By Dick Jordan
The May 15 USAC Regional Midget race at the Columbus (Ohio) Motor Speedway has been named the “Alex Pruett Memorial” race, honoring the late USAC Sprint and Midget racer who passed away at age 20 in 2007.
Pruett, of Carefree, Ariz., impressed many USAC participants and officials with his infectious smile, cooperative attitude and courteous demeanor on his way to second place in the 2007 USAC Regional Midget Series standings and left us at much too early an age. During the 2007 season Alex notched 17 top ten finishes , including two wins, three seconds and three thirds. He was on the podium in all of the last four races of the year on his way to second in the championship points. In the final race of his career he finished tenth in the national midget race at Anderson Ind., his only national start in 2007.
His memory lives on in the race named in his honor, an event won by Travis Young at Anderson, Ind. in 2008 and by Kyle Hamilton last year at Columbus.
The May 15 race serves as the opener for the 2010 USAC Regional Midget Series, a title claimed last year by Hamilton. Sunday, Hamilton nearly pulled off an incredible victory in the USAC Mopar National Midget race at Anderson. He came from 16th starting position and was challenging for the lead only nine laps from the end when struck from behind by another car and failed to finish.
The Columbus oval has a storied USAC history, hosting its first USAC Midget race in 1957 and the site of four USAC races last year. Its quarter-midget oval also plays host to USAC .25 Midget races, hosted by the Buckeye Quarter Midget Racing Association.