There aren't too many dirt tracks in the land that can claim to be 5/16-mile in length. 

That, along with its sizable curb, relaxed hillside seating and anything-but-relaxed on-track action, make for a one-of-a-kind spectacle for the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship during its busiest seven-race stretch of the season.

The merry-go-round of racing in the Hoosier State brings USAC Indiana Midget Week to Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnamville, Indiana, on Thursday night for the fifth of seven rounds of the 18th annual mini-series, which has made 13 previous visits to LPS dating back to 2010, with many a champion taming its unique shape and size over the years.

One of those individuals is Tanner Thorson (Minden, Nevada), who added a third Lincoln victory to his USAC Indiana Midget Week resume in 2021, leading all 30 laps. 

His miraculous drive from 15th to first at LPS in 2019 still stands as one of the most iconic drives in Indiana Midget Week history. He also won at LPS during 2016 Indiana Midget Week en route to the USAC National Midget title that same year. 

He also has been second and seventh (2020), fifth (2018) and earned a quick time during qualifying in 2015, to go along with a USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car victory there in 2021. He's scheduled to drive a second car for team owner Tom Malloy, alongside Logan Seavey.

Seavey (Sutter, California) was the fastest qualifier of IMW at LPS in 2021. The 2019 Indiana Midget Week champion finished as the runner-up of the 2019 race and was seventh in 2018, before netting 10th in 2021.

Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, Oklahoma) has won twice in USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car competition at LPS, both of which came in 2020. In the midget, he was the fastest qualifier in 2016, finished a best of eighth in 2017 and was ninth in 2013.

Kyle Cummins (Princeton, Indiana) has been a USAC National Sprint Car winner at LPS in his career, doing so during Indiana Sprint Week in 2019, along with a recent win at a Midwest Sprint Car Series feature in late May. His lone LPS Midget appearances, however, have netted only a 22nd-place finish in 2021 and 23rd in 2020.

Last Sunday's Tri-State winner Thomas Meseraull (San Jose, California) finished a best ninth in 2011 and was 10th in both the 2012 and 2020 rounds of IMW at LPS.

Indiana Midget Week point leader Buddy Kofoid (Penngrove, California) has finished inside the top 9 in all three of his IMW starts at LPS with a third place in 2020, fourth in 2021 and ninth at LPS in 2020.

Jerry Coons Jr. (Tucson, Arizona), an IMW champion in 2017, collected a best finish of third during IMW at LPS in 2019 and also grabbed fifth-place results in both 2011 and 2015, ninth in 2016 and 10th in 2017 and 2018.

Justin Grant (Ione, California) was the runner-up of the IMW show at LPS in 2018, was fifth in 2017, as well as seventh and ninth in 2020. 

Like Grant and several others, Jason McDougal (Broken Arrow, Oklahoma) has notched sprint car success at LPS with a feature win as recently as 2021. He's snagged a pair of top-10s during IMW - in 2021 with a seventh and in 2019 with a 10th. In July of 2020, McDougal finished second at LPS in a USAC Regional Midget feature.

Cannon McIntosh (Bixby, Oklahoma) has been solid as a rock with third- and sixth-place finishes at LPS on each night in 2020. The same goes for Zach Daum (Pocahontas, Illinois), a sixth-place finisher in 2020 and ninth in both 2012 and 2019.

Among the lineup of LPS Indiana Midget Week returnees are Kaylee Bryson (Muskogee, Oklahoma), who tallied a 12th-place finish in 2021. Chance Crum (Snohomish, Washington) took fourth in the July 2021 Regional show, but was 15th during IMW in 2021. Bryant Wiedeman (Colby, Kansas) slotted 14th in 2021. Sam Johnson (St. Peters, Missouri) took 18th in 2018. Brenham Crouch (Lubbock, Texas) settled for 20th in 2021. Ethan Mitchell (Mooresville, North Carolina) was a 23rd-place finisher in 2018.

While Jacob Denney (Galloway, Ohio) is a first-time Indiana Midget Week entrant, he has been a winner at Lincoln Park in his career. The two-time USAC Midwest Thunder SpeeD2 Midget champion captured a victory at the track with the series in July of 2020.

First-time LPS IMW feature starting hopefuls are Hayden Reinbold (Gilbert, Arizona), who set quick time and finished second in a USAC Regional Midget feature at LPS in July of 2021. Bryan Stanfill (Bakersfield, California) finished third in a pair of Regional Midget events at LPS in 2021. Rylan Gray (Greenfield, Indiana) finished eighth in a Saturday night sprint car show at LPS in April of this year.

Numerous rookie pilots are vying for a first USAC National Midget feature start at Lincoln Park on Thursday, including top series rookie Mitchel Moles (Raisin City, California) and CB Industries teammates Jade Avedisian (Clovis, California), Jace Park (Overland Park, Kansas) and Dominic Gorden (Clovis).

Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports' Taylor Reimer (Bixby, Oklahoma), Cade Lewis (Bakersfield), Mariah Ede (Fresno, California) and Australian Speedcar champion Kaidon Brown (Sydney, New South Wales) are among the group as well.

The international flair is strong, with Brown making his IMW debut along with fellow Aussie Mike Griffiths (Melbourne) and Kiwi Travis Buckley (Auckland, New Zealand). 

From the heartland of Wisconsin comes Badger Midget champion Chase McDermand (Springfield, Illinois) and from the west coast, BCRA Midget champs Maria Cofer (Macdoel, California), Robert Carson (Concord, California) and USAC Western Restricted HPD champ, Blake Brannon (Morgan Hill, California).

On Thursday, USAC Indiana Midget Week features the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship, along with the Lincoln Park Sprint Cars and IMCA Mod Lites.

Pits open on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. Eastern, with grandstands opening at 5 p.m. and hot laps taking place at 6 p.m.

Tickets and pit passes for the event will be sold at the gate. Adult general admission tickets at the gate are $30, with ages 10 and under free. Pit passes are $35 for adults, while ages 10 and under are $15.

2022 USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Buddy Kofoid-629, 2-Justin Grant-577, 3-Mitchel Moles-470, 4-Thomas Meseraull-467, 5-Bryant Wiedeman-466, 6-Cannon McIntosh-419, 7-Kaylee Bryson-416, 8-Logan Seavey-345, 9-Taylor Reimer-339, 10-Brenham Crouch-308.

2022 USAC INDIANA MIDGET WEEK POINTS: 1-Buddy Kofoid-245, 2-Justin Grant-203, 3-Thomas Meseraull-191, 4-Kyle Cummins-184, 5-Mitchel Moles-181, 6-Bryant Wiedeman-178, 7-Kaylee Bryson-169, 8-Taylor Reimer-150, 9-Jacob Denney-149, 10-Jade Avedisian-125.