Ever heard of Championship Tuesday?
That’s what 2020 is delivering to the final series finale we have on the docket for the calendar year.
Due to COVID-19, the USAC Midget tour had to stray away from Placerville and instead head to Bakersfield Speedway for its final points race of the year.
Now, the series will still field a pair of races to wrap up the year this weekend at Merced Speedway, however the events will entertain show-up points only.
Three drivers are still eligible to win the series championship and each of them has previous experience in conquering USAC tours.
Chris Windom (2016 USAC Silver Crown & 2017 USAC Non-Wing Sprint Car champ) is the current USAC Midget points leader following a fourth-place finish at Arizona Speedway on Saturday. He took the lead in the standings after Tyler Courtney saw mechanical issues force him off the track and into a P22 finish at the Western World.
Courtney (2018 USAC Non-Wing Sprint Car & 2019 USAC Midget champ) is looking to repeat with a midget championship to cap off a year that saw him run a plethora of winged sprint car races. He’ll have to make up an 11-point deficit on Windom to get the job done, however.
The longshot on this title opportunity comes from Tanner Thorson (2016 USAC Midget champ) who sits 32 points back from Windom.
Now, the point situation could change throughout the night with six points up for grabs in qualifying and another eight available during the heat races, so things could change by the feature.
Nonetheless, it’s close.
The trio will have to fend off a plethora of invaders, however, to capture a win or championship in what is tabbed as the November Classic.
Officially now Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson will be competing in the No. 1K in his seventh USAC Midget entry of the year. Not only is he the defending winner at Bakersfield for the series, but his worst finish in six starts this season was second.
Obviously, Larson has been on a tear throughout the entirety of the 2020 dirt season that started off in January with a Chili Bowl win.
NASCAR Cup Series driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and 2020 ARCA West champion Jesse Love are slated on the entry list as well, trying to upset the field as these guys deke it out.
Throw in that every finishing position in the top 10 is separated by three points and things could get extremely dicey.
Of course, the field will be battling 2020 USAC Midget Rookie of the Year in Buddy Kofoid, who captured his second win of the season at the Western World.
With Kofoid heating up, there’s no telling what could happen on Tuesday night.
Racing action from the November Classic at Bakersfield Speedway is scheduled to kick off at 5:05 p.m. CT and will be streamed live on FloRacing.
| USAC Midget Points Standings | ||||
| Position | Driver | Points | Behind | |
| 1 | Chris Windom | 1619 | -0 | |
| 2 | Tyler Courtney | 1608 | -11 | |
| 3 | Tanner Thorson | 1587 | -32 | |
| 4 | Buddy Kofoid ® | 1528 | -91 | |
| 5 | Cannon McIntosh | 1376 | -243 | |
(R) – Buddy Kofoid has clinched the USAC Midget Rookie of the Year award for the 2020 season.
USAC Midget November Classic Entry List
1K | Kyle Larson
4 | Robert Dalby
5 | Justin Grant
5G | Ben Worth
7BC | Tyler Courtney
7J | Michael Faccinto
7X | Thomas Meseraull
9 | Daison Pursley
10 | Lance Bennett
15 | Emerson Axsom
15DJ | David Prickett
17JR | Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
19A | Logan Seavey
19AZ | Hayden Reinbold
19m | Ethan Mitchell
19S | Spencer Bayston
21 | Carson Macedo
25c | Chase Johnson
25m | Tanner Thorson
31 | Chance Crum
31B | Jonathan Beason
37m | Ashlyn Rodriguez
39BC | Cole Bodine
51 | Brody Fuson
57 | Maria Cofer
63 | Frankie Guerrini
67 | Buddy Kofoid
67K | Bryant Weideman
71 | Kaylee Bryson
71K | Cannon McIntosh
81 | Dillon Welch
82 | Andrew Layser
88N | D.J. Netto
89 | Chris Windom
97 | Brenham Crouch
97K | Jesse Love
98 | Clinton Boyles
98K | Tanner Carrick
