PUTNAMVILLE, Ind. – Tanner Thorson has been pleased with the performance of his Hayward Motorsports No. 19 lately, but it was clear Thursday night he was beginning to get a little frustrated.
Thorson finished as the runner-up with the NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget Series for the second time in three nights during Indiana Midget Week, coming close to a repeat victory at Lincoln Park Speedway after winning at the five-sixteenths-mile oval in 2019.
The Minden, Nev., native started inside the top five, but was second by the end of the opening lap. He used slide jobs to pass early leader Cannon McIntosh on laps two and seven, though, McIntosh crossed him back over to lead at the flag stand both times.
Thorson finally cleared McIntosh for the point on lap 10, but the ever-present threat that is Kyle Larson was closing quickly from 15th starting spot — reaching the top three by halfway and catching a lap-16 red flag to close a three-second deficit on the front duo.
Though Thorson tried to fend off Larson following the restart for the second half of the feature, there was little he could do to defend from the massive slide jobs that Larson threw at him and ultimately used to wrest the win away.
Larson has won in his last eight dirt-track starts, including five sprint car features and three midget races. He’s also won his last 10 midget starts on U.S. soil, dating back to last fall.
While Thorson lauded Larson’s recent accomplishments, it was evident in his tone and body language that he’s tired of playing the role of the bridesmaid.
“It just sucks being a sitting duck,” Thorson noted of leading a restart in USAC midget racing. “That’s what happened at Paragon (too). He’s (Larson) the best there is. There’s no two ways about it.
“To run second to him, I guess it’s saying something, but damn, I want to win,” he continued. “I need to stop this guy.”
If Thorson is able to defeat Larson in one of the three remaining Indiana Midget Week races, he’ll bank an extra $1,000 for doing so, courtesy of a bounty put up by Richard and Jennifer Marshall of Priority Aviation.
But there’s another prize he’s targeting as well: the overall Indiana Midget Week championship.
Thorson has never won the Indiana Midget Week crown, though he’s been close in the past. It’s a special prize in USAC midget racing that he’d like nothing more than to add to his trophy case.
“We’ve been consistent; we’ve had the pace. Now we just want to win,” Thorson said. “Hopefully we can put it all together and try to be on top at the end of the week.”