TULSA, Okla. – The pre-entry list of 40 drivers for the inaugural Werco Manufacturing T-Town Showdown presented by B&H Contractors for the NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget Series has been finalized.
A layoff of more than two-and-a-half months due to the COVID-19 pandemic will end when drivers and teams take to the eighth-mile Port City Raceway on May 22-23.
The additions to the already powerhouse list include three-time USAC National Midget feature winner Zach Daum of Pocahontas, Ill., and Trey Marcham of Oklahoma City, Okla., a three-time victor with USAC’s Western States Midget Series.
Though it will have been 76 days since the most recent race, Tanner Thorson comes in on a hot streak, winning two of the first three events.
Thorson took the first in February at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Fla., and the most recent in March at the Southern Illinois Center in Du Quoin.
The only other driver to reach victory lane besides Thorson through the first three events is Chris Windom, whose debut with Tucker-Boat Motorsports has been exceptional to date with three top-threes in as many starts and a win on the second night at Ocala.
Windom leads the points entering Port City.
The defending champion, Tyler Courtney, resides just six points back of Windom after finishes of fourth, second and 20th through the three events thus far, just ahead of Kevin Thomas Jr. in third, who’s tallied finishes of seventh, fourth and 11th thus far.
The top series rookie early has been Buddy Kofoid, with results of third, sixth and seventh in his first three outings as a full-time driver, ahead of fellow Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports teammates Cannon McIntosh and Daison Pursley.
Last year’s Rookie of the Year, Andrew Layser, is one race removed from his best career USAC National Midget finish, a third at Ocala on the second night of Winter Dirt Games.
Tanner Carrick and Cole Bodine are the only two drivers to improve their finishing position in each of the three events run thus far. In particular, Bodine had his best run in two years since rejoining Clauson-Marshall Racing this year.
The last time USAC Midgets visited Oklahoma, Logan Seavey was the victor at Red Dirt Raceway in Meeker in July of 2019.
The 2018 USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget champion finished 12th in each of his two starts this year in Ocala and is making his midget debut for Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports, his full-time team on the AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car trail.
The Arizona-based team will also have Hayden Reinbold making his USAC debut at Port City, one of three drivers making their first NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget appearance, along with KKM’s Kaylee Bryson and Jesse Love Jr., a six-time USAC Western HPD Midget champion between 2015 and 2017.
Also in the field for Port City are 2018 Jason Leffler Memorial winner and March Southern Illinois Center runner-up Tyler Thomas, four-time USAC midget winner Justin Grant, 2019 USAC Western States Midget champion Robert Dalby, Jesse Colwell, Ethan Mitchell, Ace McCarthy, Trey Gropp, Gage Rucker and Tyler Nelson.
Making their 2020 USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget season debuts are two-time champion and 30-time series winner Dave Darland, two-time USAC midget special event winner Thomas Meseraull, Oklahoma frontrunners Blake Hahn and Jonathan Beason, and USAC veterans Clinton Boyles, David Budres, Curtis Spicer, Presley Truedson and more.
Local Sooner State talent tackling the event includes in Emilio Hoover, Matt Sherrell, Noah Gass, Hank Davis and Matt Moore.
The festivities kick off the day on Thursday, May 21, with a practice session for all midget and micro entries from 6-9 p.m. CT. Pit gates open at 4 p.m. The cost is $20 admission.
Both nights at Port City will include full series points-paying events with a complete program each night that culminates with a feature event.
Cars hit the track each night for practice at 6:30 p.m. CT.
Both nights of the T-Town Midget Showdown at Port City will be shown live on FloRacing.
The full entry list can be found below.
USAC National Midget Series Port City Raceway Entries (as of May 18)
00 Trey Gropp – Lincoln, Neb. (Mounce Motorsports)
2ND Dave Darland – Lincoln, Ind. (Dan Harris)
4 Robert Dalby – Anaheim, Calif. (Robert Dalby Motorsports)
4A Justin Grant – Ione, Calif. (RAMS Racing)
4s Curtis Spicer – Marysville, Kan. (Spicer Racecraft)
5 Kevin Thomas Jr. – Cullman, Ala. (Petry Motorsports)
5d Zach Daum – Pocahontas, Ill. (Daum Motorsports)
7BC Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, Ind. (Clauson-Marshall Racing)
7jr J.D. Black – Grain Valley, Mo. (SevenJR Motorsports)
7x Thomas Meseraull – San Jose, Calif. (RMS)
8 Jonathan Beason – Broken Arrow, Okla. (Hard Eight Racing)
9 Daison Pursley – Locust Grove, Okla. (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
9H Emilio Hoover – Broken Arrow, Okla. (Steve Reynolds)
9X TBA (Mounce Motorsports)
10J Matt Sherrell – Owasso, Okla. (Hunt Brothers Racing)
19 Tanner Thorson – Minden, Nev. (Hayward Motorsports)
19A Hayden Reinbold – Gilbert, Ariz. (Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports)
19AZ Logan Seavey – Sutter, Calif. (Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports)
19G Gage Rucker – Bellflower, Mo. (Hayward Motorsports)
19m Ethan Mitchell – Mooresville, N.C. (Bundy Built Motorsports)
20G Noah Gass – Mounds, Okla. (Randy Gass)
21KS Jesse Colwell – Red Bluff, Calif. (Steve Reynolds)
28 Ace McCarthy – Tahlequah, Okla. (Dave Mac Motorsports)
31 David Budres – Beloit, Wis. (Manic Racing)
32t Trey Marcham – Oklahoma City, Okla. (Trey Marcham)
35 Tanner Carrick – Lincoln, Calif. (Petry Motorsports)
39BC Cole Bodine – Rossville, Ind. (Clauson-Marshall Racing)
42 Hank Davis – Sand Springs, Okla. (Dean Franklin)
52 Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, Okla. (Blake Hahn)
67 Buddy Kofoid – Penngrove, Calif. (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
71 Kaylee Bryson – Muskogee, Okla. (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
71K Cannon McIntosh – Bixby, Okla. (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
71x Presley Truedson – Kennedy, Minn. (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
82 Andrew Layser – Collegeville, Pa. (Tucker-Boat Motorsports)
85 Matt Moore – Bethany, Okla. (Central Motor Sports)
88 Tyler Nelson – Olathe, Kan. (Tyler Nelson)
89 Chris Windom – Canton, Ill. (Tucker-Boat Motorsports)
91T Tyler Thomas – Collinsville, Okla. (Brian Thomas)
97 Jesse Love Jr. – Menlo Park, Calif. (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
98 Clinton Boyles – Greenwood, Mo. (RMS)