By Robert Haugh
Sure, it’s been a while –
sometimes life catches up with us!
Before I continue this very
belated update, be looking for an announcement soon about when the premiere
issue of Western Open Wheel Racing Magazine will become available – it’s in the
delayed planning stages right now, but expect the premiere issue to be launched
in time for the 2013 Chili Bowl!
After getting through some early
season jitters with Mother Nature, the West Coast Open Wheel scene is on fire,
with some very competitive racing having taken place throughout the West Coast.
USAC-Western States Midgets
Bakersfield’s Shannon McQueen holds the overall series lead, having compiled three Top 5
runs and four Top 10 runs in five races, maintaining consistency against
stellar competition. McQueen leads former BCRA driver champion and 2011 USAC-WS
car owner champion David Prickett by 18
tallies, followed by Indiana’s Cole Carter, Prickett’s Neverlift Motorsports
teammate Connor Kassik of Arizona and
former USAC-WS champion Alex Schutte. McQueen chauffeurs the McQueen Racing #7
Spike/Esslinger on Dirt and the McQueen/Eskesen/Rescino Racing #7 Beast/Mopar
on pavement.
Hollister Young Gun Ryan Bernal is making waves, having claimed feature wins at the season
opener at Silver Dollar Speedway in March and also recently at King’s Speedway
in Hanford, manning the Josh Ford Racing #73 Ellis/Fontana. Bernal also set
fast time in Hanford. Bernal will be competing in a Keith Kunz Midget at the
Hut 100 this weekend in Indiana. Bernal also sports a USAC-CRA Sprint Car win
at Ocean Speedway.
Other USAC-WS wins on the year
include McQueen Racing teammate Michelle Decker at Bakersfield, Chad Nichols in his #17 Orange Rocket Beast/Esslinger at Madera and
Indiana’s Brad Kuhn at Santa Maria in
Mason Cook’s #10. Carter has compiled two seconds and a third in Cook’s #10
mounts.
Prickett narrowly leads the Dirt
points over McQueen, having garnered third, fourth, fifth and sixth place
feature finishes, as well as two hard charger awards.
King of the West Sprint Cars
The King of the West 410 Sprint
Cars have had an amazing season thus far, with several highlights, including
Rutherford’s Rico Abreu picking up the
win at the fabled ½-mile Calistoga Speedway on Memorial Day Weekend during the
Tribute to Gary Patterson – the track is just five minutes from his hometown!
Through eight races (May 28),
Jonathan Allard leads the KWS points over Tim Kaeding, Brent Kaeding, Evan
Suggs and Bobby McMahan. Abreu also picked
up a KWS win at Tulare on May 12 – his first-ever Wing 410 victory. Allard has
compiled two wins (Marysville, Chico) while Tim Kaeding has amassed three wins
(Antioch, Placerville and Calistoga) with Kyle Larson having a win at Tulare.
Civil War 360 Sprint Cars
After two early season rainouts,
The CA Civil War series has finally started getting going. Through three races,
Kyle Hirst leads the Civil War series
standings over Colby Wiesz, reigning
champion Andy Forsberg, Stephen
Allard and Greg DeCaires. Hirst, Forsberg and Brett Rollag have wins on the season.
BCRA Midgets
Through three races, 7-time BCRA
champion, “Ageless Wonder” Floyd Alvis
of San Carlos leads the driver’s standings by eight markers over teammate Gary
Conterno, followed closely by Vacaville’s Rick
Holbrook and Lakeport brothers Darin
and Michael Snider. BCRA winners thus far
include Chico’s Robbie Whitchurch
(Marysville), Tanner Swanson (Madera in
Bob Rosen’s #4 Mr. Espresso Beast/Fontana) and Kevin Morris at Lakeport in his father Del’s #17 Beast/Esslinger. Peggy
Holbrook leads the car owner’s standings
over Alvis’ #83, Lauren Snider’s #2k
and #6k mounts and Morris’ #17. On the Dirt side, after one race, Alvis leads
Oregon’s Rob Lindsey, Conterno and
Holbrook. On the pavement side, after two races, Michael Snider leads Morris, Darin Snider and Alvis.
Of note was the return of
Sacramento’s Ralph Cortez in his #31
Beast/Sesco Mopar at Lakeport. Cortez wasn’t planning on competing, as he is
trying to sell the #31 that has not seen a track in three years – after a
little nagging by fellow competitors, Cortez wound up setting the fastest lap
of the evening, finishing fourth in the feature, despite not seeing seat time
in three years. Cortez plans on competing on June 23 at All-American Speedway in
Roseville. For information on Cortez’ car, visit: http://bcraracing.com/classifieds/comments.php?DiscussionID=156&page=1#Item_0
Pleasant Hill’s Mike Donaldson took a wild ride at Madera Speedway, resulting in what
many consider a miracle that he walked away with only severe bruises and a lot
of pain. His car was completely thrashed, and word is the Stu Donaldson’s
stable of Midgets are parked indefinitely after Mike’s hard impact.
BCRA Midget Lites
After three races and an early
season rainout, Scott Kinney leads the
standings in the Fonseca/Johnson Racing Red Hawk Casino #9 having gone
three-for-three, winning all three Midget Lite features, leading over former
Midget standout Craig Dillard in Wayne
Albright’s #72s, Dakota Albright in
father Wayne’s #35jr, Marshall Sexton
in his #62 and the “Flyin’ Fisher” Rick Soto in his #30. Longtime Midget Lite supporters Hoover
Racing have struggled with mechanical
gremlins all season, fielding three cars for brothers Richie and Joey Hoover
and Craig Holsted.
BCRA was well-represented in the
first “Civil War Clash” against the California Lightning Sprints at Bakersfield
Speedway on May 12, with BCRA contingent taking the Top 4 spots, with Kinney, Cameron
Beard, Dakota Albright and Dillard taking
the top spots. Kinney charged from ninth in the feature to take the win.
Kinney’s other victories came at Placerville on May 5 and April 28.
Western Performance Parts Born
Fresno’s David Prickett has
officially announced the formation of Western Performance Parts, an open wheel
performance supplier that will carry a number of components, catering to Midget
and Sprint Car teams and more. Western performance Parts is taking and cataloguing
inventory and hopes to open in early June, with an expected “opening” no later
than June 15. Some of the products they will carry include XRP, AutoMeter, Afco, K&N, Wilwood, Simpson, MPD,
Winters, Barnes, Hoosier, Racing Optics, Aurora Rod Ends, Eibach and
Schoenfeld. You can reach Western Performance
Products at 559-485-7442. A Web site will soon follow.
ASCS Northwest Sprint Cars
After two races over Memorial Day
weekend at Gray’s Harbor Raceway in Elma, WA, Roger Crockett is leading the series standings over Brock Lemley,
Henry VanDam, Travis Rilat and Rick Fauver.
Crockett and Lemley each scored a feature win. The series is idle until a June
22 event at Cottage Grove Speedway in Oregon.
ASCS Southwest Sprint Cars
Through five races, Rick Ziehl leads the standings over Dalten Gabbard, Lance Norick,
Joshua Williams and J.T. Imperial. Ziehl, Tony
Bruce, Jr., Jason Johnson, Dustin Morgan and Donny Wood each have a single win on the season.
WMRA Midgets
The WMRA Midgets have held two
events, May 19 at South Sound Speedway and May 26 at Monroe Speedway. Evan
Margeson swept both events, claiming
feature wins, Heat wins and fast time awards. Margeson’s 13.014 was a new
track record at South Sound.
RMMRA Midgets
Rain has delayed the Rocky
Mountain Midget season, with their season opener now slated for June 8 at 1-76
Speedway in Fort Morgan, CO.
MISC.
Former BCRA Midget champion Matt
Streeter leads the Antioch Speedway
Wingless Sprint points, having claimed two feature wins. Three-time BCRA Midget
champion Nick Foster, Jr. of San Jose
scored his first Wingless Spec Sprint Car win at Chowchilla Speedway on
memorial Day weekend, and also claimed second at Ocean Speedway on May 4.
BEYOND THE WEST
For longtime Western Open Wheel
racing fans, you were certainly tuning in to the Indy 500, which saw California
transplant Bryan Clauson competing – thought not the results expected, everyone
that knows B.C. and his family is proud of his efforts, and here’s hoping
Clauson is back at the 500 next year!
Though we attempt to include a
large amount of information, we cannot cover every Open Wheel event on the West
Coast on a regular basis. Please encourage your race organizations, tracks,
sponsors and PR people to submit press releases and results to use at: wowracingnews@gmail.com
