From 19th to First: AJ Hamel Executes Epic Comeback Win at The Milwaukee Mile
The Red Light Racing League Skitter Creek Modified Series traveled to the historic Milwaukee Mile for Round 12 of Season 16, tackling an 80-lap Tour Modified feature on the legendary flat one-mile oval. High horsepower and minimal banking created a punishing test of throttle control and tire management, with the upper groove offering virtually no grip and leaving drivers to battle along the narrow bottom apron. Five-time series champion Dalton Williamson locked up the pole position alongside Season 12 champion Jeff Aho on the front row, while championship leader James Lowe rolled off fourth. Before the green flag even waved, drama struck when Brian Neff suffered a hardware wheel disconnection during pace laps, coming to an abrupt stop that led to a stack-up involving Josh Buckley and Marlowe Strautmann, putting Buckley multiple laps down before the official start.
Once the green flag dropped, Jeff Aho used the momentum of the outside line through Turn 1 to surge into the early lead ahead of Dalton Williamson. However, as the field settled into a single-file rhythm, James Lowe flexed his championship muscle by maneuvering past Aho into the top spot. Lowe proceeded to dictate the pace for 32 laps, maximizing critical bonus points for leading the most laps while extending his margin in the standings. Meanwhile, AJ Hamel—who missed qualifying and started 19th on the grid—began a relentless charge through the pack alongside his teammate Eric Stout, quietly slicing through traffic as drivers nursed their right-front tires on the abrasive flat surface.
The texture of the race shifted dramatically on Lap 45 when mid-pack contention turned sideways. Luke Logan Allen suffered minor contact on his left-rear quarter panel from Bradley Stefane coming off Turn 2, sending the young contender spinning hard into the outside concrete wall to trigger the afternoon’s primary yellow flag. The caution period split pit strategies across the field: while the majority of teams came down pit lane for four fresh tires, Jeff Aho and Mark Poe elected to take just two tires to gain track position, and Kenny Allen stayed out initially.
The ensuing restart produced immediate chaos. Fighting on two cold tires, Jeff Aho got sideways on corner exit through Turn 3, triggering a multi-car chain reaction. Mark Poe had nowhere to go and slammed into the spinning car, while championship leader James Lowe was swept into the pileup, taking heavy right-front suspension damage. Though Lowe managed to drive away and return to pit road for quick repairs, his car lost its razor-sharp handling, forcing the points leader into a resilient survival drive to salvage a seventh-place finish.
The final restart set up a high-stakes 30-lap shootout featuring a fierce lead battle between teammates AJ Hamel and Eric Stout, alongside Dalton Williamson and Allen Wannamaker. Three-time champion Eric Stout took the lead and appeared poised to capture victory, but AJ Hamill remained glued to his rear bumper. With just two laps remaining on Lap 79, Hamel launched a decisive move underneath Stout into Turn 1. Trying to defend, Stout over-throttled on corner exit and drifted wide into the slick upper groove, losing side-bite and momentum.
As Hamel pulled away cleanly to complete an extraordinary victory from 19th on the grid, Stout’s mistake opened the door for the trailing pack. Dalton Williamson pounced to steal second place, while Allen Wannamaker followed closely behind to claim an impressive third-place podium finish. Eric Stout crossed the line in fourth, with Kenny Allen rounding out the top five. Fred Clair mounted a strong late drive to finish sixth, followed by James Lowe in seventh, Brian Neff recovering from his pre-race hardware issue to take eighth, Luke Logan Allen in ninth, and Josh Buckley completing the top ten, concluding a thrilling showcase of short-track strategy and late-race finessing at Milwaukee.
