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.
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.
