By Robert Haugh
The famed Bay Cities Racing Association “Mighty Midgets” continues its 67th season of racing this Saturday, April 10 when they travel to the Sierra gold country at the smooth and fast 1/4-mile red clay Placerville Speedway at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds in Placerville, CA.
Expected entries include a plethora of past champions and race winners including open wheel racing legend and National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Jimmy Sills aboard Dave Thurston’s #17 Spike/Esslinger, 2008 BCRA Midget champion and current BCRA Midget points leader “Young Lion” Nick Foster, Jr. of San Jose aboard Jim Fowler’s Zero-Zero Motorsports’ #1 “Blue Bayoo” Beast/Esslinger, 7-time BCRA Midget champion “Ageless Wonder” Floyd Alvis of San Carlos aboard his #18a Champion Automotive Stealth/Wesmar Gaerte, 1999 BCRA Midget champion Matt Streeter of Lodi in his #14jr T&T Trucking-Delta Demolition Spike/Fontana Rhino, multiple time BCRA Midget feature winner Scott Nail of Visalia aboard his own #16 Stealth/Riolo Chevy, BCRA season opening race winner (Chowchilla March 28) Scott Pierovich in his #35 Good Guys Rod & Customs-Mid Coast Transportation Spike/Bob Wirth Mopar, Former Silver Dollar Speedway 410 Sprint Car track champion and multiple time Sprint Car and Midget feature winner Rick Haugh, Jr. aboard father Rich’s #5h Maxim/Gaerte and former BCRA car owner champion Bill Lindsey of San Carlos in Stu Donaldson’s #8x Farajian Farms-Rite Way Wheels Stealth/Pontiac.
Nail dominated the first half of the BCRA season opener at Chowchilla two weeks ago before dropping out with a battery issue. Foster is coming off a second-place finish last week on pavement at Shasta Raceway Park. Foster has had his share of ups and downs at Placerville, including a couple of violent flips, to setting fast time, Heat wins and several Top 10s. Sills finished third in his only Midget appearance last August at Placerville, while Pierovich has claimed two third-place finishes and a second-place run at the famous red-clay oval – however, a win has eluded Pierovich thus far in Placerville. Streeter claimed fast time last August, and scored a win and second-place run at the bullring oval in 2008.
Other top entries include Bakersfield’s Sean Dodenhoff in his own #9d Spike/Fontana Rhino, Atascadero’s Randi Pankratz in her Edmunds AutoResearch/Fontana Rhino, Cameron Beard aboard Dave LaMott’s #0 HotHead Engine Heaters Stealth/Bob Wirth Honda, Pleasanton’s Pete Davis aboard his #00 HotHead Engine Heaters Stealth/Esslinger, Chico’s Dillon Silverman in the RAM Motorsports #12 Stealth/RRE Chevy EcoTec, Tom Doherty in the Chris Walker-Bay Muffler #10 Stealth/Esslinger, Ryan Shupe in the Chris Walker-Bay Muffler #10x Stealth/Esslinger, Cameron Park’s Lonny Alton in Lana Alton’s #5a Stealth/SCREAM SuperFocus, Danny Parker aboard Bob Roza’s #28 Stealth/Esslinger, Angwin’s Britton Bock aboard his own #67 TCR/Esslinger, Shingle Springs’ Rick Young aboard the RAM Racing #14 Spike/RRE Chevy EcoTec, Carson City, Nevada’s J.R. Williams aboard his #74 Stealth/RRE Chevy EcoTec and Quincy’s Cole Peard aboard his #58 Twister F5/Fontana Rhino.
Davis placed third at the BCRA opener two weeks ago, while the LaMott mount claimed second with Greg Bragg behind-the-wheel. Bragg will be competing in Sprint Car action in Southern California this weekend. Pankratz scored a pair of Top-five finishes at Placerville last year.
The race will be the third of 21 total races and first of three BCRA Midget appearances at Placerville in 2010. The race is the second of 13 Dirt races on the 2010 BCRA Midget schedule.
Joining the Midgets on Saturday will be the BCRA Midget Lites, Wingless Sprints and Pure Stocks. Grandstands open at 5 p.m, with qualifying at 6 p.m. and first races starting at 6:30 p.m.
Visit www.placervillespeedway.com for information on Placerville Speedway and www.bcraracing.com for information on the BCRA Midgets.