July 12, 2022

USAC MIDGET’S CHAD McDANIEL MEMORIAL

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A new Chad McDaniel Memorial winner will emerge this Wednesday night, July 13, in one of the great annual events on the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship calendar when the field converges on Solomon Valley Raceway in Beloit, Kansas. (John Lee Photo)

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media

Beloit, Kansas (July 11, 2022)………Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’ll be returning to Kansas!

Those exact words weren’t uttered quite that way in the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz. However, they were stated loud and clear by those on the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship trail this week. That is, except for the Toto part.

A new Chad McDaniel Memorial winner will emerge this Wednesday night, July 13, in one of the great annual events on the series calendar when the field converges on Solomon Valley Raceway in Beloit, Kansas, the hometown of 1959 and 1962 Indianapolis 500 winner Rodger Ward.

The quarter-mile dirt oval in the heart of north central Kansas has served as the host of all 10 previous runnings of the Chad McDaniel Memorial race since 2010. McDaniel, from nearby Concordia, Kansas, lost his life in a USAC National Midget event at Iowa’s Knoxville Raceway in 2009.

The Chad McDaniel Memorial boasts four different winners in its previous 10 editions with Brad Kuhn winning the inaugural race in 2010, Scott Hatton in 2012, Christopher Bell in 2013 and 2017, Bryan Clauson in 2014 and 2016, Kevin Thomas Junior in 2015 and 2018, and Tanner Thorson a year ago in 2021. The 2011 race was rained out just prior to the feature.

The 11th running this Wednesday night is expected to consist of a field of hungry veterans and newcomers looking to add their name to the list.

Justin Grant (Ione, California), the 2020 USAC Silver Crown Champion, has finished on the podium in all three of his Solomon Valley runs with a second in 2017 and third in both 2018 and 2021.

Defending series champion and current point leader Buddy Kofoid (Penngrove, California) racked up a fourth place result in his Solomon Valley debut in the summer of 2021.

Kansan Bryant Wiedeman (Colby, Kansas) had one of his finer runs in his home state track of Solomon Valley in 2021 with a fifth place finish in his first series start in home state.

Logan Seavey (Sutter, California) has made the transition back to Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports team for Mid-America Midget Week, the team which won the 2021 Chad McDaniel Memorial with Thorson behind the wheel. The 2018 series champion finished runner-up in 2018 and earned hard charger honors in 2021 with a 17th to 7th run.

Zach Daum (Pocahontas, Illinois) has been on the cusp of a Solomon Valley victory numerous times in his career. He has scored runner-up results at the Chad McDaniel Memorial four times, starting on both nights in 2010 as well as in 2012 and 2014 to go along with a sixth in 2013 and an eighth in 2021.

Jerry Coons Jr. (Tucson, Arizona), the 2006-2007 series champion, has made four previous starts at Solomon Valley. He finished a best third in 2013 and added another top-10 with a 10th in 2017.

A bevy of individuals who made Solomon Valley debuts in 2021 will return to the fold this Wednesday night. That includes Lubbock, Texas’ Brenham Crouch (11th), Mooresville, North Carolina’s Ethan Mitchell (14th), Bixby, Oklahoma’s Cannon McIntosh (16th), Lincoln, Nebraska’s Trey Gropp (17th), Kennedale, Texas driver Kyle Jones (18th), Muskogee, Oklahoma’s Kaylee Bryson (20th) and San Jose, California’s Thomas Meseraull who was a 23rd place finisher after setting the fastest qualifying time. Meanwhile, Anton Hernandez (Arlington, Texas), the 2015 POWRi West Midget titlist, will return to the event for the first time since finishing 21st in 2016.

Looking to crack the starting lineup for the first time at the Chad McDaniel Memorial on Wednesday are series regular Hayden Reinbold (Gilbert, Arizona), plus Corey Joyner (Concordia, Kan.), Blake Spicer (Phillipsburg, Kan.) and J.R. Ewing (Phillipsburg, Kan.), all of whom fell shy of a transfer spot in the 2021 edition.

Solomon Valley debuts come from the likes of USAC National Midget leading Rookie Mitchel Moles (Raisin City, Calif.), Taylor Reimer (Bixby, Okla.), Lincoln Park Speedway Indiana Midget Week winner Jacob Denney (Galloway, Ohio), home-stater Jace Park (Overland Park, Kan.), Badger Midget champ Chase McDermand (Springfield, Ill.), Jade Avedisian (Clovis, Calif.) and Chance Crum (Snohomish, Wash.).

This Wednesday’s race will be the 81st USAC National Midget event held in the state of Kansas dating back to Bob Tattersall’s 100-lap triumph in 1957 at 81 Speedway in Park City, Kansas. This week’s main event will be 30 laps in length and will pay $4,000 to the winner.

Wednesday’s 11th running of the Chad McDaniel Memorial features the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship and the NOW600 Non-Wing and Restricted Micro Sprints.

Gates open at 5pm Central with the drivers meeting at 5:45pm and hot laps at 6:30pm with qualifying and racing to follow.

General admission tickets are just $20 with high school students and younger just $5. All access passes are available as well for $35 and available at the pit gate on the day of the show only.

The Chad McDaniel Memorial from Solomon Valley Raceway will be streamed live on FloRacing at https://bit.ly/2Zs7zFP.

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USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Buddy Kofoid-911, 2-Justin Grant-865, 3-Bryant Wiedeman-731, 4-Mitchel Moles-730, 5-Thomas Meseraull-719, 6-Kaylee Bryson-693, 7-Cannon McIntosh-692, 8-Taylor Reimer-598, 9-Brenham Crouch-591, 10-Logan Seavey-586.

CHAD McDANIEL MEMORIAL WINS:

2-Christopher Bell, Bryan Clauson & Kevin Thomas Jr.

1-Scott Hatton, Brad Kuhn & Tanner Thorson

CHAD McDANIEL MEMORIAL WINNERS:

2010: Brad Kuhn (6/4)

2011: Rained Out (7/28)

2012: Scott Hatton (7/27)

2013: Christopher Bell (7/30)

2014: Bryan Clauson (7/29)

2015: Kevin Thomas Jr. (7/28)

2016: Bryan Clauson (8/3)

2017: Christopher Bell (8/2)