(July 13, 2024) Fairbury, NE – Ryan Timms finally secured his first USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship feature win at Jefferson County Speedway on Saturday night. The 17-year-old from Oklahoma City, OK, had come close several times before, but this time he led the final 26 laps to capture the $10,000 prize in the Riverside Chevrolet Midwest Midget Championship.
Long-Awaited Victory
Timms had previously led 45 laps at Jefferson County but never finished higher than second. This time, he took advantage of lapped traffic to pass teammate Jade Avedisian on Lap 15 and held the lead for the rest of the 40-lap race. This win marks his second USAC National Midget victory of the year and the seventh of his career.
“A couple years ago, we were coming to the checkered and then a yellow came out,” Timms recalled. “I ended up losing, but then I told [team owner] Pete [Willoughby] that I was going to win him a $10 grand race here one of these days.”
Strategic Moves
Starting from third, Timms quickly moved up to second by Lap 3 and then closed in on Avedisian. As Avedisian got caught behind a lapped car on Lap 14, Timms seized the opportunity to take the lead. He expertly navigated the varying lines on the track to maintain his lead.
“Being able to move around here is really important,” Timms explained. “The line changed quite a bit. Once we got to lapped traffic and my car was good enough, I was able to move around and we moved past Jade.”
Drama on the Track
The race saw multiple cautions and dramatic moments. A crash involving Don Droud Jr., Gavin Miller, and Justin Grant brought out a caution after Timms had taken the lead. Timms maintained his composure and steadily increased his lead. Another caution with 14 laps remaining bunched up the field, but Timms managed to stay ahead.
Logan Seavey, who was challenging for the lead, clipped an infield tire and dropped to 16th. Zach Daum moved up to second place after Avedisian hit the front straightaway wall.
Timms crossed the finish line 2.109 seconds ahead of Daum, followed by Cannon McIntosh, Jacob Denney, and Avedisian.
Feature Results
Feature (40 Laps):
- Ryan Timms [3]
- Zach Daum [13]
- Cannon McIntosh [5]
- Jacob Denney [14]
- Jade Avedisian [2]
- Daison Pursley [9]
- Kale Drake [10]
- Jerry Coons Jr. [7]
- Kyle Jones [8]
- Justin Grant [6]
- Gavin Miller [1]
- Mitchell Davis [12]
- Zach Wigal [15]
- Jake Andreotti [11]
- Trey Zorn [19]
- Logan Seavey [4]
- Ricky Thornton Jr. [20]
- Don Droud Jr. [21]
- Brian Schwabauer [22]
- Curtis Spicer [24]
- Daniel Whitley [18]
- Kenney Johnson [23]
- Thomas Meseraull [16]
- Ricky Lewis [17]
