Bettis scores in first Kenyon Midget event

Colton Bettis celebrates victory at Anderson Speedway (Aaron Skillman photo)

By Ken de la Bastide

ANDERSON, IN – In an unusual happening in racing, Florida teenager Colton Bettis scored the victory in his first event Kenyon Midget race. Bettis was also making his first Anderson Speedway start in the Don and Mel Kenyon Classic, the longest race of the year for the series.

Kyle Ford coming off his first victory two weeks ago set fast time during qualifying with the invert of four putting Logan Huggler and Bettis on the front row.

Huggler jumped into the lead at the start chased by Dameron Taylor and Bettis. Bettis got underneath Taylor on the back straight on lap seven and nine laps later used the same move to pass Huggler.

Clayton Gaines who started fifth in the field climbed from sixth to second on laps 20 and 22 but brought out the caution flag on lap 26 bouncing off the back straight wall and coming to rest in the infield.

Ford started a climb to the front on lap 48 passing Tanner Tecco and Ryan Huggler to be running second.

The final caution flag waved on lap 51 but although Ford challenged on the restart Bettis went on to win by 1.3-seconds over Ford with Tecco coming home third followed by Cash Wyke and Kyle Sheard.

“Brad (Hayes) said it was up to me on the restarts to shift or not to shift,” Bettis said in the Peterman Brothers Victory Lane. “I just let it rip and hoped for the best.”

After the race Bettis said he will likely be returning to the Kenyon Midget Series at Berlin Raceway on June 22.

Ford who took over the season point lead when Taylor dropped out, said his car came to him too quickly in the middle stages of the race. “I had nothing for him at the end,” he said. “When I saw Dameron (Taylor) pulling off it made it a lot easier for me.”

Tecco scored his career best finish climbing from the 11 position to a podium finish. “The car was really fast,” Tecco said. “We went back to the set-up we used to run. It worked out, the car was on rails.”