10/12/2011
Sprint Source
Taylor Ferns Closes Out USAC Mopar D1 Midget Series Season at Toledo Chasing Title
Shelby Township, Mich.— Oct 12, 2011— It’s often said that the most important thing for a young driver is seat time and laps on a variety of different race tracks. After competing three straight nights last week on the dirt, Taylor Ferns will be in action at two vastly different tracks this week as she wraps up the USAC Mopar D1 Midget Series schedule and looks to clinch the series title.
The series concludes the 2011 campaign with a dirt/asphalt doubleheader, beginning on the dirt at the quarter-mile Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway on Friday, Oct. 14, followed by a stop at the paved half-mile Toledo Speedway in Ohio on Saturday, Oct. 15.
Ferns competed earlier this season at Kokomo Speedway with the USAC D1 Midget Series aboard the Motor City Transport Inc. Spike with a Gary Stanton Mopar engine, leading 17 laps en route to a fourth-place finish, after a great wheel-to-wheel battle for the top spot with veteran and multi-time USAC champion Dave Darland. Ferns opened the night by winning the second heat race over Darland, with East Coast youngster Tim Buckwalter third.
In addition to the fourth-place performance at Kokomo, Ferns finished fifth on the dirt at Montpelier (Ind.) Speedway and was fifth earlier this season at the famed Angell Park (Wis.) Speedway, with the majority of the USAC D1 Midget Series events being held on paved tracks in 2011.
Toledo Speedway will be the second track in Ohio that has hosted the series this season, following a stop at Columbus Speedway last month. Ferns won the second heat race that night aboard the Motor City Transport Inc. Beast, which she runs on the asphalt, before finishing sixth in the 30-lap main event.
Ferns made her USAC Mopar National Midget Series debut last weekend during the Third Gold Crown Midget Nationals at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Ill. She first took to the track on Thursday, Oct. 6 in the fourth heat race, winning that eight-lap contest over a strong nine-car field, to earn a spot in the 25-lap preliminary feature in the opener. She wound up 16th in the main event in the opener, competing against many drivers that have been racing longer than she has been alive.
On the second night of the Gold Crown Nationals, the 15-year old finished 15th in the B-Main and wrapped up the weekend 13th in the second B-Main on Saturday, Oct. 8, with well over 50 cars competing on each of the three nights.
Ferns, currently has a 143-point lead in the USAC Mopar D1 Midget Series standings heading into the final weekend of the season, on the strength of one win, five Top-Five and 14 Top-10 finishes in the 14 main event starts she has with the series.
Article Credit: Ferns Racing PR
Submitted By: Admin Account