Seven form SST Mid-Ohio grid

After nearly three months since the opener in Long Beach, the Stadium Super Trucks return to action at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the second straight season and third year overall, doing so in support of the NTT IndyCar Series. Only seven drivers are present for the weekend, the smallest grid since six contested the 2021 Boost Mobile Super Trucks kickoff in Tasmania and the fewest for an American round since the same amount was at that year’s Mid-Ohio NASCAR weekend.

This limited number is attributed to Independence Day as most elect to spend the weekend with families or compete in other series. For example, three-time Mid-Ohio winner Matt Brabham is at the track as part of his full-time Indy Lights campaign; he told The Checkered Flag in March that his main series’ demands mean he cannot do both on the same weekend. Davey Hamilton Jr., who was initially planning to race the entire SST schedule, is unavailable due to King of the Wing at Colorado National Speedway.

Most notably, series head Robby Gordon will skip Mid-Ohio for overseas business obligations with SPEED UTV; it will be his first missed SST races since the 2018 Detroit Grand Prix, which he opted out in favour of contesting the Baja 500. Ryan Arciero, Jerett Brooks, and Cleetus McFarland also do not return from Long Beach.

Gavin Harlien is the only driver of the seven with a victory at Mid-Ohio, having won during the IndyCar weekend in 2019.

Series mainstay Bill Hynes drew media attention during the 2021 Mid-Ohio IndyCar weekend when he got into a post-race fight with Bo LeMastus. With LeMastus not entered, Hynes will hope he doesn’t have to throw another helmet or steering wheel. He has finished either seventh or eighth in all six of his SST Mid-Ohio starts. During their first Mid-Ohio runs in 2021, fellow regulars Max Gordon and Robert Stout also seemed to have a trend of placing in the same positions as the former alternated between seventh and fifth while the latter was always fourth or fifth.

Zoey Edenholm will record her Mid-Ohio SST début, though she has experience from her Formula 4 United States Championship days.

Two drivers are making their maiden SST starts. Thirteen-year-old Ben Maier will pilot the #67; to prepare for the weekend, he hosted iRacing lobbies at the track in Pro 2 trucks and was on location last weekend to compete in SVRA (Sportscar Vintage Racing Association). The Continental Tire truck will shift from one Championship Off-Road veteran to another as Brooks steps aside for Cory Winner, the latter coming off his first career Pro 2 victory on Saturday at Crandon.

Practice will take place on Friday, 1 July at 11:45 AM Eastern Time. The first race is scheduled for Saturday at 4:15 PM following IndyCar qualifying, while the second closes out the Honda Indy 200 weekend on Sunday at 3 PM.

Entry list