Every time we attend a race, we hope to see something special – an amazing move to take the lead, a memorable duel, someone overcoming the odds stacked against them, or pretty much something you don’t see on a regular basis. These are those eight moments from the 2020 USAC National season that drew us out of our seats and made us say “wow!”
3. Thorson Borrows Engine, Owns Victory At Kokomo
Oct 28, 2020
Two nights, two blown engines. Those were the cards Tanner Thorson and his Hayward Motorsports team were dealt in the two races leading up to Sunday’s Indiana Midget Week finale at Kokomo Speedway. Out of powerplants and out of options, the team received a lifeline in the 11th hour from none other than a fellow competitor. A middle-of-the-night scramble ensued, and a borrowed Toyota engine was installed under the hood.
Despite the lack of sleep, the thrashing and the unknowns that were unloaded from their trailer Sunday night, Thorson still believed that all signs pointed to victory.
Thorson (Minden, Nev.) and Team Hayward defied all the odds that were stacked against them to claim the victory with a slip underneath Chris Windom on a late-race restart with three laps remaining, then outlasting 2020 Indiana Midget Week champion Kyle Larson down the stretch, beating Larson to the line in a photo finish by half a car length – 0.065 of a second.
