PUTNAMVILLE, Ind. – There aren’t too many dirt tracks in the land that can claim to be 5/16-mile in length.
That, along with its sizable curb, relaxed hillside seating and anything-but-relaxed on-track action, make for a one-of-a-kind spectacle for the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship during its busiest seven-race stretch of the season.
The merry-go-round of racing in the Hoosier state brings USAC Indiana Midget Week to Putnamville’s Lincoln Park Speedway on Thursday night, June 9, for round five of seven for the 18th annual mini-series, which has made 13 previous visits to LPS dating back to 2010 with many a champion taming its unique shape and size over the past decade-plus.
One of those individuals is Tanner Thorson, who added a third Lincoln victory to his USAC Indiana Midget Week resume in 2021, leading all 30 laps. His miraculous drive from 15th to 1st at LPS in 2019 still stands as one of the most iconic drives in Indiana Midget Week history.
He also won at LPS during 2016 Indiana Midget Week en route to the USAC National Midget title that same year. He’s also been 2nd and 7th in 2020, 5th in 2018 and earned a quick time during qualifying in 2015 to go along with a USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car victory there in 2021. He’s scheduled to drive a second car for team owner Tom Malloy alongside Logan Seavey.
Seavey was the fastest qualifier of IMW at LPS in 2021. The 2019 Indiana Midget Week champion finished as the runner-up of the 2019 race and was 7th in 2018 before netting 10th in 2021.
Brady Bacon has won twice in USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car competition at LPS, both of which came in 2020. In the midget, he’s been the fastest qualifier in 2016 and finished a best of 8th in 2017 and was also 9th in 2013.
Kyle Cummins has been a USAC National Sprint Car winner at LPS in his career, doing so during Indiana Sprint Week in 2019 and just as recently as a couple weekends ago, won a Midwest Sprint Car Series feature in late May. His lone LPS Midget appearances, however, have netted only a 22nd in 2021 and a 23rd in 2020.
Last Sunday’s Tri-State winner Thomas Meseraull finished a best of 9th in 2011 and was 10th in both the 2012 and 2020 rounds of IMW at LPS.
Indiana Midget Week point leader Buddy Kofoid has finished inside the top-nine in all three of his IMW starts at LPS with a 3rd in 2020, a 4th in 2021 and a 9th at LPS in 2020.
Jerry Coons Jr., an IMW champion in 2017, collected a best of 3rd during IMW at LPS in 2019, and also grabbed 5th place results in both 2011 and 2015, 9th in 2016, and 10th in 2017 and 2018.
Justin Grant was the runner-up of the IMW show at LPS in 2018, was 5th in 2017 as well as 7th and 9th in 2020. Like Grant and several others, Jason McDougal has notched sprint car success at LPS with a feature win as recently as 2021. He’s snagged a pair of top-tens during IMW as well, in 2021 with a 7th and in 2019 with a 10th. In July of 2020, McDougal finished 2nd at LPS in a USAC Regional Midget feature.
Cannon McIntosh has been solid as a rock with a 3rd and 6th place finish at LPS on each night in 2020. Same goes for Zach Daum, a 6th place finisher in 2020 and 9th in both 2012 and 2019.
Among the lineup of LPS Indiana Midget Week returnees are Kaylee Bryson, who tallied a 12th in 2021. Chance Crum took 4th in the July 2021 Regional show, but was 15th during IMW in 2021. Bryant Wiedeman slotted 14th in 2021. Sam Johnson took 18th in 2018. Brenham Crouch settled for 20th in 2021. Ethan Mitchell was a 23rd place finisher in 2018.
While Jacob Denney is a first-time Indiana Midget Week entrant, he has been a winner at Lincoln Park in his career. The two-time USAC Midwest Thunder SpeeD2 Midget champion captured a victory at the track with the series in July of 2020.
First-time LPS IMW feature starting hopefuls are Hayden Reinbold, who set quick time and finished 2nd in a USAC Regional Midget feature at LPS in July of 2021. Bryan Stanfill finished 3rd in a pair of Regional Midget events at LPS in 2021. Rylan Gray finished 8th in a Saturday night sprint car show at LPS back in April of this year.
Numerous Rookie pilots are vying for a first USAC National Midget feature start at Lincoln Park on Thursday, top series Rookie Mitchel Moles and CB Industries teammates Jade Avedisian, Jace Park and Dominic Gorden.
Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports’ Taylor Reimer, Cade Lewis, Mariah Ede and Australian Speedcar champ Kaidon Brown are among the group as well.
The international flair is strong with Brown making his IMW debut along with fellow Aussie Mike Griffiths and Kiwi Travis Buckley. From the heartland of Wisconsin comes Badger Midget champion Chase McDermand and from the west coast, BCRA Midget champs Maria Cofer, Robert Carson and USAC Western Restricted HPD champ, Blake Brannon.
On Thursday, USAC Indiana Midget Week features the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship along with the Lincoln Park Sprint Cars and IMCA Mod Lites.