This message was edited on
May 23, 2007 at
10:49:10 AM by ljennings
CHUCK WEST WINS THIRD 2007 NMRA-TQ MIDGET FEATURE
- By Tim Kennedy
Bakersfield, CA., May 19 - Two-time NMRA-TQ Midget champion Chuck West, of Clovis, won his third NMRA-TQ Midget feature of the season Saturday at the banked, third-mile clay Bakersfield Speedway. He started fourth and became the third race leader on lap 16. He remained in front to the lap 25 checkered flag.
His earlier triumphs this year came at Ventura and Bakersfield. West remained in third place in current points, but he cut point leader Kenny Wiley's advantage from 20 to 13 points in round five of the scheduled 16 race season. West drove the No. 38 Stealth/Kawasaki owned by his cousin and fellow driver West Evans. It was his tenth victory in 56 NMRA-TQ features since the association reformed in 2002 after relinquishing TQ Midget racing sanctioning duties to USAC from 1987-2001.
Bruce Hiroshima, ranked second in 2007 point standings, started fifth and finished second. He cut two points from Wiley's point lead and now trails Wiley 283 to 287. Wiley started sixth and finished third in the 11-car field. West Evans finished fourth in his Stealth/Suzuki. Leading rookie Jonathan St. Clair finished fifth and jumped from ninth to seventh in currents points. Ron Ahrendt, Scott Dobson, Michael Bliffen, rookie Michael Elliott and Jenna Bliffen completed the top ten. Rookie Scott Niven started and finished 11th.
Evans led the first five laps from his outside front row starting position. Wiley led laps 6-15 before he yielded the point to winner West. The ten-minute race had one brief caution flag on lap 12. A pair of eight-lap heat races went to Evans and Dobson. Both winners started third. Round six will take place Saturday, June 2 at Bakersfield Speedway.
Summary:
Heat 1: Chuck West, Kenny Wiley, West Evans, Jonathan St Clair, Michael Bliffen, Scott Niven.
Heat 2: Scott Dobson, Ron Ahrendt, Bruce Hiroshima, Michael Elliott, Jenna Bliffen.
Main: West, Hiroshima, Wiley, Evans, St Clair, Ahrendt, Dobson, M. Bliffen, Elliott, J. Bliffen, Niven.
POINT STANDINGS
Drivers Car Owners
1 Kenny Wiley 287 1 5 Bruce Hiroshima 300
2 Bruce Hiroshima 283 2 21 Paul Lopiccolo 299
3 Chuck West 274 3 38 West Evans 289
4 West Evans 258 4 36 West Evans 273
5 Scott Dobson 255 5 18 Guy Barber 270
6 Ron Ahrendt 242 6 87 Ron Ahrendt 257
7 Jonathan St Clair 195 7 15 Jonathan St Clair 246
8 Richard Ortega,Jr 169 8 20 Bruce Hiroshima 213
9 Richard Marshall 148 9 3 Michael Bliffen 209
10 Jenna Bliffen 146 10 8 Richard Ortega, Jr 181
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