Buckeye Nationals preview

HAGEN LEADS MIDGETS TO TOLEDO & MANSFIELD

Darren Hagen of Riverside, Calif. leads the USAC National Midget Car Series to back-to-back Ohio races this weekend. Toldeo Speedway hosts Friday night's "Hemelgarn Racing/Super Fitness Night" program, while Mansfield Motorsports Park is Saturday's venue. Thirty-lap features for both USAC Midgets and Lucas Oil/USAC National Sprint Cars are slated at each track.

Hagen, seeking his initial USAC National title, leads defending National Midget Champ Jerry Coons Jr. by 18 points. He won the June 23 "King Doodlebug Classic" at Knoxville, Iowa and added a second at Phoenix, Ariz. and a third at Haubstadt, Ind.

Coons finished second in the June 23 "Knoxville Midget Nationals" main event and was third at Phoenix but is still looking for his first 2007 triumph. Neither finished in the "top-10" last year at Toledo, a race which produced young Kevin Swindell's first USAC victory. Swindell is fifth in the current standings.

Tony Stewart racing teammates Levi Jones and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. rank third and fourth in the points entering this week's races.

-credit: usac