Wash it all away: Scott’s victory in Pro Briggs class salvages day at Grand Prix of Karting

QUINCY — The final memory was made possible on the final lap of the final race.

Sunday had been an excruciating day, in terms of both frustration and pain, for the Scott family.

Riley Scott helped wash away all — or at least most — of that with a late charge to the front to win the prestigious Pro Briggs class in the 36th Grand Prix of Karting at a muggy, but festive South Park.

Scott’s finish provided the perfect punctuation for the two-day event that drew thousands to the venerable karting site for what is generally considered the greatest spectacle in karting.

Scott led a parade of four of the top drivers in the midwest to a blanket-like finish. Scott, runner-up Todd Bolton, third-place Jeff Dolian and fourth-place Cole Rodgers all crossed the finish line separated by .269 of a second.

Scott found himself sitting in the back of that pack, but was able to power to the front, thanks to a brief opening that lasted probably as long as the blink of an eye. Scott made his move just before the quartet rounded the final of 13 turns on the 1.2-mile course.

“I was trying to be really patient,” he said. “I didn’t think I would fit into that opening.”

But he did, in sensational fashion.

“Riley made a brilliant, brilliant move,” said Grand Prix director Terry Traeder, a 27-time Grand Prix champion himself during a career that ended in 1994. 

“We needed that win after this weekend,” said Riley’s dad, Jeff Scott, a karter himself.

Jeff Scott was not exaggerating.

Consider:

• Riley Scott, 18, had been favored to win as many as four Gussies — the trophy named after Grand Prix founder, the late Gus Traeder. Although he ran with the front pack in all the events he was entered in, Scott’s only checkered flag wound up being in that final race.

• Avery Scott, Riley’s 20-year-old sister, was involved in a nasty crash earlier in the day.

“Our family went through a lot, a lot of ups and downs,” Riley Scott said. “It feels good to win that final race.”

Riley Scott was one of 10 different winners Sunday, covering 13 events.

Other local winners were Phillip Smith of Quincy, Adam Klingele of Quincy and Christian Miles of Paloma.

Smith won the Pro Shifter 125 and Pro Shifter Open divisions.

“It was one heckuva weekend, an awesome weekend,” Smith said. “I could not have written a better story. (The Grand Prix) is a special weekend for all karters.”

Klingele’s victory came in the Briggs Medium class, where the top five finishers were separated by .774 of a second.

“I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was child,” Klingele said. “I only live about a mile from (South Park). This is really sweet.”

Adam Klingele is the older brother of Tanner Klingele, one of the top dirt-track drivers at Adams County Speedway.

Miles blew away the competition in the Vintage class, finishing 36.3 seconds ahead of the next nearest kart.

Following his victory, Miles stood at the finish line and gazed around at the crowd.

“It’s awesome to see so many faces here supporting this in Quincy,” he said.

Tony Neilson and Dolian joined Smith as two-time champions.

Neilson won the Briggs Heavy and Margay Ignite Masters divisions. Dolian captured the Margay Ignite and Ignite Heavy checkered flags.

Neilson, who hails from Delmar, Iowa, now has nine Grand Prix titles on his resume and is tied for sixth on the event’s all-time championship list. Dolian’s two titles upped his career mark to six, which ties the Dallas, Texas, driver for 10th.

Neilson’s win in the Margay Ignite Masters came by .064 of a second over eight-time Grand Prix champ Pete Vetter of Arnold, Mo. The two were side by side coming out the final turn toward the homsetretch.

“It was wild, I wanted to get up toward the front earlier and just couldn’t,” Neilson said of his photo finish.

Dolian won two Gussies in the same day for a second time in his career. The Texan loves coming to Quincy each June.

“There’s only (event that matters) — here in Quincy at the Park,” he said. 

Rounding out the champs were Matt Krechel (St. Louis, Mo.) in Briggs Masters, Ethan Arndt (Austin, Texas) in Pro FK-100, Keith Scharf (Kirkwood, Mo.) in Ignite Legends and Donald Newman (Moline, Ill.) in Briggs Legends.

The 61-year-old Scharf was the oldest driver to win a Grand Prix championship Sunday and had some fun afterward with the fact he won it in a legends class.

“I’m a legend in my own mind,” he said.

Krechel’s checkered flag came in exciting fashion, finishing .083 of a second ahead of Dolian.

“I said I had to be there … and I smelled an opening,” Krechel said. “It was a good run.”

The Grand Prix attracted 334 entries, the fourth straight event it has had more than 300 since its rebirth in 2018. There was no Grand Prix in 2020 due to the pandemic.