Kale Drake couldn’t have dreamt up a better introduction to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway than the one he experienced during Sunday’s Driven2SaveLives BC39 Presented By Avanti Windows & Doors prelim feature.
In his first career midget racing appearance at the 1/5-mile dirt oval, the fourth starting Drake (Collinsville, Okla.) took advantage of a slight bobble by his Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports teammate Gavin Miller, passing him for the top spot on lap seven before going on to pass the test to earn his first career USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship feature victory.
Drake, in his Rookie season with the USAC National Midgets, became the second first-time series winner in as many races to emerge at IMS following Chase McDermand’s triumph on Thursday night. For Drake, his breakthrough moment came in what was just his 18th career series start.
“We’re a winner at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and that’s pretty surreal,” Drake exclaimed. “I don’t think there’s anything better than this, honestly. Holy moly. This is unreal!”
Drake and his Eibach Springs – TRD – Toyota/LynK/Speedway Toyota started from the outside of the second row for the 30-lap feature in a program which had been delayed since Friday after two-plus continuous days and nights of constant rain due to the effects of Hurricane Helene. After yeoman’s work to get the track whipped into raceworthy shape, Mother Nature’s precipitation presented a cowboy-up type surface that had drivers on their toes, and sitting up in the saddle, all night long.
“We started the night off in poor fashion, really,” Drake admitted. “It was just a super hooked up racetrack, and I ended up having to do a few things that I’m not really a fan of doing. These things don’t come by easy especially when you’re racing with the best of the best.”
Initially, outside front row starter Miller paced the field as he snuck around the outside of pole sitter Kevin Thomas Jr. for the opening lap lead. It was relatively smooth sailing for Miller throughout the first five trips until he hopped, skipped and jumped his way through turn four en route to the completion of lap six.
As Miller fought to reign his bucking bronco in, that allowed Drake to close to within a car length of Miller as the top-two streamed down the front straightaway for the completion of lap six. One turn into lap seven, Miller pogo-sticked up the racetrack, which subsequently provided daylight on the bottom for Drake to break on through to the other side in turn two.
Chief among the keys for Drake at this juncture was avoiding what befell Miller, avoiding the trouble spots all while remaining steady, cool, calm and collected and race his own race.
“I had the best racecar out there, Drake praised. “(Crew Chief) Kaleb (Wyrick) and the entire Keith Kunz Motorsports crew gave me the easiest Cadillac to drive through those ruts. It was super crazy.”
Meanwhile, behind Drake, the modus operandi for the field was to slot into one of the highly-coveted top-three spots to earn an automatic bid into the night’s big finale. Thomas traveled to second shortly thereafter on lap 13 as he drove by Miller in the fourth turn.
Tenth starting Jade Avedisian got to fourth after charging by Grant on the back straight following a lap 19 restart, then took Miller for third in turn four on lap 24. Miller ripped the spot right back from Avedisian in turn two moments later, but ultimately, Avedisian managed to clear Miller for third with just four laps remaining in turn one.
A series of five different caution periods throughout the middle stages of the race could’ve rattled Drake, but he chose to embrace them. In the end, the final 11 laps went clean and green to the checkered for Drake who was in total control down the stretch, prevailing by 2.099 second margin over Thomas, Avedisian, Grant and Miller.
“All those cautions normally intimidate me,” Drake acknowledged. “But around here, it’s a tight bullring and there’s not much passing room. I was kind of grateful for them. We’ve had a few slip away from us because of some late-race cautions like that. We’ve been super-fast all year, and that’s a huge testament to this entire team. Without each and every one on it, none of this would be possible.”
Not only did Drake become the latest first-time USAC National Midget victor, but he also earned the Max Papis Innovations Rookie of the Race award for his fourth to first performance.
Ethan Mitchell (Mooresville, N.C.) was the biggest mover of the feature with his 18th to seventh run earning him the night’s hard charger award.
Furthermore, it was quite a roller coaster of emotions for Alex Karpowicz (Spring Branch, Texas) during what was his USAC National Midget debut. He began the night upside down after hard contact with the turn four wall in hot laps. Shortly after repairs were made by his Mounce-Stout Racing crew, he returned to win his heat race. That earned him the evening’s Inferno Armor Fire Move of the Night.
USAC PR
