A MID-AMERICA NIGHT’S DREAM! USAC MIDGETS HEAD TO THE GREAT PLAINS JULY 9-13
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Speedway, Indiana (July 8, 2024)………For the first time in exactly in one month, the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship season roars its engines once more.
USAC Mid-America Midget Week presents Great Plains bullring USAC action between July 9-13 across three states with four events in a span of five nights across Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska.
Starting at the southernmost point of the week is Tuesday Night Thunder on July 9 at Meeker, Oklahoma’s Red Dirt Raceway. Then, we point north up to Beloit, Kansas for the 13th running of the Chad McDaniel Memorial at the Mitchell County Fairgrounds on Wednesday, July 10.
Closing out the Mid-America adventure is Fairbury, Nebraska’s Jefferson County Speedway for two consecutive evenings on Friday, July 12, and Saturday, July 13, for the Midwest Midget Championship, culminating with a 40-lap feature paying $10,000-to-win on the final night.
An entire weeks’ worth of excitement awaits a trio of racy bullrings. And we’re ready for it! So, here’s six storylines that should have your attention heading into Mid-America Midget Week 2024.
PURSLEY IN THE GROOVE
Mid-America Midget Week is where Daison Pursley first burst onto the scene of USAC National Midget racing, winning the 2021 opener at Red Dirt Raceway in his home state of Oklahoma, the same place which opens up this year’s MAMW slate.
Daison Pursley’s stand out season has been highlighted by the fact that he became the first driver to win in all three USAC national divisions in 2024: Silver Crown, AMSOIL National Sprint and NOS Energy Drink National Midget.
Chief among his accolades this year have been three USAC National Midget feature wins in his CB Industries No. 86 at the Belleville (Kan.) Short Track, Bloomington (Ind.) Speedway and Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway, plus a USAC Indiana Midget Week title.
Now Pursley’s pursuit involves putting the grip on his USAC National Midget point lead which stands at 67 after winning the most recent series round at Kokomo on June 9. Each of the last three Indiana Midget Week titlists went on to win the USAC National Midget crown later that same year. Pursley intends to become the next.
MESERAULL ABOARD!
Finally, Thomas Meseraull is returning to USAC National Midget action this week following a broken collarbone he suffered in a sprint car accident on March 29 during the No Way Out 40 at Paragon (Ind.) Speedway.
Meseraull (San Jose, Calif.) has been back behind the wheel in recent weeks in a various array of racecars, and just this past weekend, swept both nights of POWRi Midget racing at Missouri’s Lake Ozark Speedway.
A veteran of 186 career USAC National Midget starts and 10 series victories since his 1999 debut, Meseraull will be at the controls of Tim Engler’s #7x. His Mid-America Midget Week experience includes a 2022 victory at the Mitchell County Fairgrounds where he started fourth before making his winning move on lap 10, then proceeded to lead the final 21 circuits.
THE SEAVEY RECORD WATCH IS ON
Logan Seavey has been on a tear in 2024 with his run through the USAC National Sprint Car schedule which shows a striking resemblance to his dominance of the 2023 USAC National Midget season.
In the midget this year, he’s won twice at Missouri’s Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex and Indiana’s Tri-State Speedway, which has him ranked third in the current USAC national championship standings.
He’s found his share of success during MAMW throughout his career, winning at Red Dirt in 2019 and at Jefferson County in 2023. Additionally, he owns the one-lap track record at Jefferson County of 10.685 seconds, also set in 2019.
With a pair of midget wins and 10 in the sprint car thus far in 2024, it’s almost time to put the official “watch” on Seavey to see if he can track down J.J. Yeley’s record of 23 USAC national wins, which was set in 2003. By this point in the year in 2003, Yeley had accrued 14 victories. But there’s an entire half-year of racing left to go, and Seavey is vying to rewrite the record books.
TEAM OKLAHOMA
At the moment, Oklahomans occupy three of the top-four spots in the USAC National Midget point standings with Daison Pursley (Locust Grove) first, Cannon McIntosh (Bixby) second and Ryan Timms (Oklahoma City) fourth.
All three have already graced victory lane with the series this year. Timms was the best back in June during the Indiana Midget Week opener at Lawrenceburg Speedway and McIntosh topped the field in the season opener at Kansas’ Belleville Short Track in May.
Timms’ first USAC start with Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports produced a Mid-America Midget Week victory on his home state track of Red Dirt back in 2022.
Meanwhile, McIntosh’s first career USAC National Midget start came at Red Dirt in 2018. He’s led at all three venues in his career, but this week, he vies for his first Mid-America Midget Week feature score.
THE FIFTH DIMENSION OF THE 5d
Due to unforeseen circumstances, Zach Daum’s RAMCO Speed Group No. 7p will not be making the trip to compete at Mid-America Midget Week.
In its stead this week, Daum will drive his own No. 5d, which has not competed in USAC National Midget competition since June of 2020. In fact, Daum’s first three USAC National Midget victories all came in his own No. 5d between 2011-14.
Daum’s prospects for racing at Mid-America Midget Week were up in the air until recently as he sought an engine to rent or another car to drive. With time winding down, Illinois’ Wayne Durbin stepped up to help the situation by providing his Stanton SR-11x for Daum to install under the hood of his King Chassis.
He’s been a staple on the podium during his Mid-America Midget Week career, finishing as the runner-up four times between 2010-2014 at the Mitchell County Fairgrounds, plus a 3rd at Red Dirt in 2021 and a 3rd at Jefferson County in 2022. In 2024, Daum seeks his first MAMW win.
JERRY SPRINGS INTO ACTION
Jerry Coons Jr. is one of the undisputed legends of USAC racing.
The USAC Triple Crown champion from Tucson, Ariz. ranks fifth all-time in USAC National Midget starts with 423 dating back to 1987. That ranks behind only Mel Kenyon (925), Bob Wente (757), Bob Tattersall (481) and Tracy Hines (452).
Coons runs an abbreviated racing schedule these days as he keeps a watchful and supportive eye over the burgeoning career of his son, Cale Coons. Nonetheless, when Jerry gets behind the wheel, he’s always a contender.
The 2006-07 USAC National Midget champ will be in action at all four nights of this year’s Mid-America Midget Week, where he’s been all over the podium, and has been on the cusp of victory many a time in recent summers.
At Red Dirt, he finished a best of 3rd in 2020, and was a 3rd place finisher as well at the Mitchell County Fairgrounds in 2013. In 2022 at Jefferson County, he landed on the podium both nights, scoring a 3rd on night one and took a narrow 2nd in the finale.
One more victory would push Coons into the land of the few as he aims to join Bobby Unser as the only driver to win a USAC-sanctioned feature event in five different decades. He’s already one of 13 to have won a USAC main event in four decades along with Unser, Hank Butcher, A.J. Foyt, Russ Gamester, Mel Kenyon, Ralph Liguori, Wally Pankratz, Johnny Parsons, George Snider, Bryan Stanfill, Brian Tyler and Bob Wente.
RACE DETAILS:
For Tuesday Night Thunder on July 9 at Meeker, Oklahoma’s Red Dirt Raceway, the program features the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship, plus NOW600 Non-Wing Micros. Pits open at 5pm Central with the grandstands opening at 6pm, the drivers meeting at 6pm and cars on track at 6:30pm with qualifying and racing to follow. General admission tickets are $25. High school students and younger are $5. Tickets are available online at www.reddirtraceway.com under the “Buy Tickets” tab and will be sold the day of the show as well. All access passes (pit access & general admission seating) are available for $40 and available at the pit gate on the day of the show only. Pit passes for ages 5 and under are $10. The tailgate area is $120 per carload (up to 8 people per car).
On Wednesday night, July 10, it’s the 13th running of the Chad McDaniel Memorial at Beloit, Kansas’ Mitchell County Fairgrounds featuring the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship, plus the NOW600/Jayhusker Non-Wing Micro Sprints. Front gates open at 5pm Central with the drivers meeting at 6pm and hot laps at 6:30pm followed by qualifying and racing. General admission tickets are $25 with high school students and younger just $5. All access passes are available as well for $40 and will be available at the pit and main grandstand gate on the day of the show only.
To close out Mid-America Midget Week on Friday and Saturday, July 12-13, it’s on to Fairbury, Nebraska’s Jefferson County Speedway for two-straight nights of the Riverside Chevrolet Midwest Midget Championship presented by Westin Packaged Meats and Schmidt’s Sanitation featuring the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship, plus the NOW 600/Jayhusker Non-Wing Micro Sprints. Gates open at 5pm Central with qualifying at 6:30pm followed by racing. General admission tickets are $20 on Friday and $30 on Saturday with high school students and younger just $5. Reserved seating is $60 for a two-day pass and is available online only at www.JeffersonCountySpeedway.com under the “Buy Tickets” tab. All access passes are available as well for $40 ($10 for kids 5 and under) and available at the pit gate on the day of the show only. A free concert will be held after the races both nights at the beer garden.
Practice will be held from 5-7pm Central on Thursday, July 11 at Jefferson County. Pit passes are $20 and grandstands are free. There will be a free Shrimp Boil/BBQ at the track campground at 8pm after practice for all drivers, race teams, fans, etc.
All four races of Mid-America Midget Week can be watched LIVE on FloRacing at https://flosports.link/usac.
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USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Daison Pursley-589, 2-Cannon McIntosh-522, 3-Logan Seavey-509, 4-Ryan Timms-480, 5-Zach Daum-451, 6-Jacob Denney-439, 7-Justin Grant-433, 8-Gavin Miller-411, 9-Kale Drake-405, 10-Kyle Jones-352.
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RED DIRT RACEWAY USAC NATIONAL MIDGET WINNERS:
2018: Christopher Bell (7/10)
2019: Logan Seavey (7/9)
2020: Tanner Thorson (7/21)
2021: Daison Pursley (7/13)
2022: Ryan Timms (7/12)
RED DIRT RACEWAY USAC NATIONAL MIDGET TRACK RECORDS:
1 Lap - 7/21/2020 - Tyler Courtney - 13.108 - 68.660 mph
8 Laps - 7/13/2021 - Cannon McIntosh - 1:49.120 - 65.982 mph
10 Laps - 7/10/2018 - Tyler Thomas - 2:24.03 - 62.487 mph
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MITCHELL COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS USAC NATIONAL MIDGET WINNERS:
2013: Christopher Bell (7/30)
2014: Bryan Clauson (7/29)
2015: Kevin Thomas Jr. (7/28)
2016: Bryan Clauson (8/3)
2017: Christopher Bell (8/2)
2018: Kevin Thomas Jr. (7/11)
2021: Tanner Thorson (7/15)
2022: Thomas Meseraull (7/13)
2023: Bryant Wiedeman (7/12)
MITCHELL COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS USAC NATIONAL MIDGET TRACK RECORDS:
1 Lap - 7/11/2018 - Holly Shelton - 11.944 - 75.352 mph
10 Laps - 8/3/2016 - Ryan Greth - 2:02.67 - 73.368 mph
12 Laps - 7/15/2021 - Daison Pursley - 2:32.00 - 71.053 mph
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JEFFERSON COUNTY SPEEDWAY USAC NATIONAL MIDGET WINNERS:
2016: Chad Boat (8/2)
2017: Tanner Thorson (8/1)
2018: Justin Grant (7/14)
2019: Jason McDougal (7/12)
2019: Tyler Courtney (7/13)
2020: Chris Windom (7/17) & Tyler Courtney (7/18)
2021: Tanner Thorson (7/16) & Emerson Axsom (7/17)
2022: Mitchel Moles (7/15) & Buddy Kofoid (7/16)
2023: Logan Seavey (7/14) & Tanner Thorson (7/15)
JEFFERSON COUNTY SPEEDWAY USAC NATIONAL MIDGET TRACK RECORDS:
1 Lap - 7/12/2019 - Logan Seavey - 10.685 - 67.384 mph
10 Laps - 7/16/2021 - Justin Grant - 1:50.360 - 65.241 mph
12 Laps - 7/17/2020 - Sam Johnson - 2:24.855 - 59.646 mph
