SALISBURY, N.C. — Tuesday’s debut for the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota was an event months in the making.
The series was announced in December, more than five whole months ago. On Tuesday night, everything finally came to fruition with the official launching of the midget division at Millbridge Speedway. A star-studded field of 35 cars, plus a heap of enthralled race fans made the long-awaited debut an instant success.
On this night, making the most history was none other than hometown hero, Gavan Boschele. The 14-year-old native of Mooresville, N.C., led the final nine of 30 laps in the Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsport, Curb Records, Bullet/Toyota No. 5, officially becoming the first winner in Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series history.
Boschele’s breakthrough, his second national midget win (POWRi 2021), didn’t come without a hint of controversy, however.
After starting from the pole, Boschele backed into second and held the runner-up spot for 21 laps while his KKM teammate Bryant Wiedeman controlled the race.
The $4,000-to-win affair reached its breaking point on the restart with nine to go when Boschele barely hooked Wiedeman’s rear bumper and sent the Yerf Dog No. 01 spinning. Boschele escaped unscathed, but the same could not be said for Wiedeman and a pile of 10 other competitors with nowhere to avoid the stopped car.
Once in command, Boschele faced no challenges from the rest of the field and cruised away to a .938-second margin of victory.
“I hate that I got into Bryant [Wiedeman] there,” Boschele acknowledged. “I knew what he was doing the whole race and we had no problems before, but then I think he caught a rut and that split-second got me to his back bumper before I could react and got him. It’s a racing deal, but it still sucks.
“It’s pretty awesome to win this first-ever race, though, and especially to do it at my home track. These KKM guys gave me an incredible car. I’m excited to see what we can do tomorrow when it gets a little slicker.”
Finishing in the runner-up spot with an impressive 12th-to-second charge was Zach Daum. The three-time POWRi champion showed the poise of a veteran as he bided his time and cautiously maneuvered to the front in the Bundy Built No. 19m entry.
Closing out the podium was Nick Drake, bringing the No. 55 home in third place.
DIRTcar UMP Modified star Nick Hoffman traded his fenders in for torsion bars and promptly drove from 13th-to-fourth to begin his Xtreme Outlaw Midget career. Trailing him with the inaugural TJ Forged Hard Charger Award was Brent Crews for hustling the Diaedge No. 71m from 16th to fifth in the 30-lapper.
Earlier in the night, Broken Arrow, OK’s Taylor Reimer earned the first Whitz Racing QuickTime Award. She circled Millbridge in 10.026 seconds aboard the Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports No. 25k.
The finish:
Feature (30 laps): 1. Gavan Boschele (1); 2. Zach Daum (12); 3. Nick Drake (6); 4. Nick Hoffman (13); 5. Brent Crews (16); 6. Sam Johnson (10); 7. Ethan Mitchell (11); 8. Carson Kvapil (9); 9. Dominic Gorden (20); 10. Brenham Crouch (5); 11. Cannon McIntosh (3); 12. Chase Briscoe (19); 13. Bryant Wiedeman (2); 14. Ryan Timms (17); 15. Kyle Jones (4); 16. Kyle Larson (15); 17. Dillon Silverman (8); 18. Hayden Reinbold (14); 19. Chance Crum (7); 20. Emilio Hoover (18).
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