Houk claims thrilling Berlin race
Ayrton Houk takes the win at Berlin Raceway on July 19, 2025 (Rick Kimball photo)
By Ken de la Bastide
MARNE – MI – Making his first start in a Kenyon Midget in more than a year former series champion Ayrton Houk scored his eighth career feature win.
But Houk was challenged throughout the 20-lap feature event Saturday by Trisdon Brown for the entire distance on the D-shaped half-mile oval.
Point leader Dameron Taylor took the lead from the front row following the re-draw of the top six qualifiers chased by Brown and Jase Petty.
Houk, who started sixth in the field moved into the third spot on lap three by passing Petty entering turn four.
Brown took the lead from Taylor on the seventh lap with a pass in turn four, with Houk moving into the second spot a lap later. Taylor continued to back slide through the field being passed by Petty and Kyle Sheard.
Houk took the lead for the first time on lap ten, but two laps later Brown was back on the point. Houk took the lead for the final time on lap 15 and went on to record the victory.
Trisdon Brown scored a career best second place finish followed by Sheard, Landon Brown and Petty.
“It was so good to be back in a Kenyon Midget,” Houk said in the Jeff Hill Trailer Sales Victory Lane. “I was concerned about the 97 (Triston Brown). We went too far on the set-up and the car was tight in turns three and four,” he said.
Brown said he had to battle with Houk for the lead lap and in the late stages his Midget got loose.
“I had to wait for the lead early in the race and then battled for the lead,” he said. “The right rear was going away at the finish.”
Sheard, who set a new track record during K&K Marketing qualifying, was forced into a back-up car when his primary ride experienced a mechanical issue. “This is not my primary car,” he said of using the car of team owner Jeff Hill. “I had to start on the tail (of the heat race) and just tried to move up as much as possible. It was a great way to end the night.”
Sheard turned a qualifying lap at 16.969-seconds to best the track record set in 2024 by Evan Hammond at 17.093-seconds.
Taylor and Houk won the KRJ Race Products heat races and Houk won the Advanced Racing Suspensions Hard Charger honors.
The tight point battles for champion and Ace Redline Rookie of the Year remained tight before the weekend doubleheader in August at Kalamazoo and Owosso speedways.
Taylor entered the Berlin race with a slight advantage over Issac Johnson. Johnson finished one position ahead of Taylor in the feature race coming home in sixth.
Taylor gained points on Johnson by winning the heat race while Johnson finished fifth in the first heat.
Rookie point leader Andrew Wall finished 11th in the feature race, one position behind Clayton Bohanon. Bohanon picked up valuable points by qualifying third and finishing second in a heat race.