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JIMMY DODSON – FIRST-TIME NMRA-TQ MIDGET WINNER AT VENTURA
By Tim Kennedy
Ventura, CA., Mar. 28 – Jimmy Dodson, of Bakersfield, drove his own No. 6 TQ Midget to his first career victory Saturday at Ventura Raceway in a multi-division racing program on the banked, clay fifth-mile adjacent to the Pacific Ocean. Dodson started first in a 14-car field and led all the way in a race reduced from the normal 20-laps to 12 laps because of multi-main events on the schedule and the track's approaching curfew.
It was only the 13th TQ Midget race for the 2008 NMRA co-rookie of the year who bought the Richard Marshall Ellis/ 836-cc Honda last year. He drove in all 11 NMRA 2008 events and finished eighth in driver points and seventh in car owner points. Dodson was not present for the 2009 point season opener March 7 at Perris. He finished seventh March 21 at Bakersfield Speedway. His victory at Ventura moved him into tenth place in both driver and owner point standings.
Richard Ortega, Jr., the 2005 NMRA rookie of the year, started third and finished second in his own Stealth/Kawasaki. It was his best finishing position since the Camarillo resident won a NMRA main event at Ventura Raceway during the annual Ventura County Fair mid-week races on Wednesday, August 1, 2007. His three races this year in order have produced feature finishes of seventh, second and second. His early-season success has propelled Ortega into the NMRA point lead for the first time. His 162 points put him four markers ahead of West Evans' 158. Evans started seventh and finished third Saturday in his own Stealth/Suzuki.
Second year driver Anthony Lopiccolo, 22, started and finished fourth. The 2008 co-rookie of the year drove his father Paul's No. 21 Rick Stewart chassis with Honda 836cc power. Scott Niven started second and finished fifth. Chuck West, Dave Lambert and 17-year old rookie Dakota Schweitzer were the other finishers. All eight drivers completed 12 laps. Kenny Wiley, Scott Dobson and Greg Edenholm were sidelined on lap 10. Point leader Bruce Hiroshima completed only seven laps and dropped to fourth in points after three of 15 races on the current schedule. West and Lopiccolo won the pair of seven-car, eight-lap heat races. All drivers in both races finished on the lead lap. Round four of the season will be Saturday, April 4 at the third-mile clay Bakersfield Speedway.
Summary:
Heat 1 – Chuck West, Scott Dobson, Scott Niven, Richard Ortega, Jr., West Evans, Dakota Schweitzer, Amanda Thomas.
Heat 2 – Anthony Lopiccolo, Jimmy Dodson, Kenny Wiley, Dave Lambert, Nick Cali, Bruce Hiroshima, Greg Edenholm.
Main – Dodson, Ortega, Evans, Lopiccolo, Niven, West, Lambert, Schweitzer, Wiley, Dobson, Edenholm, Hiroshima, Thomas, Cali.
POINT STANDINGS:
Drivers Car Owners
1 Richard Ortega, Jr. 162 1 # 8 Richard Ortega, Jr. 171
2 West Evans 158 2 # 36 West Evans 167
3 Kenny Wiley 150 3 # 96 Kenny Wiley 159
4 Bruce Hiroshima 149 4 # 5 Bruce Hiroshima 156
5 Chuck West 145 5 # 38 West Evans 154
6 Anthony Lopiccolo 144 6 # 21 Paul Lopiccolo 153
7 Scott Niven 141 7 # 66 Scott Niven 150
8 Scott Dobson 132 8 # 18 Guy Barber 141
9 Dave Lambert 114 9 # 55 Dave Lambert 134
10 Jimmy Dodson 107 10 # 6 Jimmy Dodson 117
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