After only completing 2 laps of the Feature the previous evening Tyler Courtney won in a dominating performance on night 2 of the Midwest Midget Championship series at Jefferson County Speedway in Fairbury, Nebraska.
The USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series were at the track for the second night in a row as part of the 4 round series across the Midwest.
29 drivers took to the fifth of a mile clay oval for hot laps including last night’s winner Chris Windom whose Tucker-Boat owned machine slowed forcing him to use a back up car for the rest of the event.
Bixby Oklahoma driver Cannon McIntosh, one of four cars on hand out of the potent Keith Kunz stable, was fastest in time trials in a time of 11.037 seconds. Ethan Mitchell, Tanner Thorson, Emilio Hoover and Windom in his back up car among the five quickest qualifiers.
The field was split into three heat races that were won by teenagers Emerson Axsom, Cole Bodine and Sam Johnson.
The 12-Lap Semi-Main was won by Carrick from outside the front row with Hoover, Carson Garrett, Keith Rauch, Andrew Layser, Curtis Spicer & Tony Rossi all transferring into the Feature.
As the 24-Car field lined up for the 40-Lap Feature Courtney was on pole with Kofoid to his outside. Windom and Thorson in row two. Mitchell, McIntosh, Johnson & Bodine starting in the top eight.
As the race got underway Courtney stuck low and Kofoid high as rest of the field also held formation for the opening green flag laps. The lead duo pulling away from the battle developing for third between Mitchell, Johnson and Thorson.
Windom and Axsom in close proximity, overlooking the fight for third, then joined the fray, with Axsom putting superb laps together around the tight inside line to go from 7th to 3rd place.
The freshly prepared track offering a top, middle and bottom. With cars spread out and the race just passed the half-way point Courtney approached light lap traffic and started to pick them off one by one. Courtney was 0.6 sec ahead of Kofoid when he got to Clauson Marshall Team mate Bodine’s bumper.
Kofoid caught Courtney just as the leader dispatched Bodine. Kofoid passed the 39BC immediately and looked for opportunities in lapped traffic. Now the top a preferred line by most Kofoid drew close enough to get alongside with 10 to go but not enough to make it count.
By lap 35 Courtney had was almost a second ahead and about to start lapping tenth place when Tyler Thomas stopped on the track bringing out the 1st caution of the race and Kofoid back to his bumper.
Courtney lead the single file restart down the back straight and had to defend a Kofoid slider which became 3 wide with Axsom clinging to the bottom and driving to the lead for a lap. A composed Courtney stayed on the highline and edged ahead. Axsom patient on the bottom but ultimately coming home second to the reigning National Champion.
Thorson and Windom 3rd and 4th ahead of Kofoid who bounced off the cushion in the closing stages. The smallest of mistakes costing positions and points, concluding in a 5th place finish.
Daison Pursley, Jerry Coons Jnr., McIntosh, Johnson and Carrick also finishing in the top ten.
“I really wanted it to stay green. I didn’t want to see that yellow with five to go. You never know what’s going to happen. I ran out of brakes there so, if I got a little tight I couldn’t really get myself out of a problem so I started pretty much holding her wide open the last couple of laps.”
“Last night we ran two laps, finished dead last, DNF. Then we came back tonight and put ourselves in a good spot to start on the pole and to lead every lap. It’s Just Awesome.” Said a jubilant Courtney.
Round three of the Midwest Midget Championship is at Caney Valley Speedway, Caney, Kansas, tomorrow, 19th July.
For on demand footage visit https://www.floracing.com/
Main top image by Image by Brandon Anderson.
