March To The Cornhusker State! USAC Midgets Race For 10 Grand In Nebraska

There are few events that capture the sort of local involvement that Fairbury, Nebraska, has with Jefferson County Speedway's USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship event.

It's a full community celebration and one that has become a marquee event, not only in southeastern Nebraska, but on the whole for midget racing.

The Mid-America Midget swing concludes with two nights at the 1/5-mile dirt oval of Jefferson County Speedway. The excitement will feature back-to-back events on Friday and Saturday for the fifth annual edition of the Riverside Chevrolet Midwest Midget Championship presented by Westin Packaged Meats and Schmidt's Sanitation, co-sanctioned by USAC and the Rocky Mountain Midget Racing Association.

Friday's race entails 30 laps and $4,000-win, while Saturday's 40-lap finale pays out a sweetened pot, highlighted by a $10,000 winner's share, which annually produces high-quality entertainment.

The Midwest Midget Championship officially begins on Thursday night with practice from 6-8 p.m. Eastern, followed by a shrimp boil and barbecue, which will be open to all race teams, crews and fans at the campground north of the track.

Justin Grant (Ione, California) enters the event as a past Jefferson County USAC Midget victor, taking the win in 2018 with a wire-to-wire 40-lap performance. He scored a pair of top 5s a year ago in the event, finishing fourth and fifth. His 10-lap heat race time of 1:50.36 in 2021 stands as the track record for the distance.

Logan Seavey (Sutter, California) owns the one-lap Jefferson County Speedway USAC National Midget track record of 10.685 sec., set in 2019. In fact, the 2018 series champ has been the fastest qualifier on four occasions at the track, first in 2018, twice in 2019 and again in 2021. 

He finished a best of second in 2018, third in 2019 and sixth in 2021, and he added a seventh-place finish in 2019. He led 31 of the 40 laps in the $10K finale in 2021, before an altercation sent him spinning out of the lead and out of victory lane.

Jerry Coons Jr. (Tucson, Arizona) has finished in the top 10 in seven of his eight USAC National Midget starts at Jefferson County since 2017, with a best of fourth and fifth in 2019. The USAC Triple Crown champion also scored a sixth-place finish in 2018, seventh in 2020, eighth in 2017 & 2021 and 10th in 2020.

Current series point leader Buddy Kofoid (Penngrove, California) has been in contention to win on multiple occasions at Jefferson County. He has collected multiple second-place finishes there, including opening night in 2020 and again on Night 2 in 2021, after starting 15th. 

The reigning USAC National Midget champ and current point leader also added a fifth on Night 2 in 2020.

Cannon McIntosh (Bixby, Oklahoma) collected a quick time award in 2020, before snagging fifth- and eighth-place finishes throughout the weekend. He posted another pair of top-10 finishes in 2021, finishing sixth and 10th. He posted fast time honors on the second evening of action in 2020.

One year ago, @Cannon_mac08 was the dominant figure in the 1st half of the 100-lap @HusetsSpeedway @usacnationals midget feature.

On Sunday, McIntosh found himself as the dominant one in the 2nd half as he raced to a lucrative $22K payday.

Race Recap: https://t.co/OLKbwhgOQT pic.twitter.com/quPBXbfPff

— USAC Racing (@USACNation) July 11, 2022

Ethan Mitchell (Mooresville, North Carolina) collected a sixth-place result in 2020 and nearly replicated it in 2021 by scoring a seventh. Nebraska's Lincoln's Trey Gropp, scored a top-10 finish (eighth) on the first night of the 2021 event.

Thomas Meseraull (San Jose, California) slotted into top 10 of both nights at Jefferson County in 2021, finishing ninth and 10th. Meanwhile, Brenham Crouch (Lubbock, Texas) put together similar solid results on the same two nights, garnering a hard-charging 22nd to 11th on the first leg, followed by ninth in the finale.

Bryant Wiedeman (Colby, Kansas) returns after making a single start in 2021 on Night 1, in which he finished 13th. Also returning is his teammate, Kaylee Bryson (Muskogee, Oklahoma), who was 15th in 2020, as well as 2017 USAC Gulf Coast SpeeD2 Midget champion Kyle Jones (Kennedale, Texas) who was 15th on Night 2 in 2021.

For the Rocky Mountain Midget Racing Association contingent, both nights are considered non-points special events toward their season-long championship. Among the representatives are Lance Bennett (Aurora, Colorado), who finished a best of 14th in 2016.

First-time starting hopefuls at the Midwest Midget Championship bring USAC National Midget leading Rookie Mitchel Moles (Raisin City, California), USAC National Midget winner Zach Daum (Pocahontas, Illinois), Taylor Reimer (Bixby, Oklahoma), Lincoln Park Speedway Indiana Midget Week winner Jacob Denney (Galloway, Ohio) and Jace Park (Overland Park, Kansas), while Hayden Reinbold (Gilbert, Arizona) aims for his first start in the event.

Badger Midget champ Chase McDermand (Springfield, Illinois) also will arrive for his first taste of Jefferson County Speedway on Friday and Saturday, as will Jade Avedisian (Clovis), plus Great Plains racers Corey Joyner (Concordia, Kansas), J.R. Ewing (Phillipsburg, Kansas) and Blake Spicer (Phillipsburg, Kansas), whose father, Curtis, made four starts in the event between 2018 and 2020.

Thirty previous USAC National Midget races have been held in the state of Nebraska. USAC Triple Crown champion Tracy Hines has the most victories of any driver in the state with three. Wilke-Pak Racers has won the most of any team in the state with five.

The Details

On both nights, the gates will open at 6 p.m. Eastern, with qualifying at 7:30 p.m. EDT. and racing at 8 p.m. There will be a free concert after the races.

Unlimited general admission tickets will be sold day of show, beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern, with reserved seating only being presold as described above. All-access pit passes will be unlimited and available at the pit gate on day of show only.

All Access pit passes are $35 (kids 5 and under are only $10) and will be available at the pit gate and front gate on the day of show only.

Campground spots at the track with hookups are sold out, but there are a few "dry camping" spots available on the southside of the track. They are first come, first serve. There also are full hook-up camping spots at Crystal Springs just a mile away. Camping and area info can be found at visitoregontrail.org or at the Fairbury, Nebraska, Chamber of Commerce.

The NOW 600/Jay-Husker Non-Wing and Restricted "A" Class Micro Sprints also will be in action each night.

General admission tickets to the event are $20 for adults on Friday night and $30 on Saturday, with high school students and younger just $5 each night. Reserved seating is $50 (available in two-day packages only) and is available online at jeffersoncountyspeedway.com under the "Buy Tickets" tab.

Both nights of the Midwest Midget Championship from Jefferson County Speedway will be streamed live on FloRacing. Watch here.