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MOODY WINS THIRD NMRA-TQ MIDGET FEATURE IN HEAT AT BAKERSFIELD SPEEDWAY -
By Tim Kennedy
Bakersfield, CA., Sept. 1 - Randy Moody, a 36-year old midget, sprint car and drag boat racer, returned to his TQ Midget-racing roots Saturday and was hotter than the 102-degree high at Bakersfield Speedway. The Ventura resident won his second consecutive NMRA-TQ Midget 25-lap feature and his third of the season. His first two victories came at Santa Maria Speedway. Moody climbed from ninth to eighth in NMRA 2007 points after 11 races despite skipping four races.
Moody started seventh and became the third and final race leader on lap 14. He drove the No. 55 Dave Lambert Dennis Hart chassis with a 750-cc Honda engine to victory on the banked, third-mile clay oval. It was one of two preliminary main events to the featured Western All-Stars Dirt Late Model touring stock car series. (Steve Drake won the 40-lap All-Stars feature and $3,000 first-place money for his initial victory of 2007. Point leader Mike Johnson started 21st, led laps 22-23 and finished second, a length behind Drake. Donnie Hampl led laps 24-33 and finished third.)
Scott Dobson, the 2006 NMRA-TQ rookie of the year, drove Guy Barber's Rick Stewart chassis with 750-cc Honda power from third grid position to his career-best second place. He led lap 3-13. West Evans, in his Stealth/Suzuki, started sixth and finished third. Ron Ahrendt, in his Ellis/Honda, led the first two laps from pole position and finished fourth. Richard Ortega, Jr., the 2005 NMRA rookie of the year, was fifth. Point leader Kenny Wiley, Bruce Hiroshima, first-time TQ midget driver Anthony Lopiccolo, Chuck West and Michael Bliffen completed the top ten. Steve Parke and rookie Scott Niven followed in a 12-car field.
Wiley and Moody won the pair of six-car, eight-lap heat races. Wiley, the NMRA2002 rookie of the year, entered the event with a 44-point lead over West and he extended his point advantage to 54 points over West, the 2002 and 2006 NMRA driving champion. Car owner Paul; Lopiccolo had his 44-point lead over West Evans' No. 38 TQ increased to 54 points as well. Both Wiley and Lopiccolo are seeking their first NMRA championships. Round 12 of the 14 race season will take place Saturday, September 22 at the banked, third-mile Santa Maria Speedway.
Summary:
Heat 1 - Kenny Wiley, Chuck West, Bruce Hiroshima, Richard Ortega, Jr. Steve Parke, Michael Bliffen.
Heat 2 - Randy Moody, Scott Dobson, Ron Ahrendt, West Evans, Anthony Lopiccolo, Scott Niven.
Main - Moody, Dobson, Evans, Ahrendt, Ortega, Wiley, Hiroshima, Lopiccolo, West, Bliffen, Parke, Niven.
POINT STANDINGS (as of 9-2-07)
Drivers Car Owners
1 Kenny Wiley 646 1 # 21 Paul Lopiccolo 679
2 Chuck West 592 2 38 West Evans 625
2 West Evans 592 3 36 West Evans 625
4 Bruce Hiroshima 576 4 5 Bruce Hiroshima 609
5 Scott Dobson 559 5 18 Guy Barber 592
6 Ron Ahrendt 499 6 8 Richard Ortega, Jr 526
7 Richard Ortega, Jr 496 7 15 Jonathan St Clair 516
8 Randy Moody 411 8 87 Ron Ahrendt 493
9 Jonathan St Clair ® 408 9 55 Dave Lambert 472
10 Michael Bliffen 281 10 20 Bruce Hiroshima 359
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