Kofoid Dominates USAC Midget Feature;
Thomas Becomes Newest Sprint Feature Winner
At Gas City I-69 Speedway Friday Night
GAS CITY, Ind., June 12 – Last year Michael “Buddy” Kofoid finished second in the Indiana Midget Week USAC NOS Energy Drink national midget race at Gas City I-69 Speedway. On Friday night for the 2021 version of Indiana Midget Week at Gas City the Penngrove, Calif.-based driver did that one better, leading all 30 laps to earn a runaway, $4,000 victory over Emerson Axsom of Franklin, Ind.
Kevin Thomas Jr. of Cullman, Ala., finished sixth in the midget feature and then won the 25-lap non-wing sprint car feature by 5.221 seconds over last week’s winner, Scotty Weir of Marion, Ind. Thomas was the fourth different non-wing sprint car feature winner at Gas City this year in as many races at the quarter-mile dirt oval.
Kofoid started second in the 30-lap midget feature and already had a 1.808-second lead over polesitter Jason McDougal of Broken Arrow, Okla., by lap five. His lead was about the same, 1.802 seconds, when Justin Grant of Avon, Ind., slowed in Turn 2 and stopped on the backstretch with eight laps down while running seventh to bring out the first caution.
Axsom used the high groove in Turn 2 to pass McDougal for second on the restart, but Kofoid was already way ahead. Kofoid’s 2.163-second lead evaporated with 13 laps down, however, when the second yellow waved for a four-car crash in Turn 4 involving Jerry Coons Jr. of Cloverdale, Ind.; Chris Windom, a native of Canton, Ill.; Hayden Williams of Auckland, New Zealand, and Bryant Wiedeman of Colby, Kan. All escaped unhurt.
Daison Pursley of Locust Grove, Okla., passed McDougal on lap 14 for third, but McDougal got the position back on the following lap. While they were racing each other, Kofoid was able to once again rebuild his lead.
McDougal passed Axsom for second on lap 19, but on the last lap McDougal stopped in Turn 3 after something broke on his car on the backstretch. The problem was reportedly a broken axle, and his runner-up finish was suddenly transformed to 15th in the final rundown.
Following Kofoid and Axsom across the line was Logan Seavey of Sutter, Calif., who qualified the hard way by winning the B-main and came from the 11th starting spot in the feature. Pursley placed fourth and Cannon McIntosh of Bixby, Okla., rounded out the top five. Four of the top-five finishers were teenagers, as Kofoid is 19; Axsom is 16; Seavey is 24; Pursley is 16 and McIntosh is 18.
Kofoid was eighth in Fatheadz Eyewear qualifying and fourth in his heat before trouncing his competition in the feature with his Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports No. 67, which is an IWX/Bullet by Spike with a Speedway Toyota engine. The entry is sponsored by Mobil 1 and Toyota Racing Development.
Tanner Thorson of Minden, Nev., was the hard charger, as he started 20th and finished eighth.
Thomas started fourth in the 25-lap non-wing sprint feature in his KT Motorsports DRC Speedway Chevy No. 9K, which is sponsored by Dr. Pepper, McDonalds and KT Construction Services.
Weir, who started second, passed polesitter Jadon Rogers of Worthington, Ind., for the lead with a move to the outside in Turn 2 on the first lap, and then showed the way for the first 12 laps until Thomas passed him working lap 13.
Thomas had just passed the start-finish line to record the 13th lap when behind him something broke on the famous Paul Hazen No. 57 driven by defending track champion Max Adams, a native of Loomis, Calif., now living in Marion, Ind. Adams hit the outside wall in Turn 4 very hard to bring out the first caution flag. Luckily he wasn’t hurt.
Afterwards Adams said he wasn’t 100 percent certain what broke. “I think the drag link failed from contact earlier in the race, causing me to lose steering, but it’s really hard to say,” he said.
A second yellow still with 13 laps down flew when Chet Williams of Newburgh, Ind., spun between Turns 2 and 3, but Thomas was up to all challengers on the restart and led the rest of the 25-lap race, crossing the line with a straightaway lead.
There was a barnburner of a battle for second, however. Weir bicycled hard in Turn 4 on lap 20 but saved it and he took home the runner-up honors followed by Thomas Meseraull of Waveland, Ind.; McIntosh, and Brady Bacon of Winchester, Ind.
There was only one flip during the evening. A.J. Hopkins of Brownsburg, Ind., flipped in Turn 4 with five laps down in the fourth sprint heat, but luckily escaped injury.
The event was streamed live on FloRacing.com.
Beth Boles, wife of Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles and mother of IndyCar star Conor Daly, got a ride in the track’s two-seat non-wing sprint car during the course of the evening. Matt Goodnight of Hartford City, Ind., was the driver. One lucky fan also won a ride in it at a future date. Fans can buy a ride in the two-seater throughout the season by inquiring at the track’s gift shop.
This coming Friday, June 18, is the fourth annual Jack and Jiggs Classic featuring a five-division program of non-wing 410 sprint cars, Schaeffer’s Oil Indiana RaceSaver 305 winged sprint cars, modifieds, street stocks and hornets. The pit gate opens at 3 p.m. and the grandstands at 5 p.m. Hot laps are at 6:30 p.m. and the racing starts at 7:30 p.m. An adult general admission ticket is only $15, while kids 12 and under are free. A pit pass costs $30.
The complete 2021 schedule and more information are on the track’s website at GasCityI69Speedway.com. Fans and competitors can also follow it on Twitter: @GasCitySpeedway; Instagram: @GasCitySpeedway and Facebook: GasCitySpeedwayOnTheGas.
Gas City I-69 Speedway is located on State Road 22, approximately a half-mile west of I-69, exit 259. The quarter-mile dirt oval is about halfway between Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, and attracts drivers and fans from all over the Midwest.