California’s Merced Speedway has become an annual stop on USAC’s NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship swing through California since the beginning of the decade of the roaring 2020s.
What’s also become an annual staple is Merced producing some of the most scintillating and sensational series races of the season. There’s a reason they call this one “Midget Madness.”
It all comes to fruition once more, for the fifth consecutive year, for two-straight nights on the high-banked 1/4-mile dirt oval Friday-Saturday, November 22-23. It’s full programs each night that conclude with 30-lap feature events.
Thirty-three drivers have made their intentions to compete in the event, and five of those 34 have already bagged a USAC National Midget victory in their career at Merced.
Buddy Kofoid (Penngrove, Calif.) is the lone multi-time Merced USAC National Midget winner at Merced, having scored during his series championships of 2021 and 2022. He’ll pilot one of seven entries out of the Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports stable.
In fact, the eventual USAC National Midget driving champion has won at Merced in three consecutive years. Logan Seavey (Sutter, Calif.) and Abacus Racing continued that trend in 2023 by notching victory on the second of two nights a year ago.
Carson Macedo (Lemoore, Calif.) notched his first and only career USAC National Midget win to date at Merced back in 2022. As a matter of fact, both of his Australia-based Dyson Motorsport team’s USAC victories have come at Merced.
Tanner Thorson (Minden, Nev.) collected a dramatic Merced midget victory during the first ever weekend of series action there back in 2020. For November, the 2016 USAC National Midget champ has reunited with the Tom Malloy-owned team for whom he won that race four years earlier.
Justin Grant (Ione, Calif.) and RMS Racing posted a convincing and dominant Merced triumph back in 2021, leading the final 25 laps in record-setting style. His 30-lap run of 6:14.350 remains the series record for a 30-lap distance, the second fastest 30-lap race in series history.
The past Merced midget winners will be flanked by a slew of contenders, including Tanner Carrick (2nd in 2020), Cannon McIntosh (3rd in 2020), Tyler Courtney (3rd in 2020) and Kyle Larson (4th in 2020). However, it should be noted that Larson plans to compete in only the Saturday portion of the Merced event.
Furthermore, this weekend’s field will also consist of the likes of Emerson Axsom (4th in 2021), Ryan Timms (4th in 2023), Jacob Denney (5th in 2022), Corey Day (7th in 2015) and Jake Andreotti (8th in 2015).
Stunningly, in five previous Merced starts, current USAC National Midget point leader Daison Pursley hasn’t finished better than his 11th place result in 2023. Hayden Reinbold (11th in 2023) and Gavin Miller (18th in 2022) are also back to take on Merced.
Vying for their first USAC National Midget starts at Merced include Rookie of the Year contenders Zach Wigal and Kale Drake, plus 2024 USAC Western States Midget Rookie of the Year Drake Edwards, USAC National Midget winners Zach Daum and Chase McDermand, plus USAC five-time USAC Western States titlist Ronnie Gardner.
Also on the list of first-timers are Karter Sarff, Dalten Gabbard, Austin Torgerson, Terry Nichols, Brandt Twitty, cousins Todd Hawse and Kyle Hawse, as well as Alex Karpowicz, Barrie Valentino, Peter Paulson and Troy DeGaton.
RACE DETAILS:
On Friday night, the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship is joined by the IMCA Northern Sport Mods and Hobby Stocks. Tickets are $25 for adults age 18 and up and $10 for ages 6-17. Ages 5 and under are admitted for free.
On Saturday night, USAC National Midgets headline an all open wheel show alongside winged 360 sprint cars. Tickets are $30 for adults age 18 and up and $15 for ages 6-17. Ages 5 and under are admitted for free.
Both nights, pit gates will open at 2pm Pacific with grandstands opening at 5pm, the drivers meeting at 5pm and cars on track at 5:45pm.
Tickets are available online at www.mercedspeedway.net and will also be available to purchase at the front gate.
Camping for this event is available and for those fans looking to do so, all arrangements need to me made directly through the Merced County Fairgrounds.
Merced Speedway is located at 900 Martin Luther King Drive Merced, CA 95341.
EXPECTED ENTRY LIST FOR MERCED SPEEDWAY: (34)
CAR # / DRIVER / HOMETOWN / CAR ENTRANT
00 JAKE ANDREOTTI/Castro Valley, CA (Pete Davis)
1K KYLE LARSON/Elk Grove, CA (Silva Motorsports) (Saturday Only)
1p TERRY NICHOLS/Delano, CA (Nichols-Peckfelder Motorsports)
2 JUSTIN GRANT/Ione, CA (RMS Racing)
3p DRAKE EDWARDS/Peoria, AZ (Petty Performance Racing)
4 COREY DAY/Clovis, CA (Wille Kahne)
4B BRANDT TWITTY/Bakersfield, CA (Kevin Twitty)
8w CHASE McDERMAND/Springfield, IL (Josh Ford Motorsports)
18 TODD HAWSE/Simi Valley, CA (Todd Hawse)
19 ALEX KARPOWICZ/Spring Branch, TX (Mounce-Stout Motorsports)
19AZ HAYDEN REINBOLD/Gilbert, AZ (Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports)
20x KYLE HAWSE/Las Vegas, NV (Hawse Racing)
23c TYLER COURTNEY/Indianapolis, IN (Silva Motorsports)
Q23 BARRIE VALENTINO/Brisbane, AU (El Toro Racing)
25 JACOB DENNEY/Galloway, OH (Tom Malloy)
25m TANNER THORSON/Minden, NV (Tom Malloy)
31 KARTER SARFF/Mason City, IL (Beilman Motorsports)
31B ZACH DAUM/Pocahontas, IL (Beilman Motorsports)
Q32 PETER PAULSON/Woodland, CA (El Toro Racing)
39T TROY DeGATON/Wickenburg, AZ (Troy DeGaton)
57 LOGAN SEAVEY/Sutter, CA (Abacus Racing)
67 RYAN TIMMS/Oklahoma City, OK (Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
67K EMERSON AXSOM/Franklin, IN (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
68 RONNIE GARDNER/Corona, CA (Six8 Motorsports)
71 BUDDY KOFOID/Penngrove, CA (Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
71K CANNON MCINTOSH/Bixby, OK (Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
77 DALTEN GABBARD/Peoria, AZ (Dalten Gabbard)
86 DAISON PURSLEY/Locust Grove, OK (CB Industries)
88A AUSTIN TORGERSON/Glendale, AZ (Mounce-Stout Motorsports)
89 ZACH WIGAL/Belpre, OH (CB Industries)
97 GAVIN MILLER/Allentown, PA (Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
97K KALE DRAKE/Collinsville, OK (Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
98 TANNER CARRICK/Lincoln, CA (Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
99AU CARSON MACEDO/Lemoore, CA (Dyson Motorsport)
USAC PR
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