Ken de la Bastide: Who will claim the Niebel Classic at Anderson Speedway?
Apr. 9—It's a busy weekend at Anderson Speedway with two nights of racing which will be highlighted by the 24th annual Glen Niebel Classic for sprint cars.
Will Kyle O'Gara make it three wins in a row in the race named for the Little 500 multiple-time champion car owner?
A strong field of sprint cars are anticipated with several former Little 500 winners in the field including Kody Swanson, Tyler Roahrig and Bobby Santos III.
Several competitors enter the third year for the 500 Sprint Car Tour looking to score that first win.
Caleb Armstrong has been knocking at the door along with Taylor Ferns and Jackson Macenko, last year's rookie of the year.
Qualifying is critical for the 100-lap feature, and a lot depends on the draw for starting positions in the main event.
The Sunday program includes the opening race for the Kenyon Midget Series, which is also expecting a large field of competitors.
Topping the list is Evan Hammond, the 2023 rookie of the year in the series, and newcomer BJ Shaw, who is driving for a former championship team.
Kyle Sheard last year finished strong and ended up just short of rookie of the year honors despite missing the opening race at Anderson.
The Kenyon Midgets will compete in the sixth annual Dick Jordan Classic.
The race is named after the long-time public relations guru for USAC, who was recently honored with a plaque in his honor in Brownsburg.
Jordan had a keen sense of being able to predict which drivers were going to have an impact in open-wheel racing.
It's likely the Kenyon Midget Series will crown a new champion this year with Kyle Ford, the 2023 champion, looking for a sprint-car ride, and an unknown is whether or not three-time champion Dameron Taylor will run a full season.
On Saturday night, the McGunegill Engine Performance Late Models make their first appearance at the track.
Among the competitors expected is the young son of Greg VanAlst, the winner of the ARCA Daytona race last year and the current ARCA points leader.
It also marks the full-time return of the Vores Street Stocks and the Marcum Welding Front Wheel Drive division.
IN OTHER RACING NEWS
It was a good weekend for many local competitors at Bristol Speedway last weekend for the National Short Track championships.
For the third time, Tom Gossar claimed the coveted sword in the Vore's Compact Touring Series feature.
Austin Maynard, from northern Indiana, won the Champion Racing Association Street Stock event.
A regular competitor at Anderson, Chuck Barnes Jr. finished second and Jeff Lane came home in third in a rare start.
Dalton Conner, the 2023 CRA Street Stock champion, came home in sixth, and regular competitor Andrew Teepe drove to an eighth-place finish.
Despite starting 34th in the field, Anderson's Josh Poore drove to a 14th-place finish.
Follow Ken de la Bastide on Twitter @KendelaBastide, or call 765-640-4863.
