rejoins the ICL 358 Mod National Tour slate this week as a one-season legacy venue—the track appeared only in Season 2, not Season 1—making this our first return to a place with just a single chapter in the division’s record book. That lone race (May 28, 2024) was short, brisk, and decisive up front: Dylan Hahn started on pole and never looked back, pacing 18 laps to win ahead of Dean Reynolds and Jordan Lafon. For teams building notes, that result sheet offers a clean baseline for how quick laps translated into clean track position at Lincoln.

The most immediate crossover from those Season 2 results to today’s Season 3 points picture is Aidan Strawberry. He finished sixth at Lincoln last year and arrives second in the current standings after a strong runner-up drive in the Season 3 opener. Strawberry set the fastest lap at Huset’s and closed rapidly in the final circuits, which suggests his short-run bite is intact heading into a place that previously rewarded early control. If qualifying pace carries the same premium it did a year ago, he’s one of the most obvious threats to flip the script on the return trip.

At the top of the Season 3 table sits Kinser Lightner, fresh off a flag-to-flag victory in the opener. While Lightner didn’t appear in the Lincoln Season 2 results, his current form—fast time and full points at Huset’s—makes him the benchmark everyone else has to measure against. Expect the early laps at Lincoln to hinge on whether Lightner can replicate his crisp time-trial execution and launch, or whether Strawberry and the next wave (Brett Grube, Brayden E. Carter, Garrett Paull) can box him in and force a different flow than the opener.

Form pointers from last week add a few layers of intrigue. Grube and Carter were tidy and efficient in podium-adjacent air, which is exactly the kind of night that turns into trophies when a front-row car misses the balance window. James Roselli earned hard-charger honors with a +6 climb; if Lincoln opens multiple lanes the way it did late in last season’s feature window, that kind of forward punch can translate into a top-five threat. Meanwhile, Jordan Hutton and Troy Dorion banked early points but will want qualifying improvements to keep the ladder from getting stretched by the front-row specialists.

From the Season 2 Lincoln sheet, keep an eye on past top-teners who might reappear: Dean Reynolds (P2), Lafon (P3), and Austin Homola (P4) showed they could hold serve once slotted, while Thomas Wilson10 (P7) and Paul Hartwig Jr (P8) found ways to maximize longer green-flag runs. If any of them make Season 3 starts, they bring a relevant setup compass for the surface and distance—even with only one prior race on file.

Bottom line: Lincoln’s brief but telling 358 history favors drivers who qualify up front and protect clean air. Lightner’s opener suggests he’s built for precisely that task; Strawberry’s combined speed and late-run pressure make him the most likely disruptor. With points stepping down one per position and a single bonus for fast time, the time-trial sheet could be the whole story—again.

Results — Lincoln Speedway (Season 2, May 28, 2024)

  1. Dylan Hahn, 2) Dean Reynolds, 3) Jordan Lafon, 4) Austin Homola, 5) Matt Adams6, 6) Aidan Strawberry, 7) Thomas Wilson10, 8) Paul Hartwig Jr, 9) Colton Zimmer, 10) James Fries2, 11) Matthew Adams5, 12) Ryder Egbert, 13) Tucker Halliday, 14) Trent Merkel, 15) Colin Cox, 16) Justin Sick

Current Top 10 in Points (Season 3 after Round 1)

  1. Kinser Lightner – 13, 2) Aidan Strawberry – 11, 3) Brett Grube – 10, 4) Brayden E Carter – 9, 5) Garrett Paull – 8, 6) James Richard2 – 7, 7) JT Ferry – 6, 8) James Roselli – 5, 9) Jacob Smith7 – 4, 10) Jordan Hutton – 3