Climbing the racing ladder

By Ken de la Bastide

Over the years the Kenyon Midget Series has become a series where drivers can hone their skills in preparation for the next challenge. The names of former winners with the Kenyon Midgets that have gone on to success is impressive. The late Bryan Clauson, Little 500 champions Jacob Wilson, Chris Windom, Kyle Hamilton and Caleb Armstrong are among the list.

For the past three years Brad Hayes has been guiding the Kenyon Midget Series which has seen a steady increase in competitors. Hayes is a car owner in the midget series and has cars competing in the 500 Sprint Car Tour and USAC Silver Crown Series.

Jackson Macenko prepares for a 500 Sprint Car Tour race at Anderson.

“I see the Kenyon series has a way to help drivers through the learning curve,” Hayes said. “We want to help the new guys.”
He noted the series competes on both pavement and dirt ovals as a way for competitors to learn to race at the next level.

Jackson Macenko is the driver for Hayes in both the sprint car and Silver Crown series and was 500 Sprint Car Tour rookie of the year in the past.

“I'd say actual wheel to wheel racing in the midget helped me most,” Macenko said. “The midgets react so quickly that you have to be on your toes. If you're caught sleeping for a second it could result in you being passed or ending in a crash,” he said.

Trey Osborne has excelled on the Indiana dirt tracks.

Macenko said in the Kenyon Midget he had to learn to race side by side with someone cleanly. “In the sprints, the drivers don't give you an inch, we fight for every inch we can get,” he said. “You have to be picture perfect in a battle. The Kenyon Midgets really helped me refine my skills.”

Trey Osborne has progressed from the Kenyon Midget to race a sprint car on dirt and in the Silver Crown series, where he was rookie of the year in 2024. “The Kenyon Midget series helped me to prepare in multiple ways,” Osborne said. “With the low power of the Kenyon Midgets it taught me how to use what I had available on starts, restarts and holding momentum.” He said it also taught how to recover quickly if a mistake was made.

Ryan Huggler celebrates in victory lane at Kalamazoo in 2024. (Aaron Skillman photo)

Ryan Huggler, the 2024 champion, has decided to take his next step in a dirt sprint car. “Running the Kenyon Midget taught me a lot about car control at higher speeds,” he said. “I got into them straight out of quarter midgets when I was 12, so I've had plenty of time behind the wheel of a Kenyon Midget. That experience has helped build my baseline understanding of car control so when I've gotten into other types of vehicles, I'm not starting from scratch,” Huggler said. Although he has not started a race in a dirt sprint car, he said the experience has helped build his confidence as a driver, which was developed in the Kenyon Midget.