From Dick Jordan
Taylor Ferns of Shelby Township, Mich. hopes to become USAC’s second female driving champion this weekend and her chances of doing just that in USAC’s Mopar D1 Midget Series are excellent.
Ferns leads Kyle Hamilton entering Friday’s race at the Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway. The series concludes its 2011 campaign Saturday in the “Alex Pruett Memorial” race at Toledo (Ohio) Speedway as part of the track’s “Rollie Beale 150” event showcasing USAC’s Traxxas Silver Crown Championship cars and Mopar D1 Midgets. The Toledo Mopar D1 race honors the memory of the late Arizona USAC Midget driver who passed away in 2007.
Dave Darland is the defending winner at Kokomo, having won the July 31 race at the 3/8-mile dirt oval, This July, Darren Hagen won a USAC National Midget race at the Toledo oval.
USAC’s only previous female driving champion was Sondi Eden of Crawfordsville, Ind., who won the 2004 Indianapolis Speedrome Regional Midget championship.
USAC MOPAR D1 MIDGET SERIES POINT STANDINGS
1-Taylor Ferns-718; 2-Kyle Hamilton-575; 3-Andy O’Gara-499; 4-Bryan Nuckles-476; 5-Jake Blackhurst-467; 6-Mario Marietta-415; 7-Morgan Nelson-386; 8-Ali Jackson-346; 9-Dakoda Armstrong-278; 10-Davey Ray-255.