[JessicaJ]

Brayton Lynch Shows Constant Improvement in 3rd Chili Bowl

JessicaJ Media – SPRINGFIELD, Ill (Jan. 24, 2019) – Making his way to Tulsa for the annual Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, Brayton Lynch was looking to improve upon his two previous starts. With loads of preparation poured into his #1k, the 19 year old knew a strong showing on his Tuesday preliminary night would put him in good shape for Saturday.

Drawing the pole of his heat race, Lynch had his work cut out for him to earn the most possible points by holding onto first place. The 19 year old and his new, brightly colored paint scheme got a strong jump at the green. Holding off a spirited charge from NASCAR racer Alex Bowman, Lynch pulled away to take heat three's checkered flag. Claiming his first ever Chili Bowl heat race win put the racer solidly into the Qualifiers. A speedy take off in the first Qualifier sent Lynch from second into the lead during lap one. He pulled away with the lead for five laps before the car turned sideways and slid to a stop on the cushion. Making his way back to ninth in the closing laps, all attention turned towards claiming one of the coveted B Main transfer spots. Firing off from ninth on lap one, he instantly became part of an intense scramble for position. Surviving through a couple yellows, the Springfield, IL driver caught the battle for the final transfer spot as the lap counter ticked towards zero. Ultimately credited with seventh, Lynch was left with refocusing on doing his best during Saturday's portion of the event.

Already miles ahead of his prior results inside Tulsa's River Spirit Expo Center, Lynch had earned an eighth place starting spot for the first of two F mains. Zipping past a pile-up on lap one, he restarted fifth once the field reformed. Needing only to maintain for the remaining fifteen circuits to advance, the Rusty Kunz Racing driver moved into fourth early, falling into a comfortable position. Unchallenged to the checkers, Lynch advanced into the E main. Upon taking the green flag in 19th, the speed from Tuesday returned and he shot past five cars in the first lap. Getting chopped off by competitors trying to hold onto their position, the second time put the high school grad into a spin cycle before tipping onto his left side. As the green waved once more, it took a few laps to get up to full song before he took off again and began passing cars. But each lap ticked off quickly, leaving him in seventeenth.

While not fully up to his expectations, Lynch experienced a couple firsts via his first prelim heat win and advancing out of his original feature on Saturday. Huge thanks to his grandparents, parents, family, friends and those who were a big part of making it all a possibility. Plans for the upcoming season are still in the works, so stay tuned to the Brayton Lynch Racing Facebook page.

In His Own Words
"We raced pretty well and had as much speed as anyone. To win that heat race on a huge stage was pretty cool. I felt more satisfied with the moves I made in that race to hold [Bowman] off and I'm pleased that we showed more speed than in the past years. My goal was to make the A main on my prelim and I failed to do so. I am highly frustrated with that just because we were really competitive and the results just don't show how fast we really were. I learned a lot: mainly to stay calm while leading so we don't cost ourselves again. Just needed to minimize the big mistakes and we would have been in the hunt for a spot in the show on Saturday."

Results at a Glance
Tuesday
Heat 3 – start 1st; finish 1st
Qualifier – start 2nd; finish 9th
B Main – start 9th; finish 7th

Saturday
F Main 1 – start 8th; finish 4th
E Main 1 – start 19th; finish 17th

Brayton Lynch is a 19 year old driver from Springfield, IL with a rich family background in racing. Gaining experience through frequent USAC and POWRi midget appearances, he is a hard worker with lots of potential. Featuring a background in flat track motorcycles and outlaw karts, he currently competes in national midgets while continually looking for ways to move his career forward. Sponsorship opportunities are available to partner with Lynch in 2019.

JessicaJ Media serves upcoming and experienced racers through press releases, photos, hero cards and more. Growing up in Illinois before moving to Indianapolis, Jessica is passionate about motorsports and giving those in the short track community a way to have their story told. She also has multiple articles published in Flat Out Magazine and can be found at a track most weekends.