What a race! This one had everything. To begin with, you had the underdog taking off and threatening to make it his night. For the second night in a row Chad Boespflug was right there in the mix, mixing it up with national stars and track ringers. When he biked it in the cushion and went up into the wall, you just had to feel for him, he had driven the wheels off that thing. When he was tracked down by Chris Windom, initially you thought Chris would go under him and drive away. You know, it's Chris Windom and we we're at Kokomo, after all. But it wasn't that easy. Chad put up a valiant fight and landed several counter punches, regrabbing the lead, before falling into second place. And one thing that is becoming more obvious about Windom, is how great he has become at applying pressure to his intended target, without running over him or using questionable tactics. And it's the kind of pressure that the other driver knows isn't going to let up and it isn't going to go away. The kind of pressure that has only two possible results. To give way and be consumed. Or to be made into a diamond. Boespflug, unfortunately on this night would be consumed.

So Windom took off and looked to be on cruise control, for the trophy. Second place Casey Riggs didn't have anything for the leader, on this night. That you could see. But the guy behind him, Hunter Schurenberg, appeared to be getting faster as the race went on. You just had the sense that if he could get around Riggs, then it would be on! One of those classic Kokomo races that you saw lead changes all the way to the very end. Well, he did get around Riggs. He did set sail for the leader. He did catch him and they did engage in a classic battle. And Hunter won, but not without being chased by a hungry bear for the last five laps or so. This guy's one of the most exciting drivers of his era. When he wins, often times it's memorable. And he came out of his round of Windom pressure, shining like a diamond.

And in the background of the race for the lead, Bryan Clauson was methodically starting to pick 'em off, from his 15th starting position. Coleman Gulick started mowing them down, as soon as the green dropped, from his 22nd starting position. Clauson passed a few more. Justin Grant was involved in quite a few great battles. Clauson passed a few more. Damion Gardner was really coming up through the pack. Clauson passed a few more. Mike Spencer was real though, tonight. Holy cow, how did Clauson end up on the podium! They better check that car. That was totally under the radar. They might be using stealth technology.

The track was great to the very end. It really allowed each of these drivers to use every trick in their in their book to get the job done. And it ended with a great result. Five years ago, everybody knew these three drivers on the podium really represented the future of racing. The future is now and last night those three made a statement that the present day of this sport is in good hands.

Jerry