Hagen Opens Midget Season with “KOKOMO Grand Prix” Triumph

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DarrenHagenRiverside

 

Darren Hagen of Riverside, California celebrates his 25th career Honda USAC National Midget feature victory Saturday night at Kokomo, (Ind.) Speedway.
(TeeJay Crawford Photo)

 

Kokomo, Indiana…Darren Hagen opened the Honda National Midget Championship season with a strong night in his first USAC start aboard the Kenny Brown Racing – Great Clips #17 Boss/Esslinger as he marched to the “Kokomo Grand Prix” victory on Saturday night. The Riverside, California native notched his 25th-career win to put himself in a tie for 16th on the all-time win list with Parnelli Jones and Dave Strickland.
Davey Ray grabbed the lead with a big run on the cushion through turns one and two on the opening lap. He ran hard on the high side with the lead as Hagen followed into second before the first caution on lap three.
Hagen came calling for the lead on the restart, and the two exchanged crosses before Hagen came roaring by to lead at the stripe on lap seven. Zach Daum was also on the move, and he and Ray battled for the runner-up spot. ProSource “Fast Qualifier” Kevin Thomas, Jr. was also using the high side to his advantage, and he passed both of them on a lap-13 restart to vault to second.
Just past halfway, Thomas got sideways in turn-two and collected Daum, who was able to restart on the tail. Thomas was done for the night.
Tracy Hines became the new pursuer of Hagen, and he drew close as they neared traffic, even flashing to the inside of Hagen on multiple occasions. Just as Hagen began to put cars a lap down, Ryan Greth hooked the infield marker tire in turn-four and flipped on lap 25. He was unhurt.
From there, Hagen was unchallenged to take the win, making it 11 years in a row with at least one USAC National victory. This one was also the first for Boss Chassis and builder Austin Brown.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity I have with this team, and especially Austin Brown with his Boss Chassis. Putting them in victory lane for the first time is cool. I almost gave it away with two to go, making a mistake down through one and two. We had a fast race car tonight, and I’m happy to get it done,” Hagen said.
Hines came home second in the Parker Machinery – Turbines, Inc. #24 Spike/Stanton Toyota.
“I got going there in the long run, but he was a little too strong on the short runs. I got us in trouble on the start and gave some positions away, thinking the bottom would come in a little bit. Our car was good, but it was too little, too late to get the win. I got to him and moved down a bit and had a good look at him, but we caught that red at the end and took any shot we had. It was good racing tonight, though,” Hines said.
Tanner Thorson earned the “Hard Charger Award” by filling the podium after starting 11th in the Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorports – Toyota TRD #67Bullet/Speedway Toyota.
“We struggled early in the night, and I have to thank Keith (Kunz) for working to get me more comfortable in the feature. We had to pass some cars to get there, but it was coming on the farther into the race we got. We definitely didn’t need the red late in the race. We had a shot at them without it. I’m happy to start our points season this way, though,” Thorson said.
Steve Buckwalter came home fourth in the Buckwalter’s Roofing – VRP Shocks #25 Elite/Ott by Deppe, and Ray rounded out the top-five in the Team RayPro – Mecum Auctions #33 Stealth/Mopar.
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USAC HONDA NATIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: April 11, 2014 – Kokomo, IN – Kokomo Speedway – “Kokomo Grand Prix”
QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Kevin Thomas Jr., 67k, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-13.175; 2. Andrew Felker, 11a, Felker-13.288; 3. Darren Hagen, 17, Brown-13.309; 4. Spencer Bayston, 39, Tucker/BCI/Curb-Agajanian-13.397; 5. Davey Ray, 33, RAYPRO-13.464; 6. Zach Daum, 5D, Daum-13.527; 7. Tracy Hines, 24, Parker-13.662; 8. Steve Buckwalter, 25, Buckwalter-13.707; 9. Justin Peck, 5x, Peck-13.719; 10. Alex Bright, 56, 5IVE-6IX-13.737; 11. Tanner Thorson, 67, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-13.766; 12. Justin Grant, 38, Gardner-13.766; 13. Jerry Coons Jr., 27, Heffner-13.767; 14. Dave Darland, 63, RKR/Curb-Agajanian-13.804; 15. Colten Cottle, 5c, Cottle-13.833; 16. Tyler Courtney, 7KR, Irwin-13.885; 17. Tyler Thomas, 91T, Thomas-13.988; 18. Isaac Chapple, 52, Chapple-14.047; 19. Shane Hollingsworth, 85, Hollingsworth-14.170; 20. Gage Walker, 7, Walker-14.219; 21. Katlynn Leer, 77, Leer-14.306; 22. Ryan Greth, 4R, Lesher-14.333; 23. Jim Radney, 95, Radney-14.447; 24. Tucker Klassmeyer, 27k, Klaasmeyer-14.452; 25. Stratton Briggs, 2s, Briggs-14.768; 26. Austin Nemire, 91, Nemire/Yager-14.891; 27. Justin Dickerson, 21D, Dickerson-14.954; 28. Logan Arnold, 43, Arnold-15.098; 29. Robbie Parish, 7k, Irwin-26.769; 30. Shane Cottle, 57, Ecker-NT.
FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. K. Thomas, 2. Ray, 3. Coons, 4. T. Thomas, 5. Peck, 6. Leer, 7. Briggs. 2:25.03
SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Felker, 2. Bright, 3. Daum, 4. Darland, 5. Chapple, 6. Greth, 7. Nemire. 2:25.23
THIRD HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Hagen, 2. Hines, 3. Thorson, 4. Hollingsworth, 5. C. Cottle, 6. Radney, 7. Dickerson. 2:21.55
FOURTH HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Buckwalter, 2. Grant, 3. Courtney, 4. Bayston, 5. Walker, 6. Klaasmeyer, 7. Arnold. 2:21.59
SEMI: (12 laps) 1. Peck, 2. Greth, 3. Walker, 4. Chapple, 5. Klaasmeyer, 6. Radney, 7. Nemire, 8. Leer, 9. Briggs, 10. Dickerson, 11. Arnold, 12. Parish, 13. C. Cottle, 14. S,Cottle. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Darren Hagen, 2. Tracy Hines, 3. Tanner Thorson, 4. Steve Buckwalter, 5. Davey Ray, 6. Andrew Felker, 7. Dave Darland, 8. Tyler Thomas, 9. Jerry Coons Jr., 10. Tyler Courtney, 11. Shane Hollingsworth, 12. Gage Walker, 13. Zach Daum, 14. Isaac Chapple, 15. Spencer Bayston, 16. Justin Grant, 17. Jim Radney, 18. Tucker Klaasmeyer, 19. Ryan Greth, 20. Kevin Thomas Jr., 21. Alex Bright, 22. Justin Peck. NT
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**Bright flipped during qualifying. Bright flipped on lap 2 of the feature. Greth flipped on lap 25 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-6 Ray, Laps 7-30 Hagen.

UPCOMING EVENT INFO

 

FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2015
SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2015
SERIES:
Honda USAC National Midget Championship

 

TRACK:

Plymouth Speedway (Plymouth, IN)

3/8 Mile Dirt Oval

SCHEDULED STARTING TIMES:

Hot Laps: 6PM

Racing To Follow Hot Laps
TICKETS:

Adults: $20
Kids Age 6 to 12: $5
Kids Age 5 & under: Free
Pits: $30
Two day general admission: $35
Two day pit pass: $55

TRACK ADDRESS:

Plymouth Speedway
11631 12th Road
Plymouth, IN 46563TRACK PHONE:
(574) 936-0900

TRACK WEBSITE:
www.plymouthspeedway.net

SERIES:
Honda USAC National Midget Championship

 

TRACK:

Plymouth Speedway (Plymouth, IN)

3/8 Mile Dirt Oval
SCHEDULED STARTING TIMES:
Hot Laps: 6PM
Racing To Follow Hot Laps
TICKETS:
Adults: $20
Kids Age 6 to 12: $5
Kids Age 5 & under: Free
Pits: $30
Two day general admission: $35
Two day pit pass: $55

TRACK ADDRESS:
Plymouth Speedway
11631 12th Road
Plymouth, IN 46563
TRACK PHONE:
TRACK WEBSITE:
2015 HONDA USAC NATIONAL MIDGET CHAMPIONSHIP
SCHEDULE & RESULTS
DATE
LOCATION
TRACK
WINNER
April 10
Kokomo, IN
Kokomo Speedway
Rained Out
April 11
Kokomo, IN
Kokomo Speedway
Darren Hagen
May 29
Plymouth, IN
Plymouth Speedway
May 30
Plymouth, IN
Plymouth Speedway
June 10
@ Gas City, IN
Gas City I-69 Speedway
June 11
@ Putnamville, IN
Lincoln Park Speedway
June 12
@ Bloomington, IN
Bloomington Speedway
June 13
@ Lawrenceburg, IN
Lawrenceburg Speedway
June 14
@ Kokomo, IN
Kokomo Speedway
June 26
TBA
TBA
June 27
TBA
TBA
July 28
Beloit, KS
Solomon Valley Raceway
July 30
Belleville, KS
Belleville High Banks
Aug. 1
Belleville, KS
Belleville High Banks
Aug. 18
*** Spring Run, PA
Path Valley Speedway Park
Aug. 19
*** New Oxford, PA
Lincoln Speedway
Aug. 20
*** Newberrytown, PA
Susquehanna Speedway Park
Sept. 4
Granite City, IL
Tri-City Speedway
Sept. 5
Granite City, IL
Tri-City Speedway
Sept. 26
Rossburg, OH
Eldora Speedway
Nov. 26
### Perris, CA
Perris Auto Speedway
@=Indiana Midget Week
***=Co-Sanctioned by ARDC
###=Co-Sanctioned by Honda USAC Western Midget Series
2015 HONDA USAC NATIONAL MIDGET
POINT STANDINGS
RANK 
DRIVER 
POINTS 
1
Darren Hagen / Riverside, California
72
2
Tracy Hines / New Castle, Indiana
64
3
Tanner Thorson / Minden, Nevada
60
4
Steve Buckwalter / Royersford, Pennsylvania
59
5
Davey Ray / Davenport, Iowa
57
6
Dave Darland / Lincoln, Indiana
47
7
Tyler Thomas / Collinsville, Oklahoma
44
8
Jerry Coons, Jr. / Tucson, Arizona
42
9
Zach Daum / Pocahontas, Illinois
34
 10
Gage Walker / Indianapolis, Indiana
31

2015 HONDA USAC NATIONAL MIDGET

FEATURE WINNERS

 

Darren Hagen – 1 (Kokomo Speedway on April 11)

2015 HONDA USAC NATIONAL MIDGET STATISTICS

 

FEATURE WINS:
1. Darren Hagen – 1

FEATURE LAP LEADERS:
1. Darren Hagen – 24
2. Davey Ray – 6

TOP-FIVE FEATURE FINISHES:
1. Steve Buckwalter – 1
Darren Hagen – 1
Tracy Hines – 1
Davey Ray – 1
Tanner Thorson – 1

TOP-TEN FEATURE FINISHES:
1. Steve Buckwalter – 1
Jerry Coons, Jr. – 1
Tyler Courtney – 1
Dave Darland – 1
Andrew Felker – 1
Darren Hagen – 1
Tracy Hines – 1
Davey Ray – 1
Tyler Thomas – 1
Tanner Thorson – 1

FAST QUALIFYING TIMES:
1. Kevin Thomas, Jr. – 1

HEAT RACE WINS:
1. Steve Buckwalter – 1
Andrew Felker – 1
Darren Hagen – 1
Kevin Thomas, Jr. – 1

SEMI WINS:
1. Justin Peck – 1

2015 HONDA USAC NATIONAL MIDGET

“HARD CHARGER OF THE RACE”

 

April 11: Kokomo Speedway – Tanner Thorson (8 positions)

ALL-TIME USAC MIDGET FEATURE WINNERS
AT KOKOMO SPEEDWAY

1950s
7/28/56: Forrest Parker
6/23/57: Len Sutton
8/17/57: Rex Easton
5/24/58: Frank Burany
5/29/59: Gene Force
7/30/59: Shorty Templeman1960s
5/29/60: Jimmy Davies

6/25/60: Bud Bogard

7/24/60: Gene Hartley

8/13/60: Bob Wente
5/29/61: Jimmy Davies
7/30/61:Jimmy Davies

6/30/62: Tommy Copp

7/29/62: Bob Tattersall
7/11/64: Bob Wente

5/30/65: Mel Kenyon

6/26/65: Bobby Grim

7/24/65: Bobby Grim

5/29/66: Chuck Arnold

8/27/66: Bob Tattersall
5/29/67: Mike McGreevy

6/17/67: Chuck Arnold

7/22/67: Mike McGreevy

6/30/68: Bob Wente

7/21/68: Don Meacham

5/31/69: Lee Kunzman

1970s 

5/30/70: Dave Strickland

8/1/70: Tom Bigelow

7/16/71: Danny Caruthers
8/7/71: Jimmy Caruthers
8/26/72: Pancho Carter
7/14/73: Bill Engelhart
7/9/75: Sleepy Tripp
7/7/76: Tommy Astone                        
7/13/77: Mel Kenyon
8/23/78: Ron Shuman
8/23/78: Jerry Weeks
6/14/79: Mel Kenyon

7/11/79: Mel Kenyon

1980s 

6/11/80: Rich Vogler

7/10/80: Rich Vogler

6/10/81: Rich Vogler

6/10/82: Ken Schrader

7/7/82: Mel Kenyon

6/8/83: Rich Vogler

7/13/83: Rich Vogler

6/6/84: Jerry Nuckles

6/29/85: Rich Vogler

6/24/87: Mel Kenyon

6/22/88: Mike Streicher

8/17/88: Rich Vogler

1990s

8/8/90: Graham Standring

8/7/91: Jack Hewitt

8/19/92: Page Jones

8/11/93: Chris “Critter” Malone

7/27/94: Page Jones

8/23/95: Tony Elliott

2000s

8/9/00: Tracy Hines

7/1/01: Tony Elliott (DM)

7/15/01: Shane Hollingsworth (DM)

8/12/01: Tony Elliott (DM)

7/14/02: Shane Hollingsworth (SE)

6/15/03: J.J. Yeley

8/20/06: Brady Bacon

8/12/07: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

8/10/08: Bryan Clauson

6/14/09: Bryan Clauson

2010s

6/20/10: Brad Kuhn

6/12/11: Michael Pickens

7/31/11: Dave Darland (D1)

10/14/11: Tracy Hines (D1SE)

6/17/12: Kyle Larson

6/16/13: Christopher Bell

4/11/14: Rico Abreu

6/15/14: Bryan Clauson

4/11/15: Darren Hagen

D1=D1 Midget Series

(DM)=Dirt Regional Midgets

(SE)=Special Event (No Points)

ALL-TIME USAC NATIONAL MIDGET CHAMPIONS

 

1956:  Shorty Templeman                     

1957Shorty Templeman                     

1958Shorty Templeman                     

1959Gene Hartley                       

1960Jimmy Davies                        

1961Jimmy Davies                        

1962Jimmy Davies                        

1963Bob Wente                         

1964Mel Kenyon                        

1965Mike McGreevy                      

1966Mike McGreevy                      

1967Mel Kenyon                        

1968Mel Kenyon                        

1969Bob Tattersall                    

1970Jimmy Caruthers                     

1971Danny Caruthers                     

1972Pancho Carter                        

1973Larry Rice

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