Big Night for Buckwalter

Written By: Matt "Night" Rider
Stanbrough Photo By: Dave Merrit (Dave's Pit Pass Photos- http://www.davespitpassphotos.com/

GAS CITY SPEEDWAY (GAS CITY, IN.)- Royersford, PA. native Steve Buckwalter (Pictured Right) took his very first USAC National Mopar Midget feature checkered flag to kick off the 2010 USAC Mopar Midget festivities.  After the big win, Buckwalter said, "We've been trying to win one of these (Mopar Midget feature) for about four years.  I came close to winning at Lawrenceburg, but we got a flat and it dropped us to a 3rd place finish. It feels great to finally win."

Grassland Valley, CA racer Brad Sweet put together another solid run, coming home in second place. "It feels good to get 2nd.  The track changed a lot as the night went on.  It was good to get track position and a top three finish," Sweet said.  Avon, IN. native Brad Kuhn finished the night in third place.

Brownsburg, IN. racer Bobby East worked his way through the field to take home a solid fourth place finish. The current USAC Mopar Midget points leader Bryan Clauson finished fifth.  Clauson set the fast time for qualifying earlier in the night, with a fast lap of 12.562 seconds, which is now a new track record at the Gas City Speedway.  New Castle, IN. native Tracy Hines came up through the field to finish sixth. Seventh place belonged to Zach Daum, while eighth went to Caleb Armstrong.  Shane Hmiel finished nineth, while Henry Clarke battled back from an early evening breakdown to take a tenth place feature finish.

Alex Bowman came home 11th.  Riverside, CA. racer Darren Hagan in 12th.  Ryan Smith finished the night in 13th.  Phoenix, AZ. native Chad Boat in 14th.  Finishing behind Boat in 15th was Lincoln, IN. racer Dave Darland. Kody Swanson took the checkers in 16th. Tony Stewart Racing's Levi Jones finished 17th.  Matt Westfall (18th), Brent Beauchamp (19th), Kokomo, IN. racer Shane Cottle (20th), and Jerry Coons Jr. (21st) rounded out the feature finishers.

Thomas Meseraull finished the 30 lapper in 2nd, but his midget didn't pass tech inspection, so he was unfortunately disqualified giving second place to Kasey Kahne racer Brad Sweet.

Avon, IN. racer Jon Stanbrough (Pictured Left) held off Kokomo, IN. native Shane Cottle to win another Sprint Car feature at Gas City Speedway.  Andrew Elson put together a solid run to pick up third.  Chris Windom took fourth, while Thomas Meseraull rounded out the top five finishers. 

Hunter Schuerenberg finished just outside the top five in sixth.  Brandon Petty had a solid race to finish seventh. Matt Westfall finished eighth, while Ted Hines took home nineth.  Rounding out the top ten finishers was Kyle Robbins.

The next stop on the 2010 Mopar Midget Week will be tonight at Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnamville, IN. Then the Mopar Midgets head to southern Indiana to race at the Bloomington Speedway on June 18th. The Mopar Midgets close out the 2010 Midget Week Series with stops at Lawrenceburg Speedway in Lawrenceburg, IN. on June 19th, and Kokomo Speedway in Kokomo, IN on Father's Day (Sunday, June 20th).  You can catch all the 2010 Midget Week Series action here on "Through the Gears".

The Gas City Speedway welcomes the A.M.A "Grand National" Motorcycle Races on Saturday, June 19th.