A THUNDEROUS BREAKTHROUGH: STRATTON BRIGGS POWERS TO 2022 USAC MIDWEST THUNDER TITLE
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Speedway, Indiana (December 20, 2022)………Stratton Briggs can finally breathe a sigh of relief in 2022.
After finishing as the runner-up in the standings four times over the past five seasons, the Anna, Ohio driver finally broke through to claim his first career championship with the USAC Midwest Thunder SpeeD2 Midgets Presented By Performance Electronics.
In a half-decade span between 2017 and 2021, Briggs’ points finishes with the series have been 2nd, 3rd, 2nd, 2nd and 2nd. This year, he cemented his quest for a first title right from the get-go, totaling two wins at Indiana’s Montpelier Motor Speedway and Ohio’s Moler Raceway Park.
Additionally, the 25-year-old Briggs led a series-high 70 laps in the process and finished each of his first 17 starts inside the top-five. His worst finish in 20 starts throughout the year was a sixth and he led all drivers with nine heat race victories. He burst into the series point lead by the fifth event in early June, then led the remainder of the distance to wear the crown in his family-owned No. 71 by a 126-point margin.
Bryce Massingill (Troy, Ohio) had a career year with the series, finishing second in the standings after picking up a series-high five wins at Gas City I-69 Speedway twice as well as once each at Limaland Motorsports Park, Circle City Raceway and Montpelier Motor Speedway.
Michael Magic (Winder, Ga.) came home third in points by virtue of collecting his three initial points-race triumphs, first in the series debut at Brushcreek Motorsports Complex and again at Montpelier and Atomic Speedway. He also added a non-points special event victory with the series late in the year at Gas City.
For the third-straight season, Ian Creager (Covington, Ohio) finished fourth in the final series rundown while Carl Peterson (Waterford, Mich.) captured fifth in the standings and was named the series’ Rookie of the Year.
In just eight series starts throughout the course of 2022, Drew Rader (Findlay, Ohio) was spectacular. Rader collected four victories starting at the midseason point at Fremont Speedway, then owned Montpelier with three tallies at the Indiana 1/4-mile dirt oval between August and September.
Alex Watson (Columbus, Ohio), a past USAC Midwest HPD Midget champ in 2015, reached victory lane in October at Gas City. Meanwhile, with his win in the season finale at Gas City, Chett Gehrke (Broken Arrow, Okla.) moved up to second all-time in terms of feature victories in combined USAC Midwest SpeeD2 Midget events, which encompasses the Focus, Ignite, HPD and Midwest Thunder series since 2003. Gehrke’s 16 career victories now stand only behind Tate Martz’s 24.
The season also featured a rise in newcomers who put themselves into USAC Midwest Thunder victory lane for the first time. Rader and Magic led this group with four and three wins, respectively. Zach Wigal (Belpre, Ohio) notched a pair of wins at Moler and Circle City. Kyle Dager (Fort Wayne, Ind.) earned one at Gas City while Wes Pinkerton (Reynolds, Ind.) scored number one at Circle City.
Veteran Jim Jones, originally from Ventura, Calif. but now residing in Indianapolis, Ind., finished 10th in the series standings to earn Most Improved Driver honors with the series.
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2022 USAC MIDWEST THUNDER SPEED2 MIDGET DRIVER POINT STANDINGS:
POS. PTS. DRIVER, HOMETOWN
1. 1250 Stratton Briggs, Anna, Ohio
2. 1124 Bryce Massingill, Troy, Ohio
3. 1045 Michael Magic, Winder, Ga.
4. 982 Ian Creager, Covington, Ohio
5. 958 Carl Peterson, Waterford, Mich.
6. 860 Josh Yenser, Hilliard, Ohio
7. 768 Jakeb Boxell, Zanesville, Ind.
8. 724 Zach Wigal, Belpre, Ohio
9. 664 Abby Hohlbein, Cloverdale, Ohio
10. 638 Jim Jones, Ventura, Calif.
11. 518 Alex Watson, Columbus, Ohio
12. 506 Drew Rader, Findlay, Ohio
13. 456 Bryce Dues, Minster, Ohio
14. 451 Chett Gehrke, Broken Arrow, Okla.
15. 414 Kayla Roell, Dillsboro, Ind.
16. 403 Cody Dye, Covington, Ky.
17. 398 Kyle Dager, Fort Wayne, Ind.
18. 390 Wes Pinkerton, Reynolds, Ind.
19. 381 Luke Lemons, Moraine, Ohio
20. 340 Cory Guingrich, Celina, Ohio
21. 311 Kyle Keaton, Lucasville, Ohio
22. 262 Taylor Nibert, South Vienna, Ohio
23. 253 Chris Dickey, Westfield, Ind.
24. 206 Ryan Moran, Ottawa, Ohio
25. 194 Cody Beard, Huntingburg, Ind.
26. 145 Matt Lux, Manilla, Ind.
27. 84 Tyler Nelson, Olathe, Kan.
28. 74 Austin Nemire, Sylvania, Ohio
29. 67 Jerry Coons Jr., Tucson, Ariz.
30. 55 Brad Strunk, Wilmington, Ohio
31. 52 Jacob Denney, Galloway, Ohio
32. 35 Jake Sollenberger, Canton, Ill.
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2022 USAC MIDWEST THUNDER SPEED2 MIDGET FEATURE WINNERS:
Apr 23: Montpelier Motor Speedway - Montpelier, IN
WINNER: Stratton Briggs (Stratton Briggs Motorsports #71)
May 13: Limaland Motorsports Park - Lima, OH
WINNER: Bryce Massingill (Jason Massingill #35)
May 15: Circle City Raceway - Indianapolis, IN
WINNER: Bryce Massingill (Jason Massingill #35)
May 20: Gas City I-69 Speedway - Gas City, IN
WINNER: Kyle Dager (Stratton Briggs Motorsports #2)
Jun 3: Moler Raceway Park - Williamsburg, OH
WINNER: Zach Wigal (Lee Wigal #18)
Jun 4: Brushcreek Motorsports Complex - Peebles, OH
WINNER: Michael Magic (Mike Magic #5m)
Jun 24: Gas City I-69 Speedway - Gas City, IN
WINNER: Alex Watson (Team Taylor #11T)
Jun 25: Montpelier Motor Speedway - Montpelier, IN
WINNER: Michael Magic (Mike Magic #5m)
Jul 1: Moler Raceway Park - Williamsburg, OH
WINNER: Stratton Briggs (Stratton Briggs Racing #71)
Jul 9: Atomic Speedway - Chillicothe, OH
WINNER: Michael Magic (Mike Magic #5m)
Jul 23: Fremont Speedway - Fremont, OH
WINNER: Drew Rader (Mark Bassitt #74)
Jul 29: Gas City I-69 Speedway - Gas City, IN
WINNER: Bryce Massingill (Jason Massingill #35)
Jul 30: Montpelier Motor Speedway - Montpelier, IN
WINNER: Drew Rader (Mark Bassitt #74)
Aug 7: Circle City Raceway - Indianapolis, IN
WINNER: Zach Wigal (Lee Wigal #18)
Aug 12: (SE) Gas City I-69 Speedway - Gas City, IN
WINNER: Michael Magic (Mike Magic #5m)
Aug 27: Montpelier Motor Speedway - Montpelier, IN
WINNER: Drew Rader (Mark Bassitt #74)
Sep 2: Gas City I-69 Speedway - Gas City, IN
WINNER: Bryce Massingill (Jason Massingill #35)
Sep 16: Circle City Raceway - Indianapolis, IN
WINNER: Wes Pinkerton (Jerry Pinkerton #9p)
Sep 24: Montpelier Motor Speedway - Montpelier, IN
WINNER: Drew Rader (Mark Bassitt #74)
Oct 8: Montpelier Motor Speedway - Montpelier, IN
WINNER: Bryce Massingill (Jason Massingill #35)
Oct 21: Gas City I-69 Speedway - Gas City, IN
WINNER: Chett Gehrke (Tom Fedorczyk #21)
(SE) represents a non-point, special event
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2022 USAC MIDWEST THUNDER SPEED2 MIDGET FEATURE WINS: (FULL POINTS)
5-Bryce Massingill (May 13 at Limaland Motorsports Park, May 15 at Circle City Raceway, Jul 29 at Gas City I-69 Speedway, Sep 2 at Gas City I-69 Speedway & Oct 8 at Montpelier Motor Speedway)
4-Drew Rader (Jul 23 at Fremont Speedway, Jul 30 at Montpelier Motor Speedway, Aug 27 at Montpelier Motor Speedway & Sep 24 at Montpelier Motor Speedway)
3-Michael Magic (Jun 4 at Brushcreek Motorsports Complex, Jun 25 at Montpelier Motor Speedway & Jul 9 at Atomic Speedway)
2-Stratton Briggs (Apr 23 at Montpelier Motor Speedway & Jul 1 at Moler Raceway Park)
2-Zach Wigal (Jun 3 at Moler Raceway Park & Aug 7 at Circle City Raceway)
1-Kyle Dager (May 20 at Gas City I-69 Speedway)
1-Chett Gehrke (Oct 21 at Gas City I-69 Speedway)
1-Wes Pinkerton (Sep 16 at Circle City Raceway)
1-Alex Watson (Jun 24 at Gas City I-69 Speedway)
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2022 USAC MIDWEST THUNDER SPEED2 MIDGET FEATURE WINS: (NON-POINTS SPECIAL EVENTS)
1-Michael Magic (Aug 12 at Gas City I-69 Speedway)
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2022 USAC MIDWEST THUNDER SPEED2 MIDGET FEATURE LAPS LED:
70-Stratton Briggs
66-Bryce Massingill
58-Michael Magic & Drew Rader
51-Zach Wigal
37-Wes Pinkerton
20-Kyle Dager
6-Chett Gehrke
5-Ian Creager
4-Jakeb Boxell & Josh Yenser
3-Cory Guingrich, Kyle Keaton, Matt Lux & Alex Watson
2-Isaac Chapple
1-Jacob Denney & Jon Watson
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2022 USAC MIDWEST THUNDER SPEED2 MIDGET TOP-5 FEATURE FINISHES:
18-Stratton Briggs
16-Bryce Massingill
10-Michael Magic
7-Jakeb Boxell, Ian Creager & Zach Wigal
6-Drew Rader
4-Chett Gehrke & Josh Yenser
3-Carl Peterson & Wes Pinkerton
2-Isaac Chapple, Chris Dickey, Kayla Roell & Alex Watson
1-Jerry Coons Jr., Kyle Dager, Cory Guingrich, Abby Hohlbein, Kyle Keaton, Gunnar Lucius & Matt Lux
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2022 USAC MIDWEST THUNDER SPEED2 MIDGET TOP-10 FEATURE FINISHES:
20-Stratton Briggs
16-Ian Creager, Michael Magic & Bryce Massingill
15-Carl Peterson
12-Josh Yenser
9-Jakeb Boxell & Zach Wigal
7-Abby Hohlbein, Gunnar Lucius & Drew Rader
6-Chett Gehrke & Cory Guingrich
5-Kyle Dager, Wes Pinkerton & Alex Watson
4-Bryce Dues & Kayla Roell
3-Chris Dickey, Kyle Keaton, Luke Lemons & Jon Watson
2-Cody Beard, Isaac Chapple, Cody Dye, Matt Lux, Ryan Moran & Ryan Thomas
1-Jerry Coons Jr., Jacob Denney, Chris Guingrich, Tommy Kouns, Tyler Nelson, Patrick Ryan & Brad Strunk
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2022 USAC MIDWEST THUNDER SPEED2 MIDGET FAST QUALIFYING TIMES:
7-Stratton Briggs
2-Wes Pinkerton
1-Jakeb Boxell, Kyle Dager, Matt Lux, Bryce Massingill & Zach Wigal
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2022 USAC MIDWEST THUNDER SPEED2 MIDGET HEAT RACE WINS:
9-Stratton Briggs
7-Michael Magic & Bryce Massingill
6-Zach Wigal
5-Chett Gehrke
4-Jakeb Boxell
3-Ian Creager & Drew Rader
2-Abby Hohlbein & Carl Peterson
1-Kyle Dager, Jacob Denney, Bryce Dues, Kyle Keaton, Luke Lemons, Gunnar Lucius, Matt Lux, Kayla Roell & Alex Watson
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2022 USAC MIDWEST THUNDER SPEED2 MIDGET FEATURE STARTS:
20-Stratton Briggs, Ian Creager & Carl Peterson
19-Michael Magic & Bryce Massingill
18-Jim Jones & Josh Yenser
16-Jakeb Boxell
15-Abby Hohlbein
14-Zach Wigal
12-Bryce Dues & Alex Watson
10-Cody Dye, Luke Lemons & Kayla Roell
9-Kyle Dager, Chett Gehrke, Kyle Keaton, Gunnar Lucius & Jon Watson
8-Taylor Nibert & Drew Rader
7-Cory Guingrich & Wes Pinkerton
6-Tommy Kouns & Tyler Watkins
5-Cody Beard, Chris Dickey & Ryan Moran
4-Thomas Bigelow
3-Isaac Chapple, Matt Lux, Mark Nieft Jr., Aaron Sanders, Travis Stickels & Ryan Thomas
2-Don Bigelow, Bill Dunham, Chris Guingrich, Tyler Nelson, Austin Nemire & Jody Paul
1-Jerry Coons Jr., Jacob Denney, Tom Fedorczyk, Scott Koerner, Dave Osborn, Anthony Perrine, Page Perrine, Patrick Ryan, Brayden Schwartz, Jake Sollenberger, Brad Strunk, Chuck Taylor & Chuck Walker
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2022 USAC MIDWEST THUNDER SPEED2 MIDGET SEMI WINS:
1-Jerry Coons Jr. & Tommy Kouns
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2022 USAC MIDWEST THUNDER SPEED2 MIDGET DASH WINS:
1-Kyle Dager & Drew Rader
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ALL-TIME USAC MIDWEST SPEED2 MIDGET FEATURE WINS: (FULL POINTS EVENTS)
24-Tate Martz
16-Chett Gehrke
15-Stratton Briggs, Joe Liguori, Ross Rankine & James Robertson
14-Aaron Leffel
11-Patrick Bruns & Jacob Denney
10-Robbie Ray
9-Toby Alfrey
8-Cooper Clouse & Austin Nemire
7-Bryce Massingill
6-Jake Blackhurst & Alex Watson
5-Mario Clouser, Gage Etgen, Kyle Hamilton & Gage Walker
4-Tyler Cottongim, Nick Drake, Chris Lamb, Jordan Noblitt, Drew Rader & Ronnie Wuerdeman
3-Josh Clemons, John Heydenreich, Scott Hunter & Michael Magic
2-Eric Fehrman, Craig Haack, Brandon Hartsell, Korbyn Hayslett, Ryan Krachun, Josh Lakatos, Alison MacLeod, Tony Main, Steven Mathews, Jordan Pennington, Jimmy Simpson, Adam Taylor, Zach Wigal & Adam Wilsdon
1-Kobe Allison, Dalton Armstrong, Tony Ave, Andy Baugh, Jessica Bean, Corey Bedwell, Jerry Coons Jr., Ian Creager, Kyle Dager, Nic Davidson, Mitchell Davis, Bobby East, Ricky Ehrgott, Derek Fisher, Jeremy Frankoski, Bradley Galedrige, Joey Greening, Nick Hamilton, Ryan Hamilton, Auston Harris, Jared Irvan, Tyler Irwin, Blaine Leydig, Jimmy Light, Ryan Litt, Brad Loyet, Chase McDermand, Stephanie Mockler, Sean Murphy, Rex Norris III, Bryan Nuckles, Brad Paris, Wes Pinkerton, Wil Raber, Brad Racer, Bradley Riethmeyer, Kayla Roell, Gedd Ross, Chase Scott, Ryan Smith, Jacob Stickle, Byron Stowe, Matt Westfall & Tanner Whitten
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ALL-TIME USAC MIDWEST SPEED2 MIDGET FEATURE WINS: (NON-POINTS SPECIAL EVENTS)
3-Aaron Leffel
2-Jacob Denney, Chett Gehrke, Korbyn Hayslett & Wil Raber
1-Ian Creager, Trenton Darland, Tyson Hart, Steven Intravaia, Chris Lamb, Matthew Lundstrom, Michael Magic, Andy Malpocker & Dillon Morley
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USAC MIDWEST SPEED2 MIDGET DRIVER CHAMPIONS:
2004: Tate Martz
2005: Tate Martz
2006: Jordan Noblitt (Dirt) & Tate Martz (Pavement)
2007: James Robertson
2008: Kyle Hamilton
2009: Joe Liguori
2010: Joe Liguori (Overall), Joe Liguori (Dirt) & Jake Blackhurst (Pavement)
2011: Ross Rankine (Overall), Ross Rankine (Pavement) & Patrick Bruns (Dirt)
2012: Ross Rankine (Pavement) & Ross Rankine (Dirt)
2013: Cooper Clouse (Pavement) & Gage Walker (Dirt)
2014: Austin Nemire (Pavement) & Austin Nemire (Dirt)
2015: Alex Watson
2016: Gage Etgen
2017: Aaron Leffel
2018: Aaron Leffel
2019: Aaron Leffel
2020: Jacob Denney
2021: Jacob Denney
2022: Stratton Briggs