ANDERSON, Ind. — For the first time in at least three years Clayton Gaines claimed victory in a Kenyon Midget Series feature race.
Gaines was the winner in the sixth annual Dick Jordan Classic Sunday at Anderson Speedway.
The Alexandria, Ind., driver had a strong car all day qualifying second behind Evan Hammond and leading wire-to-wire in his heat race.
With no inversion Gaines started on the pole position with fellow heat race winner Ryan Huggler alongside him.
At the start Gaines jumped into the lead chased by Huggler and Hammond with rookie of the year contender Jase Petty running fourth followed by Dameron Taylor.
Gaines was able to pull away from the field but it was Taylor on the move.
Seeking a third consecutive win in the Dick Jordan Classic, Taylor passed Petty with an inside move entering turn one on lap seven and two laps later with slower traffic playing a role passed Hammond coming off the second corner.
At the halfway point of the 30-lap feature Taylor moved into the second spot with a pass of Huggler coming off the fourth corner.
Taylor started to close the gap to Gaines but at the finish was a half-second behind with Hammond coming home in third followed by Petty and Kyle Sheard.
“We ran real good today,” Gaines said in the Riley & Sons Victory Lane. “I could hear someone behind me, but I didn’t know who it was.
“We had problems in practice and worked on it all day,” he said.
Gaines who wasn’t planning on running the full season said the win might bring about a change in plans.
Taylor said he was throwing his midget into the corners.
“He (Gaines) had to mess up one more time, that’s all I needed,” Taylor laughed. “I wish I hadn’t had to make up so much ground, but the lapped cars helped.”
Hammond said the track was a bit tricky and he kept hitting the bump in turn three.
“We struggled with the car all day,” he said. “We were fast but I wasn’t quite comfortable.”
Feature Finish (30 Laps)
1) Clayton Gaines; 2) Dameron Taylor; 3) Evan Hammond; 4) Jase Petty; 5) Kyle Sheard; 6) Ryan Huggler; 7) Buddy Hollmeyer; 8) Landon Brown; 9) Jett Neal; 10) Ryan Shilkuski; 11) Trisdon Brown; 12) BJ Shaw; 13) Jeff Hill; 14) Lee Pierce