ANDERSON, Ind. — Long after the grandstands were emptied and teams were packing up, Massachusetts driver Jake Trainor was awarded the victory in the Unified Group Services Little 500 at Anderson Speedway on Saturday.
Trainor was declared the official race winner after apparent race winner Dakoda Armstrong’s car failed post-race technical inspection.
“Unfortunately, in post-race tech, the No. 1 car was found to have a digital device mounted in the car which is a violation of the rule book for this event,” Rick Dawson, owner of Anderson Speedway said. “Subsequently, the car was disqualified from the event.”
Last year Armstrong lost his bid for a Little 500 victory when he was passed by his cousin, Caleb, on the last lap.
For Trainor, who started 12th in the field it was his second Little 500 victory in three years.
He ran in the top ten for most of the race and took the lead when Tyler Roahrig’s car lost the drive train on lap 297.
Following the last caution period on lap 434, Armstrong led Kyle O’Gara, Davey Hamilton Jr. and Trainor.
Trainor moved into the second spot on lap 481 with a pass of O’Gara.
“We just wanted to be there at the end,” Trainor said before being declared the race winner.
O’Gara salvaged a strong second place finish after being involved in a lap one melee.
“We used our equipment up coming through the field,” he said of the climb through the field. “I can’t be disappointed.”
Hamilton came home in third followed by Bobby Santos III and Jackson Macenko.
Rylan Gray making a rare pavement start won rookie of the year honors with his 12th place finish.
There was heartbreak for Roahrig who was seeking a third win when he retired on lap 297 while leading the race with an apparent mechanical problem.
Roahrig started on the pole and led 87 laps in the middle stages of the race.
The start of the 77th Unified Group Services began in disaster for several drivers on the opening lap of the race collecting nine cars before they got into turn one at Anderson Speedway.
It appeared Davey Hamilton in the middle of the front row came up on rookie Colton Bettis on the front straight.
The contact collected the cars of Kyle O’Gara, Kody Swanson, Shane Hollingsworth, Brian Vaughn, Donnie Adams Jr., Tim Creech, Billy Wease, Bryan Gossel and Landon Butler.
It ended the night for Vaughn, Donnie Adams Jr., Butler and Wease, who was subbing for Justin Grant.
The finish:
Jake Trainor, Kyle O’Gara, Davey Hamilton Jr., Bobby Santos III, Jackson Macenko, Jake McElfresh, Kody Swanson, C.J. Leary, Chris Neunschwander, Derek Bischak, Rylan Gray, Brady Allum, Logan Seavey, Tim Creech, David Goodwill, Garrett Saunders, Ryan Newman, Tyler Roahrig, Justin Harper, Bryan Gossel, Kyle Hamilton, Emerson Axsom, Taylor Ferns, Scotty Adema, Tony Main, Anthony Nocella, Shane Hollingsworth, Colton Bettis, Donny Adams, Brian Vaughn, Landon Butler, Billy Wease, Dakoda Armstrong.
