Chris Windom won the night, but Buddy Kofoid won the week on the final night of the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series’ Indiana Midget Week (IMW) at the Kokomo Speedway, Saturday. Windom took the lead on lap 14 of 30 and never relinquished the top spot, on the way to the win, as Kofoid drove from 13th to seventh to wrap up his first Indiana Midget Week title.
In capturing his second win of the season, Windom became the seventh different driver to win in this year’s eight-race IMW, with Kofoid the only driver to earn multiple victories during the week.
It was Justin Grant who would take the lead on the opening lap over Logan Seavey with Windom running third, Jason McDougal in fourth and Emerson Axsom running fifth in an all-Toyota top five.
Grant’s lead wouldn’t last long, though, as Seavey, who entered the race just 10 points behind Kofoid in the IMW standings, would move to the front as he chased the title. He was able to hold down the top spot through lap seven before Grant would push back past him with Windom on his tail as Seavey would be shuffled back to third. Behind them, Kofoid had moved from his 13th starting position into the top 10, but still needing to run down Seavey to ensure the championship.
Things began to heat up as the race neared the midway point with Windom dueling with Grant and eventually taking the lead on lap 14, but Grant stayed right with him for the next several laps.
Windom would eventually start to open up a lead as the race entered the final 10 laps, as Kofoid would overtake Seavey for seventh on lap 20. From that point on, the Keith Kunz Motorsports Toyota driver would simply need to maintain his position to wrap up the IMW title.
After a red flag on lap 21, Windom would need to hold off the field on the final restart of the evening and he did just that, opening up more than second lead over the next five laps and eventually stretching it out to 1.661 seconds over Grant at the checkered flag for the victory. McDougal would finish third, followed by Axsom and Thomas Meseraull as Toyota-powered drivers captured the top five finishing positions.
Behind them, Kofoid was simply taking care of business in bringing his car home in seventh to wrap up the IMW crown, the first for the 19-year-old Penngrove, Calif., native. Seavey was the runner-up for the week, with Daison Pursley finishing third, Windom fourth and Axsom fifth.
After eight Indiana Midget Week races in the past ten nights, the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series will take a well-deserved break, returning to the track on July 11 at the Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex. The Toyota national midget car program now turns its focus to the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League’s Illinois SPEED Week, which kicks off five races in five nights at Charleston Speedway, June 16.
Toyota Driver Quotes:
Buddy Kofoid, Keith Kunz Motorsports: “It was a fun week, but I’m glad it’s over now. It’s stressful – from winning to getting upside down, to winning again and then having today where we didn’t qualify great and then starting from 13th. Once we passed Logan I just wanted the race to be over. Winning Indiana Midget Week is really big for me. Now winning a championship is the next big goal. We just need to keep running up front consistently and contend for some wins.”
Chris Windom, CB Industries: “I’m so happy to do this for these guys. They’ve worked so hard all week having eight races in 10 days. To come and win tonight is all you can ask for on the last night of Indiana Midget Week. We may not have won Midget Week, but to come back and win on the eighth night is is something. This car just worked so good down low. Thanks to everyone on this team and to NOS Energy, Pristine Auction, Toyota and everyone involved.”
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