PLYMOUTH, Wis. — Levi Jones scored his first career midget victory, capturing the 30-lap Stan Fox Memorial Friday night at The Plymouth Dirt Track. The event was co-sanctioned by the USAC National and Badger Midget Car Series.
Jones jumped into the lead at the start followed closely by his Tony Stewart Racing teammate Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Danny Stratton. The only caution flag appeared on the second lap for a minor spin involving two cars.
Jones pulled away on the restart, while Stratton and Stenhouse battled for second, with Stratton taking the spot on lap 21. Stratton steadily tracked down the leader, but ran out of laps, with Jones driving the Tony Stewart Racing/Spike/Hawk Chevrolet to victory .83 second ahead of Stratton.
Stenhouse, Darren Hagen and USAC National Midget point-leader Jerry Coons, Jr., completed the top five.
The event marked the first ever appearance for USAC, and the first midget auto race at the third-mile clay oval since Aug. 2, 1985.
The summary:
Qualifications: 1. Brady Bacon, Kahne 99, 13.227; 2. Kevin Swindell, Kahne 79, 13.323; 3. Brad Loyet, Loyet 05L, 13.345; 4. Darren Hagen, RFMS 32, 13.390; 5. Michael Pickens, Lein 2, 13.400; 6. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Stewart 21, 13.425; 7. Danny Stratton, Klatt 4, 13.427; 8. Levi Jones, Stewart 20, 13.552; 9. Jerry Coons, Jr., Wilke-Pak 11, 13.553; 10. Brad Kuhn, Quin 43, 13.614; 11. Dave Darland, Nine Racing 9, 13.621; 12. Davey Ray, Nine Racing 91, 13.626; 13. Scott Hatton, Smith 13, 13.683; 14. Buddy Luebke, Bulldog 43x, 13.835; 15. Chris Windom, Windom 17, 13.854; 16. Dakoda Armstrong, C & A 17a, 13.984; 17. Tim Noble, WOR 6x, 13.985; 18. Dene McAllan, Fiscus 9x, 14.071; 19. Chad Dreher, Dreher 69x, 14.226; 20. Brad Sweet, Kunz 67, 14.237; 21. Ken Dull, Dull 56, 14.462; 22. Kris Hoegsted, Hoegsted 97, 14.468.
First Heat (8 laps): Bacon, Hagen, Hatton, Stratton, Kuhn, Armstrong, Dreher, Dull.
Second Heat (8 laps): Jones, Swindell, Mosen, Pickens, Darland, Luebke, Noble.
Third Heat (8 laps): Loyet, Coons, Stenhouse, McAllen, Ray, Hoegsted, Windom.
Feature (30 laps): Jones, Stratton, Stenhouse, Hagen, Coons, Swindell, Darland, Pickens, Loyet, Kuhn, Hatton, Mosen, Bacon, Ray, Windom, Noble, Luebke, Dreher, McAllan, Armstrong, Dull, Hoegsted.