By Robert Haugh
The famed Bay Cities Racing Association “Mighty Midgets” will soon be opening their 67th season of racing on Sunday, March 28 at the smooth and fast 1/3-mile Chowchilla Speedway in Chowchilla.
The 21-race slate for the fabled Midget organization is split between eight unique racetracks, with races scheduled on both Pavement and Dirt.
On Dirt, the Midgets return to Placerville Speedway three times (April 10, June 5 w/ Golden State Challenge and August 7 Hall of Fame), Marysville Raceway Park three times (April 17, May 29 and August 28), Petaluma Speedway (August 14 Open Wheel Madness), plus see their long-awaited return to Chico’s Silver Dollar Speedway for two races (Friday August 6 and Wednesday September 8 Gold Cup), as well as finding their way to the newly revamped Chowchilla Speedway four times (Sunday March 28, Saturdays May 1, June 26 and October 30 Pumpkin Cup) for a total of 13 Dirt races at four different Dirt tracks.
On Pavement, the Midgets return to Shasta Raceway Park (Anderson, CA) for three races (April 3, July 3 “Anderson Explodes” and September 25 Pop Porter Memorial), Madera Speedway for three races (May 8 Vukovich Classic, July 17 Pombo Classic and September 18 Harvest Classic) and Lakeport Speedway for two events (July 24 and October 16 October Classic), totaling eight pavement events at three different paved tracks.
Expected 2010 BCRA championship contenders include 2008 BCRA champion “Yong Lion” Nick Foster, Jr. of San Jose, Quincy’s Cole Peard, 7-time BCRA champion “Ageless Wonder” Floyd Alvis of San Carlos, 2008 pavement Midget champion and BCRA Rookie-of-the-Year “Nitro” Nick Chivello of Manteca, multiple-time feature winner Scott Nail of Visalia, Chico’s Dillon Silverman and Cameron Park’s Lonnie Alton. BCRA President and longtime Midget Lite competitor Rick Holbrook of Vacaville hopes to complete his #22 Midget in time to compete for both the Midget championship, as well as Rookie-of-the-Year honors.
Reigning BCRA champion “Mr. Excitement” David Prickett of Fresno intends to compete at a number of selected BCRA races, but will not be vying to become back-to-back BCRA Midget champion.
Highlights of the 2010 BCRA Midget season include the Mighty Midgets’ return to Silver Dollar Speedway, where the Midgets have not competed in 15 years. The Midgets will visit the famed ¼-mile oval on Friday, August 6 and Wednesday, September 8 on the opening night of the prestigious 57th Annual Gold Cup Race of Champions.
Other highlights on the Midget campaign include the 23rd Annual Jack London Bash Picnic and Hall of Fame, which annually honors BCRA’s fabled history, taking place on Saturday, August 7 at Placerville Speedway, the afternoon preceding the evening’s racing program.
National Sprint Car Hall of Fame member and racing legend Jimmy Sills of Elverta, who won the last two Midget races at Silver Dollar Speedway will be wheeling the #17 TNT Racesports Dave Thurston Spike/Esslinger at selected BCRA Midget Dirt events, including the Gold Cup – which Sills won the Midget portions in both 1995 and 1996.
The BCRA Midget Lites (www.bcraml.com) will be opening their 17th season with the Midgets on April 10 at Placerville. The Lites have 18 races on their slate, all on Dirt with Wing and Non-Wing events scheduled for Placerville Raceway, Marysville Raceway Park, Chowchilla Speedway, Antioch Raceway and Petaluma Speedway.
The Lites will join their “big brothers” the Midgets at five events during the season: April 10 at Placerville, June 26 at Chowchilla, August 7 at Placerville for the Hall of Fame race, August 14 at Petaluma for Open Wheel Madness and October 30 at Chowchilla for the Pumpkin Cup. The Lites also join the Gold State Challenge series on August 21 at Placerville.
The BCRA Vintage Midgets’ schedule is highlighted by the third annual California Vintage Nationals at Shasta Raceway Park in Anderson on Memorial Day weekend, May 29-30. The Vintage Midgets also have additional dates with the contemporary Midgets at Marysville Raceway Park (April 17 and August 28) Shasta Raceway Park (September 25), Lakeport Speedway (July 24), Madera (September 18) and a stand-alone event at Orland Raceway (June 26).
The newly formed ASCS2/BCRA Midget series is slated to compete eight times at Chico’s Silver Dollar Speedway (Fridays April 23, May 7 and 14, June 11 and 25, Saturday July 3, Friday July 23 and Friday August 20) and will also join the contemporary Midgets, giving them a total of 28 total races in Northern California for 2010. The RRE Chevy EcoTec sealed engines, as well as the former SCREAM Ford Focus and SCREAM SuperFocus engines power the ASCS Midgets. All are factory sealed, electronically controlled, fuel-injected DOHC, cost-efficient engines.
Visit www.bcraracing.com for additional information on the Bay Cities Racing Association Midgets, Midget Lites, Vintage Division and new ASCS2 Midgets series.
2010 BCRA Midget Schedule
28-Mar Chowchilla Speedway Chowchilla, Dirt, 1/3-mile
3-Apr Shasta Raceway Park Anderson Pave, 3/8-mile
10-Apr Placerville Speedway – Dirt ¼-mile
17-Apr Marysville Raceway Park, Marysville, Dirt 1/4-mile
1-May Chowchilla Speedway
8-May Madera Speedway. Madera, Pave 3/8-mile
29-May Marysville Raceway Park
5-Jun Placerville Speedway
26-Jun Chowchilla Speedway
3-Jul Shasta Raceway Park
17-Jul Madera Speedway
24-Jul Lakeport Speedway Lakeport Pave 1/4
6-Aug Silver Dollar Speedway
7-Aug Placerville Speedway – Hall of Fame Picnic
14-Aug Petaluma Speedway
28-Aug Marysville Raceway Park
8-Sep Silver Dollar Speedway – Wed. Night of Gold Cup Week
18-Sep Madera Speedway – Harvest Classic
25-Sep Shasta Raceway Park -Pop Porter Memorial
16-Oct Lakeport Speedway – October Classic
30-Oct Chowchilla Speedway – Pumpkin Cup