By Eric Bunn
(Lebanon, IN) Jack Macenko rebounded from an accident on June 13 to earn his first Day Transportation Mel Kenyon Midget Series win Saturday night at the Sportsdrome Speedway in Jeffersonville, IN. Macenko is the reigning 2019 Simpson World Indy Rookie of the Year.
Macenko started the 25-lap feature event on the inside of the second row behind pole sitter Colin Grissom with Logan Huggler filling out row one. Grissom jumped into the lead at the green with Macenko taking second from Huggler on the back straight.
Grissom used his strong start to stretch out a 4-car length lead over Macenko. The 2019 Simpson Rookie of the year began to methodically cut into Grissom’s lead, pulling onto his tail at lap 10.
Macenko shadowed Grissom until he made his first attempt at the pass on lap 15. Grissom closed off the inside line entering turn one to hold him off.
Macenko regrouped and put a wheel under Grissom at the flag stand to start lap 17, pulling alongside in turn one and completing the pass exiting turn two.
Grissom didn’t go quietly into the night as he doggedly pursued Macenko to the checkers. Macenko’s margin of victory in his first series win was 0.387 seconds
Huggler would come in third with Sam Hinds and Ben Varner rounding out the top five.
Grissom earned the pole position by winning the 8-lap qualifying race.
Grissom holds the top sport in the Day Transportation Driving Championship point race.. His one feature win and two seconds give him a 66-point lead over Sam Hinds. Ben Varner, Ayrton Houk and 2019 Champion Kameron Gladish fill out the top five in points.
The Day Transportation Mel Kenyon Midget Series will return to action this Saturday night at US 24 Speedway in Logansport, IN. It will be the series first dirt race of the year.