SIMON SCORES IN LINCOLN USAC SPRINT “SPECIAL EVENT”

June 21st, 2016 by Wade Huisman

For the first time since November 5, 2011 during the “Oval Nationals” at Perris (Calif.) Auto Speedway, a track hosted multiple USAC National Sprint Car features in one night.

In Wednesday night’s second feature at Lincoln that awarded no points toward the series championship, the lineup was determined by who finished on the lead lap during the first feature and then completely inverted.  Nineteenth place finisher Carmen Perigo, the last driver on the lead lap in the first feature, would start from the pole alongside Landon Simon while first feature winner Clauson lined up 19th.

Perigo led the first two laps from the pole, but Simon would run him down to take the number one spot on lap three.

With five laps to go, it became a three-car race between Simon, Brady Bacon and Aaron Farney.  The trio were separated by an estimated three-car-lengths as they each hugged the inside guardrail around each turn.

Bacon continuously closed on Simon until he was right on Simon’s tail tank as the two headed for turn three.  Bacon threw a Hail Mary to the treacherous high side in order to find a single ounce of moisture that would propel him past Simon.  But it was not to be as Simon took his first career USAC-sanctioned victory and, in fact, Farney was able to make up the ground to beat Bacon to the checkered flag for the second spot.

With the win, Simon joined Troy Rutherford (Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, Ill. 2003) as the only driver to be victorious in a non-points-paying USAC National Sprint Car event without having a single full-points series win to his credit.