By Dick Jordan
Only three USAC National races remain on the 2012 calendar and two are scheduled this weekend when the “Western Classic” unfolds for the USAC Mopar National Midget Series at Canyon Speedway Park in Peoria, Ariz.
Newly-crowned USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car Champion Bryan Clauson continues his drive to a third consecutive USAC National Drivers Championship, holding a 74-point margin over Tracy Hines entering this weekend’s races. Dave Darland, the idle Levi Jones and Darren Hagen round out the “top-5” in the latest standings.
Clauson won Friday night’s “Budweiser Oval Nationals” feature at Perris, Calif., while Hines posted a second and fourth in the two Perris races. Darland had a third and fifth, while Jon Stanbrough, who jumped from seventh to sixth in the new points had a second and third in the two Perris main events.
The 2012 USAC National calendar concludes November 22 in the “Turkey Night Grand Prix” Mopar National/Western Midget race at Perris.
2012 USAC National Drivers Championship Standings
1-Bryan Clauson-1,102, 2-Tracy Hines-1,028, 3-Dave Darland-1,016, 4-Levi Jones-974, 5-Darren Hagen-959, 6-Jon Stanbrough-956, 7-Jerry Coons Jr.-932, 8-Chris Windom-916, 9-Damion Gardner-866, 10-Robert Ballou-843.