September (By Tyson Graves)
Kyle Strickler has been a rising stock in the late model world the past year and a half. Great runs and lots of heartbreaks along the way. We all knew it was just a matter of time before we saw Kyle win a major event. That happened a week after a big disappointment at Eldora, where he was leading until a flat tire ruined his night.
After his disappointment at Eldora Kyle set off across the Midwest towards Nebraska to I-80 Speedway. They were hosting an event that was replacing the 2020 Knoxville Nationals. He would stop first at Fairbury Speedway for the “One for the Road” midweek special. He would set fast time and run well but no victory in the $15,000 to win event.
The same happened at I-80 on opening night. Kyle set fast time, won his heat, and put himself on the front row for the opening night of the three-day weekend in Nebraska. Kyle dominated the feature event. He took the lead around lap ten and fended off Shane Clanton to get his first career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win. After the heartbreak at Eldora, Kyle was happy to get this win for his team. Overcoming his mind telling him in the closing laps, “please no flats tonight”, Kyle finally got that National touring win in front of the late model community. This made for one of the more satisfying moments of the 2020 race season.
Photo: Todd Boyd