NAMARS/Auto Value midget results from Louisville 8/15/98
16 August 1998
Rookie Jason Setser stole the lead in the final feet to win the NAMARS/Auto Value midget feature at the Lousiville Motor Speedway on Saturday night, Aug. 15.Setser, of Columbus, Ind., gradually moved through the field in pursuit of A.J. Davis, who led nearly all of the race. Davis, from Spartanburg, S.C., had managed to fight off a series of challenges for first place, but he was overwhelmed in the closing laps.
On the final restart with three laps remaining, Davis had Setser, Kevin Newton and Larry Gibson on his tail. While Gibson managed to get third place from Newton, Davis struggled to hold back Setser and win the feature.
Davis almost made it work.
Headed down the curved backstretch of the 7/16-mile track at Louisville, Setser was on Davis' tail on the final lap. As the leaders made the transition from the broad curve of the backstretch to the tight final corner, Davis' car drifted one car-width wide.
It was all Setser needed. He dove inside, hung on the bottom of the track and rolled ahead of Davis. Setser's right-front wheel was just ahead of Davis' left-front wheel as they flew underneath the checkered flag.
As a delighted Setser stopped his car in victory lane, he jumped on top of the roll cage and waved to the crowd. One year removed from three-quarter midget racing, rookie Setser celebrated his third NAMARS/Auto Value midget feature victory of the season.
However, there was another driver who looked ready to snatch victory until his car failed.
One year after suffering a broken neck in a racing accident, Brian Gerster showed that he was fully recovered. Gerster set a brand new qualifying record at Lousiville - a few minutes after Jason Lynch had lowered the mark. Starting tenth in the feature, Gerster charged through the field and was second at the halfway mark, ready to challenge for the lead.
A few laps later, Gerster's car slid high, slowed and stopped, putting him out of the feature.
In the first heat, rooike Matt Westfall, the NAMARS/Auto Value point leader, made a daring, jaw-dropping, fifth-to-first pass on the back stretch - all on the outside - to win the race. In the second heat, J.D. Turner finally got his car running properly and took the race victory.
NAMARS/Auto Value Midget Series
Louisville Motor Speedway, 7/16-mile semi-banked oval
Aug. 15, 1998
Qualifications: 1. Brian Gerster, Indianapolis, Nowicke 16, 14.060 (new track record); 2. Jason Lynch, Terre Haute, Ind., Huston 15, 14.393; 3. Matt Westfall, Ludlow Falls, Ohio, Hammonds 54, 14.514; 4. Jason Setser, Columbus, Ind., Johnson 16, 14.612; 5. A.J. Fike, Galesburg, Ill, Fike 69, 14.649; 6. Ed Carpenter, Indianapolis, George 3, 14.705; 7. Kevin Newton, Terre Haute, Ind., Newton 14, 14.731; 8. Kevin Besecker, Greenville, Ohio, McClellan 3, 14.755; 9. A.J. Davis, Spartanburg, S.C., Owen 28, 14.768; 10. J.D. Turner, Cincinnati, Ohio, Turner 53, 14.793; 11. Nick Fornoro Jr., Stroudsburg, Pa., McClellan 2, 14.838; 12. Wayne Chinn, Tipp City, Ohio, Chinn 71, 14.845; 13. Larry Gibson, Richwood, Ohio, Myers 5, 14.859; 14. Jim Sawyer, Hamilton, Ohio, Sawyer 59, 15.136; 15. Phil Rutledge, Troy, Ohio, Rutledge 97, 15.213; 16. Mike Roselli, Broadheadsville, Pa., Roselli 98, 15.314; 17. Chad Davenport, Crawfordsville, Ind., Davenport 43, 15.364; 18. Ted McKibben, Indianapolis, McKibben 24, 17.091; 19. Jeff Hilbert, Louisville, Hilbert 16, no time; 20. Charley Judd, Indianapolis, Judd 75, no time; 21. Jay Mason, Anderson, Ind., Mason 7, no time; 22. Rob Greentree, Greentree 27, no time.
First heat: 1. Matt Westfall, 2. A.J. Davis, 3. Larry Gibson, 4. Brian Gerster, 5. A.J. Fike, 6. Chad Davenport, 7. Kevin Newton, 8. Phil Rutledge, 9. Charley Judd.
Second heat: 1. J.D. Turner, 2. Wayne Chinn, 3. Jason Setser, 4. Mike Roselli, 5. Kevin Besecker, 6. Nick Fornoro Jr., 7. Ed Carpenter, 8. Jim Sawyer, 9. Ted McKibben, 10. Jason Lynch.
Feature results, with starting position in parentheses: 1. (7) Jason Setser; 2. (2) A.J. Davis; 3. (13) Larry Gibson; 4. (4) Kevin Newton; 5. (6) A.J. Fike; 6. (1) J.D. Turner; 7. (9) Jason Lynch; 8. (5) Ed Carpenter; 9. (16) Mike Roselli; 10. (17) Chad Davenport; 11. (15) Phil Rutledge; 12. (11) Nick Fornoro Jr.; 13. (8) Matt Westfall; 14. (10) Brian Gerster; 15. (14) Jim Sawyer; 16. (12) Wayne Chinn; 17. (3) Kevin Besecker; 18 (20) Rob Greentree; 19 (18) Ted McKibben; 20. (19) Charley Judd.
Lap leaders: A.J. Davis 1-29, Jason Setser 30.
Margin of victory: three feet.
