BIG WEEK FOR SPEED2 MIDGETS! SEEKONK WED., KOKOMO FRI., SPOON RIVER SAT. AND SPRINGFIELD MON.
Four venues host USAC Speed2 Midget action this week, starting with Wednesday night’s Eastern Midget “Special Event” at Seekonk (Mass.) Speedway. Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway is Friday night’s host for the Midwest Thunder Midgets and the IMRA Midgets return to Spoon River Speedway in Canton, Ill. Saturday.
On Monday, June 3, Midwest Thunder and IMRA come together for their debut at the Illinois State Fairgrounds Multi-Purpose Arena in Springfield. The event will be a full, points-paying event for IMRA, but will be a non-points, special event for Midwest Thunder. The race is part of the Adam Lopez “Illinois Midget Nationals” that also includes the USAC Midget National Championship.
Jessica Bean (Eastern), Adam Taylor (IMRA) and Aaron Leffel (Midwest Thunder) are the respective series point leaders entering weekend action. Taylor has a pair of IMRA wins, while Bean has notched Eastern wins at Durham, N.C., Hickory, N.C. and Huntsville, Ala. Leffel also has a pair of victories in the Midwest Thunder series.
Taylor, of Shorewood, Ill., grabbed Saturday night’s 15-lap USAC Speed2 IMRA Midget feature at 34 Raceway in Burlington, Iowa. Chase McDermand took second after leading the early laps. Jacob Sollenberger, Jeremy Hull and Brent Burrows rounded out the “top-five” at the checkered flag.
Leffel, of Springfield, Ohio won Saturday night’s 20-lap USAC Speed2 Midwest Thunder Midget race at Montpelier (Ind.) Motor Speedway. He led the final six laps after passing Korbyn Hayslett to beat Gunnar Lucius, Stratton Briggs, Chris Whipple and Kurt Mayhew.
2017 USAC Speed2 Eastern Midget Series Standings: 1-Jessica Bean-574, 2-George Kurtz-567, 3-Nolan Allison-526, 4-Jake Trainor-389, 5-Jagger Parker-379, 6-Neal Allison-355, 7-Sam Hatfield-320, 8-Chris Lamb-310, 9-Eric Lewis-282, 10-Nick McFarland-195.
2017 USAC Speed2 Midwest Thunder Midget Series Standings: 1-Aaron Leffel-265, 2-Corey Bedwell-226, 3-Stratton Briggs-218, 4-Nick Corea-202, 5-Korbyn Hayslett-177, 6-Alex Watson-171, 7-Tommy Bigelow-150, 8-Tom Hessel-133, 9-Gunnar Lucius-131, 10-Jim Jones-118.
2017 USAC Speed2 IMRA Midget Series Standings: 1-Adam Taylor-597, 2-Dillon Morley-591, 3-Jeremy Hull-555, 4-Chase McDermand-540, 5-Jacob Sollenberger-434, 6-Gedd Ross-393, 7-Tyson Hart-377, 8-Brent Burrows-339, 9-Broc Hunnell-331, 10-Ryan Mangold-300.