BAKERSFIELD USAC MIDGET NOVEMBER CLASSIC

(Dave Olson Photo)

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media

Bakersfield, California (November 22, 2024)………The California roads lead the United States Auto Club (USAC) NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship to Bakersfield Speedway for the penultimate round of the season on Tuesday night, November 26.

The eighth annual November Classic brings three past event winners in NASCAR Cup champ Kyle Larson (2019), plus two-time USAC National Midget titlists Logan Seavey (2018 & 2023) and Buddy Kofoid (2020 & 2021) as well as a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, Kyle Busch, making his Midget racing debut.

Thirty-six (36) entries are expected to sign in for the event at the 1/3-mile clay oval, which first hosted USAC National Midget racing in 1959.

Among the 36 are Emerson Axsom, twice a Bakersfield runner-up finisher in 2021 and 2023. In both of those same years, Justin Grant finished third each time. Tyler Courtney, the 2019 USAC National Midget Champion, took third at Bakersfield back in 2021.

The 2016 series king, Tanner Thorson, collected a fastest qualifying time and a third place result in 2017. Cannon McIntosh also set fastest time in 2021 before coming home fourth in the feature at Bako in 2022 and 2023 while Carson Macedo, a victor last Wednesday at Tulare’s Thunderbowl Raceway, scored a fifth in 2023.

At press time, Daison Pursley leads the 2024 USAC National Midget standings and enters the event with a best Bakersfield performance of 6th in 2023. Jacob Denney raced to a 9th in 2023 while Hayden Reinbold rounded out the top-10 in 2023.

Also returning to the Bakersfield lineup are six-time Bakersfield USAC Western States Midget winner Ronnie Gardner, a 16th place finisher with the USAC National Midgets there in 2017. Cade Lewis is a Bakersfield native and was this year’s USAC Western States Midget Champion. He finished 16th in the 2023 November Classic. Lewis’ car owner, Dean Alexander, scored a USAC Western States Midget win at Bakersfield back in 2019.

Another Bakersfield native, Brody Fuson, captured a USAC West Coast Sprintcar victory at his hometown track in 2022. Furthermore, he finished 17th with the USAC National Midgets there in 2022. Jake Andreotti took 11th in the 2023 November Classic and also captured a USAC Micro Sprint win at Bako in 2016. USAC National Midget feature winners Gavin Miller and Ryan Timms each notched a 13th in the event in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

Exactly one-half of the field is looking to make their first Bakersfield USAC National Midget feature starts. Among them are Drake Edwards and Terry Nichols, each of whom have been victorious with the Western Midget Racing series at Bakersfield in 2023 and 2024, respectively.

Two others, Corey Day and Cale Coons, have fathers who’ve experienced their fair share of success at Bakersfield. Corey’s father, Ronnie Day, scored four Bako victories with the BCRA Midgets, NARC Sprintars and USAC Western States Midgets between 1992-2002. Cale, son of Jerry Coons Junior, will be making his USAC National Midget debut. Jerry finished third with the USAC National Midgets at Bakersfield in 1998.

Additional first-time Bakersfield USAC Midget starting hopefuls include two-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kyle Busch in his USAC debut. Four USAC National Midget winners are set for Bakersfield: Zach Daum and Chase McDermand, plus top series Rookies Kale Drake and Zach Wigal.

They’ll be joined in the Bakersfield lineup by Stevie Sussex, Karter Sarff, Brandt Twitty, cousins Todd Hawse and Kyle Hawse, Alex Karpowicz, Troy DeGaton, Abby Hohlbein and Austin Torgerson, all eying first Bakersfield USAC National Midget feature starts.

RACE DETAILS

The Tuesday, November 26, running of the November Classic at California’s Bakersfield Speedway features the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship and the California Lightning Sprints.

Pits open at 2pm Pacific with the gates opening at 4pm, the drivers meeting at 4:30pm and cars on track at 5pm.

Adult general admission tickets are $25. Kids 6-12 general admission tickets are $15. Kids 5 and under general admission tickets are free. Ages 65+ and military (ID required) general admission tickets are $22. Pit passes are $50 ($45 for USAC members).

Advance tickets are available now at https://tickethoss.com/event/687.

USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midgets and California’s Bakersfield Speedway have a history that dates back six decades. Davey Moses won the first trip by the USAC National Midgets in the summer of 1959. Over that period, 25 series races have been held at the lightning-quick 1/3-mile that has been both paved and dirt throughout its history.

The November Classic from Bakersfield will be streamed live on FloRacing at https://flosports.link/usac.

BAKERSFIELD USAC MIDGET ENTRY LIST: (36)

00 JAKE ANDREOTTI/Castro Valley, CA (Pete Davis)

1K KYLE LARSON/Elk Grove, CA (Silva Motorsports)

1p TERRY NICHOLS/Delano, CA (Nichols-Peckfelder Motorsports)

2 JUSTIN GRANT/Ione, CA (RMS Racing)

3p DRAKE EDWARDS/Peoria, AZ (Petty Performance Racing)

4 COREY DAY/Clovis, CA (Wille Kahne)

4B BRANDT TWITTY/Bakersfield, CA (Kevin Twitty)

8w CHASE McDERMAND/Springfield, IL (Josh Ford Motorsports)

18 TODD HAWSE/Simi Valley, CA (Todd Hawse)

19 ALEX KARPOWICZ/Spring Branch, TX (Mounce-Stout Motorsports)

19AZ HAYDEN REINBOLD/Gilbert, AZ (Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports)

20AZ STEVIE SUSSEX/Tempe, AZ (Crown Jewel Racing)

20x KYLE HAWSE/Las Vegas, NV (Hawse Racing)

23c TYLER COURTNEY/Indianapolis, IN (Silva Motorsports)

25 JACOB DENNEY/Galloway, OH (Tom Malloy)

25m TANNER THORSON/Minden, NV (Tom Malloy)

31 KARTER SARFF/Mason City, IL (Beilman Motorsports)

31B ZACH DAUM/Pocahontas, IL (Beilman Motorsports)

39T TROY DeGATON/Wickenburg, AZ (Troy DeGaton)

51 BRODY FUSON/Bakersfield, CA (Rusty Carlile)

51B KYLE BUSCH/Las Vegas, NV (Kyle Busch Motorsports)

55 ABBY HOHLBEIN/Cloverdale, OH (Lambert Motorsports)

57 LOGAN SEAVEY/Sutter, CA (Abacus Racing)

63 CALE COONS/Greencastle, IN (Joe Dooling)

67 RYAN TIMMS/Oklahoma City, OK (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)

67K EMERSON AXSOM/Franklin, IN (Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)

68 RONNIE GARDNER/Corona, CA (Six8 Motorsports)

71 BUDDY KOFOID/Penngrove, CA (Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)

71K CANNON MCINTOSH/Bixby, OK (Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)

86 DAISON PURSLEY/Locust Grove, OK (CB Industries)

88A AUSTIN TORGERSON/Glendale, AZ (Mounce-Stout Motorsports)

89 ZACH WIGAL/Belpre, OH (CB Industries)

97 GAVIN MILLER/Allentown, PA (Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)

97K KALE DRAKE/Collinsville, OK (Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)

99AU CARSON MACEDO/Lemoore, CA (Dyson Motorsport)

101 CADE LEWIS/Bakersfield, CA (Dean Alexander)

TRACK RECORDS FOR USAC NATIONAL MIDGETS AT BAKERSFIELD SPEEDWAY:

1 Lap – 11/16/2021 – Cannon McIntosh – 12.347 – 97.092 mph

6 Laps – 11/23/1991 – Lynn Carter – 1:26.460 – 83.192 mph

8 Laps – 11/17/2018 – Tyler Courtney – 1:43.590 – 92.580 mph

10 Laps – 11/17/2020 – Jonathan Beason – 2:03.059 – 97.417 mph

12 Laps – 11/16/2021 – Chase Randall – 2:31.417 – 95.077 mph

15 Laps – 11/25/1993 – Sleepy Tripp – 3:25.910 – 87.678 mph

100 Laps – 11/23/1995 – Billy Boat – 26:58.12 – 74.086 mph

BAKERSFIELD USAC NATIONAL MIDGET WINS:

3-Jay Drake & Billy Vukovich

2-Buddy Kofoid, Logan Seavey, Ron Shuman & Sleepy Tripp

1-Brady Bacon, Billy Boat, Dave Darland, Terry Farrar, Jordan Hermansader, Page Jones, Kyle Larson, Thomas Meseraull, Davey Moses, Frank Secrist & Rich Vogler

BAKERSFIELD USAC NATIONAL MIDGET WINNERS:

1959: Davey Moses (8/2)

1966: Frank Secrist (8/14) & Billy Vukovich (9/11)

1967: Billy Vukovich (7/2) & Billy Vukovich (7/16)

1974: Sleepy Tripp (11/24)

1988: Rich Vogler (11/11)

1989: Sleepy Tripp (11/18)

1990: Terry Farrar (11/17)

1991: Page Jones (11/23)

1992: Ron Shuman (11/26)

1993: Ron Shuman (11/25)

1994: Jordan Hermansader (11/24)

1995: Billy Boat (11/23)

1997: Jay Drake (11/22)

1998: Jay Drake (11/26)

1999: Dave Darland (11/20)

2000: Jay Drake (11/18)

2017: Brady Bacon (11/18)

2018: Logan Seavey (11/17)

2019: Kyle Larson (11/23)

2020: Buddy Kofoid (11/17)

2021: Buddy Kofoid (11/16)

2022: Thomas Meseraull (11/15)

2023: Logan Seavey (11/14)