Dirt midget and sprint car test at the Gateway Dirt Nationals (VIDEO)

Watch the dirt midget, dirt sprint car and wingless sprint car test from The Dome at America’s Center

Last night, I saw something amazing inside The Dome at America’s center. A surprising Tuesday test at the Gateway Dirt Nationals.

Cody Sommer invited the Tipp City, Ohio driver, Landon Simon to St Louis. He brought several fire breathing machines along with him. Used in the Gateway Dirt test was a dirt midget, dirt sprint car and a wingless sprint car.

Watch the video of the Gateway Dirt Nationals sprint car test below.

Dirt Sprint Car Test at the Gateway Dirt Nationals 2361
Dirt Sprint Car Test at the Gateway Dirt Nationals on December 12th, 2017

“Holy Shit!,” those were the first words from Landon Simon as he climbed from the midget. He had just completed his first of many runs around the 1/5 mile bullring.

They made a few tweaks to the midget. Then, they fired it up again for another run. This time Simon picked up a little time. It was an awesome thing to see.

Next up, a fire breathing winged dirt sprint car. However, this was the shortest run of them all. It was only the 6th time that Simon had run a winged sprint car. Building up to it, just as Simon was getting comfortable, Cody Sommer waved him in.

When that run was completed, the team took off the wing and ran a wingless sprint car test. This one was the most exciting run to watch. Simon began exploring areas of the race track that he hadn’t explored in the other track tests.

The wingless sprint car was also the fastest of the three machines run. It was quickest by about .2 seconds. I’m not a big open wheel guy but that came as a surprise to me. I asked one of the crew guys if that surprised them as well, “Yes.”

The test was a success. “It went extremely well. I think it surprised a lot of people,” Cody Sommer stated at the end of the night.

The Gateway Dirt Nationals is the greatest dirt race in the world. How can it be improved? Perhaps by extending the entire show. It is possible that an open wheel show could take place a week or two before the late model or modified program.

Is that the plan? To be determined…

Lap Times

Dirt Midget: 10.48
Winged Sprint Car: 10.65
Wingless Sprint Car: 10.2

Dirt Midget Test
Gateway Dirt Nationals

Winged Sprint Car Test
Gateway Dirt Nationals

Wingless Sprint Car Test
Gateway Dirt Nationals

Links

Gateway Dirt Nationals | Landon Simon | Shane Walters

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