Spencer Bayston took the lead from the pole position and never looked back, leading all 25 laps on the way to winning the prestigious USAC National Midget Series’ “4-Crown Nationals” at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, Saturday night. The victory was the 30th for a Toyota-powered car in a national midget feature event in 2017.
It marked the fifth national feature win for Bayston this season and came just one day after the Lebanon, Indiana native celebrated his 19th birthday. He now has won two of the three crown jewels on the USAC schedule after previously winning the Belleville Midget Nationals last month. He will go for the clean sweep at the season-ending Turkey Night Grand Prix on Thanksgiving. No driver had won both Belleville and the 4-Crowns since Kasey Kahne in 2000.
Bayston ran the high side to perfection all night, with his only serious threat for the lead coming in turn one on the opening lap where they went four wide before Bayston came out on top. It was a lead he would never relinquish.
“It makes it easy when you have a good group of guys working behind you,” Bayston said of his Keith Kunz Motorsports Toyota team. “They know what they’re doing and it definitely shows. I felt so comfortable. We raced here last night in the wing car and didn’t do that great, but I really think it helped me. Coming here tonight in the midget, it felt like everything was in slow motion for me.”
Most of the action taking place came in a battle for the top three, where Toyota driver Brady Bacon ran the inside to climb into third place and then fell just short in a late-race bid for second.
Tanner Thorson would finish fifth, one spot ahead of Holly Shelton, who won the race’s Hard Charger Award after racing from 13th to an eventual sixth-place finish. Chad Boat placed seventh, while Tanner Carrick was eighth as Toyota-powered cars captured six of the top eight finishing positions.
With just three races remaining, Bayston has extended his point to 66 over Bacon, with Thorson 106 behind the leader. Bayston also continues to lead the National Midget Driver of the Year standings.
The USAC National Midget Series returns to action Oct. 22 at the Wayne County Speedway in Wayne, Illinois.
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET POINTS: 1-Bayston-1363, 2-Bacon-1297, 3-Golobic-1286, 4-Thorson-1256, 5-Courtney-1200, 6-Grant-1198,7-Boat-1084, 8-Shelton-988, 9-Carrick-906, 10-Coons-846.
*Toyota drivers in bold
Toyota Racing PR
