DRUMS, Pa. — I’ve been watching the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series on DIRTVision since the beginning of the year, and they have been putting on one heck of a show at bullring dirt tracks across the country.
Thus, when I noticed the series venturing east for Appalachian Midget Week – five shows in five nights during mid-August – I was very interested, even though the Knoxville Nationals was happening at the same time in Iowa.
The midget series was scheduled to compete at a handful of small tracks that traditionally host 600 micro sprints. Two of them I had never visited — Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway and Linda’s Speedway.
I had seen a few USAC sprint car shows at Action Track USA on the fairgrounds in Kutztown, Pa., and the racing is always close and excellent on the small, high-banked track. I had also been to New Jersey’s Bridgeport Motorsports Park several times, and I knew I was going to miss the program at Path Valley Speedway in Spring Run, Pa., as I was going to a sprint car show much closer to home that same night.
Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway in Newmanstown, Pa., started the action on Tuesday night and I was surprised by the nice turnout of cars, including some local talent. The track is nestled in a beautifully wooded, rural setting along a Pennsylvania hillside. The whole facility was very nice and run by a club. They keep the place looking good and the concession stand selections are also not the usual race track fare.
Jade Avedisian, the series points leader entering the event, looked fast up front but got upside down twice and was done for the night. Chase McDermand had them covered after that and took the win over Zach Daum, Taylor Reimer and local driver Tim Buckwalter.
The next night the series moved to Action Track USA. There was another nice field of midgets and it was Kutztown Fair Week, so I got to walk around the fair and eat some great food.
McDermand had them covered for the second night in a row with Reimer, Kyle Jones and Gavin Miller completing the top four. Miller is a Pennsylvania-based driver running full time with the Xtreme Outlaw Series.
Watching the midgets navigate the banking on that quarter-mile dirt track makes for a great show. The action at Clyde Martin was similar.
The following night’s race at Linda’s Speedway in Jonestown, Pa., was rained out, which was unfortunate as I was looking forward to seeing the track about which I’ve heard great things. The Saturday night event at Bridgeport was also canceled.
That left the show at Path Valley Speedway in Spring Run, Pa., on Friday as the Appalachian Midget Week finale. This one went to Daison Pursley, with Avedisian finishing second. McDermand and Daum were next under the checkered flag.
With two wins and a third-place finish, McDermand was the Appalachian Midget Week champion.
I enjoyed the series and hope it returns next season, as it runs at some really nice Pennsylvania dirt tracks that don’t host sprint cars.
This story appeared in the Sept 13, 2023 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
