MERCED, Calif. — Kyle Larson took the lead on lap 14 and held off a late charge from Buddy Kofoid to win the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series nightcap at Merced Speedway’s Sunday doubleheader.
Kofoid also earned a third-place finish in the day’s opening race and has now finished on the podium in each of his nine USAC starts at Merced.
The two-time USAC champion (2021-2022) is coming off a stellar rookie campaign in the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars where he placed fourth overall, registering seven wins for the Toyota-powered Roth Motorsports team.
Logan Seavey paced the race early with Larson moving to second on lap 11. After a mid-race caution flag, Larson would slide past Seavey in turn one on the lap 14 restart and quickly begin to pull away.
Behind him, Kofoid would begin to reel in Seavey for second at the midway point of the 30-lap feature.
Kofoid would eventually claim the second spot on lap 20 and began to close in on Larson for the lead with 10 laps remaining, but Larson held on for the win with a margin of victory of 0.791 seconds over Kofoid.
The victory wrapped up a sweep of the evening program for Larson, who also won the night’s 360 winged sprint car main event.
Seavey finished third, with Tanner Thorson and Carson Macedo completing the top five.
Pursley continues to lead the USAC point standings. With two races remaining, he holds a 54-point lead over Cannon McIntosh, who finished ninth.
The USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series closes out its 2024 season with two races this upcoming week, kicking off with Tuesday night’s event at Bakersfield Speedway and then heading to Ventura Raceway for the 83rd annual Turkey Night Grand Prix on Saturday night.
USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship, Merced Speedway, Merced, Calif., Nov. 24, 2024
SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (8 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Tanner Thorson (#25m Malloy), 2. Tyler Courtney (#23c Silva), 3. Corey Day (#4 Kahne), 4. Karter Sarff (#31 Beilman), 5. Zach Wigal (#89 CBI), 6. Jake Andreotti (#00 Davis), 7. Peter Paulson (#Q32 El Toro). 1:37.39
ROD END SUPPLY SECOND HEAT: (8 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Kale Drake (#97K Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), 2. Hayden Reinbold (#19AZ Reinbold-Underwood), 3. Ryan Timms (#67 Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), 4. Carson Macedo (#99AU Dyson), 5. Logan Seavey (#57 Abacus), 6. Drake Edwards (#3p Petty), 7. Barrie Valentino (#Q23 El Toro). 1:37.07
T.J. FORGED THIRD HEAT: (8 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Caden Sarale (#32 Sarale), 2. Gavin Miller (#97 Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), 3. Buddy Kofoid (#71 Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), 4. Daison Pursley (#86 CBI), 5. Jacob Denney (#25 Malloy), 6. Ronnie Gardner (#68 Six8), 7. Kyle Hawse (#20x Hawse). 1:36.74 (New Track Record)
CAR IQ FOURTH HEAT: (8 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Emerson Axsom (#67K Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), 2. Zach Daum (#31B Beilman), 3. Justin Grant (#2 RMS), 4. Cannon McIntosh (#71K Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), 5. Kyle Larson (#1K Silva), 6. Travis DeGaton (#39T DeGaton), 7. Terry Nichols (#1p Nichols-Peckfelder). 1:37.38
ELLIOTT’S CUSTOM TRAILERS & CARTS SEMI: (8 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Drake Edwards, 2. Jake Andreotti, 3. Ronnie Gardner, 4. Travis DeGaton, 5. Peter Paulson, 6. Barrie Valentino, 7. Kyle Hawse, 8. Terry Nichols.
FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Kyle Larson (3), 2. Buddy Kofoid (4), 3. Logan Seavey (1), 4. Tanner Thorson (7), 5. Carson Macedo (5), 6. Jacob Denney (11), 7. Daison Pursley (14), 8. Zach Wigal (16), 9. Cannon McIntosh (12), 10. Ryan Timms (13), 11. Emerson Axsom (10), 12. Justin Grant (18), 13. Kale Drake (8), 14. Caden Sarale (9), 15. Tyler Courtney (19), 16. Zach Daum (15), 17. Corey Day (6), 18. Gavin Miller (17), 19. Hayden Reinbold (22), 20. Drake Edwards (20), 21. Ronnie Gardner (23), 22. Jake Andreotti (21), 23. Travis DeGaton (24), 24. Karter Sarff (2).