Taylor claims Kenyon Classic
Dameron Taylor at Anderson Speedway (Aaron Skillman photo)
By Ken de la Bastide
ANDERSON - For the third time in ten years Dameron Taylor won the Don and Mel Kenyon Classic for the Kenyon Midget Series. Before a large crowd gathered at Anderson Speedway for the Summer Solstice Showdown presented by Anderson's Community Hospital the assembled field of competitors put on a thrilling show. It was Taylor's 19th overall victory at Anderson Speedway and his third win of the year.
Evan Hammond took the lead at the start chased by Jase Petty and Taylor with point leader Isaac Johnson running fourth.
The first of three caution flags waved on lap 23 when Alexandria resident Clayton Gaines made contact with the front straight wall.
Hammond surrendered the lead to Petty on the restart from the second caution when Ryan Shikuski spun in turn four on lap 28 and Taylor moved into the second spot on the next circuit.
Taylor was able to take the point from Petty on lap 53 with an inside pass on the back straight as the leaders encountered lapped traffic. Petty kept the pressure on Taylor until the finish coming up just two-tenths of a second short of earning his first career win. Hammond finished third followed by Kyle Sheard and Johnson.
“We definitely had a good battle,” Taylor said of the race with Petty in the Jeff Hill Trailer Sales Victory Lane. “I think the lapped traffic held him up a little bit and I was able to get around him.” He said his Midget started pushing a little in the middle stages of the race and changed his line to run lower on the track.
For Petty it was his second consecutive podium finish in the Don and Mel Kenyon Classic and the runner-up spot was a career best. “The car was great,” Petty said. “Unfortunately I got caught behind the lappers or otherwise I thought I had a win up until then.” He said Taylor was fast and that it made it difficult to pass for the win.
Hammond said his car was a handful after the tires started to go away. “It was pretty typical,” he said. “We were lacking just a little. I used up my right rear tire. We still have some work to do here.”
Johnson survived a tangle on lap 62 which saw him brushing the turn three wall but still was able to manage a fifth place finish. “It was a good save,” he said. “I was saving my tires and did everything I needed to do, but gave up to much track position early in the race.”
Landon Brown making his first appearance of the season earned the K&K Marketing fast qualifier honors for the second consecutive year for the Kenyon Classic. He started sixth following the invert and worked his way up to fourth at the midpoint when a broken coil wire ended his night.
Taylor earned the Advanced Racing Suspensions Hard Charger award for being one of many drivers that advanced four positions.
Andrew Wall was the leading Redline Ace Redline rookie. Wall finished with a sixth place finish after starting tenth.