By Dick Jordan
USAC Ignite Midget action takes place at two Indiana venues this week. Friday night’s race is at Gas City I-69 Speedway in conjunction with the opening race of USAC’s “Indiana Sprint Week.” Saturday night’s race is at the Montpelier Motor Speedway. Ross Rankine sits atop the Midwest Ignite Dirt standings entering the two races.
Drivers Nick Hamilton, Michael Fanelli and Garrett Peterson earned victories in last week’s Ignite action.
Peterson, of West Sacramento, Calif., won a pair of Western 30-lappers at Stockton (Calif.) 99 Speedway. The wins kept him undefeated in Stockton events this year, now having strung together eight consecutive feature triumphs! In the first feature he led all 30 laps to beat Tyler Edwards, Ricky Bowers, Sheldon Didinger and Collin Milroy. In the nightcap he passed Molly Helmuth on lap nine and led the final 22 laps to beat Helmuth, Didinger, Edwards and Bowers.
Fanelli, of Rio Rancho, N.M., won last Tuesday night’s 30-lap Western feature at the Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway Bullring. He led the first 13 and final 13 laps to beat Bryant Dawson, Chris Lamb, Katlynn Leer and Austin Blair. Winn Frazin led laps 14-17.
Friday night’s 25-lap “Plymouth Palooza” Midwest feature at Plymouth (Ind.) Speedway went to Nick Hamilton of Danville, Ind. He trailed Gage Walker until Walker and Sam McGhee were involved in a tangle, then led the final five laps for the win. Midwest Pavement point leader Cooper Clouse finished second ahead of Ross Rankine, Davey Hamilton Jr. and Walker.
Saturday night’s “Plymouth Palooza” dirt race was cancelled due to extreme heat and temperatures in the 105-degree range which were expected to adversely affect engines and track conditions.
2012 USAC MIDWEST IGNITE PAVEMENT POINT STANDINGS
1-Cooper Clouse-457, 2-Gage Walker-441, 3-Ross Rankine-416, 4-Davey Hamilton Jr.-405, 5-Ryan Krachun-391, 6-Sam McGhee-350, 7-Joey Greening-289, 8-Tyler Shullick-261, 9-Toby Alfrey-238, 10-Austin Nemire-220.
2012 USAC MIDWEST IGNITE DIRT POINT STANDINGS
1-Ross Rankine-393, 2-Toby Alfrey-333, 3-Cooper Clouse-329, 4-Stratton Briggs-298, 5-Sam McGhee-288, 6-Katlynn Leer-274, 7-Joey Greening-221, 8-Tyler Shullick-211, 9-Kent Kriegbaum-175, 10-Adam Thomason-144.
2012 USAC WESTERN PAVEMENT IGNITE POINT STANDINGS
1-Garrett Peterson-498, 2-Ricky Bowers-449, 3-Tyler Edwards-438, 4-Sheldon Didinger-420, 5-Molly Helmuth-406, 6-Bryant Dawson-369, 7-Winn Frazin-335, 8-Michael Fanelli-331, 9-Marina Turner-272, 10-George Blacker-268.
2012 USAC EASTERN IGNITE POINT STANDINGS
1-Jared Irvan-277, 2-Nic Davidson-217, 3-Tyler Corriher-217, 4-Chris Lamb-214, 5-Michael Fanelli-160, 6-Orry Hunte-156, 7-Calvin Carroll-146, 8-Bradley Riethmeyer-135, 9-Ryan Krachun-128, 10-Matthew Lindstrom-112,