HUMBOLDT, Kan. – It’s a long way from El Paso, Texas, to Humboldt, Kansas — about 860 miles to be exact — but the road from his first start to his first USMTS win Friday night was a lot longer for Carlos Ahumada Jr. Ahumada paced the field to the green flag from the pole and led the opening lap, but slipped back to second on the second lap when Mississippi’s Brooks Strength muscled his way past the 24-year-old Texan. Strength was solid and smooth during the opening act that lasted 32 laps before the yellow flag made its first appearance. The lap-32 caution appeared just as the lead group of Ahumada, Strength, Terry Phillips and Ricky Thornton Jr. were contending with a swarm of back-markers. Two more cautions occurred over the final 18 laps, each time wiping out a sizeable lead for Ahumada.

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