HAUBSTADT VICTORY TO KEVIN THOMAS JR
Kevin Thomas Jr. (Cullman, Ala.) scored a record fourth career Haubstadt Hustler feature victory Saturday night at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Indiana. (Rich Forman Photo)
4 OF A KIND: KTJ JETS TO FOURTH HAUBSTADT HUSTLER WIN
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Haubstadt, Indiana (September 18, 2021)………It wasn’t all that long ago that Kevin Thomas Junior considered himself lapped traffic at Tri-State Speedway.
Three years removed from his last moment of exuberance at the Haubstadt, Indiana quarter mile track, the all-time leader in Haubstadt Hustler victories was back on top with his fourth career win in the 14th edition of the 40-lap event on Saturday night.
The 2013, 2017, 2018 and 2021 Haubstadt Hustler winner charged to the lead on lap 18 where he took advantage of a fortuitous opportunity in traffic when the two frontrunners collided. Thomas then led the final 23 circuits to become $12,000 richer in the event co-sanctioned by the USAC AMSOIL Sprintcar National Championship and the Midwest Sprintcar Series.
In the ensuing years after his most recent Tri-State Speedway win, the Cullman, Alabama driver’s USAC results at the track were unfathomable considering he now stands ahead of Daron Clayton and is now tied with Kyle Cummins as the winningest USAC Sprintcar driver at TSS with six scores in his career.
In five USAC starts between 2019-2020, Thomas finished better than 14th just once. In 2021, however, his program has taken a turn for the better with a 7th in April; 2nd in July; and capped it off with a victory on Saturday in his KT Motorsports/Dr. Pepper Presents the Ronald McDonald House Charities/DRC/Speedway Chevy.
“I was lapped traffic here for two years,” Thomas reflected. “I veered away from the normal things we did, so we just went back to the drawing board, figured some things out and went back to our normal package. We just gave it everything we’ve got, and it worked out. It’s been a work in progress for the last couple years to get back to our normal form here. I think after a few times being here and running on the podium and having good races, 40 laps is what we needed.”
Thomas’ 34th career USAC National Sprintcar feature victory places him just one behind Jon Stanbrough and Rich Vogler for 11th on the all-time series win list, four of which have now come in the lucrative Haubstadt Hustler.
“It’s pretty cool,” Thomas said of his Tri-State success. “There’s a lot of people that are really good here who’ve been doing it a long time. Cummins being one of them, Clayton being the other. They’re showmen around this place, so it’s good to be in the same category as them.”
Thomas’ seventh series win of the year has already equalled his most successful USAC National Sprintcar season in terms of feature victories after also winning seven in 2013 and 2018. And it all came after having to make some alterations to his ride to get it prepared to go the distance.
“It’s been a bit of an up and down night,” Thomas said. “I had to change a rear end earlier today. I haven’t won at Haubstadt in what seems like forever, so it’s fun to come back and win the Haubstadt Hustler again. It was a good showing for us and I’m super happy for our guys.”
Justin Grant’s prowess in USAC National Sprintcar competition at Tri-State has been solid this year with the Ione, California driver earning a 4th in the spring, followed by a win in July and a runner-up finish on Saturday in his TOPP Motorsports/NOS Energy Drink – MPV Express – TOPP Industries/Maxim/Kistler Chevy. His previous best finish in the Haubstadt Hustler came in a sixth-place performance in 2020.
“I think we’re finally getting it figured out,” Grant said of his recent performances at Tri-State. “I didn’t want to think that last time in case it was just a fluke. The guys gave me a great car again. We were pretty good tonight, but we were maybe a little bit too good, too early and it got loose at the end. So, we’ll note it and try to come back stronger for the next 40-lapper.”
Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, Okla.) swapped cars for Saturday night’s Haubstadt Hustler following a fourth-place result on Friday night at Circle City Raceway. One night later, it was a typical, gold standard Bacon result with a third-place finish in his Dynamics, Inc./Fatheadz Eyewear – Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts – TelStar/Triple X/Rider Chevy, which marked his fifth consecutive top-five finish with the series.
“We’re usually good here in the feature,” Bacon said. “We just struggled at getting a decent starting spot. I could at least see the front tonight and we were able to get to third. The track had a little more grip to start with than we’re used to here, so it kind of threw us off a little bit. Every time we think we’re getting something figured out, it throws us a little curveball. But, usually in the feature, everything gets back to normal and we’re pretty good.”
Of note, all five KO Motorsports cars of Chase Stockon (5th), Daison Pursley (8th), Jason McDougal (9th), Kent Schmidt (14th) and Carson Garrett (21st) started Saturday night’s feature, marking the first time in USAC National Sprintcar history that five cars from the same team made the same feature event.
McDougal’s performance during Fatheadz Eyewear Qualifying was the first career fastest time for the driver in USAC National Sprint Car competition.
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USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 18, 2021 – Tri-State Speedway – Haubstadt, Indiana – 1/4-Mile Dirt Track – Haubstadt Hustler (Co-Sanctioned by the Midwest Sprint Car Series)
FEATURE: (40 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Kevin Thomas Jr. (4), 2. Justin Grant (3), 3. Brady Bacon (8), 4. Tanner Thorson (7), 5. Chase Stockon (2), 6. Robert Ballou (15), 7. Brady Short (1), 8. Daison Pursley (12), 9. Jason McDougal (11), 10. Jake Swanson (14), 11. Kyle Cummins (5), 12. Koby Barksdale (20), 13. Jadon Rogers (13), 14. Kent Schmidt (16), 15. C.J. Leary (19), 16. Chris Windom (10), 17. Emerson Axsom (17), 18. Stephen Schnapf (9), 19. Collin Ambrose (23-P), 20. Kendall Ruble (6), 21. Carson Garrett (18), 22. Cindy Chambers (24-P), 23. Max Adams (21), 24. Aric Gentry (22). NT
(P represents an MSCS provisional starter)
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Lap 1 Brady Short, Laps 2-6 Chase Stockon, Laps 7-17 Brady Short, Laps 18-40 Kevin Thomas Jr.
USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Brady Bacon-2392, 2-Kevin Thomas Jr.-2324, 3-Justin Grant-2275, 4-Tanner Thorson-2145, 5-C.J. Leary-2140, 6-Chris Windom-2034, 7-Jake Swanson-1964, 8-Robert Ballou-1842, 9-Chase Stockon-1559, 10-Logan Seavey-1213.
OVERALL PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Chris Windom-154, 2-Tanner Thorson-152, 3-Brady Bacon-150, 4-Justin Grant-134, 5-Robert Ballou-131, 6-Kevin Thomas Jr.-120, 7-Thomas Meseraull-119, 8-Logan Seavey-115, 9-Buddy Kofoid-88, 10-Kyle Cummins-84.
NEXT USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: September 23, 2021 – Gas City I-69 Speedway – Gas City, Indiana – 1/4-Mile Dirt Track
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