By Robert Haugh
After a disappointing start to the season, McQueen racing is hitting their stride, claiming their third consecutive race with Top five runs – but this week was special, as McQueen Racing amassed a new track record, Heat race win and a feature victory at the Bay Cities Racing Association event at the 3/8-mile Petaluma Speedway on Saturday, August 10.
Starting sixth and taking the lead on the second lap, Oklahoma young gun Trey Marcham made his first-ever Midget win look easy in the McQueen Racing #37 Spike/Esslinger by Duane McQueen, cruising to a commanding straightaway victory in the 30-lap green-to-checker feature.
A senior Engineering student at Oklahoma University, with experience in Micro Sprints, Ford Focus Midgets, 360 non-wing Sprint Cars and asphalt Late Models, Marcham has amassed six Championships at I-44 Riverside Speedway in Newcastle, Oklahoma, as well as having claimed both the A-Class and Non-wing A-Mains at the Inaugural Donnie Ray Crawford Memorial/Race4Life in Tulsa in 2012.
After breaking her own track record in qualifying, Bakersfield’s Shannon “Lightning” McQueen scored her third consecutive Top 5 finish and second straight podium run aboard the McQueen Racing #7 Lucas Oil/Simpson Race Products Spike/Esslinger by Duane McQueen as she surged to a hard-charging third-place feature finish.
“I had an incredibly fast car this week from the time we unloaded. It was unfortunate that we started 10th in the feature as we had to work to get by some very fast cars. By the time we got out we just ran out of laps. It is so hard to come from 10th to 1st when we did not get any help with any yellows. I was hoping for a yellow for myself but as a car owner it worked out well for Trey as he got a great start and never looked back. Considering we started Monday night putting Trey’s car back together from his incident at Watsonville in July it was nice to have good finishes with both cars as a reward,” stated McQueen.
Starting strong by moving from sixth to claim the win in Heat 1, McQueen was poised to contend for the win in the feature, though her work was cut out for her, starting from the tenth position, having pulled a 10-pill inversion. Methodically filtering through the field, McQueen marched forward, picking off cars high and low, moving into third place on Lap 13, setting her sight on the leaders – teammate Marcham in the lead and second-place Greg Bragg, but couldn’t catch the leaders in the green-to-checkers feature.
Thus far in 2013, McQueen has three fast time awards and eight top-10 finishes and sits fourth in the USAC-Western States Midget overall and Dirt standings.
McQueen became the first woman to win a BCRA Midget championship in 2011 when she claimed the BCRA Dirt Midget crown, then claimed the 2012 USAC-Western States Midget championship, amassing four Heat race wins, nine Top 5 runs, three fast time awards and 13 Top 10s in 2012. McQueen also holds five track records at the 99 Dirt Track in Stockton, Calistoga Speedway, Petaluma Speedway, Silver Dollar Speedway and Orange Show Speedway.
McQueen is also the first female owner to boast a win with a female driver when Oklahoma’s Michelle Decker won a USAC Western States Midget Feature in April 2012 at McQueen’s home track of Bakersfield Speedway at the helm of one of McQueen’s potent Spike/Esslinger entries.
McQueen Racing would like to thank all of our wonderful sponsors: Lucas Oil Products, Simpson Race Products, Eibach Springs, DMI, Rod End Supply, K&N Filters, Advanced Racing Suspensions, MPD, Ruth Engineering, Jet-Hot Performance Coatings, Butler Built Seating Systems, Schoenfeld Headers, American Fabrication, West Evans Motorsports, Western Open Wheel Racing News and Esslinger Racing Engines by Duane McQueen.
McQueen Racing has dedicated the entire 2013 season to Kenny Speck, a McQueen Racing team member who lost his life earlier this year.
Visit www.shannonmcqueen.com for more information on McQueen Racing.
Select Coatings, RD Marcham Energy, Inc., Simpson Racing Products, Pinnacle Energy Services, Best Western Tulsa Airport, Metals Supermarket Oklahoma City, J & B Digital Graphics and Mud-X support Marcham.
Visit http://marchamracing.com/ for more information on Trey Marcham.