By Dick Jordan
Taylor Ferns of Shelby Township, Mich. is the 2011 USAC Mopar D1 Midget Champion. She polished off the championship Saturday at Toledo (Ohio) Speedway with a fifth-place finish in the โAlex Pruett Memorialโ series finale.
Ferns joins Sondi Eden as the only female driver to win USAC driving titles. Eden, of Crawfordsville, Ind., won the 2004 Indianapolis Speedrome Regional Midget championship.
Indianapolis 500 veteran Lyn St. James, who annually oversees the โWomen in the Winners Circle Foundationโ and its associated functions which recognizes female motorsports accomplishments, says: “I’ve watched Taylor over the last couple of years mature as a person and as a driver. She has the potential to go far in racing and winning the USAC Mopar D1 Midget championship is hopefully just the beginning of a successful career in racing.”
Tracy Hines of New Castle, Ind. won Friday nightโs USAC Mopar D1 Midget โspecial eventโ at the Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway. Driving the Parker Machines/Turbines Inc. Spike/Toyota, Hines passed Jerry Coons Jr. for the lead on lap 19 and led the rest of the way for the 25-lap win over Brad Kuhn, Mario Clouser, Coons and Casey Shuman. Kuhn and Hines won the two eight-lap heats. Daum, Coons and Hines all led laps during the feature.
Kyle Hamilton of Danville, Ind. led the final 20 laps to win Saturdayโs 25-lap โAlex Pruett Memorialโ USAC Mopar D1 Midget finale at the Toledo (Ohio) Speedway. Kyle Larson finished second behind Hamiltonโs Hamilton Painting/Esslinger Engineering Spike/Esslinger Ford. Dillon Welch took third ahead of Nuckles and Ferns.
FINAL USAC MOPAR D1 MIDGET SERIES POINT STANDINGS
1-Taylor Ferns-775; 2-Kyle Hamilton-649; 3-Bryan Nuckles-536; 4-Kyle OโGara-499; 5-Jake Blackhurst-467; 6-Mario Marietta-415; 7-Morgan Nelson-386; 8-Ali Jackson-346; 9-Dalton Armstrong-278; 10-Isaac Chapple-269.