USAC Midgets
 

Will anyone be reporting from Ace Speedway as the USAC National Midgets kick off their season in North Carolina tonight and Saturday?

Re: USAC Midgets
 

There were 23 cars at open practice today. We are going up for tomorrow's show.

Re: USAC Midgets
 

Keep us posted.

USAC Midgets Altamaha,N.C. Opener....
 

Justa thot......USACRacing.com has in past posted live updates via their Twitter!!.......Final complete results: http://www.usacracing.com/midget_index/news_m/5226.html
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Brucer':32:

Re: USAC Midgets
 

Ace Speedway tweeted that they have 24 midgets and 17 Focus cars on hand.

Very small crowd on hand. There isn't digital timing keeping anywhere. Sorry guys can't find any times. We inched across the line in qual backwards.

Re: USAC Midgets
 

Per USAC Developmental Facebook:

Top 10 Mopar National Midget Qualifying
1. Mario Clouser - 14.190
2. Kyle Larson
3. Kody Swanson
4. Bobby Santos
5. Tanner Swanson
6. Levi Roberts
7. Nick Drake
8. Bobby East
9. Darren Hagen
10. Bryan Clauson


Per @USACLive tweet:

Mario Clouser sets Fast Time at 14.190 over Larson K.Swanson Santos T.Swanson Roberts Drake East Hagen Clauson Jones C.Armstrong Welch...

Then D.Armstrong Wolfe Hines Larrison Abreu Simpson Byrne Daum Ray Ferns Chapple...

Re: USAC Midgets
 

Any results yet??

Re: USAC Midgets
 

From USAC's Twitter page:

Bobby East wires tonight at Ace over Santos Clouser Hagen Larson T.Swanson C.Armstrong Drake Jones Clauson K.Swanson Hines Welch Daum Byrne

East, Santos, Clouser top 3.

Posted via Mobile Device

Re: USAC Midgets
 

I went. Crowd if I had to guess about a thousand in the stands. The track's GM talked before the heat races began about Shane Hmiel and the decision to bring in USAC and said their season opener would be next week so I imagine this was their first race for the year and it didn't have their best classes supporting like late models. They'll have the same show tomorrow night and I imagine it'll be better attended being on a Saturday instead of a Friday.

Hmiel spoke before the race and they brought up since he was from N.C. that he had won the last USAC Midgets race that took place in N.C., Hickory two years ago. Said he was happy now that he was a car owner for Levi Jones but wanted the car to be a little faster and sounded like he was a part of bringing a USAC event to Ace Speedway.

As for race itself:

(note: going from memory here, may get some minor details wrong)

East dominated leading from the start to checkers and led every lap. Post-race he said the track was tight and slick. He was always able to get a lead on 2nd. 2nd was the better race to follow and most of the race was a guy named Roberts, but the cars of Bobby Santos and Mario Clouser worked their way around him about lap 20. One incident in the race as Clauson's teammate Abreu got pinched to the inside wall in turn 1 about lap 10 and that put him out of the race. On the restart the Royal Oak-sponsored car pulled out for some reason. For other people I can remember, Clauson was midfield. He had started 11th for the main and was able to make it up a little bit but last few laps was falling back, I think his brakes might've been gone. Kody Swanson likewise was midfield and had a rough night. The girl from Michigan finished a lap down to East.

The track was incredibly hard on guys' brakes and a lot of them were glowing late. Kind of odd because after it was done my dad and I agreed it should've been either a 40-lap or 50-lap feature and talking to Bryan Clauson briefly afterward he said the same but that the brakes might've not been up for it.

A North Carolina native named Nick Davidson won the Ford Focus race. 2nd was another Tarheel named Jared something with a Davey Allison-style paint scheme and he looked to be about 12 years old. In one of the Ford Focus heats the Nine Team's Focus car did a kind of flip on the backstretch but the car and driver were able to start in the main.

Saw John Andretti and Davey Hamilton in the pits after the race. :6: Hamilton was there for his son Davey Hamilton Jr. who ran in the Focus race and got spun out. Wanted to take a picture with them but didn't want to be the annoying racefan. Clauson said he's close to announcing what Indycar team he'll go with for Indianapolis, maybe in a week or two.

Re: USAC Midgets
 

The kid in the 28 was Jared Irvan, Ernie Irvan's boy. Bradley Reithmeyer was 3rd in the 2.

East had them covered. Larson slid back to 8th from the start and eventually got up to 5th at the end. The groove is real narrow in turns 1&2 and on the bottom. About all passing had to be done down in 3&4. The track owner told us they will move the guard rail on the bottom further in to facilitate more passing for next year. It was a good show 2nd on back. East was on a rail.

Re: USAC Midgets
 

Feature Results from Ace Speedway, March 30,2012

1. Bobby East
2. Bobby Santos
3. Mario Clouser
4. Darren Hagen
5. Kyle Larson
6. Tanner Swanson
7. Caleb Armstrong
8. Nick Drake
9. Levi Jones
10. Byran Clauson
11. Kody Swanson
12. Tracy Hines
13. Dillion Welch
14. Zach Daum
15. David Byrne
16. Jason Wolfe
17. Davey Ray
18. Jimmy Simpson
19. Taylor Ferns
20. Dalton Armstrong
21. Isaac Chapple
22. Levi Roberts
23. Mike Larrison
24. Rico Abreu

Re: USAC Midgets
 

And the results from Saturday night's USAC Midget show at Ace was:

Darren Hagen wins tonight at Ace over Clouser C.Armstrong D.Armstrong East K.Swanson T.Swanson Santos Clauson Roberts Welch Byrne Hines...

From USAC's Twitter page