Houk sweeps Circle City
By Ken de la Bastide
INDIANAPOLIS – Everything fell Aryton Houk's way as the Kenyon Midget Series returned to Circle City Raceway. Houk for the second time this year set fast time, won his KRJ Race Products heat and captured the feature victory. It was Houk's third feature win of the year and fifth in his career.
For the inversion for the feature for the first time in his career Houk pulled a zero. Although Houk was able to lead all 20 laps around the quarter-mile oval it wasn't a Sunday drive. On the initial start Ryan Huggler got the jump when Houk slid up high in the second corner, but before a lap was completed there was a four-car shunt in the corner bringing out the red flag. Everyone was able to continue except for Jeff Hill.
Houk didn't make the same mistake twice and took the lead on the restart chased by Huggler, Kyle Ford, Dameron Taylor and Tanner Tecco. With Houk out front the battle was for the second through fourth positions with Taylor moving into the third spot on the second circuit but then surrendering it to Ford four laps later.
At the midpoint Ford was able to find grip in the high groove and moved around Huggler for the second spot on lap nine. But three laps later while passing the lapped car of Kyle Sheard, Ford went high allowing Huggler to make the pass for second.
At the finish Houk won by one-second over Huggler followed by Ford, Taylor and Tanner Tecco.
“The car was good all night,” Houk said following his victory. “The car was hooked up top for hot laps and on the bottom for the feature race. They gave me a car that could run anywhere. I kind of got lucky with that caution,” he said of the red-flag on the opening lap. “Huggler (Ryan) really had my line there but it was muddy in turn two and pushed me right up.” Houk said after the restart he adjusted the line to run higher through the first and second corners to stay out of the mud.
Huggler said of the start there was a “huge” slick spot in turns one and two and Houk slid up the track. “It was a problem the whole race,” Huggler said. “I moved up the track after that. At the start I think I drove way to conservative,” he said. “I just let him get too far ahead of me.”
Ford said Sheard was dealing with a flat left rear tire and he misjudged where to run when he lost the second spot to Huggler. “That really screwed my race up,” he said. “It was fun racing once I figured it out. Foot to the floor, throw it sideways and hope for the best.”
During K&K Marketing qualifying Houk established the track record for Circle City with a lap at 14.457 seconds holding off Huggler and Ford.
Houk led the entire distance in the first KRJ Race Products heat race with Ford and Clayton Gaines rounding out the top three.
Huggler scored the win in the second heat race chased by Taylor and Tanner Tecco.
John Robbins making his first ever start on a dirt track took home the Advanced Racing Suspensions Hard Charger award by gaining three positions.
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Next the Kenyon Midget Series returns to Paragon Speedway on Saturday August 19. The night will include double features as a make up for the rained out feature from August 5. Then Dirty August will conclude when the Kenyon Midgets are back at Circle City Raceway on Friday August 25.