It took some time to play out, and at different times it looked like the race winner was already out to a large lead, but it was Chris Windom hoisting a trophy on Sunday after a night of chaos at Huset’s Speedway.
After just missing the win in the night’s earlier Non-Wing Sprint Car race, the defending champion capped off his weekend with a $20,000 USAC Midget victory.
“This definitely makes it up for us after not winning the sprint car race,” Windom said on FloRacing. “During the last 50 laps when the track kept moving up, I could kind of diamond it and go. I’m proud of all my guys. Thanks to all the fans for being here. Let’s run back to the pits and celebrate.”
The win for Windom comes just one spot in front of current USAC Midget points leader Buddy Kofoid and inches the 89 team closer to the top spot in the standings.
Kofoid – who finished the race second – came in with a 13-point advantage and will sit just 10 points ahead in the race for the championship with 14 races remaining in the season.
“Three good runs this past weekend, none of them a win unfortunately,” Kofoid said in victory lane. “Congrats to Chris. It’s a big race to win… a lot of money.”
It didn’t look like either driver’s car had it in them early on, though.
The first half of the race went green all the way through over 40 laps before Cannon McIntosh saw a flat right rear take him out of contention altogether.
McIntosh was the first driver to really take charge through the night. Once he got to the front of the pack, the driver of the No. 08 car went up on the field by over four seconds.
When he came into the pits because of the tire, caution laps still counted against him, so had he restarted the race for the second half after the break, McIntosh would have been three laps down in 22nd.
That resulted in him not coming back into the race.
Later on, in the second half of the 100-lap main event, Chase Randall established himself in the lead.
His night came to an end, though, when he had a tire go down with 15 laps remaining in the race.
“This is such a big event and to have a really good car… these guys never gave up on me,” Randall said. “We were good that first half of the race and they made it even better that second half. I felt really good – probably the best we’ve ever felt. I wasn’t going to let Chris have that one easy. I was running him hard. It’s just disappointing, but we’ll move on.”
Windom said he thought he could pass Randall eventually, but the young gun looked about as good as he ever has in his USAC career.
It would have been a close finish.
“He was running a really good race,” Windom said. “He shouldn’t hang his head there. There was nothing he could have done. I was putting a lot of pressure on him and he can’t do anything about his tire blowing.”
With 14 races to go in the season, Windom and Kofoid will resume their championship fight on September 23 at Gas City I-69 Speedway.
USAC Nationals Results
USAC Midgets
Huset’s Speedway
1. Chris Windom
2. Buddy Kofoid
3. Daison Pursley
4. Tanner Thorson
5. Kevin Thomas Jr.
6. Tanner Thorson
7. Shane Golobic
8. Jason McDougal
9. Brenham Crouch
10. Emerson Axsom
11. Ryan Timms
12. Chad Frewaldt
13. Brant O’Banion
14. Austin Barnhill
15. Aaron Werner
16. Casey Hicks
17. Chase Randall
18. Lance Bennett
19. Chance Crum
20. Thomas Meseraull
21. Justin Grant
22. Mitchel Moles
23. Cannon McIntosh
24. Hayden Reinbold
