MARNE, Mich. — Making his first start in a Kenyon Midget in more than a year former series champion Aryton Houk scored his eighth career feature win.
But Houk was challenged throughout the 20-lap feature Saturday by Triston Brown for the entire distance on the D-shaped half-mile oval.
Point leader Dameron Taylor took the lead from the front row following the inversion of the top six qualifiers chased by Brown and Jase Petty.
Houk, who started sixth in the field moved into the third spot on lap three by passing Petty entering turn four.
Brown took the lead from Taylor on the seventh lap with a pass in turn four, with Houk moving into the second spot a lap later.
Taylor continued to back slide through the field being passed by Petty and Kyle Sheard.
Houk took the lead for the first time on lap ten, but two laps later Brown was back on the point. Houk took the lead for the final time on lap 15 and went on to record the victory.
Triston Brown scored a career best second place finish followed by Sheard, Landon Brown and Petty.
“It was so good to be back in a Kenyon Midget,” Houk said in the Jeff Hill Trailer Sales Victory Lane. “I was concerned about the 97 (Triston Brown).
“We went to far on the set-up and the car was tight in turns three and four,” he said.
Brown said he had to battle with Houk for the lead lap and in the late stages his Midget got loose.
“I had to wait for the lead early in the race and then battled for the lead,” he said. “The right rear was going away at the finish.”
Sheard, who set a track record during K&K Marketing qualifying, was forced into a back-up car when his primary ride experienced a mechanical issue.
“This is not my primary car,” he said of using the car of team owner Jeff Hill. “I had to start on the tail and just tried to move up as much as possible. It was a great way to end the night.”
Sheard turned a lap at 16.969-seconds to best the track record set in 2024 by Evan Hammond at 17.093 seconds.
The finish:
1) Aryton Houk; 2) Trisdon Brown; 3) Kyle Sheard; 4) Landon Brown; 5) Jase Petty; 6) Isaac Johnson; 7) Dameron Taylor; 8) Evan Hammond; 9) Evan Patton; 10) Clayton Bohanon; 11) Andrew Wall; 12) Clayton Gaines; 13) Ryan Shilkuski; 14) Brian Richardson; 15) Austin Pierce; 16) Lee Pierce; 17) Jeff Hill
