On the ensuing restart, Dillon Welch came to a stop on top of the cushion in turn one to stall the proceedings for the second time in short order.

Neither of those incidents fazed Thomas, however. He resumed command out front both times, jetting away from Bacon handily as Bacon looked for a way to challenge.

Three more laps ticked off before the final slowdown of the night occurred, with Brian Karraker coasting to a halt off turn two and forcing the yellow lights to blink on one more time, but after that it was full speed to the finish as a 23-lap green flag run tested the mettle of the sport’s best midget drivers.

Thomas got away initially, but Bacon stalked his prey until making his first bid for the lead off turn four coming to 15 to go, drawing alongside Thomas but not able to make the pass stick. Bacon fell quickly back in line as the lead duo began to cut their way through heavier traffic, trying desperately to find another opening.

That chance came with nine laps left, when Bacon used the same run off the fourth corner to cut underneath Thomas and surge ahead by a half-car length at the start-finish line. He cleared Thomas by the time they reached turn one and the die appeared to be cast – until Chad Boat reached both Bacon and Thomas in the middle of turn two.

Boat forced his way into the fray and made it three-deep for the lead for a brief moment, eventually moving past Thomas and into the runner-up spot. By then, however, Bacon had asserted his dominance out front and wasn’t about to give it up.

Though Boat tried to find a way past, he couldn’t do anything with Bacon and was forced to settle for second in the end.

“We were really good from the drop of the green flag; my guys gave me an awesome race car,” said Boat. “Brady only started one row ahead of me, but I think if I’d had a little bit better track position to start … I might have been able to do something more. You want to win at the speedway, so second kind of stings right now, but this is still a good night for us.”

Thomas hung on to complete the podium, but it was a heartbreaking defeat for the Cullman, Ala., native after leading the first 30 laps of the BC39.

“It’s irritating,” said Thomas of the slower traffic that stopped his momentum, “but it’s all part of racing. It was good to lead there; I got to use what track I wanted, but when you get to lap cars and second and third can search around and find a lane that’s slightly faster than yours – that’s just part of it.

“We had a great race car tonight; we just got beat. The guy in the seat just has to do a better job.”

Courtney finished fourth ahead of Christopher Bell, who charged from 17th to round out the top five.

Alex Bright, Justin Grant, Holly Shelton, Jerry Coons Jr. and Ryan Robinson completed the top 10.

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