By Robert Haugh, M&M Racing photos
Bakersfield’s Shannon McQueen was the class of the field once again, dominating the 30-lap Bay Cities Racing Association Midget feature at the 1/4-mile red clay Placerville Speedway on Saturday, June 5 in the McQueen Racing #7 Spike/Esslinger.
After taking the lead on the opening lap, McQueen dominated the field, leading all 30 laps en route to a convincing and decisive victory over a hard-charging Shane Golobic of Fremont in Doug Bock’s #26 Spike/Esslinger, Visalia’s Gregg Bragg in Dave LaMott’s #0 HotHead Engine Heaters Power Up Concrete Pumping Special Things Sheetmetal Stealth/Bob Wirth Honda, 1999 BCRA champion Matt Streeter aboard his #14jr T&T Trucking Delta Demolition Spike/Ed Pink Ford and reigning BCRA champion “Mr. Excitement” David Prickett of Fresno rounding out the Top five aboard the Neverlift Motorsports Manitowoc #15 TCR/Van Dyne.
Following the lead five to the checkers were Scott Pierovich in sixth aboard his #35 Good Guys Rod & Custom Mid Coast Transportation Spike/Bob Wirth Mopar, open wheel racing legend Jimmy Sills of Elverta aboard Dave Thurston’s #17 Spike/Esslinger, 2008 BCRA champion and current BCRA Midget points leader Nick Foster, Jr. of San Jose aboard Jim Fowler’s #1 Fowler’s Zero-Zero Motorsports’ Windows Unlimited “Blue Bayoo” Beast/Esslinger, Bakersfield’s Wink Schweitzer aboard his own #60 Stealth/Fontana and Angwin’s Britton Bock rounding out the Top ten aboard his #67 TCR/Esslinger. Sills was hoping for better results, however on the opening lap, his right rear wheel became packed with mud, unbalancing his rear suspension majorly.
Dominating her second consecutive Midget feature – Newlywed McQueen has now won her first two races back after being sidelined from a major Midget crash earlier this year at Perris Auto Speedway.
In four BCRA starts this season, Bragg has scored two wins, a second and a third place in LaMott’s mount. After charging from sixth to second in the opening five laps, Bragg was relegated back two positions on the Lap 18 restart for jumping an earlier Lap 5 restart – a controversial call made by officials.
Foster’s eighth-place finish was his worst finish of the season – having scored Top fives in all but one race in 2010.
Oakdale’s Danny Parker claimed eleventh aboard Bob Roza’s #28 Stealth/Esslinger with former BCRA car owner champion Bill Lindsey of San Carlos in twelfth aboard Stu Donaldson’s #8x Farajian Farms-Rite Way Wheels Stealth/Pontiac.
Scott Nail of Visalia claimed 13th aboard his #16 Stealth/Riolo Chevy after suffering from a flat right rear tire early in the race – which sent him to the rear of the field. Tom Doherty finished 14th in the Chris Walker-Bay Muffler #10 Stealth/Esslinger, with Pleasant Hill’s Mike Donaldson taking 15th in Stu Donaldson’s #5b Ellis/Gaerte – all one lap down from the leaders.
Chico’s Dillon Silverman’s night ended prematurely in the RAM Racing #14 Spike/RRE Chevy EcoTec after he and Doherty made contact on Lap 10 of the feature, bringing out a caution when Silverman’s smacked the wall – exiting with suspension damage.
7-time BCRA champion “Ageless Wonder” Floyd was running one of his strongest races of the season in his newly acquired #83 ex-Cliff Servetti Stealth/Gaerte when he brought out a red flag on Lap 18 after he and Prickett made contact sending Alvis into a mild flip on the backstretch.
2008 BCRA pavement Midget champion and Rookie-of-the-Year “Nitro” Nick Chivello of Manteca made his first appearance of the year aboard The Cliff Blackwell #27s Stealth/Brayton Ford Fontana. However, they battled overheating and mechanical gremlins all evening. The Chivello/Blackwell tandem plans on running the majority of BCRA’s remaining Dirt schedule.
Cody Spencer battled Mechanical gremlins all evening in Rick Young’s #14 Stealth/RRE Chevy EcoTec.
Prickett claimed Heat 1 in dominating fashion over a hard-charging fifth-starting Bragg, sixth-stating Sills, ninth-starting McQueen, tenth-starting Foster, Lindsey, Silverman, Chivello, Schweitzer and Bock.
Golobic claimed Heat 2 after rallying from his ninth (last) starting position over Nail, Streeter, Parker, Alvis, Donaldson, Doherty and Pierovich – who was black-flagged while pulling to a dominating lead after losing his muffler.
Foster maintains the 2010 BCRA Midget points lead over Nail, Silverman, Lindsey, and Alvis.
The BCRA Midgets continue their 67th season of racing in three weeks, when they make third of four 2010 appearances at the 1/3-mile Chowchilla Speedway on Saturday, June 26.
The race was the eighth of 21 total races and second of three BCRA Midget appearances at Placerville in 2010 (April 10, June 5, August 7). The race was the sixth of 13 Dirt races on the 2010 BCRA Midget schedule.
Visit www.bcraracing.com for information on the BCRA Midgets and www.placervillespeedway.com for additional information on Placerville Speedway. Please visit www.racingwest.com for racing results from throughout the West Coast.
Summary:
Feature (start): 1. McQueen (4), 2. Golobic (9), 3. Bragg (8), 4. Streeter, (5) 5. Prickett (10), 6. Pierovich (16), 7. Sills (6), 8. Foster (2), 9. Schweitzer (17), 10. Bock (18), 11. Parker (3), 12. Lindsey (11), 13. Nail (7), 14. Doherty (14), 15. Donaldson (12), 16. Alvis (1), 17. Chivello (15), 18. Silverman (13), 19. Spencer (19)-DNS
Lap leaders: 1-30 McQueen
Heat 1: 1. Prickett, 2. Bragg, 3. Sills, 4. McQueen, 5. Foster, 6. Lindsey, 7. Silverman, 8. Chivello, 9. Schweitzer, 10. Bock
Heat 2: 1. Golobic, 2. Nail, 3. Streeter, 4. Parker, 5. Alvis, 6. Donaldson, 7. Doherty, 8. Pierovich, 9. Spencer-DNS