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WILEY WINS NMRA-TQ MIDGET SANTA MARIA MAIN
- By Tim Kennedy
Santa Maria, CA., Jun. 16 - Kenny Wiley repeated his season-opening 25-lap feature victory in Paul Lopiccolo's Stewart/Honda Saturday at the third-mile banked clay Santa Maria Speedway. The 46-year old 2002 NMRA rookie of the year started fifth and used a slower car as a pick on lap 19 to take the lead he held to the end. He jumped from third place to the series point lead after round seven of 16 scheduled races. The event was the third annual Ron Otto Memorial, named for the long-time NMRA officer and official who lived near Santa Maria until his death several years ago. Ron's son Tony was the race starter Saturday at SMS and his widow Gay was official scorer for NMRA.
NMRA began sanctioning TQ-midget races 50 years ago in 1957. The association started a new tradition for the Otto Memorial race. A golden jacket sponsored by Century 21 Hometown Realty and Bill Awalt represents Ron's gold No. 1 NMRA-TQ midget from 1962 and the integrity, sportsmanship and spirit of winning. Additionally, Mike Evans built a throne/chair with the NMRA logo for use in post-race photos of the Otto Memorial feature winner. It was a ceremony reminiscent of the annual Kings Royale sprint car tradition started decades ago by recently retired promoter Earl Baltes at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.
The all-green flag race started all 13 car present. West Evans started second and paced the first 18 laps until he lost the lead lapping a slower driver. Evans held second place on the increasingly black, slick track until lap 24. He then slid up the track in the fourth turn, allowing Randy Moody's Dave Lambert No. 55 Hart/Honda to slide past him on the inside. Evans finished third and revealed he wore out a new right rear tire in 25 laps. He said he normally is able to race three or four nights on a new RR tire. All drivers said the black, slick track surface "used up" their RR tires. That was a most unusual situation at the normally moist, tacky clay central California coast SMS, which opened for racing in May 1964.
Richard Ortega, Jr and Scott Dobson, the 2005 NMRA rookie of the year, finished fourth and fifth respectively. Rounding out the top ten were Ron Ahrendt, former point leader Bruce Hiroshima, Jenna Bliffen and rookies Michael Elliott and Scott Niven. Jonathan St. Clair, Michael Bliffen and Chuck West followed. Wiley and Ortega won a pair of eight-lap heat races.
Twelve of the 13 TQ midgets present ran qualifying laps. Moody set his second fast time of the year in the second event to use time trials this season. Moody ran a 16.070 for fast time and West was second quickest at 16.265. Moody's earlier fast time this year at SMS on May 5 was 15.795. The one-lap NMRA track record at SMS is 14.820 by Jimmy May on April 10, 2004. The next NMRA race will be Saturday, July 14 at Santa Maria Speedway.
Summary:
Heat 1 - Kenny Wiley, West Evans, Scott Dobson, Randy Moody, Ron Ahrendt, Jonathan St Clair, Michael Elliott.
Heat 2 - Richard Ortega, Jr, Chuck West, Michael Bliffen, Bruce Hiroshima, Jenna Bliffen, Scott Niven.
Main - Wiley, Moody, Evans, Ortega, Dobson, Ahrendt, Hiroshima, J. Bliffen, Elliott, Niven, St Clair, M. Bliffen,West.
POINT STANDINGS:
Drivers Car Owners
1 Kenny Wiley 401 1 21 Paul Lopiccolo 422
2 Bruce Hiroshima 388 2 5 Bruce Hiroshima 409
3 West Evans 279 3 36 West Evans 400
4 Chuck West 376 4 38 West Evans 397
5 Scott Dobson 358 5 18 Guy Barber 379
6 Ron Ahrendt 327 6 87 Ron Ahrendt 348
7 Richard Ortega, Jr 288 7 15 Jonathan St Clair 331
8 Jonathan St Clair ® 274 8 8 Richard Ortega, Jr 306
9 Jenna Bliffen 212 9 20 Bruce Hiroshima 286
10 Michael Bliffen 182 10 3 Michael Bliffen 284
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