Taylor repeats as Dick Jordan Classic winner
(Aaron Skillman photo)
By Ken de la Bastide
ANDERSON – Defending Kenyon Midget Series champion Dameron Taylor opened the 2023 campaign with a victory in the Dick Jordan Classic. Taylor a master on the high banked quarter-mile oval Anderson Speedway took the lead from Dezi Pedregon on the fourth lap to record the win. Taylor becomes the first driver in the five-year history of the Dick Jordan Classic to win it more than once.
Pedregon and Tanner Tecco started on the front row as a result of a six inversion following the two heat races. Pedregon jumped into the lead with Ryan Huggler running second followed by Taylor, up three spots on the opening lap and Tecco. Taylor moved inside of Huggler on the second lap, but before another lap was completed Huggler's engine blew, erupting in a ball of flames which collected the car of Tecco. Neither driver was injured.
On the restart Taylor and fast qualifier Aryton Houk got inside of Pedregon on the back straight and the battle for the win by the two former champions was in full swing.
The driver on the move was Clayton Gaines, who started 13th in the 14-car field. Gaines passed Jeff Hill, Kyle Ford and Pedregon in the course of six laps before the halfway point to be running third.
With Houk looking for a way around Taylor the two leaders were able to pull away from the rest of the field. At the checkers it was Taylor winning by 1.3-seconds over Houk followed by Gaines, Ford and John Robbins.
“We were both fast all day,” Taylor said in the Peterman Brothers Victory Lane. “I just worked on passing the lapped cars at the right time to open up the margin.
“It feels great definitely,” he said of the victory.
After battling brake problems in practice, Houk found the right combination to set fast time during qualifications with a lap of 12.48-seconds with Taylor, Robbins and Gaines close behind.
Houk captured the K&K Marketing Fast Qualifier award.
In the first of two KRJ Race Products heat races, Houk led the entire distance chased in the opening lap by Robbins. But Robbins slowed suddenly on the second lap and before getting back up to speed dropped to the back of the field. At the finish it was Houk, Ford, Tanner Tecco and Cash Wyke.
Taylor led from start to finish in the second heat race only holding off Ryan Huggler by two-tenths of a second with Pedregon coming home in third.
Gaines took home the Advanced Racing Suspenion Hard Charger honors for advancing ten positions in the feature race.
It was a tough night for both Ryan and Logan Huggler as there rides suffered oil fires. Logan Huggler's during a practice session and Ryan during the feature event.