2011 Belleville Midget Nationals Saturday 8-6

What started out looking like it might be a disappointing evening turned out to be one of the best Midget Nats finals EVER!

Droud had left to run a sprinter, but everyone else was there. THEN, during the heats it seemed every other car was pulling off. Were we looking at a 15 car championship race? As I asked around during the break before the pole dash, it sounded like most, if not all, were going to get back on the track.

After an entertaining, if confused, ceremony to determine positions for the dash, those eight guys pushed off. That's when things really started to get good. Real good.

Those guys had a great race. Caleb Armstrong was a lot faster than he'd looked all week and finished third. Bobby East won the pole, Clauson 2nd, and Friday's winner, Kyle Larson, was 4th.

Starting on the front row, Bryan Clauson jumped out front immediately and stretched out a decent lead looking like he could easily threepeat. Kyle Larson never lagged too far and was often pretty close to the leader. These two began a race of their own, lapping cars and opening a big gap over third.

I couldn't see the tower & lap counter, but Larson didn't start taking serious shots at Clauson until about lap 25. Coming through 4, he'd run under Clauson and get a nose out front, but then Bryan's momentum would carry him onto the front stretch still out front. Larson would then gather himself back up and give it another shot a lap or two later. Finally, after 3 or 4 tries with about 6 to go, Kyle got around far enough to let the car drift up into the lead. Clauson tried so hard to hold him off that he almost banged the rail...I think he DID give it a kiss.

After a late yellow, I moved onto the front stretch for the last 5 laps and was setting up for a finish line shot when I saw the crowd rise as one and point into the first turn. I'd just watched CJ go by, but was too close to the track to look to my left and didn't see it. Fortunately, he wasn't hurt.

When they restarted, there was just one lap left to go and it was apparent tires could decide it; some of them were running on tissue paper. At the green, Clauson slowed, coasted past the flagstand and pulled in. So many cars were a lap down that he'd just clinched 5th. Jerry Coons Jr, who'd quietly worked up from 10th still had a shot to pull it out, but with a clear track Larson was just too strong and held on to take the win.

Kyle Larson proved to a lot of people that he's the real deal, showing a level of poise rarely seen in a driver of his (or any) age. Like I told him Friday, the last driver I saw win a midget feature on his 19th birthday (he won a week ago @ US36 on his B-Day) has done pretty good since then.
  

                        The racing was so good I got a ton of stuff.

No, not another batch of solos, just wanted Kyle as my cover.

Heat one.

CJ Johnson & Dalton Armstrong

OK, so I like these panorama shots.

Four wins between these two.

Sheridan & East

Darren Hagen gets the Sportsmanship Award from Revhoney dude Nate Brown...who was a pretty decent shoe himself.

Kyle Larson & announcer Eric Allgood

Larson & Johnson in the dash.

Kuhn, Clauson, & Clouser. Sounds like a law firm.

A scene I saw several times in the A.

I dunno if CJ & Mario were holding their breath, but I was.

Patrick Stasa got the Hard Luck Award.

Jerry Coons Jr and his Best Appearing Car...check out the thunderhead behind him!

C Ray does the intros a little differently than in years past.

Brad & Brad buckle in.

Bashful Jon Backlund and his grandson Kyle. He's a very pleasant young man. Kyle's nice too!! ;)

The 4-wide from the other direction.

Now the fun really starts, Clauson, Larson, & Armstrong.

If anyone tries to tell you the racing was bad, show 'em this......

...and this. WOW!

While everyone was concentrating on the race for the lead, Jerry was steadily working his way to the front.

It got a little close from time to time too.

Loyet & Clouser shortly before Mario had electrical trouble.

Hagen & Sheridan

The orange 12 car won this battle.

Sheridan, Hagen, & Pelkey

Johnson & D. Armstrong

Darland & Pelkey

Roberts & Dalton Armstrong.

Brewer & Stasa

The race for the lead wasn't the only action. Jerry's looking to get around Brad Kuhn.

Daum & Roberts

Still at it.

Another good fight between Brad Loyet & Caleb Armstrong

That's the Lewis 9 car and the Wilke Pak 11 getting lapped!!

East & Kuhn

Larson lapping Dalton A.

Goodwin & Coons

The first few times Larson tried to pass Clauson he'd get about this close....

....or this close but couldn't get by him.

Kuhn & East putting on a show of their own.

So close again

Armstrong & Daum

Putting a lap on 6th place Loyet.

Larson FINALLY gets by Clauson.

Clauson gave everything he had to get back out front!

Roberts & Armstrong

Coons & Johnson

Armstrong & Sheridan

Daum & Johnson just before CJ went over the rail.

Kyle Larson wins the 2011 Belleville Midget Nationals!

He looks a little scary here.

Is that a happy looking owner & driver or what?

After the dust had settled, Eric Allgood asked for a pic of Hard Charger Jerry Coons Jr.

    Saturday Results thanks to Bryan Gapinski

8-lap Heat Race#1: 1. Dalton Armstrong (Kunz#71k); 2. C.J. Johnson (Johnson#45); 3. Levi Roberts (Nine Racing#9); 4. Jeff Stasa (Stasa#91); 5. Cody Brewer (Brewer#96); 6. Patrick Stasa (Stasa#19); 7. Todd Plemons (Minarik#98).

8-lap Heat Race#2: 1. Jerry Coons Jr. (Lendich#3nz); 2. Darren Hagen (RFMS#3); 3. Bryan Clauson (Tucker-BCI-Curb-Agajanian#39); 4. Dave Darland (Wilke-PAK#11); 5. Zach Daum (Daum#5d); 6. Terry Goodwin (Goodwin#2).

8-lap Heat Race#3: 1. Josh Pelkey (Allen#12jr); 2. Caleb Armstrong (Kunz#71); 3. Bobby East, (Klatt#4); 4. Danny Sheridan (Allen#12s); 5. Chet Gehrke (Mattson#11c); 6. Randy Boyer (Boyer#69); 7. Garrett Hood (Hood#11h).

6-lap Dash: 1. Bobby East; 2. Bryan Clauson; 3. Caleb Armstrong; 4. Kyle Larson (Kunz#67); 5. Brad Loyet (Loyet#05); 6. Brad Kuhn (RWB#17); 7. Mario Clouser (MCM#06); 8. C.J. Johnson.

40-lap Feature: 1. Kyle Larson; 2. Jerry Coons Jr.; 3. Brad Kuhn; 4. Bobby East; 5. Bryan Clauson; 6. Brad Loyet; 7. Caleb Armstrong; 8. Josh Pelkey; 9. Dalton Armstrong; 10. Danny Sheridan; 11. Jeff Stasa; 12. Zach Daum; 13. C.J. Johnson; 14. Darren Hagen; 15. Levi Roberts; 16. Terry Goodwin; 17. Dave Darland; 18. Cody Brewer; 19. Todd Plemons; 20. Mario Clouser; 21. Chet Gehrke; 22. Patrick Stasa; 23. Garrett Hood; 24. Randy Boyer.

Feature Lap Leaders: Clauson 1-33, Larson 34-40.

One last note. As I was starting this, I saw that Earl Gaerte, builder of the iconic Gaerte racing engines had passed away. Racing has lost a true giant. RIP Earl.