HOMETOWN HERO: Missouri’s Joey Wirth Scores First National Midget Win at I-55
On the 20-minute drive from his St. Louis home to I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park, Joey Wirth wasn’t thinking much beyond just having a fun one-race night with his dad.
A few hours later, he was a first-time national Midget winner with the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota.
Wirth has been racing for 17 years with his family by his side, supporting his small budget racing program. No big wins, no big sponsors, just his love for the sport. But that passion was finally rewarded Friday night on one of the biggest stages of the year for Midget racing during the World of Outlaws Ironman 55 weekend.
He showed up to the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series’ season opener with speed, qualifying second in his group and finishing third in his Heat Race. Then, when the luck of the draw put him on the outside pole for the 25-lap Feature, he made sure to make the most of the opportunity. Wirth fired off into Turn 1 on the opening lap with the might of a raging rocket, blasting to the lead and never looking back.
“This is so cool,” Wirth said in Victory Lane. “We’ve been racing like 17 years. Never won a national race. This is my second race of the year. I live 20 minutes up the road. I mean, what a dream come true. Just me and my dad at the track. Grandpa, uncle, cousins back at home helping us get ready. Just my family, my wife; we have a newborn back at home, I know she’s watching. Just everybody.
“We don’t have sponsors. We have family, and family is what got us here. It feels so good to run up front with all of these guys.”
While he led every lap, his pursuit to victory was still plagued with a few stressors. Three cautions kept eliminating his straightaway lead and bringing Xtreme Outlaw winner Kale Drake back to his rear bumper. The worst of the three occasions occurred with two laps to go.
Drake conjured up his best restart of the night, allowing him to sneak his nose under Wirth going into Turn 1. Wirth stayed ahead down the backstretch and found an unlikely ally in Cullen Hutchison, who began putting pressure on Drake for second at the same time.
With clear lanes all around, Wirth was able to then cruise to a dream win.
“I knew I had to time it perfect to get the run down the front straightaway and get underneath him and push him out of the lane,” Drake said. “There was one preferred lane tonight. With all the rain we had, it made for a narrow racetrack. His car was really good, and they had everything on point tonight, so hats off to them. We’ll just have to be a little better tomorrow night.”
For Wirth, making the most of the track conditions started on Lap 1.
“I definitely prefer a tacky track. This one was in my favor,” Wirth said. “My car wasn’t taking off super well, so I was a little worried on the starts. I know Kale got under me there and I’m just really happy I held him off and beat him going into (Turn) one on the first lap too, to take the lead and control the race.”
On his 20-minute ride back home, he’ll have a lot more to think about now.
“This was actually our only night we planned to race; I was going to go golf and hang out tomorrow, but we might have to reconsider,” Wirth said with a smile in Victory Lane.
QUICK NOTES
Federated Auto Parts Quick Time: Jacob Denney (12.807 second lap)
Toyota Heat 1 Winner: Karter Sarff
DIRTVision Heat 2 Winner: Cullen Hutchison
Smith Titanium Hard Charger: Kameron Key
RESULTS
Feature (25 Laps): 1. 77-Joe Wirth[2]; 2. 4-Kale Drake[3]; 3. 40-Cullen Hutchison[4]; 4. 7TX-Kyle Jones[5]; 5. 67-Jacob Denney[7]; 6. 7-Shannon McQueen[8]; 7. 3U-Kameron Key[14]; 8. 7U-Karter Sarff[6]; 9. 67K-Colton Robinson[10]; 10. 11-Alex Midkiff[11]; 11. 50-Daniel Adler[13]; 12. 97-Gavin Miller[9]; 13. 7D-Michelle Decker[1]; 14. 7T-Adam Taylor[12]; 15. 51B-Joe B Miller[15]; 16. 10D-Daltyn England[16]
UP NEXT
The Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota returns to I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park, along with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, for the Ironman 55 finale on Saturday, Aug. 8. For tickets, click HERE.
How can you watch every lap of the Ironman 55 live? On DIRTVision.
