Mixed results for Kenyon veterans at Little 500

By Ken de la Bastide

ANDERSON – Two recent graduates of the Kenyon Midget Series made impressive runs in their initial start in the Little 500. Jackson Macenko, driving for the Brad Hayes Racing team qualified 18th for his first Little 500 and was running in the top ten after 400 laps a hard bump from Logan Seavey put him into the marbles. Macenko made hard contact with the turn four wall ending his night on lap 413 and a 17th place finish.

“I can't wait for next year,” Macenko said after the race. “We have unfinished business. We definitely had a car fast enough to compete and I just have to do a better job qualifying.”

He said the experience of the Little 500 was awesome and arrived at Anderson Speedway early on race day to take in the atmosphere leading up to the race. “The energy at the track was like nothing I've ever felt,” Macenko said. “On the pace lap I was the most nervous of the day because we were starting on the outside.”

He said the team had a car capable of running with the leaders and although the team struggled during qualifying had plenty of speed. “The entire team did a perfect job on the pit stops,” he continued. “Brad (Hayes) and Tony (Fox) had the right strategy. The result didn't show where we were capable of running. Getting to run the Little 500 and participate was awesome. Not finishing the race was painful for the team.”

Macenko was the 500 Sprint Car Tour rookie of the year in 2023 and finished seventh this year in the tour's first race at Anderson Speedway.

The BHR team performed flawlessly during the mandatory two pit stops and had Macenko in position for a top ten finish.

Announcer Adam Mackey on the DirtVision broadcast noted several times how impressive Macenko and the team were performing in their first Little 500.

“This is so cool,” Macenko said of his first Little 500 start.

The feel good story of the race was the run of Colin Grissom. The Pendleton driver was the 2020 Kenyon Midget champion and has been racing sprint cars on dirt the past few years. Grissom a year ago suffered a serious hand injury in an industrial accident that curtailed his 2023 racing schedule.

He was helping at the Little 500 for veteran driver Travis Welpott and on Friday's “bump day” learned he would get a chance to compete in the Little 500. For Grissom it was his first time in a pavement sprint car and although he spun making slight contact with the outside retaining wall, quickly returned to the track. Grissom locked into the field in the 28th starting position and ran the entire race coming home in 12th and earning Rookie of the Race honors.

“I've been watching this race so many years as a hometown kid,” he said of the opportunity. I've been trying for a lot of years to find a ride in the Little 500.”

After the race Grissom admitted to be exhausted.

During his years with the Kenyon Midget Series Grissom scored 11 race wins including the Don and Mel Kenyon Classic at Anderson Speedway.