|
Just a few notes on the Midget Nationals.....Oklahomans are back in midgets and doing well. The track Friday night was actually too good.....they invert the heats, fast cars in the back after time trials, and it punished some guys. EVERYBODY was wicked fast, so if you started in the back, you pretty much stayed there, except for Jerry Coons, Jr. He had everybody covered all weekend.
Brady Bacon, Donnie Ray Crawford, and Cody Brewer all made Saturday night's finale. Gary Taylor from Colorado also put the other Tel-Star car into the 40 lapper. Brady was banging off the fence in turn four late in the race, running the extreme high line, and it finally got his right rear...that was the final caution of the night. Donnie Ray had problems, but he's credited with the quote of the weekend...."I like this place. I don't have to worry about where to back off." Cody Brewer is another story. Lap 17 of the feature he'd moved up from a provisional starting spot, but something happened and he spun and started flipping going into three. About the time he stopped he got nailed by another car, and at Belleville, that's a big hit. A fire broke out but was quickly put out. The chassis held up and Cody was just shaken up. Can't say as much for the car, but I didn't get to see it after the show so it may be repairable.
It started raining with about five laps to go in the feature, and they just let 'em run it out. Scary stuff at that track. You could hear the engines zinging up as the rear wheels spun on the wet track at over 100 mph. Not a good idea, USAC.
If you've never been to the Midget Nationals, try to make it next year. The racing is something else when the track is right, like it was Saturday, and watching those guys run Chili Bowl close at those speeds will definitely get your attention. Now that there are some local-interest guys running, there's another good reason to go....before they wind up in NAPCAR.
|
