Competitors anticipate an intense 2026
(Aaron Skillman photo)
By Ken de la Bastide
Whether long-time competitors or with just a few years of competition with the Kenyon Midget Series they all expect an intense battle for the championship.
Former series champion Aryton Houk is returning to full-time competition for 2026 with JK Racing. “Everything just lined up,” Houk said of his return. “It was a perfect time with Evan (Patton) coming back for a second year and Hunter (Peri) joining the team.”
Houk said everything worked out for him to come back as a third driver for the team and bring some experience to help as a coach.
He said JK Racing also purchased an All Star Midget to expand the team. “We want to build up the team and develop a ladder system for drivers to continue to move up in racing,” Houk said of the team owned by his father.
Houk said he is looking forward to returned to Anderson Speedway a track he “loves” and Owosso. “The whole idea is to use my experience to develop these other drivers and get all three of us up to the top of the pack,” he said of the upcoming season.
Houk believes there will be several drivers battling for the championship. “It's going to be a ton of fun,” he said. “I'm really excited. Jeff Hill has some guys coming back. “It's going to be a tough fight,” he said.
Hill Racing returns for 2026 with three-time winner Landon Brown, race winner Kyle Sheard, Eli Fox, Jase Petty, and Seth Tozer.
Andrew Wall, the 2025 Redline Ace Rookie of the Year, is hoping to get that first win and to compete for the championship. “I really want to contend for the title after finishing fourth last year,” he said. “A goal is to at least finish in the top three, which is a realistic goal to have.”
Wall said returning to tracks for the second time in 2026 will be an advantage for him. “A lot of these tracks we've been too, I never heard of,” he said. “I watched videos to see what the tracks were like. Going back to the tracks I've been to will really help a lot.”
Fox running for a second year with the Hill Racing team said the teams share lots of information on car set-ups at the various tracks. “I really enjoyed the 75-lap race at Anderson Speedway last year,” he said. “I liked tracks like Owosso.”
Evan Patton is looking to build on the 2025 season teaming up again with the JK Racing program that includes former champion Aryton Houk and Hunter Peri. “It was a good year,” Patton said of last season, “I learned a lot. The toughest adjustment last year was the level of competition and the racing on an oval,” he said. “My goal is to win a race this year and get a top three in the standings. Maybe win the championship.”
Patton said he is excited about Houk coming back and hopes to best him on the track.
The unknown entering the season is will defending and four-time champion Dameron Taylor return to run a full season or look to race in a different series. Taylor previously said his plans for the 2026 Kenyon Midget Series remain uncertain.