Waynesfield, Ohio (May 11, 2024)………Reigning series champion Zach Wigal returned to USAC Midwest Thunder SpeeD2 Midget victory lane on Saturday night during a non-points special event at Ohio’s Waynesfield Raceway Park.
Wigal (Belpre, Ohio) controlled the pace for all 25 laps from his outside front row starting position to earn his first series win of the season and the ninth of his career.
The current high school junior raced across the line ahead of Cale Coons (Greencastle, Ind.), Alex Watson (Columbus, Ohio) and Luke Hall (Ludlow Falls, Ohio) while Josh Yenser (Columbus, Ohio) rounded out the top-five.
With identical times of 14.029 seconds, Chett Gehrke (Broken Arrow, Okla.) and Tyler Nelson (Olathe, Kan.) shared VMS Motorsports Fast Qualifier honors.
Wigal, Gunnar Lucius (Delphos, Ohio) and Coons each earned heat race victories presented by Performance Electronics, Stiefel’s Home & Auto and the Hoosier Auto Racing Fans. Stratton Briggs (Anna, Ohio), the 2022 series champion, collected the Performance Powder Coating Hard Charger award after starting 19th and finishing 11th.
USAC MIDWEST THUNDER SPEED2 MIDGET NON-POINTS SPECIAL EVENT RACE RESULTS: May 11, 2024 – Waynesfield Raceway Park – Waynesfield, Ohio
FEATURE: (25 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Zach Wigal (#18 Wigal) (2), 2. Cale Coons (#63 Dooling/Curb-Agajanian) (6), 3. Alex Watson (#21 Fedorczyk) (1), 4. Luke Hall (#74 Heitmeyer) (10), 5. Josh Yenser (#16y Yenser) (8), 6. Jakeb Boxell (#44JB Boxell-Merkler) (11), 7. Michael Magic (#5m Magic) (3), 8. Bryce Massingill (#35 Massingill) (9), 9. Gunnar Lucius (#22 Lucius) (5), 10. Ian Creager (#36 Creager) (15), 11. Stratton Briggs (#71 Briggs) (19), 12. Bryce Dues (#0H Sniper) (18), 13. Luke Lemons (#33 Lemons) (4), 14. Carl Peterson (#49p Peterson) (14), 15. Chett Gehrke (#10 Moore) (9), 16. Ryan Moran (#01 Moran) (13), 17. Tyler Nelson (#10N Nelson) (12), 18. Cody Dye (#4T Dye) (16), 19. Tommy Bigelow (#2B Bigelow) (17).
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-25 Zach Wigal.
NEXT USAC MIDWEST THUNDER SPEED2 MIDGET SPECIAL EVENT RACE: May 18, 2024 – Eldora Speedway – Rossburg, Ohio
CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:
VMS Motorsports Fast Qualifier: Chett Gehrke & Tyler Nelson (14.029)
Performance Electronics First Heat Winner: Zach Wigal
Stiefel’s Home & Auto Second Heat Winner: Gunnar Lucius
Hoosier Auto Racing Fans Third Heat Winner: Cale Coons
Performance Powder Coating Hard Charger: Stratton Briggs (19th to 11th)
Rosewood Machine & Tool Precision Move: Luke Lemons
Lynn Cook Hard Luck Award: Stratton Briggs
Competition Suspension, Inc. Certificate: Cale Coons
Saldana Racing Products Certificate: Bryce Dues
Impact Racing Certificate: Michael Magic
Anonymous Bonus: Ian Creager