Tight points chase for rookie honors
Jett Neal currently leads the 2024 Redline Ace Rookie of the Year standing in the Kenyon Midget Series. (Aaron Skillman photo)
By Ken de la Bastide
Through the first two races of the 2024 racing season there is a tight pack of drivers contending for Redline Ace Rookie of the Year honors. Six drivers vying for the honor are bunched in the current point standings separated by only 119 markers.
Jett Neal is leading the field after the races at Anderson Speedway and Circle City with 415 points and is tied for fourth in the overall standings. “He might be a little rusty,” Scott Neal said of his son during the layoff. “He has been doing some micro racing. We'll just keep working at it,” he said. “Returning to Anderson helps because we have some experience there.”
Jett Neal has a full weekend planned for July 13 and is playing baseball in Valparaiso both Friday and Saturday.
Trisdon Brown is second in the rookie of the year standings and trails Neal by only six points with Landon Brown next another nine points back. Triston Brown said it has been a long layoff, but he has been around racing. “I'm looking forward to going back to Anderson,” he said. “We're going to try some different things with the set-up to be more competitive.”
Brown said it was nice to finish on the podium at Circle City and is hoping to be competitive in the 75-lap Don and Mel Kenyon Classic at Anderson.
Part-time competitor Jaren Cox is the first new driver to score a feature win accomplishing the feat at Circle City Raceway.
Neal has recorded two top-ten finishes with Trisdon Brown finishing third at Circle City. Landon Brown has two eighth place finishes to start the year.
Ryan Shilkuski did make an effort to race a full-sized midget at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, but experienced problems there. “I'm really excited about getting back into a car that I can handle,” he said. “I'm looking forward to getting back in the car to get more seat time.”
Shilkuski said there was a lot of things he learned at the end of the first race at Anderson. “I hope to be able to keep up front with the fastest guys,” he said. “I'm working to make the car better.”
Shilkiski said he is excited about the upcoming races in Michigan. “Kalamazoo is a new track,” he said. “Berlin is a fast track, a lot like IRP.”
The Kenyon Midget Series returns to action on Saturday July 13 for the Don & Mel Kenyon Classic at Anderson Speedway. The event will be live streamed by DIRTVision.