By Robert Haugh
Continuing his stellar rookie season by winning his second American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) Pacific region Midget race at the legendary ยผ-mile Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, CA on Friday, August 20, Butte Valleyโs Travis Haugh once again piloted his grandfather Richโs #5h Maxim/Chevy to victory lane at the fabled race track.
Overtaking early race leader Tom Doherty on Lap 3, Haugh never looked back, finessing the dry, dusty, competitive track by running the low groove with a diamond pattern, rather than pushing the cushion in the high groove as Haugh has become known for.
Chasing Haugh to the checkers was young Sprint car ace Mason Moore, piloting Rick Youngโs #12 RAM Racing Spike/RRE Chevy EcoTec, usually manned by three-time ASCS Midget feature winner and ASCS Midgets Pacific region points leader Dillon Silverman of Chico, who did not attend the race, as he, along with car owner Young were enjoying the NASCAR race weekend in Bristol, Tennessee.
Following Haugh and Moore to the checkers was Cameron Parkโs Lonny Alton in Lana Altonโs #5a Stealth/Ford, Carson City, Nevadaโs J.R. Williams aboard his #74 Spike/RRE Chevy EcoTec and Elk Groveโs Tom Doherty โ who never rebounded from his Lap 4 spin in Turn 2 aboard the Walker Racing-Bay Muffler #10 Stealth/Ford.
Making just his sixth Midget start, 18-year-old Haugh is the eldest of 1987 Silver Dollar Speedway 410 Sprint Car track Champion Rick Haughโs two sons. Haugh joins Chicoโs Silverman as the only multiple-time ASCS-Pacific region Midget feature winners in 2010. Rick Young and Britton Bock have also found the winnerโs circle this year. In addition to leading both the ASCS-Pacific region and ASCS Silver Dollar Speedway points, Silverman also sits second in the Bay Cities Racing Association (BCRA) overall Midget points.
Moore claimed the Heat race over Haugh, Alton, Doherty and Williams.
The ASCS Midgets are Silver Dollar Speedwayโs newest division, calling Silver Dollar Speedway their home track this year. The race was the final of nine scheduled appearances for the ASCS Midgets at the Silver Dollar quarter-mile in 2010. Two early-season races were rained out.
The ASCS Midgets are designed to one day become to Midget racing what the 360 has become to Sprint Car racing. While it may not be the fastest class of midget racing, the division provides 90 percent of the performance at nearly 50 percent of the cost to the competitor with most teams utilizing the new Chevrolet EcoTec racing engine developed by Southern Californiaโs Revolution Racing Engines (RRE).
โThe cost control nature of this class coupled with the regular races at the famed Silver Dollar Speedway will provide a foundation to build the ASCS Midget Division in Northern California,โ says ASCS Pacific division Midget Director Young. โThere are many outlaw kart and micro drivers in the area that now have an affordable alternative to Sprint Car racing and the best track in California to race at on a Friday night,โ adds Young.
For more information on the budget-minded ASCS Midget-Pacific division, contact ASCS Midgets-Pacific region Director Rick Young at (916) 717-3122. For more information on the RRE Chevy EcoTec Midget engine, visit www.revolutionracingengines.com or call (805) 238-3930. For more information on Silver Dollar Speedway, visit the trackโs official Web site at www.silverdollarspeedway.com
Summary: Feature (start) 1. Haugh (4), 2. Moore (5), 3. Alton (2), 4. Williams (3), 5. Doherty (1)
Lap leaders: 1-2 Doherty, 3-12 Haugh
Heat: 1. Moore, 2. Haugh, 3.Alton, 4. Doherty, 5. Williams