The races will be held on the tractor pull track Wednesday evening at 7 p.m., during the fair’s traditional Kids Day, when all kids get in free and can purchase a all-day ride ticket at a reduced price. Autograph signings will be held between races.
Three midget racing clubs surround the fairgrounds area: the MacOchee Club at Lions Club Park in West Liberty, the Miami Valley Quarter Midget Racing Association at Kil-Kare in Xenia and the Buckeye Quarter Midget Club at the C0lumbus Speedway.
“It only makes sense to hold a race at the Clark County Fair,” said Jason Donnaker, vice president of the Miami Valley club.
When Doug Stevens, a member of the MacOchee Club, reached out to Hess about racing cars at the fairgrounds this year, the reaction he got was very positive.
“I thought it was great idea,” Hess said.
“We feel the sport is safer than a lot of others,” Donnaker said. “I played sports growing up — I now have bad knees and a bad back.”
Jason Donnaker’s son, 10-year-old J. J. Donnaker, has raced midget cars four years.
“It’s awesome, but scary when you flip — I’ve flipped 15 feet into the air with no injuries,” J. J. Donnaker said.
Injuries are not a big concern for his father.
“We’ve had only one injury from a race and it was only a broken foot,” Jason Donnaker said.
Many professional racers start in the quarter midget class as kids.
“I got to race in the Brickyard midget race in 2013, taking fifth place out of 27 cars,” J. J. Donnaker said with a smile.
The cost of competing in the sport varies, depending on maintenance of the cars and the number of tires used.
“Cars cost $1,500 to $2,000, then it’s up to how fast you want to go,” Stevens said.
The midget car scene is very much a social gathering. After a race, the kids play football and hangout together while the adults get together to talk about the day’s races, according to Stevens.
“We are are a family-oriented sport,” Jason Donnaker said.
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