BRANDON, S.D. — The USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship will share the bill with the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship for three nights of racing at Huset’s Speedway this weekend.
Nights one and two will feature 30-lap USAC National Midget main events, paying $5,000-to-win. Meanwhile, Sunday night’s 100-lap finale will pay $12,000 to the winner.
Throughout the weekend, points will continuously be accumulated, and the top point gainer in the midget division for all three events combined will earn a $10,000 prize.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday night’s events will award 50 appearance points only to all USAC nationally-licensed drivers and entrants. No qualifying, heat race, preliminary or feature points will be issued.
USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midgets have competed in the state of South Dakota just nine times in the 67-year history of the series.
Nine previous South Dakota USAC National Midget races have produced eight different winners between 1976-2021: Steve Cannon (1976 in Huron), Sleepy Tripp (1976 in Rapid City), Johnny Parsons (1977 in Huron), Rich Vogler (1977 in Hartford), Ken Schrader (1982 in Hartford), Kenny Irwin Jr. (1996 at Huset’s), Thomas Meseraull (2021 at Huset’s) and Chris Windom (twice in 2021 at Huset’s).
Among the top returnees in the field include the man who won his first career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car feature just two weeks ago at this very same place. That’s defending USAC National Midget champion and current point leader Buddy Kofoid.
Kofoid’s three Huset’s midget starts last year resulted in a fourth on night one, a thirdrd on night two and a second on night three.
Kofoid is sensing a trend here, and he’ll be shooting to get back into victory lane for the fifth time this season starting Friday.
Meseraull won the opening night feature during last year’s Huset’s Speedway USAC Nationals and he’ll be in the field this weekend.
Shane Golobic was solid in all three of his starts a year ago at Huset’s, with the 2017 USAC Indiana Midget Week titlist tallying a 3rd on night one, a fifth on night two and a seventh on night three.
Golobic was the first to break the track record in the 2021 opener, but the ensuing evening saw Mitchel Moles up the ante once more by setting a new track record for the series at 12.776 seconds. This year’s leading Rookie of the Year candidate nearly pulled off a victory on the first night of 2021’s festivities, taking the lead on the final lap before the yellow fell.
On the restart, he dropped to 6th and is primed to become the series’ newest first-time winner.
Logan Seavey possesses the USAC Sprint Car one-lap track record at Huset’s, but his prowess in a midget there is just as strong. The 2018 USAC National Midget champ rose to seventh, fourth and sixth during his three runs at the track in 2021.
Justin Grant is the lone driver to win in all three USAC National divisions thus far this year. The 2020 USAC Silver Crown champ, and three times a 2022 USAC National Midget victor, scored a best of sixth at Huset’s on night two in the inaugural 2021 edition.
Cannon McIntosh was the dominant force early on during the final night of 2021’s USAC Nationals when he led 23 laps before suffering a flat right-rear tire, which dashed his hopes and dreams of victory. The winner of the series’ most recent round at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway in June collected a best of ninth on the second night of action.
Brenham Crouch) placed ninth on the final night of 2021 while Chance Crum performed solidly with 10th place results on each of the first pair of racing nights.