By Lance Jennings
HANFORD, CA – OCTOBER 9, 2021… Starting seventh, Brody Fuson (Bakersfield, CA) took command on the sixth lap from Blake Bower and held off several challenges to score the Saturday night victory at Keller Auto Speedway. Driving Rusty Carlile’s #51 Race Pa Motorsports / W.E. Spike, Fuson’s 20-lap BCRA co-sanctioned win marked his second USAC Western States Midget triumph of the campaign. Fast qualifier Chase Johnson, Jake Andreotti, hard charger Jade Avedisian, and point leader Bower followed Brody to the checkered flags.
Before winning the “Morrie Williams Memorial / Kenny Takeuchi Tribute,” Fuson qualified eleventh overall out of the fifteen car roster and won the night’s Extreme Mufflers First Heat Race. During the feature, the Bakersfield driver found the bottom groove to his liking on the technical surface and raced to victory. Brody Fuson heads to Ventura ranked second in the point standings, just 39 markers behind fellow rookie contender Blake Bower.
In Woodland Auto Display Qualifying, Chase Johnson (Penngrove, CA) earned his third fast time of the season. Making his first start in Bill Buckley’s #7NZ Buckley Systems / Esslinger Engineering Bullet, Johnson ran second to Fuson in his heat race and the main event after challenging for the top spot. In limited appearances, Chase has climbed to fifth in the point standings.
Jake Andreotti (Castro Valley, CA) returned to USAC Western States action and won the night’s Competition Suspension Incorporated / Rod End Supply Second Heat Race. Racing the Pete Davis owned #00 Hot Head Competition Heaters / Buchannan Automotive Stealth, Andreotti was eighth quick in time trials and finished third in the main event. As this writing goes to press, the rookie contender is twentieth in the point chase.
In her first career USAC Western States Midget start, Jade Avedisian (Clovis, CA) earned the night’s Rod End Supply Hard Charger Award with a fourth place run from eleventh. Driving Dean Alexander’s #5K Walker Air Filtration / WFX Spike, Avedisian qualified tenth overall and finished second to Andreotti in her heat race. Jade left the Kings County Fairgrounds ranked thirty-fourth in points.
By virtue of his thirteenth place finish, Dylan Bloomfield (Oakley, CA) claimed the night’s Wilwood Disc Brakes “Lucky 13 Award.” Piloting Bobby Brown’s #14JR T&T Trucking / Simpson Race Products Spike, Bloomfield was fourteenth quick overall and scored fifth in his heat race. In limited action, the Wingless Spec Sprint graduate is twenty-sixth in championship points.
Officials with the USAC Western States Midget Series want to give special thanks to Walker Performance Filtration, Superior Bearing and Supply, Hoosier Tire West, drivewfx.com Trucking, and Wireless 101 for their additional sponsorship at Hanford.
Next Saturday, October 16th, the USAC Western States Midgets will battle at Ventura Raceway (Ventura, CA). The USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Cars will join the action packed card at the Ventura County Fairgrounds for their final point race of the season.
The USAC Western States Midget Series thanks AMSOIL, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Extreme Mufflers, FloRacing.com, Hoosier Racing Tire, Loudpedal Productions, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Ultra Shield Race Products, Wilwood Disc Brakes, and Woodland Auto Display for their support.
For more information on the series, visit usacracing.com and the social media for USAC Racing. You can also find exclusive content on the USAC Western States Midget Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.
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USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET SERIES RACE RESULTS: October 9, 2021 – Keller Auto Speedway – Hanford, California – “Morrie Williams Memorial / Kenny Takeuchi Tribute” – co-sanctioned with Bay Cities Racing Association (BCRA)
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFICATONS: 1. Chase Johnson, 7NZ, Buckley-16.594; 2. Shannon McQueen, 7, McQueen-16.789; 3. Colby Johnson, 17K, Morris-16.939; 4. C.J. Sarna, 20, Sarna-16.987; 5. Kyle Beilman, 31B, Beilman-17.229; 6. Blake Bower, 9, Boscacci-17.249; 7. Jarrett Soares, 12, Soares-17.250; 8. Jake Andreotti, 00, Davis-17.297; 9. Matt Streeter, 14, Graunstadt-17.321; 10. Jade Avedisian, 5K, Alexander-17.373; 11. Brody Fuson, 51, Carlile-17.461; 12. Ron Hazelton, 15, Hazelton-18.032; 13. Michael Snider, 6K, Snider-18.726; 14. Dylan Bloomfield, 14JR, Brown-NT; 15. Michael Faccinto, 7J, Campbell-NT.
EXTREME MUFFLERS FIRST HEAT: (6 laps) 1. Fuson, 2. Ch.Johnson, 3. Co.Johnson, 4. Streeter, 5. Soares, 6. Beilman, 7. Snider. NT
COMPETITION SUSPENSION INC. / ROD END SUPPLY SECOND HEAT: (6 laps) 1. Andreotti, 2. Avedisian, 3. McQueen, 4. Bower, 5. Bloomfield, 6. Hazelton, 7. Sarna. NT.
FEATURE: (20 laps, With Starting Positions) 1. Brody Fuson (7), 2. Chase Johnson (6), 3. Jake Andreotti (2), 4. Jade Avedisian (11), 5. Blake Bower (3), 6. Jarrett Soares (10), 7. Kyle Beilman (9), 8. Matt Streeter (1), 9. Colby Johnson (4), 10. Shannon McQueen (5), 11. C.J. Sarna (8), 12. Michael Snider (13), 13. Dylan Bloomfield (14), 14. Ron Hazelton (12). NT.
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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Lap 1 Streeter, Laps 2-5 Bower, Laps 6-20 Fuson.
ROD END SUPPLY HARD CHARGER: Jade Avedisian (11th to 4th)
WILWOOD DISC BRAKES LUCKY 13 AWARD: Dylan Bloomfield
NEW USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET POINTS: 1-Blake Bower-727, 2-Brody Fuson-696, 3-C.J. Sarna-588, 4-Austin Liggett-549, 5-Chase Johnson-384, 6-Jarrett Soares-382, 7-Shannon McQueen-374, 8-Ben Worth-351, 9-David Prickett-334, 10-Ron Hazelton-295.
NEXT USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET RACE: October 16 – Ventura Raceway – Ventura, California