PUTNAMVILLE, Ind. — Buddy Kofoid figured that his first victory at Lincoln Park Speedway would come in a midget race.
Instead, the Penngrove, Calif., native made a historic drive to victory lane on Tuesday night during the inaugural High Limit Sprint Car Series event at the five-sixteenths-mile dirt oval.
Kofoid led the final seven laps of The Kyle Larson High Limit Open Presented By K1 RaceGear, capturing a lucrative victory in his Crouch Motorsports/Indy Race Parts machine that was worth $23,622.
Starting ninth, Kofoid trailed Justin Sanders and Cory Eliason until the 29th circuit of the 35-lapper. That’s when the reigning USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget champion pulled a rabbit out of his hat, rising to the topside around Eliason for second on lap 28, then diving under Sanders in turn one to grab a lead he wouldn’t relinquish.
For the first 18 laps, Kofoid trekked the bottom in the seventh position while pole sitter Brady Bacon walloped the 24-car field to the tune of a 2.527-second advantage.
Once the yellow flag waved for a tangle between Zach Hampton (11th) and Chad Kemenah (13th) on lap 19, the dynamic changed with Kofoid displaying a nifty bit of sleight of hand.
“Early on, I figured it was right on the bottom,” Kofoid revealed. “It was so dirty to go up there and I didn’t want to be the first one up there and try to clean it off because I feel like I would’ve lost spots doing that. I saw it got cleaner and cleaner, and at the end of the long, first green flag run, I went to the top a couple times and I could feel it working. Luckily, I didn’t show anyone that it had come in.”
Third-running Kyle Larson fell to the wayside with a flat right rear on lap 19 but returned to finish 10th. On the ensuing restart, Sanders surged to the lead around the outside of Bacon in turn two.
With double-file restarts in play, Kofoid knew the key for him now was to have an uninterrupted run to find his rhythm.
“On some of the restarts, when you start on the bottom, you get shuffled back and forth,” Kofoid explained. “I just knew I needed a long green-flag run, and then I figured I would be OK.”
Kofoid progressed from sixth to fifth to third between laps 21 and 23 and was now in the coveted catbird seat as he chased down the top-two of Eliason and Sanders.
“I figured if I was the most consistent on the top, I should get off the fastest and the straightest,” Kofoid illustrated. “I was able to get around Cory (Eliason for third), and then I think Justin (Sanders) might’ve gone to cover the bottom. I railed (turns) three and four really good and was able to get to his bumper and slide him. I knew if I could run super smart and straight and put the lappers away quickly, I’d be okay.”
The finish:
Feature (35 laps): 1. Buddy Kofoid (9), 2. Justin Sanders (3), 3. Cory Eliason (7), 4. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (6), 5. Zeb Wise (2), 6. Alex Bowman (4), 7. Brady Bacon (1), 8. Hunter Schuerenberg (19), 9. Tyler Courtney (21), 10. Kyle Larson (5), 11. Justin Peck (17), 12. Travis Philo (16), 13. Kevin Thomas Jr. (10), 14. Zach Hampton (8), 15. Chad Kemenah (11), 16. Chris Windom (13), 17. Cale Thomas (23), 18. Brent Marks (14), 19. Jason McDougal (15), 20. Riley Goodno (12), 21. Mitchel Moles (18), 22. Justin Grant (20), 23. Chase Stockon (22), 24. C.J. Leary (24).