[JessicaJ]

Tyler Nelson has Respectable Showing In Illinois USAC Events
By Jessica Jenkins

When USAC's National Midget series headed to Illinois for a big tripleheader of races to kick off July, Tyler Nelson was not originally scheduled to run each night. But due to some changes in the POWRi schedule, the 20 year old and Harris Racing opted to run the #91 in all three shows.

Beginning at Macon Speedway on Saturday, Nelson qualified a strong fifteenth then held onto fourth place in the third heat to claim the final transfer spot. That sent him easily to the Feature and a fourteenth place starting spot. Jumping a couple spots by the lap four caution and working the middle groove, he raced into the top ten a few laps later. As the racing action intensified and the USAC regulars rose through the field, he fought for each spot and sat thirteenth shortly before halfway. The laps continued clicking off as cars ran all over the track with Nelson racing every lap like it was the last one. Only a couple laps remained when a slider was thrown by another competitor on the car behind him without knowing the #91 was just to the outside. Contact with the left rear was made, denting it in, but both continued on and Nelson was credited with a solid 17th place finish. Afterwards Nelson reflected, "We did what we needed to do to lock it in the show the easy way. There was quite a bit of grip early, it kind of slicked off and we just didn't go far enough in our adjustments, so the car just kind of went away at the end. But the car is still mostly in one piece. Had a little incident on the last lap there with another driver, but we'll get it all back together and go at it tomorrow. Think we've got something good to work with. I finally settled down enough and finally got a pretty good result. Just happy to make the show after the disappointment the last time driving [here] and not even making it, so I think overall we did pretty good tonight. We just didn't stay ahead of it enough, so Jack and I will kind of figure each other out and we'll come to a happy medium between what he wants to do and we want to do and I think we'll just keep getting better and better. We can only keep going forward from here."

And go forward they did--to Lincoln Speedway for the Olathe, KS native's first ever showing on the 1/4 mile dirt track. Nelson placed his white ride in 21st for qualifying, transferring him to the pole of the first heat. In one of the most stacked heats of the night, he got bottled up on the low line as everyone dove for the bottom and was shuffled back to sixth as the drivers with more experience shot by. Finishing up seventh, he was sent to a fifth spot start in the Last Chance Qualifier. Top six went to the Feature at the end of 12 laps and Nelson maneuvered his way to fourth place. Starting 19th in the big race, he played it easy and survived a flurry of yellows and red flags before halfway. Working in nineteenth on the inside he battled any challengers that came. The lightning quick pace of the leaders started putting those behind him a lap down and eventually also worked by him. As the last lap came to a close, he claimed an eighteenth place finish in his debut at the Central Illinois track. Thinking back over the night, the blue-eyed driver explained, "We had to start deep because we didn't time in well and it was just a tough track. It was all on the bottom and kind of hard to make something happen. I went to the cushion early and it just backed up, so I went back to the bottom and just kind of protected where I was at. Not a terrible night. We faced a little of adversity to get in there, had to come in through the B, so we had a pretty good thing. We just didn't have time to tune in between the B and the A to get the car where it needed to be. Once I found the bottom and was being disciplined, it wasn't too bad. I'm pretty happy, we made the Feature and went the whole time in the Feature, so everything was good."

Night three arrived hot and humid at the Illinois State Fairground's Muli-Purpose Arena for the first annual Adam Lopez Illinois Midget Nationals. But as the temperature dropped, and now on an even playing field of experience, Nelson showcased how good he really is. Starting seventh in the first heat, he used the low groove to his advantage and soared up to a third place finish. Using the passing point system from the Chili Bowl, he was tied for high point-man with the previous two nights' victor Christopher Bell. In the second Qualifier he once more jumped from sixth place into third using the now-worked-in high line and slotted into points position #3. With one of the strongest cars of the night, he used that third place starting spot in the Feature to his advantage and clung to a top five finish throughout the first couple restarts. Working whatever line worked best, he was running tenth when a car ahead of him spun out. With nowhere to go, Nelson slid to a stop and was sent to the tail on the restart. From there, traffic proved to be very difficult on the tight, low-banked track. He managed to make it to nineteenth as the leaders mixed into the tail of the field while laps clicked off quickly. When the dust settled he had only a nineteenth place result to show for all his effort.

Hot and worn out after the weekend's final race, Nelson recapped, "Everything was kind of going our way at the beginning of the night. After the heat races, we were second in points, so that was a pretty big deal with all the big teams that were here. Started in the back of the Qualifier and moved forward again, so I came out third in overall points. We did something there, that's pretty impressive for our team compared to what Clauson and Kunz and all the stuff they have. It was good to start up there. Beginning of the Feature we weren't too bad. Started to back up just a touch, but I kind of settled in right around seventh. I think we would have ended up right around there, but unfortunately got caught up in someone else's mess and went to the back for it. After that, it was just so hard to pass and do anything, so we just were kind of stuck there."

As a whole over the three days, Nelson shared, "The Harris' gave me an awesome car for this weekend. Putting this thing in all three shows, that's saying something for the team we have here. I wish we would have gotten better results in the Features, but they'll come. We're definitely getting more consistent and we just need to move further up in line. So, I'm really happy with overall on the weekend, and I think they're happy with me. Just kind of a disappointing note to end on, especially with how well the night was going before. But this stuff happens, especially on short track racing, so we'll be back at it." He also wanted to thank "Jack Harris, the whole crew, everybody that helps us, Kaiser Wheels, Advance suspension and Wilwood Brakes for everything they do on this car".

Next up for Nelson will be Valley Speedway in Missouri July 14-15 with Cappy Mason's #47 before returning to the #91 July 22nd at Belle-Clair Speedway. Follow along with updates on Facebook @TylerNelsonRacing or on Twitter @TylerNelson88. Also keep an eye out for pictures from the weekend in central Illinois!