(Jeremy Rhoades Photo)
BOSWELL, Ind. (September 10, 2016) — Davey Ray ran down Tanner Thorson in lapped traffic in the final five laps, battling wheel-to-wheel all the way around the three-eighths-mile dirt oval until Ray’s winning move on Thorson in turn two on lap 22. Ray, of Davenport, Iowa, had to withstand one final green-white-checkered restart, yet was able to cruise away to his first USAC Indiana Midget Championship victory Saturday night at Daugherty Speedway.
Ray, in his Team RAYPRO/Spike/RAYPRO Mopar no. 33, took the lead from Thorson just four laps from the finish after the two made contact off the exit of the second turn. Thorson got extremely sideways down the back straightaway, spraying the outside wall with dirt as he tried to maintain control of his car. Thorson straightened his car out by the time he reached the bottom of the racetrack, but, by then, Ray had pulled away to a 15-car-length lead.
On lap 24, an incident involving Spencer Bayston, Justin Dickerson and Kyle Schuett, who got upside down, slowed the action as Ray headed for sure victory. Meanwhile, second-running Thorson left the track with a flat right rear tire, but would return, only managing a 14th place finish at the checkered.
However, the field would be bunched up on the restart with Ray leading, followed by Tyler Courtney and Carson Macedo. Macedo was able to slip by Courtney for second at the end, but up front, Ray was able to distance himself from the two to take the victory over Macedo, Courtney, Austin Prock and Justin Peck.
It was Ray’s first USAC-sanctioned win since a D1 Midget victory at Montpelier (Ind.) Motor Speedway in 2011 and the first USAC-sanctioned race at Daugherty Speedway since a 2009 National Sprint Car race won by Dave Darland, back when the track was known as Kamp Motor Speedway.
Although finishing a distant second, Macedo took over the series point lead from Thorson and now holds a 23-point advantage in the USAC Indiana Midget Championship heading into a Saturday, September 17th date at Montpelier.
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USAC INDIANA MIDGET CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 10, 2016 – Boswell, Indiana – Daugherty Speedway
FIRST HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Tanner Thorson (#67 Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), 2. Davey Ray (#33 RAYPRO), 3. Austin Prock (#41 Prock/Hayward), 4. Scott Hatton (#1 Hatton), 5. Gage Walker (#7 Walker), 6. Kyle Schuett (#9K Schuett), 7. Justin Dickerson (#21D Dickerson), 8. Don O’Keefe (#0K LOK). NT
SECOND HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Anton Julian (#44 Pace), 2. Justin Peck (#5x Peck), 3. Holly Shelton (#67K Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), 4. J.B. Gilbert (#83B Beasley), 5. Rich Drangmeister (#3 Drangmeister), 6. Shane Hollingsworth (#85 Hollingsworth). NT
THIRD HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Tyler Courtney (#5 Baldwin), 2. Ryan Robinson (#71 Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), 3. Carson Macedo (#71K Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), 4. Spencer Bayston (#97 Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), 5. Mark Chisholm (#56x Chisholm), 6. Brayton Lynch (#1K RKR), 7. Ken Drangmeister (#76 Drangmeister). NT
ALSO AT THE TRACK: Daniel Robinson (#56Y Chisholm)
FEATURE: (25 laps) 1. Davey Ray, 2. Carson Macedo, 3. Tyler Courtney, 4. Austin Prock, 5. Justin Peck, 6. Ryan Robinson, 7. Gage Walker, 8. Scott Hatton, 9. J.B. Gilbert, 10. Mark Chisholm, 11. Brayton Lynch, 12. Kyle Schuett, 13. Don O’Keefe, 14. Justin Dickerson, 15. Tanner Thorson, 16. Spencer Bayston, 17. Ken Drangmeister, 18. Anton Julian, 19. Holly Shelton, 20. Rich Drangmeister. NT
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**Julian flipped on lap 3 of the feature. Schuett flipped on lap 24 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-21 Thorson, Laps 22-25 Ray.
NEW USAC INDIANA MIDGET CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Macedo-214, 2-Thorson-191, 3-Robinson-189, 4-Bayston-180, 5-Peck-160, 6-Shelton-152, 7-Walker-151, 8-Lynch-146, 9-Ray-137, 10-Dave Darland-118.
NEXT USAC INDIANA MIDGET CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: September 17 – Montpelier, Indiana – Montpelier Motor Speedway