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RANDY MOODY WINS FIRST NMRA-TQ MIDGET FEATURE
- By Tim Kennedy
Santa Maria, CA., May 5 - Randy Moody, a 36-year old driver from Ventura, made his return to racing Saturday after an absence of more than ten years when he made his first NMRA-TQ Midget Series start a victorious effort. He drove the No. 55 Dave Lambert Dennis Hart chassis with Honda power on the banked, third-mile clay Santa Maria Speedway. It was the fourth of 16 scheduled NMRA race dates this year. He became the fourth different main event winner this season and it gave Lambert his fourth NMRA career victory as a car owner. Scott Hansen drove the Lambert 55 on March 31 at Ventura Raceway in the only other outing this season for the perennial championship car contender.
Moody set fastest qualifying time, won his eight-lap heat race and came from eighth starting position in a 13-car field to lead the final 19 laps of the 25-lap feature. Moody became the third and final race leader on lap 7. He passed Scott Dobson, who led laps 2-6 after taking the point from first lap leader Richard Ortega, Jr. Moody became the 19th different NMRA feature winner in 55 series point races since the long-time TQ organization renewed sanctioning TQ-Midget racing in 2002. TQ Midgets raced from 1987-2001 under the USAC sanctioning banner.
Moody has been away from racing since 1995. He earned 1993 USAC TQ-Midget rookie of the year in his own Honda-powered TQ. He won two USAC-TQ features in 1994 driving his own No. 9 TQ. Both victories came at his hometown clay track, Ventura Raceway, on April 9 and April 23. He competed in 21 of 25 races that season and finished seventh in final USAC-TQ driver point standings. He scored several top three finishes and had numerous top ten efforts during his second TQ season. Moody earned 72-points Saturday and now ranks 13th in 2007 NMRA point standings among 19 drivers with points.
Kenny Wiley started seventh and finished second in Paul Lopiccolo's No. 21 Rick Stewart chassis with a Honda engine. He took over the series point lead from former point leader Bruce Hiroshima (228-222). Hiroshima placed fifth in his own No. 5 Hart/Honda. Dobson, the 2006 NMRA rookie of the year, earned third in Guy Barber's Stewart/Honda. West Evans finished fourth in his own Stealth/Kawasaki. Ortega, two-time NMRA champion Chuck West, Richard Marshall, Paul Lopiccolo (No. 15) and Michael Bliffen completed the top ten. First-time driver Michael Elliott started last and finished 11th. Jenna Bliffen and Ron Ahrendt were the other finishers.
Moody and Ortega won the pair of six-car, eight-lap heat races. Moody's quick time of 15.795 beat Wiley's 16.028 for fast time honors. Round five of the 16-race season will take place Saturday, May 19 at Bakersfield Speedway in a return 2007 visit to the banked, third-mile clay track. The first four races have taken place at four different dirt tracks-Hanford, Ventura, Bakersfield and Santa Maria.
Summary:
Fast Time: Randy Moody, No. 55, 15.795.
Heat 1: Moody, Scott Dobson, Ron Ahrendt, Bruce Hiroshima, Paul Lopiccolo, Michael Elliott.
Heat 2: Richard Ortega, Jr., Michael Bliffen, Kenny Wiley, Jenna Bliffen, West Evans, Chuck West.
Main: Moody, Wiley, Dobson, Evans, Hiroshima, Ortega, West, Marshall, Lopiccolo, M. Bliffen, Elliott, J. Bliffen, Ahrendt.
POINT STANDINGS:
Drivers Car Owners
1 Kenny Wiley 228 1 21 Paul Lopiccolo 237
2 Bruce Hiroshima 222 2 5 Bruce Hiroshima 236
3 Chuck West 208 3 38 West Evans 220
4 Scott Dobson 207 4 18 Guy Barber 219
5 West Evans 203 5 36 West Evans 215
6 Ron Ahrendt 192 6 87 Ron Ahrendt 204
7 Richard Ortega, Jr 169 7 15 Jonathan St. Clair 192
8 Richard Marshall 148 8 8 Richard Ortega, Jr 181
9 Jonathan St. Clair (R) 144 9 20 Bruce Hiroshima 177
10 Nick Cali (R) 133 10 3 Michael Bliffen 167
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