Friday, November 16, 2018

Bakersfield USAC Midgets Live Saturday On Speed Shift TV


Via USAC Media

Bakersfield, California (November 16, 2018).........The USAC P1 Insurance National Midgets are headed to the west coast this weekend and you're invited to join them as Speed Shift TV will have live coverage of the Saturday, November 17 event at California's Bakersfield Speedway.

Around 40 of the top wheelmen and women from USAC's National and Light Up The World Western States Midget series will be on hand for the "November Classic," including four past USAC National Midget champions, Jerry Coons, Jr. (2006-07), Rico Abreu (2014), Tanner Thorson (2016), Spencer Bayston (2017) along with current point leader Logan Seavey.

The stacked lineup also features four additional individuals who've driven to USAC National Midget victory lane in 2018: Tyler Courtney, Brady Bacon, Zeb Wise and Chad Boat. Michael Pickens won a pair with the series in 2017, but will be making his first start of the year this Saturday. C.J. Leary has tallied wins in both the USAC Silver Crown and AMSOIL National Sprint Car series this year, but is on track to make a rare midget start this weekend in search of his first series victory.

Michael Faccinto leads the Western States contingent with a two-point lead over Alex Schutte in the standings. Faccinto was victorious at Bakersfield in June and also won in 2016, while Schutte, the 2010 Western States champ, has won twice at Bakersfield in his career during the 2009 and 2015 seasons. Cody Swanson picked up his first Western States win at Bakersfield in 2013.

Damion Gardner is a seven-time champ in USAC/CRA Sprint Cars, but he's top-flight in a midget as well, with a win under his belt at Bakersfield in 2005. Shannon McQueen and David Prickett, the 2012 overall and 2012 Western States dirt champs, respectively, are also expected entrants along with the driver who swept both nights of the midget portion of this year's "Louie Vermiel Classic" at Calistoga, Shane Golobic.

Pits open at 2pm, gates open at 4pm. Drivers meeting at 4:30pm. Cars on track at 5pm. (Pacific Time) (All Times Subject to Change). Adult general admission tickets are $16, senior and military tickets are $14, kids 6-12 are $8 and kids age 5 and under are FREE! Pit pass are $45 each.

All the action will be live on http://www.SpeedShiftTV.com/ with live audio for free on the USAC app. As always, all USAC National and Western States events will be available to view within a day following the race on http://www.Loudpedal.TV/.

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BAKERSFIELD "NOVEMBER CLASSIC" EXPECTED ENTRIES:
1p Ricky Lewis/Oxnard, CA
3c Tanner Thorson/Minden, NV
4D Robert Dalby/Anaheim, CA
5 Sterling Cling/Tempe, AZ
7 Shannon McQueen/Bakersfield, CA
7BC Tyler Courtney/Indianapolis, IN
8 Randi Pankratz/Atascadero, CA
9D Michael Faccinto/Hanford, CA
9F Frankie Guerrini/San Rafael, CA
15 Jason McDougal/Broken Arrow, OK
15x Ashley Hazelton-Heredia/Chatsworth, CA
17BC Cole Bodine/Rossville, IN
17G Dustin Golobic/Fremont, CA
17w Shane Golobic/Fremont, CA
20 C.J. Sarna/Palm Desert, CA
24x David Prickett/Fresno, CA
25 Jerry Coons, Jr./Tucson, AZ
25x Damion Gardner/Concord, CA
27 Tucker Klaasmeyer/Paola, KS
28 Alex Schutte/Redding, CA
31 Kyle Beilman/Mar Vista, CA
35 Holley Hollan/Broken Arrow, OK
39BC Zeb Wise/Angola, IN
57 Maria Cofer/Macdoel, CA
67 Logan Seavey/Sutter, CA
67K Holly Shelton/Sacramento, CA
67z Michael Pickens/Auckland, NZ
68 C.J. Leary/Greenfield, IN
68w Jake Swanson/Anaheim, CA
71 Ryan Robinson/Foresthill, CA
71K Tanner Carrick/Lincoln, CA
71s Cody Swanson/Norco, CA
71x Jesse Colwell/Red Bluff, CA
72 Sam Johnson/St. Peters, MO
76m Brady Bacon/Broken Arrow, OK
77 Daniel Anderson/Riverside, CA
84 Chad Boat/Phoenix, AZ
97 Spencer Bayston/Lebanon, IN
97F Jesse Fernandez/Parker, CO
97K Rico Abreu/St. Helena, CA
99 Colton Heath/Marysville, WA
?? Justin Grant/Ione, CA

Wednesday, November 14, 2018

78th Turkey Night Represented By 14 States, 2 Countries

#27 Tucker Klaasmeyer of Kansas, a state which has not yet produced a "Turkey Night Grand Prix" winner. (Photo Courtesy Mike Roth)

By: Richie Murray - USAC Media

Ventura, California (November 14, 2018).........Turkey Night is a destination race. It's one any driver wants to add to his or her resume when the helmet is hung up.

That's a major reason why drivers come from all over each Fall to race midgets in southern California when Thanksgiving Night rolls around each year, as will happen on Thursday, November 22, when top guns from the USAC P1 Insurance National Midgets, Light Up The World Western States Midgets and other racing disciplines converge on Ventura Raceway for the 78th edition of this grand event.

This year's pre-entry list features drivers from 14 different states and two countries (United States and New Zealand). Unsurprisingly, the home state of California leads all states with 33 drivers representing the Golden State. The remaining states are spread fairly evenly with six each from Colorado and Oklahoma, five from Indiana, a pair from Washington, and one apiece from Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nevada, New York and Ohio.

Six of the 14 states in this year's field have never produced a "Turkey Night" winner: Alabama, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio and Washington. Although, Iowa was the residence of two-time winner Mel Kenyon for a period at the beginning of his career before he made his home in Lebanon, Ind.

There has never been a foreign-born winner, although Michael Pickens is highly-capable of changing that stat this year! Meanwhile, the states of Missouri and New York have had quite a hiatus from "Turkey Night" glory. Missouri's last triumphs were with Roy Russing, who went back-to-back in 1940-41. "Bullet" Joe Garson scored in 1958 as New York's lone winner.

Eighteen states have had a driver claim a "Turkey Night" victory, with California leading the way at 24. Indiana sits in second with 12, nine of which have occurred since the turn of the century. Arizona has 11, but what makes it even more impressive is that all 11 of them were accomplished by just two drivers! Ron Shuman leads all drivers with eight while Billy Boat has three. Illinois chimes in at six and Wisconsin at four.

Oddly enough, all seven states with exactly two "Turkey Night" wins have just one driver representing them as two-time winners of the race: Parnelli Jones (Arkansas), Dave Steele (Florida), Bob Swanson (Minnesota), Roy Russing (Missouri), Ronney Householder (Nebraska), Christopher Bell (Oklahoma) and A.J. Foyt (Texas).

Notching a single in the win column over the years are Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Oregon and South Dakota.

Fans come from all over to witness this event in-person too! Turkey Night tix can be purchased at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/78th-annual-turkey-night-grand-prix-tickets-42401301434?fbclid=IwAR3f5z07dJt8vp7zb46bY3wbWghCfr_naegvhVoi4OSJ0WlaXaIqpSBSfp4

On Thursday, November 22, it's a full program for the Midgets, plus semis and a feature for the USAC West Coast/VRA Sprint Cars. Pits open at 11:45am, drivers meeting at 2:45pm, front gates at 3pm and cars on track at 3:15pm. General admission tickets are $35. Reserved tickets are $45 for adults and $25 for children 12 and under. Pit passes are $50 for VRA and USAC members. $50,000 will go to a driver if he or she can win both main events.

All the action will be live on http://www.SpeedShiftTV.com/ with live audio for free on the USAC app. As always, all USAC National and Western States events will be available to view within a day following the race on http://www.Loudpedal.TV/.

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2018 TURKEY NIGHT ENTRIES (BY STATE):

ALABAMA: (1) Kevin Thomas, Jr.

ARIZONA: (3) Chad Boat, Sterling Cling & Jerry Coons, Jr.

CALIFORNIA: (33) Rico Abreu, Daniel Anderson, Kyle Beilman, Ryan Bernal, Tanner Carrick, Maria Cofer, Colby Copeland, Robert Dalby, Bryan Drollinger, Michael Faccinto, Damion Gardner, Dustin Golobic, Shane Golobic, Frankie Guerrini, Ashley Heredia, Dylan Ito, Chase Johnson, Robby Josett, Buddy Kofoid, Kyle Larson, Mike Leach, Jr., Austin Liggett, Carson Macedo, Randi Pankratz, David Prickett, Ryan Robinson, C.J. Sarna, Alex Schutte, Logan Seavey, Holly Shelton, Cody Swanson, Jake Swanson & Brad Sweet

COLORADO: (6) Blaze Bennett, Lance Bennett, Olivia Bennett, Jesse Fernandez, Carson Garrett & Chris Sheil

ILLINOIS: (1) Brayton Lynch

INDIANA: (5) Spencer Bayston, Cole Bodine, Tyler Courtney, C.J. Leary & Zeb Wise

IOWA: (1) McKenna Haase

KANSAS: (1) Tucker Klaasmeyer

MISSOURI: (1) Sam Johnson

NEVADA: (1) Tanner Thorson

NEW YORK: (1) Kevin Woody, Jr.

OHIO: (1) Sheldon Haudenschild

OKLAHOMA: (6) Brady Bacon, Christopher Bell, Grady Chandler, Michelle Decker, Holley Hollan & Jason McDougal

WASHINGTON: (2) Tristin Thomas & Colton Heath

NEW ZEALAND: (1) Michael Pickens

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1934-2017 TURKEY NIGHT WINNERS (BY STATE):

ARIZONA: (11) Billy Boat (3) & Ron Shuman (8)

ARKANSAS: (2) Parnelli Jones (2)

CALIFORNIA: (24) Dick Atkins, George Benson, Billy Cantrell, Jay Drake, Edgar Elder, Rick Goudy, Perry Grimm (2), Chuck Gurney (2), Jordan Hermansader, Brent Kaeding, Kyle Larson (2), Jason Leffler (2), Danny McKnight, Danny Oakes, Johnnie Parsons, Gary Patterson, Tony Simon, Ted Sizemore, Bill Vukovich & Bill Zaring

FLORIDA: (2) Dave Steele (2)

ILLINOIS: (6) Gary Bettenhausen (2), Tony Bettenhausen, Bubby Jones, Johnny McDowell & Kevin Olson

INDIANA: (12) Caleb Armstrong, Bryan Clauson (2), Dave Darland (2), Bobby East, Mel Kenyon (2), Warren Mockler, Michael Lewis, Tony Stewart & Billy Wease

MASSACHUSETTS: (1) Bobby Santos

MICHIGAN: (1) Sam Sessions

MINNESOTA: (2) Bob Swanson (2)

MISSOURI: (2) Roy Russing (2)

NEBRASKA: (2) Ronney Householder (2)

NEVADA: (1) Tanner Thorson

NEW YORK: (1) Joe Garson

OKLAHOMA: (2) Christopher Bell (2)

OREGON: (1) George Amick

SOUTH DAKOTA: (1) Mel Hansen

TEXAS: (2) A. J. Foyt (2)

WISCONSIN: (4) Billy Engelhart (2) & Stan Fox (2)

Big Midget Field Expected For November Classic Saturday At Bakersfield

Petry Motorsports teammates #25 Jerry Coons, Jr. and #15 Jason McDougal battle for position during the 2018 USAC P1 Insurance National Midget season. (Photo Courtesy Josh James)

By: Richie Murray - USAC Media

Bakersfield, California (November 14, 2018).........An abundance of USAC Midget racing talent will be on display in this Saturday's "November Classic" at Bakersfield Speedway as the P1 Insurance National Midgets clash with the Light Up The World Western States Midgets for the first of two times in 2018.

The field sees four past USAC National Midget champions on board for the November 17 race on the speedy 1/3-mile dirt oval, including Jerry Coons, Jr. (2006-07), Rico Abreu (2014), Tanner Thorson (2016), Spencer Bayston (2017) along with current point leader Logan Seavey.

The stacked lineup also features four additional individuals who've driven to USAC National Midget victory lane in 2018: Tyler Courtney, Brady Bacon, Zeb Wise and Chad Boat. Michael Pickens won a pair with the series in 2017, but will be making his first start of the year this Saturday. C.J. Leary has tallied wins in both the USAC Silver Crown and AMSOIL National Sprint Car series this year, but is on track to make a rare midget start this weekend in search of his first series victory.

Michael Faccinto leads the Western States contingent with a two-point lead over Alex Schutte in the standings. Faccinto was victorious at Bakersfield in June and also won in 2016, while Schutte, the 2010 Western States champ, has won twice at Bakersfield in his career during the 2009 and 2015 seasons. Cody Swanson picked up his first Western States win at Bakersfield in 2013.

Damion Gardner is a seven-time champ in USAC/CRA Sprint Cars, but he's top-flight in a midget as well, with a win under his belt at Bakersfield in 2005. Shannon McQueen and David Prickett, the 2012 overall and 2012 Western States dirt champs, respectively, are also expected entrants along with the driver who swept both nights of the midget portion of this year's "Louie Vermiel Classic" at Calistoga, Shane Golobic.

Pits open at 2pm, gates open at 4pm. Drivers meeting at 4:30pm. Cars on track at 5pm. (Pacific Time) (All Times Subject to Change). Adult general admission tickets are $16, senior and military tickets are $14, kids 6-12 are $8 and kids age 5 and under are FREE! Pit pass are $45 each.

All the action will be live on http://www.SpeedShiftTV.com/ with live audio for free on the USAC app. As always, all USAC National and Western States events will be available to view within a day following the race on http://www.Loudpedal.TV/.

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BAKERSFIELD "NOVEMBER CLASSIC" EXPECTED ENTRIES:
1p Tristin Thomas/Burlington, WA
3c Tanner Thorson/Minden, NV
4D Robert Dalby/Anaheim, CA
5 Sterling Cling/Tempe, AZ
7 Shannon McQueen/Bakersfield, CA
7BC Tyler Courtney/Indianapolis, IN
8 Randi Pankratz/Atascadero, CA
9D Michael Faccinto/Hanford, CA
9F Frankie Guerrini/San Rafael, CA
15 Jason McDougal/Broken Arrow, OK
15x Ashley Heredia/Chatsworth, CA
17BC Cole Bodine/Rossville, IN
17G Dustin Golobic/Fremont, CA
17w Shane Golobic/Fremont, CA
20 C.J. Sarna/Palm Desert, CA
24x David Prickett/Fresno, CA
25 Jerry Coons, Jr./Tucson, AZ
25x Damion Gardner/Concord, CA
27 Tucker Klaasmeyer/Paola, KS
28 Alex Schutte/Redding, CA
31 Kyle Beilman/Mar Vista, CA
35 Holley Hollan/Broken Arrow, OK
39BC Zeb Wise/Angola, IN
57 Maria Cofer/Macdoel, CA
67 Logan Seavey/Sutter, CA
67K Holly Shelton/Sacramento, CA
67z Michael Pickens/Auckland, NZ
68 C.J. Leary/Greenfield, IN
71 Ryan Robinson/Foresthill, CA
71K Tanner Carrick/Lincoln, CA
71s Cody Swanson/Norco, CA
72 Sam Johnson/St. Peters, MO
76m Brady Bacon/Broken Arrow, OK
77 Daniel Anderson/Riverside, CA
84 Chad Boat/Phoenix, AZ
97 Spencer Bayston/Lebanon, IN
97F Jesse Fernandez/Parker, CO
97K Rico Abreu/St. Helena, CA
99 Colton Heath/Marysville, WA
?? Justin Grant/Ione, CA

David Ross Motorsports Preparing For Havasu 95 Speedway



Via David Ross Motorsports PR

COLTON, CALIFORNIA (November 14, 2018) – David Ross Motorsports is excited to announce that they will compete for the 2018-19 Sigma Engineering Solutions Late Model Series championship at Havasu 95 Speedway in Lake Havasu, AZ this winter. Driver David Ross will pilot the #28 Lucas Oil / Lucas Oil Racing TV Toyota in the series.

Ross began utilizing the #28 car number as a tribute to his late father Greg. After a short break from regular action, Ross is excited to return to Havasu. The full-time campaign begins with a 100 lap race on November 24, with additional races on January 5th, February 9th, and February 23rd.

Ross has made three starts this year, first competing in his father’s memorial race on May 19th at Orange Show Speedway. The night was an emotional one for the 2010 track champion that included a strong third place finish. In June, he traveled to the state-of-the-art Kern County Raceway Park for a twin bill of NASCAR Late Model competition where he racked up a pair of fourth place finishes. His 2017 season included a win and more than half-a-dozen top-five finishes.

With renewed vigor, Ross and his family are ready to travel to Arizona to compete. He wants to thank Lucas Oil for long time support of his racing program. DRM also thanks: Swift Springs, RACECAR Factory, E.R. Block Plumbing and Max Papis Innovations.

For more information, follow David Ross Motorsports on Facebook.

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Turkey Night Don Basile Rookie Of The Race Contenders

Don Basile Rookie of the Race candidate Jason McDougal of Oklahoma. (Photo Courtesy Mike Roth)

By: Richie Murray - USAC Media

Ventura, California.........Over the years, Don Basile Rookie of the Race honors at the "Turkey Night Grand Prix" have been awarded to some of the most talented young racers in America.

Just a glance down the list will show you the names of Kasey Kahne, Dave Steele, Bobby East, Kody Swanson, Kyle Larson, Tanner Thorson, Carson Macedo and Zeb Wise as individuals who've made an impact in their first appearance at the prestigious race early in their careers before going onto achieve big things in the racing world.

This year's 78th edition of "Turkey Night" on November 22 at California's Ventura Raceway has its own share of drivers who are on the cusp of big things themselves along with a slew of drivers who've already established themselves as stars in their own disciplines outside of midget racing.

Greenfield, Indiana's C.J. Leary is one who's part of both categories, winning in both the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car and Silver Crown divisions in 2018, including a memorable drive to win the Crown finale at Eldora Speedway in September.

Jac Haudenschild was a frequent competitor at "Turkey Night," last competing in 2013, but now it's his son Sheldon's turn to take the wheel. This year, Sheldon, from Wooster, Ohio, was a five-time winner on the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car trail.

Jason McDougal, of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, became a first-time winner in USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car competition this season at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, Mo.

Rossville, Indiana's Cole Bodine nearly pulled off a stunner in July, leading 28 laps and finishing second at Sweet Springs (Mo.) Motorsports Complex in just his fourth career USAC P1 Insurance National Midget start.

Buddy Kofoid, of Penngrove, Calif., has turned heads on the west coast in winged sprint cars while fellow Penngrove native Chase Johnson and Roseville, California's Colby Copeland have each won USAC/CRA Sprint Car features in 2018. Fremont, California's Dustin Golobic made his Turkey Night debut in 2017, missing the main event, but returns for a go at his first feature start. Tempe, Arizona's Sterling Cling has a background in off-road racing and with USAC Southwest Sprints, where he finished 11th in points this year.

Sam Johnson of St. Peters, Mo. has competed regularly with the USAC National Midgets in his first year behind the wheel of a midget. Western States regulars C.J. Sarna, Kyle Beilman, Mike Leach, Bryan Drollinger and Dylan Ito represent California's Rookie crop. The Northwest contingent consists of Tristin Thomas and Colton Heath from Washington. Kevin Woody, Jr., whose unique backstory includes experience as an Army combat veteran and currently as a government bodyguard comes cross country from New York to take in his first Turkey Night experience.

The Colorado contingent brings Carson Garrett back for his second appearance and debuts by Chris Sheil, Jesse Fernandez as well as Blaze Bennett, his brother Lance Bennett and Lance's wife, Olivia Bennett.

Olivia is one of four female Turkey Night Rookies in the field, including Oklahomans Michelle Decker and Holley Hollan, and Iowan McKenna Haase.

Last year, it was Zeb Wise driving to a 5th place finish and the top Rookie honors. In 2018, he translated that into becoming a frontrunner on the USAC National Midget tour and etched his name into the record books as the youngest ever USAC National Midget feature winner. Who'll be the next to take that step from this group?

"Turkey Night" gets underway Wednesday, November 21, with Midget practice and warmups, hot laps, heats and a Fast Dash for USAC West Coast/VRA Sprint Cars. Pits open at 11:45am, drivers meeting at 2:45pm, front gates at 3pm and cars on track at 3:15pm. General admission adult tickets are $20, senior/military/students are $15 and children under 12 are free with accompanying adult. Pit passes are $40 for VRA and USAC members.

On Thursday, November 22, it's a full program for the Midgets, plus semis and a feature for the USAC West Coast/VRA Sprint Cars. Pits open at 11:45am, drivers meeting at 2:45pm, front gates at 3pm and cars on track at 3:15pm. General admission tickets are $35. Reserved tickets are $45 for adults and $25 for children 12 and under. Pit passes are $50 for VRA and USAC members. $50,000 will go to a driver if he or she can win both main events.

Turkey Night tix can be purchased at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/78th-annual-turkey-night-grand-prix-tickets-42401301434?fbclid=IwAR3f5z07dJt8vp7zb46bY3wbWghCfr_naegvhVoi4OSJ0WlaXaIqpSBSfp4

All the action will be live on http://www.SpeedShiftTV.com/ with live audio for free on the USAC app. As always, all USAC National and Western States events will be available to view within a day following the race on http://www.Loudpedal.TV/.

PAST DON BASILE TURKEY NIGHT ROOKIES OF THE RACE: 1998: Kasey Kahne, 1999: Dave Steele, 2000: Aaron Pollock, 2001: Bobby East, 2002: Jerome Rodela, 2003: Ryan Durst, 2004: Brad Loyet, 2005: Kevin Swindell, 2006: Kody Swanson, 2007: Mike Murgoitio, 2008: Nic Faas, 2009: Levi Roberts, 2010: Dalton Armstrong, 2011: Kyle Larson, 2012: Ryan Bernal, 2013: Tanner Thorson, 2014: Isaac Chapple, 2015: Robert Dalby, 2016: Carson Macedo, 2017: Zeb Wise

Monday, November 12, 2018

USAC Midgets Head West This Saturday, First Stop Bakersfield

#76m Brady Bacon - 2017 "November Classic" winner at Bakersfield. (Photo Courtesy Rich Forman)

By: Richie Murray - USAC Media

Bakersfield, California.........USAC National racing continues its adventure out west this weekend, but now the focus turns to the midgets as teams point the compass toward California's Bakersfield Speedway this Saturday, November 17, for the "November Classic," the penultimate round for both the USAC P1 Insurance National & Light Up the World Western States Midget seasons.

Brady Bacon of Broken Arrow, Okla. returns to Bakersfield as the defending winner of the "November Classic," where he led the final 24 laps to collect the victory. He's second in points this year with one season score, which came at the $15,000-to-win "BC39" at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Dirt Track in September, one of 11 different winners in 15 races this season.

Bacon trails series Rookie Logan Seavey, who carries a commanding 118-point lead in the National standings coming in and could, for all intents and purposes, lock up the title this weekend. Only two previous drivers have won the USAC National Midget championship in his Rookie season - Danny Caruthers in 1971 and Christopher Bell in 2013. Sutter, California's Seavey has won twice this year and is one of only four drivers to have multiple wins with the series in 2018.

Multi-time winners Chad Boat and Tyler Courtney run third and fourth in the standings, respectively. Phoenix, Arizona's Boat finished 12th a year ago in his first national appearance at the 1/3-mile dirt oval. His father, Billy Boat, won seven USAC Western States Midget races at Bakersfield between 1994 and 1997, including a National win there in 1995. Last Saturday, Courtney, of Indianapolis, Ind., wrapped up the closest championship race in the history of USAC with his first AMSOIL National Sprint Car title. He finished fourth at Bakersfield in 2017 in his first visit there a year ago.

Speaking of historical Rookie seasons, like Seavey, Zeb Wise of Angola, Ind. has had a memorable year, becoming the youngest driver in series history to win a feature event, in August at Lanco, after spending two months of the summer on the sidelines due to injury. The 15-year-old Clauson Marshall Racing teammate to Courtney turns a year older this Thursday. Wise made his USAC debut at Bakersfield a year ago, finishing 19th.

Spencer Bayston, the 2017 USAC National Midget champ, finished in the runner-up spot at Bakersfield in 2017. The Lebanon, Ind. native is sixth in points this year and part of a strong crop of Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian driver lineup. Along with Seavey, 2014 USAC National Midget champ Rico Abreu of St. Helena, Calif. is back in the saddle, plus teammates Tanner Carrick (Lincoln, Calif), Ryan Robinson (Foresthill, Calif.), Tucker Klaasmeyer (Paola, Kans.), Holly Shelton (Sacramento, Calif.) and Sam Johnson (St. Peters, Mo.).

Carrick was 10th a year ago, while Robinson was 7th and Shelton 22nd. Those three and newcomers, plus Klaasmeyer and Johnson, are all seeking their first career USAC National Midget wins as are Jason McDougal (Broken Arrow, Okla.) and Brayton Lynch (Springfield, Ill.). Each of this year's five Western States Midget feature winners are eager to pick up their first National Midget triumphs: Michael Faccinto (Hanford, Calif.), Alex Schutte (Redding, Calif), Damion Gardner (Concord, Calif.), Shane Golobic (Fremont, Calif.) and Jake Swanson (Anaheim, Calif.).

Faccinto led the first six laps of last season's "November Classic" before finishing 9th. He leads the Western States points by just two markers over Alex Schutte and won at Bakersfield in June. Schutte was the top of the Western States contingent in the 2017 "November Classic" feature, bringing home an 8th place result and finished 4th there this past June. Schutte (2010), David Prickett (2012 Dirt) and Shannon McQueen (2012) are past Western States champions expected to compete.

Gardner just recently collected his sixth-straight AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car crown, and seventh overall, last weekend, but is always strong whenever he straps into a midget. He was victorious at Santa Maria in August. Shane Golobic swept both nights of the "Louie Vermiel Classic" at Calistoga on Labor Day weekend. He was the hard charger last year at the "November Classic," racing from his 16th starting spot to a 6th place finish. Swanson, the 2017 West Coast Sprint Car champ, and 2nd place finisher in June at Bakersfield, won the most recent Western States race at Ventura in October.

The Bakersfield race marks the 160th combined USAC National & Western States Midget race. A Western States regular hasn't won a National race since Danny Stratton in 2007.

All the action will be live on http://www.SpeedShiftTV.com/ with live audio for free on the USAC app. As always, all USAC National and Western States events will be available to view within a day following the race on http://www.Loudpedal.TV/.

NEW USAC P1 INSURANCE MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Seavey-911, 2-Bacon-793, 3-Boat-781, 4-Courtney-773, 5-Grant-772, 6-Bayston-766, 7-Carrick-727, 8-K. Thomas-711, 9-Wise-579, 10-Robinson-544.

NEW LIGHT UP THE WORLD USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET PRESENTED BY CBD LIVING WATER POINTS: 1-Faccinto-695, 2-Schutte-693, 3-Josett-570, 4-Dalby-547, 5-Sarna-503, 6-Prickett-499, 7-Beilman-418, 8-Ronnie Gardner, McQueen & Guerrini-370.

Sunday, November 11, 2018

Thomas Repeats $25K Oval Nationals Win; Courtney Wins USAC Sprint Title On Tiebreaker

Kevin Thomas, Jr. captured his second consecutive "Oval Nationals" victory Saturday night at California's Perris Auto Speedway. (Photo Courtesy Michael Fry)

By: Richie Murray - USAC Media

Perris, California.........It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.

That about sums of the rollercoaster of emotions Kevin Thomas, Jr. and Tyler Courtney endured at the conclusion of Saturday night's Budweiser "Oval Nationals" presented by All Coast Construction at Perris Auto Speedway.

Kevin Thomas, Jr. notched his second-straight "Oval Nationals" win worth $25,000, but lost the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car championship on a tiebreaker to Tyler Courtney who gained the one spot he needed on the final lap after it appeared as if his title chances had slipped through his fingertips just moments before.

After 40 races from coast-to-coast, and 40 laps around Perris, the 2018 USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car season concluded in the most dramatic of fashion, deadlocked at the top of the standings for the first time in the 63-year history of the series. It's a record that will never be eclipsed, breaking the previous closest title race from 1965 when Johnny Rutherford defeated Greg Weld by 2.5 points.

Drama, agony, ulcers, heartbreak and, ultimately, joy were just a few of the ingredients in the mix during the final lap of the 23rd annual affair, which provided us with a nail-biter of a race on the track and on the Xcel Spreadsheet which was unlike any we've seen in recent times.

As he did Friday night, Courtney jumped out front once again at the start of the main event, although it was short-lived as Dave Darland escaped unscathed after a turn four flip on the opening lap.

On the complete restart, Courtney checked out from his outside front row starting spot while polesitter C.J. Leary cleared a charging Chase Stockon in turn two to lock up the second spot where he'd remain for much of the first half. That is until A.J. Bender became the second casualty of the young feature, flipping between turns three and four on the 14th lap before walking away under his own power.

Leary was salivating with thoughts of racing fortune when action resumed, sticking right to the bumper of Courtney until lap 16 when the two went wheel-to-wheel with Leary making the pass in turn two and narrowly leading before Courtney came right back at him for the spot on the following lap. Courtney made his move for the lead on the back straight, but Leary made a charge between three and four with Courtney just barely nipping Leary for the lead at the line this time.

On the 18th circuit, Leary was able to clear Courtney again in turn two to retake the lead and instantly began to widen the gap between he and Courtney to nearly a second and looked to be the head of the class.

With 14 laps remaining, Leary led the field entering turn one, but his ride appeared to be a handful as he wrestled with his steering wheel to get the car to turn. Courtney and Thomas, running second and third at the time, ate his lead up in the flick of a switch. Just moments later, the car of 22nd running Chris Gansen slowed to a stop at the inside of turn four to bring out the yellow. During the caution, Leary pulled into the work area to replace the right rear rubber. Though he returned to the track, his bid for a win was quashed for all intents and purposes and he'd soldier on to a 15th place finish.

That now placed the top-two in points in first and second on the track. Courtney came into the feature with a nine-point advantage and the objective was clear - finish fourth or better and the title was his regardless of what Thomas did. However, at the moment, the biggest single race payday of the year was just within reach and he was keen on putting that cherry on top of the pie with just 13 laps remaining.

Thomas worked on Courtney over the next handful of laps and, on lap 33, made his move around the outside of Courtney to grab the lead. Courtney was still in decent shape as he ran second, but one lap later, Chris Windom also scooted by and, suddenly, Courtney's title bid was in a perilous state.

With four laps remaining, Stockon slipped by the suddenly fading Courtney for third while Bacon was suddenly breathing down his neck for fourth. Courtney was able to take a deep breath for a moment during the red with three laps remaining that resulted when R.J. Johnson flipped between turns one and two from which he'd walk away.

With three to go, leader Thomas and fourth-running Courtney were locked up at the top of the standings as they stood in the moment. Courtney's role was clear. Do not let Bacon get by! However, Bacon put his ride up a lane higher than Courtney on the restart and drove around him in turn two to move into fourth and put Courtney on the outside looking in from fifth. One lap later, with 38 of the 40 laps complete, three-time "Ovals" winner Bud Kaeding slowed to a stop on the inside of turn four. The ensuing restart attempt also didn't take as Max Adams stopped at the bottom of turn two.

Two laps remained for the final round of this yearlong boxing match that's seen the point lead switch nine times among three drivers. As it stood on the lap 39 restart, Thomas was up on Courtney by three markers. Once the green flag fell, two distinct races were occurring for the race win and for fourth. Thomas held Stockon and Windom in check behind him for the race lead while Bacon handled Courtney as the field passed under the white flag.

Entering the first turn, suddenly, Bacon began to slow as his fuel tank began to run dry. Courtney was right there to capitalize and miraculously moved back into fourth and into the safe zone that he needed to be in to win the title.

Thomas finished the final lap of the final race of the season in grand fashion, winning the finale for the second consecutive season and becoming the first driver since Dave Darland in 2005-06 to win the "Oval Nationals" in successive years, while Stockon and Windom finished second and third, respectively.

"Two in a row here at the Oval Nationals! To come out of this place as the winner, that's pretty humbling," Thomas exclaimed. "It's hard whenever you get those cautions late in the race. You just have to struggle on hitting the bottom. I knew I got the lead around Sunshine running the middle. On the last lap, I saw Stockon up there and I knew with the way his stuff rolls and with the way our car was working, I just straight gave up on the bottom. I was just ripping right through the middle."

Meanwhile, Courtney clawed his way back to fourth to win the title via a tiebreaker. Both Courtney and Thomas finished with 2733 points, but Courtney's 11 victories trumped Thomas' 7, thus earning him the title in the closest points race in series history. Another 2018 champion, Damion Gardner, rounded out the top-five in the finish to collect his sixth-straight USAC/CRA Sprint Car crown and seventh overall.

Tyler Courtney won the 2018 USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car championship, equaling the number of points that Kevin Thomas, Jr. scored, but held the tiebreaker with 11 victories compared to 7 for Thomas. (Photo Courtesy Michael Fry)

"I didn't want to make it that close," Courtney said with a laugh. "We had a really good racecar tonight. It just kind of went away on us there. I couldn't stick the middle like those guys were doing, but I'd rather have luck on our side than be good sometimes. I think we had a guy upstairs looking on us tonight. We're doing all this in honor of Bryan Clauson. I'm honored to be a part of this. To come out our first year as a sprint car team and be the national champions is truly something special. It's not something many people can do, and I've got a great group behind me. I've been busting my tail to get to this step and it took a lot of people believing in me along the way. It feels like everything's paying off."

Thomas was matter of fact when it came to the title race. Just one more win - one more position, even - would have provided him just enough points toward the championship.

"For this to come all the way down to the wire and actually tie in points, that's pretty nuts," Thomas reflected. "It was a hard-fought battle all year. We tied, but he won more races. That's what got him here."

At the beginning of this season, Courtney entered new territory, exiting the TOPP Motorsports team that he had accrued so much success with over the past two seasons, to join the newly-created sprint car team owned by Tim Clauson, Richard Marshall and 1999 USAC Silver Crown champion driver Ryan Newman. The goals may have been lofty to some, but this team meant business from day one and there's no resting on their laurels according to Courtney.

"One of our goals was to be on the podium at the end of the year," Courtney remembered. "Obviously, we try to exceed our goals and we came out with 11 wins and a championship. We're going to go back to the drawing board, reset our goals, and come back and defend this title."

Contingency award winners Saturday night at Perris Auto Speedway were R.J. Johnson (Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner) Chris Windom (Competition Suspension, Inc. Second Heat Winner), Brady Bacon (Chalk Stix Third Heat Winner), Dave Darland (Indy Race Parts Fourth Heat Winner), Max Adams (Roger & Barb Tapy 13th Fastest Qualifier), Isaac Chapple (Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher), Logan Seavey (KSE Racing Products Hard Charger) and Logan Williams & Danny Faria, Jr. (Saldana Racing Products First Non-Transfers).

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USAC AMSOIL NATIONAL & CRA SPRINT CAR RACE RESULTS: November 10, 2018 - Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, California - 23rd Budweiser "Oval Nationals" presented by All Coast Construction

WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFYING: 1. Thomas Meseraull, 77m, Michael-16.626; 2. Austin Williams, 2, Jory-16.636; 3. Brady Bacon, 99, Bacon-16.649; 4. Dave Darland, 12, Ballou-16.769; 5. Jason McDougal, 19s, Reinbold/Underwood-16.810; 6. Logan Seavey, 19AZ, Reinbold/Underwood-16.823; 7. Bud Kaeding, 16, Martin-16.865; 8. Richard Vander Weerd, 10, Vander Weerd-16.904; 9. R.J. Johnson, 92, Sertich-16.907; 10. Chris Windom, 5, Baldwin-16.968; 11. Chase Johnson, 36D, Goodnight/Thomas/Curb-Agajanian-16.971; 12. Logan Williams, 5J, Jory-17.049; 13. Max Adams, 5m, Adams-17.055; 14. Danny Sheridan, 15, Johnson-17.075; 15. Jace Vander Weerd, 88, Vander Weerd-17.090; 16. Brody Roa, 91R, BR-17.158; 17. Charles Davis, Jr., 50, Davis-17.171; 18. A.J. Bender, 21, Bender-17.198; 19. Tommy Malcolm, 5x, Napier-17.206; 20. Chris Gansen, 4G, Gansen-17.216; 21. Danny Faria, Jr., 42, Cheney-17.289; 22. Isaac Chapple, 52, LNR/Chapple-17.317; 23. Austin Liggett, 83, Liggett-17.334; 24. Cody Williams, 44, Jory-17.344; 25. Josh Hodges, 74x, Hodges-17.497; 26. Randy Waitman, 90, Waitman-17.614; 27. Tye Mihocko, 5T, Mihocko-17.666; 28. Verne Sweeney, 98, Tracy-17.675; 29. Kyle Edwards, 39E, Edwards-17.699; 30. Matt McCarthy, 28m, McCarthy-17.766; 31. Jake Swanson, 34AZ, Grau/Burkhart-18.003; 32. Austin Ervine, 51, AJ-18.505; 33. Gary Marshall, Jr., 72, Marshall-19.794; 34. Frank Rodgers, 11x, Rodgers-19.942.

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS / EXTREME MUFFLERS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps, top-2 transfer to the feature) 1. R.J. Johnson, 2. Adams, 3. Davis, 4. Hodges, 5. Faria, 6. Edwards, 7. McDougal, 8. Marshall, 9. Meseraull. NT

COMPETITION SUSPENSION, INC. (CSI) / CIRCLE TRACK PERFORMANCE / ROD END SUPPLY SECOND HEAT: (10 laps, top-2 transfer to the feature) 1. Windom, 2. A. Williams, 3. Sheridan, 4. Seavey, 5. McCarthy, 6. Bender, 7. Chapple, 8. Rodgers, 9. Waitman. 2:53.25

CHALK STIX / KEIZER ALUMINUM WHEELS THIRD HEAT: (10 laps, top-2 transfer to the feature) 1. Bacon, 2. C. Johnson, 3. J. Vander Weerd, 4. Kaeding, 5. Liggett, 6. Malcolm, 7. Mihocko, 8. Swanson. 2:54.56

INDY RACE PARTS / BUTLERBUILT SEATS FOURTH HEAT: (10 laps, top-2 transfer to the feature) 1. Darland, 2. Roa, 3. C. Williams, 4. Gansen, 5. Sweeney, 6. Ervine, 7. L. Williams, 8. R. Vander Weerd. NT

BR MOTORSPORTS / KING RACING PRODUCTS SUPER SIX DASH: (6 laps, finish order sets feature lineup) 1. C.J. Leary (#30 Leary), 2. Tyler Courtney (#7BC Clauson Marshall Newman), 3. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (#69 Dynamics), 4. Chase Stockon (#32 32 TBI), 5. Justin Grant (#4 TOPP), 6. Damion Gardner (#4x Alexander). NT

COMPETITION SUSPENSION, INC. (CSI) FIRST SEMI: (12 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Hodges, 2. Seavey, 3. Liggett, 4. J. Vander Weerd, 5. Bender, 6. L. Williams, 7. Malcolm, 8. McCarthy, 9. Sweeney, 10. Sheridan, 11. Ervine, 12. R. Vander Weerd. NT

PYROTECT RACING CELLS / ROD END SUPPLY SECOND SEMI: (12 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Kaeding, 2. McDougal, 3. Chapple, 4. C. Williams, 5. Gansen, 6. Faria, 7. Edwards, 8. Mihocko, 9. Rodgers, 10. Davis. 3:31.71

FEATURE: (40 laps - starting positions in parentheses) 1. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (3), 2. Chase Stockon (4), 3. Chris Windom (8), 4. Tyler Courtney (2), 5. Damion Gardner (6), 6. Logan Seavey (15), 7. Austin Williams (14), 8. Justin Grant (5), 9. Brody Roa (10), 10. Chase Johnson (13), 11. Brady Bacon (7), 12. Danny Faria, Jr. (26), 13. Isaac Chapple (19), 14. Jace Vander Weerd (23), 15. C.J. Leary (1), 16. Logan Williams (25), 17. Chris Gansen (20), 18. Max Adams (11), 19. Bud Kaeding (18), 20. R.J. Johnson (12), 21. Cody Williams (22), 22. Jason McDougal (16), 23. Josh Hodges (17), 24. A.J. Bender (24), 25. Austin Liggett (21), 26. Dave Darland (9). NT
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**Meseraull flipped during the first heat. Gardner flipped during the Super 6 Dash. Darland flipped on the opening lap of the feature. Bender flipped on lap 14 of the feature. R.J. Johnson flipped on lap 38 of the feature.

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-15 Courtney, Lap 16 Leary, Lap 17 Courtney, Laps 18-26 Leary, Laps 27-32 Courtney, Laps 33-40 Thomas.

KSE RACING PRODUCTS / SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS / RACING OPTICS HARD CHARGER: Logan Seavey (15th to 6th)

WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Isaac Chapple

ROGER & BARB TAPY 13TH FASTEST QUALIFIER: Max Adams

SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS FIRST NON-TRANSFERS: Logan Williams & Danny Faria, Jr.

FINAL USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Courtney-2733, 2-K. Thomas-2733, 3-Windom-2651, 4-Stockon-2343, 5-Bacon-2331, 6-Leary-2328, 7-Darland-2292, 8-Grant-2290, 9-Robert Ballou-1771, 10-Chapple-1572.

FINAL AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINTS: 1-Gardner-1643, 2-Roa-1598, 3-A. Williams-1354, 4-C. Williams-1189, 5-Swanson-1173, 6-R.J. Johnson-1113, 7-Max Adams-1044, 8-L. Williams-976, 9-Faria-972, 10-Gansen-872.