POTTSVILLE, Pa. — A perennial contender in midget competition, Tanner Thorson earned his first USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car Championship victory during round two of the Keystone Invasion Friday night at Big Diamond Raceway.

Thorson passed racelong leader Jake Swanson with 11 laps remaining to triumph in his 13th career start aboard the Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports/AME Electrical – CSI – MVT/Spike/Stanton Chevy.

“This is not something in which I’d settle and be OK with just winning rookie of the year,” Thorson admitted. “We aren’t here for that.  We’re here for the championship in the sprint car and the midget. We’re not done going forward; that’s for damn sure. We’re getting faster and faster and it’s just going to get better from here.”

Thorson, the 2016 USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget champion and owner of 21 wins in the smaller-statured cars, started the 30-lap feature from the outside of the front row.

Jake Swanson powered to the lead from the pole, besting the all-Arizona based team front row with Swanson gapping Thorson in the early stages to the tune of a full second.

On the fourth lap, trouble ensued when 10th running Thomas Meseraull got sideways in turn four, collecting Robert Ballou and 10-lap track record holder Brandon Mattox. Ballou escaped the melee and continued on while Mattox got the worst end of it, spiraling and flipping over.

Swanson, also seeking his first career USAC National Sprint Car victory on this night, blasted away from Thorson on the lap five restart, but nearing the halfway point, the interval had closed up with Thorson sniffing high and low for a way around Swanson.

Thorson took a run at Swanson, diving to the bottom of turn one and sliding up, to no avail, but stayed right near the back bumper of Swanson when the two made slight contact halfway down the back straightaway.

After first-time USAC National Sprint Car feature starter Nash Ely stopped to bring out a caution on lap 16, Thorson showed a little bit of gamesmanship, pulling alongside Swanson to indicate he was in his presence, among other things.

As the green flag was displayed for the restart, Thorson was relentless, poking his nose to Swanson’s left and right before committing to the top all the way around turns one and two on the 20th lap, which propelled him around Swanson to secure the lead exiting the second turn.

A spin by Ricky Lewis clamped down on Thorson’s 1.247 second advantage with just five laps remaining, resetting the deck and placing Thorson in a position to have to defend his throne up front from a potential haymaker.

Swanson knew he had one shot, and one shot only. He took that shot at the entrance to turn one on the final, lap 27 restart, throwing it to the bottom and sliding up toward Thorson, but it wasn’t enough to overtake the position.

Thorson copped a 0.951 second interval at the finish over Jake Swanson, Kevin Thomas Jr., Brady Bacon and C.J. Leary.

“It feels good,” an elated Thorson said. “We’ve been working hard to get our car better and better and more comfortable for me.  I don’t have very many starts, especially compared to all these guys, but I knew we could do it based off my past results where I was able to beat them.  It’s just a matter of me getting comfortable.”

Swanson, who initially wasn’t even intending to make the trek out to Pennsylvania this week due to engine problems in his regular ride, teamed up with car owner Joe Daming, renumbered the car to No. 21az and has promptly recorded his two best finishes of the year in the last two races, a fifthth a Grandview on Thursday and a career-best second place result on Friday at Big Diamond after leading a race-high 19 laps in his Team AZ Racing/Daming Excavating – USW Cat Construction – RSS Industries/DRC/Tranter Chevy.

Kevin Thomas Jr. turned in yet another fine performance, backing up Thursday’s second-place finish at Grandview with a third on Friday at Big Diamond aboard the KT Motorsports/Dr. Pepper – McDonald’s – KT Construction Services/DRC/Speedway Chevy.

To see full stories, turn to the next page.