[JessicaJ]

Gage Walker has Sights Set on USAC Opener
By Jessica Jenkins

As USAC’s 2016 National Midget season begins next Saturday, March 19 in DuQuoin, Illinois, Gage Walker is one of the drivers looking forward to getting back on track. With plans to run the full USAC midget schedule this year, plus well as some POWRi midget racing, Walker is ready to get the offseason behind him and put the focus back on racing.

Three months ago in his most recent appearance at the Southern Illinois Center the 18-year old picked up a decent 11th place finish, even more impressive considering his right front shock was bent in the opening laps of the feature. With that test run of the brand new red #7x car done and repairs made, Walker and his family-owned team took off for the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals where he put a stellar run together on his qualifying night. While running within reach of a B or A main start in Saturday’s ‘alphabet soup’, an unfortunate issue caused the car to shut off. In Saturday’s D main he was working his way up when a couple cars collided immediately ahead of him. Having nowhere to go but into them, enough contact was made to break one of the steering arms and tear a brake line apart. Despite the results, Walker proved he had a fast car and could wheel it with the best of them.

Now with the Shamrock Classic in his headlights, the Indianapolis-native is eager to shake off those hindrances and kick the new season off in strong fashion at DuQuoin. With a stacked field of big names and good equipment, he knows he can go out there and hold his own with the best in the sport. Having a USAC championship already under his belt (in the 2013 Ignite Midwest Dirt Midget series), Walker is already accustomed to racing wheel to wheel for race wins.

If you are planning to head out for a night of exceptional racing, tickets are still available. Pits open at 8am, spectator gates at 1pm with the public drivers meeting at 3:30pm. Hot laps begin at 4 and racing at 5pm. If you are unable to make it, TheCushion.com will have a live pay per view available.

For more information about Gage Walker, visit his website site at GageWalkerRacing.com, ‘like’ his Facebook fan page (Facebook.com/GageWalkerRacing) or follow him on Twitter @GageWalker7.

[hb56]

anyone seen an entry list .

[JessicaJ]

0A MIKE McSPARIN/Carrier Mills, IL
1T TONY RONEY/Herculaneum, MO
2 TBA
3N JAKE NEUMAN/New Berlin, IL
4 RYAN GRETH/New Cumberland, PA
4M MICHELLE DECKER/Guthrie, OK
5c COLTEN COTTLE/Kansas, IL
5D ZACH DAUM/Pocahontas, IL
5x JUSTIN PECK/Monrovia, IN
6 BILL ROSE/Plainfield, IN
7x GAGE WALKER/Indianapolis, IN
11 TRAVIS BERRYHILL/American Canyon, CA
11AG DAVE DARLAND/Lincoln, IN
11A ANDREW FELKER/Carl Junction, MO
11H CHASE HILL/Redding, CA15 TIM SINER/Dupo, IL
15M SHANE MORGAN/Morton, IL
17M CHASE JOHNSON/Penngrove, CA
17w SHANE GOLOBIC/Fremont, CA
19 JOHN CAMPBELL/Belleville, IL
21 TY HULSEY/Owasso, OK
27 TUCKER KLAASMEYER/Paola, KS
31 DAVID BUDRES/Janesville, WI
D33 CHASE BRISCOE/Mitchell, IN
35T TYLER ROBBINS/Collinsville, IL
37 ANTON HERNANDEZ/
38 JUSTIN GRANT/Ione, CA
41 AUSTIN PROCK/Lansing, MI
50 DANIEL ADLER/St. Louis, MO
55 NICK KNEPPER/Belleville, IL
57D DANIEL ROBINSON/Ewing, IL
63 BRYAN CLAUSON/Noblesville, IN
66 THOMAS MESERAULL/San Jose, CA
67 TANNER THORSON/Minden, NV
67K HOLLY SHELTON/Sacramento, CA
71 RYAN ROBINSON/Foresthill, CA
71K CARSON MACEDO/Lemoore, CA
71½ ROBERT BELL/Colfax, IA
76 KELLEN CONOVER/St. Louis, MO
76M BRADY BACON/Broken Arrow, OK
77u CHRIS URISH/Elkhart, IL
84 CHAD BOAT/Phoenix, AZ
86 DANNY MEYER/Tuscola, IL
88 TERRY BABB/Decatur, IL
91 DERECK KING/Vienna, IL
91A CHRIS ANDREWS/Sandusky, OH
91T TYLER THOMAS/Collinsville, OK
97 SPENCER BAYSTON/Lebanon, IN