USAC NATIONAL MIDGET WINS:
7-Rich Vogler
6-Mel Kenyon
3-Rico Abreu, Brady Bacon, Bryan Clauson, Jimmy Davies & Bob Wente
2-Chuck Arnold, Tyler Courtney, Bobby Grim, Page Jones, Mike McGreevy, Ken Schrader, Bob Tattersall, Kevin Thomas, Jr. & Chris Windom
1-Tommy Astone, Emerson Axsom, Spencer Bayston, Christopher Bell, Tom Bigelow, Bud Bogard, Frank Burany, Pancho Carter, Danny Caruthers, Jimmy Caruthers, Tommy Copp, Rex Easton, Tony Elliott, Billy Engelhart, Gene Force, Darren Hagen, Gene Hartley, Jack Hewitt, Tracy Hines, Brad Kuhn, Lee Kunzman, Kyle Larson, Critter Malone, Don Meacham, Jerry Nuckles, Forrest Parker, Michael Pickens, Ron Shuman, Graham Standring, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Mike Streicher, Dave Strickland, Len Sutton, Shorty Templeman, Tanner Thorson, Sleepy Tripp, Jerry Weeks & J.J. Yeley
KOKOMO USAC NATIONAL MIDGET WINNERS:
1956: Forrest Parker (7/28)
1957: Len Sutton (6/23) & Rex Easton (8/17)
1958: Frank Burany (5/24)
1959: Gene Force (5/29) & Shorty Templeman (7/12)
1960: Jimmy Davies (5/29), Bod Bogard (6/25), Gene Hartley (7/24) & Bob Wente (8/13)
1961: Jimmy Davies (5/29) & Jimmy Davies (7/30)
1962: Tommy Copp (6/30) & Bob Tattersall (7/29)
1964: Bob Wente (7/11)
1965: Mel Kenyon (5/30), Bobby Grim (6/26) & Bobby Grim (7/24)
1966: Chuck Arnold (5/29) & Bob Tattersall (8/27)
1967: Mike McGreevy (5/29), Chuck Arnold (6/17) & Mike McGreevy (7/22)
1968: Bob Wente (6/30) & Don Meacham (7/21)
1969: Lee Kunzman (5/31)
1970: Dave Strickland (5/30) & Tom Bigelow (8/1)
1971: Danny Caruthers (7/16) & Jimmy Caruthers (8/7)
1972: Pancho Carter (8/26)
1973: Billy Engelhart (7/14)
1975: Sleepy Tripp (7/9)
1976: Tommy Astone (7/7)
1977: Mel Kenyon (7/13)
1978: Ron Shuman (8/23) & Jerry Weeks (8/23)
1979: Mel Kenyon (6/14) & Mel Kenyon (7/11)
1980: Rich Vogler (6/11) & Rich Vogler (7/10)
1981: Rich Vogler (6/10) & Ken Schrader (7/8)
1982: Ken Schrader (6/10) & Mel Kenyon (7/7)
1983: Rich Vogler (6/8) & Rich Vogler (7/13)
1984: Jerry Nuckles (6/6)
1985: Rich Vogler (6/29)
1987: Mel Kenyon (6/24)
1988: Mike Streicher (6/22) & Rich Vogler (8/17)
1990: Graham Standring (8/8)
1991: Jack Hewitt (8/7)
1992: Page Jones (8/19)
1993: Critter Malone (8/11)
1994: Page Jones (7/27)
1995: Tony Elliott (8/23)
2000: Tracy Hines (8/27)
2003: J.J. Yeley (6/15)
2006: Brady Bacon (8/20)
2007: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (8/12)
2008: Bryan Clauson (8/10)
2009: Bryan Clauson (6/14)
2010: Brad Kuhn (6/20)
2011: Michael Pickens (6/12)
2012: Kyle Larson (6/17)
2013: Christopher Bell (6/16)
2014: Rico Abreu (4/11), Rico Abreu (4/12) & Bryan Clauson (6/15)
2015: Darren Hagen (4/11)
2016: Rico Abreu (6/5)
2017: Brady Bacon (4/8), Brady Bacon (4/9) & Spencer Bayston (6/11)
2018: Tyler Courtney (4/13) & Kevin Thomas Jr. (6/3)
2019: Tyler Courtney (4/5) & Kevin Thomas Jr. (4/6)
2020: Tanner Thorson (6/21) & Chris Windom (9/26)
2021: Emerson Axsom (4/30) & Chris Windom (5/1)
TRACK RECORDS FOR USAC NATIONAL MIDGETS AT KOKOMO SPEEDWAY:
1 Lap - 4/5/2019 - Dillon Welch 12.665 - 71.062 mph
8 Laps - 6/20/2010 - Steve Buckwalter - 1:51.62 - 64.505 mph
10 Laps - 4/5/2019 - Tanner Carrick - 2:10.06 - 69.199 mph
12 Laps - 4/13/2018 - Holly Shelton - 2:46.01 - 65.056 mph
PAST INDIANA MIDGET WEEK FEATURE RESULTS AT KOKOMO SPEEDWAY:
2006 FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Brady Bacon, 2. Jon Stanbrough, 3. Jeremy Warren, 4. Shane Cottle, 5. Dave Darland, 6. Levi Jones, 7. Bryan Clauson, 8. Darren Hagen, 9. Jerry Coons Jr., 10. Cole Carter, 11. Brad Loyet, 12. Dustin Morgan, 13. Jay Drake, 14. Michael Lewis, 15. Josh Wise, 16. Michael Pickens, 17. Chase Barber, 18. Joe Liguori, 19. Adam Barth, 20. Tom Hessert III, 21. Brad Mosen, 22. Tracy Hines. NT
2007 FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 2. Kevin Swindell, 3. Brad Loyet, 4. Jerry Coons Jr., 5. Dave Darland, 6. Brad Sweet, 7. Shane Hollingsworth, 8. Chuck Gurney Jr., 9. Darren Hagen, 10. Levi Jones, 11. Brady Bacon, 12. Shane Cottle, 13. Cole Carter, 14. Gary Altig, 15. Brad Mosen, 16. Chris Windom, 17. Tony Elliott, 18. A.J. Felker, 19. Danny Stratton, 20. Brad Kuhn, 21. Cole Whitt, 22. Davey Ray, 23. Gary Taylor. NT
2008 FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Bryan Clauson, 2. Tracy Hines, 3. Jerry Coons Jr., 4. Cole Whitt, 5. Levi Jones, 6. Bobby East, 7. Brad Loyet, 8. Steve Buckwalter, 9. Darren Hagen, 10. Chris Windom, 11. Brad Kuhn, 12. Danny Stratton, 13. Josh Ford, 14. Shane Cottle, 15. Garrett Hansen, 16. Ricky Ehrgott, 17. Brady Bacon, 18. Dustin Morgan, 19. Brad Sweet, 20. Chad Boat, 21. Davey Ray, 22. Robert Ballou, 23. Zach Daum, 24. Dave Darland. NT
2009 FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Bryan Clauson, 2. Dave Darland, 3. Brad Kuhn, 4. Cole Whitt, 5. Kevin Swindell, 6. Kody Swanson, 7. Tracy Hines, 8. Jerry Coons Jr., 9. Brent Beauchamp, 10. Caleb Armstrong, 11. Levi Jones, 12. Dene McAllan, 13. Thomas Meseraull, 14. Dakoda Armstrong, 15. Steve Buckwalter, 16. Henry Clarke, 17. Zach Daum, 18. Shane Hmiel, 19. Josh Wise, 20. Bobby East, 21. Darren Hagen, 22. Chad Boat, 23. Brad Sweet. NT
2010 FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Brad Kuhn, 2. Brad Sweet, 3. Bryan Clauson, 4. Darren Hagen, 5. Tracy Hines, 6. Brad Loyet, 7. Jerry Coons Jr., 8. Chad Boat, 9. Thomas Meseraull, 10. Shane Hmiel, 11. Matt Smith, 12. Zach Daum, 13. Levi Jones, 14. Chase Barber, 15. Mario Clouser, 16. Henry Clarke, 17. Bobby East, 18. Steve Buckwalter, 19. Kent Schmidt, 20. Dave Darland, 21. Caleb Armstrong, 22. Shane Cottle. NT
2011 FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Michael Pickens, 2. Tracy Hines, 3. Kyle Larson, 4. Brad Kuhn, 5. Bryan Clauson, 6. Chris Windom, 7. Zach Daum, 8. Steve Buckwalter, 9. Bobby East, 10. Blake Fitzpatrick, 11. Levi Roberts, 12. Darren Hagen, 13. Dalton Armstrong, 14. Matt Smith, 15. Mario Clouser, 16. Chase Barber, 17. Jimmy Simpson, 18. Trevor Kobylarz, 19. Thomas Meseraull, 20. Caleb Armstrong, 21. Danny Stratton, 22. Shane Cottle, 23. Shane Hollingsworth. NT
2012 FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Kyle Larson, 2. Bryan Clauson, 3. Tracy Hines, 4. Brad Kuhn, 5. Chris Windom, 6. Darren Hagen, 7. Jerry Coons Jr., 8.Dave Darland, 9. Scott Hatton, 10. Rico Abreu, 11. Caleb Armstrong, 12. Dalton Armstrong, 13. Steve Buckwalter, 14. Davey Ray, 15. Trevor Kobylarz, 16. Nathan Smee, 17. Dillon Welch, 18. Michael Pickens, 19. Levi Jones, 20. Mario Clouser, 21. Thomas Meseraull, 22. Alex Bright, 23. Chase Barber, 24. Zach Daum. NT
2013 FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Christopher Bell, 2. Kyle Larson, 3. Caleb Armstrong, 4. Brad Mosen, 5. Zach Daum, 6. Brady Bacon, 7. Bryan Clauson, 8. Jerry Coons Jr., 9. Darren Hagen, 10. Kevin Thomas Jr., 11. Andrew Felker, 12. Dave Darland, 13. Davey Ray, 14. Tyler Thomas, 15. Ryan Criswell, 16. Austin Brown, 17. Jaimie McKinlay, 18. Dillon Welch, 19. Tanner Thorson, 20. Alex Bright, 21. Rico Abreu, 22. Bobby East, 23. Tracy Hines, 24. Brad Kuhn. NT
2014 FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Bryan Clauson, 2. Tracy Hines, 3. Rico Abreu, 4. Dave Darland, 5. Zach Daum, 6. Michael Pickens, 7. Kevin Thomas Jr., 8. Tanner Thorson, 9. Andrew Felker, 10. Brady Bacon, 11. Justin Grant, 12. Christopher Bell, 13. Trey Marcham, 14. Shane Cottle, 15. Garrett Aitken, 16. Parker Price-Miller, 17. Ronnie Gardner, 18. Brenden Bright, 19. Tyler Thomas, 20. Tyler Courtney, 21. Chris Windom, 22. Steve Buckwalter, 23. Thomas Meseraull, 24. Isaac Chapple. NT
2016 FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Rico Abreu, 2. Spencer Bayston, 3. Chad Boat, 4. Brady Bacon, 5. Christopher Bell, 6. Bryan Clauson, 7. Tanner Thorson, 8. Carson Macedo, 9. Davey Ray, 10. Ryan Robinson, 11. Shane Golobic, 12. Dayne Kingshott, 13. Chase Johnson, 14. Tyler Thomas, 15. Jimi Quin, 16. Ryan Greth, 17. David Budres, 18. Zach Daum, 19. Holly Shelton, 20. Tyler Nelson, 21. Gage Walker, 22. Dave Darland, 23. Steve Buckwalter. NT
2017 FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Spencer Bayston, 2. Shane Golobic, 3. Tyler Courtney, 4. Justin Grant, 5. Brady Bacon, 6. Rico Abreu, 7. Michael Pickens, 8. Chad Boat, 9. Tanner Thorson, 10. Jerry Coons Jr., 11. Alex Bright, 12. Tanner Carrick, 13. Gage Walker. 14. Adam Pierson, 15. Dave Darland, 16. Ronnie Gardner, 17. Courtney Crone, 18. Tyler Thomas, 19. Jimi Quin, 20. Holly Shelton, 21. Davey Ray,22. Ryan Robinson. NT
2018 FEATURE: (30 laps, starting position in parentheses) 1. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (1), 2. Spencer Bayston (3), 3. Logan Seavey (9), 4. Jason McDougal (4), 5. Tyler Thomas (10), 6. Brady Bacon (13), 7. Zeb Wise (5), 8. Tucker Klaasmeyer (11), 9. Chad Boat (22), 10. Holly Shelton (14), 11. Sam Johnson (8), 12. Jerry Coons, Jr. (16), 13. Justin Grant (15), 14. Alex Bright (17), 15. Tyler Courtney (2), 16. Ryan Robinson (6), 17. Chase Jones (19), 18. Tanner Thorson (7), 19. Brayton Lynch (20), 20. Tyler Nelson (21), 21. Justin Dickerson (18), 22. Tanner Carrick (12). NT
2020 FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Tanner Thorson (7), 2. Kyle Larson (5), 3. Chris Windom (2), 4. Clinton Boyles (3), 5. Kyle Cummins (15), 6. Rico Abreu (1), 7. Shane Golobic (13), 8. Jerry Coons Jr. (20), 9. Thomas Meseraull (9), 10. Buddy Kofoid (22), 11. Justin Grant (19), 12. Cannon McIntosh (8), 13. Spencer Bayston (17), 14. Jake Neuman (21), 15. Daison Pursley (10), 16. Andrew Layser (12), 17. Kaylee Bryson (18), 18. Cole Bodine (11), 19. Ethan Mitchell (14), 20. Jason McDougal (16), 21. Tyler Courtney (4), 22. Tanner Carrick (6). NT