By Richie Murray
Speedway, Indiana (December 23, 2020)………The 40th season of USAC Western States Midget racing gets underway in 2021 with 16 events at eight different venues spanning the Golden State of California from March to October.
Bakersfield Speedway heads the schedule with the season opening race on March 27, co-sanctioned by the Bay Cities Racing Association (BCRA), one of five such combined events between the two organizations in the coming year.
Hanford’s Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds welcomes the series twice, first on April 10 for a co-sanctioned BCRA show along with the USAC West Coast Sprint Cars, which will join the midgets for USAC doubleheaders on 12 different occasions in 2021. The second date at Hanford, on Oct. 29, will serve as the season finale and will decide the championship race.
Likewise, Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare will be the host twice for the USAC Western States Midgets, with the first on April 17 and again on June 12 for the Chris & Brian Faria Memorial, with the latter event co-sanctioned by BCRA. Both races will be supplemented with the addition of USAC West Coast Sprint Cars.
Not once, not twice, but three times in 2021, the midgets will head to Petaluma Speedway, on May 15, July 31 and Oct. 10, with the final event having co-sanctioning duties from BCRA while all three will feature a double with the USAC West Coast Sprint Cars.
Ventura Raceway’s scenic dirt oval on the beach has been an annual stop on the USAC Western States Midget tour since the 1980s. In now its fifth decade of hosting USAC events, the racy bullring will supply action for the midgets three times on June 5, Sept. 11 and Oct. 16.
Merced Speedway has continuously delivered on action-packed races each and every time. The next two opportunities arrive on July 9 and again with a BCRA co-sanctioned event on Aug. 7. Both races will have double the pleasure and double the fun with USAC West Coast Sprint Cars on the card each time.
Placerville Speedway greets the USAC Western States Midgets twice, on July 10 and an October 9 date with BCRA. Once again, both races will be doubleheaders with the USAC West Coast Sprint Cars, as is the case with the Aug. 28 Ron Otto Classic, the lone trip of the year for either series.
2021 USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGETS SCHEDULE
Mar 27: Bakersfield Speedway – Bakersfield, CA – Co-Sanctioned by BCRA
Apr 10: Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds – Hanford, CA – Co-Sanctioned by BCRA – with USAC West Coast Sprint Cars
Apr 17: Thunderbowl Raceway – Tulare, CA – with USAC West Coast Sprint Cars
May 15: Petaluma Speedway – Petaluma, CA – with USAC West Coast Sprint Cars
Jun 5: Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA
Jun 12: Thunderbowl Raceway – Tulare, CA – “Chris & Brian Faria Memorial” Co-Sanctioned by BCRA – with USAC West Coast Sprint Cars
Jul 9: Merced Speedway – Merced, CA – with USAC West Coast Sprint Cars
Jul 10: Placerville Speedway – Placerville, CA – with USAC West Coast Sprint Cars
Jul 31: Petaluma Speedway – Petaluma, CA – with USAC West Coast Sprint Cars
Aug 7: Merced Speedway – Merced, CA – Co-Sanctioned by BCRA – with USAC West Coast Sprint Cars
Aug 28: Santa Maria Raceway – Santa Maria, CA – “Ron Otto Classic” – with USAC West Coast Sprint Cars
Sep 11: Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA
Oct 9: Placerville Speedway – Placerville, CA – Co-Sanctioned by BCRA – with USAC West Coast Sprint Cars
Oct 10: Petaluma Speedway – Petaluma, CA – Co-Sanctioned by BCRA – with USAC West Coast Sprint Cars
Oct 16: Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA – with USAC West Coast Sprint Cars
Oct 29: Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds – Hanford, CA