By Lance Jennings
DECEMBER 24, 2021… USAC Western States Midget Series Director Stephanie Odom has announced the 2022 schedule. At press time, the “mighty midgets” will feature twelve (12) races at eight (8) different racetracks. There are three dates to be announced as Odom looks for more shows to be added to the calendar. The season opens at Thunderbowl Raceway (Tulare, CA) on March 4th and the champion will be crowned at The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park (Bakersfield, CA) on October 15th.
Steve Faria’s Thunderbowl Raceway will host two dates on the schedule. The March 4 season opener and the April 2 “Chris and Brian Faria Memorial” will also showcase the AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Cars. Last April, Austin Liggett became the tenth different winner at the lightning fast 1/3-mile oval. The 1-lap track record of 15.628 was set by Bryan Clauson on November 13, 2010. Thunderbowl Raceway is located at the Tulare County Fairgrounds at the corner of Bardsley and K Streets in Tulare, California. For more information, visit thunderbowlraceway.com or call 559.688.0909.
Promoted by Peter Murphy, the Keller Auto Speedway has one race on the schedule. Working in conjunction with nearby Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, the March 5th show will also feature the AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Cars. Last year, Mitchel Moles, Brody Fuson, and Michael Faccinto joined the winner’s list at the Kings County Fairgrounds. 1995 Champion, Billy Boat continues to lead all drivers with six wins at the 3/8-mile oval and Ronnie Day’s 1-lap record of 15.555 was set on October 3, 1998. Keller Auto Speedway is located at 801 South 10th Street in Hanford, California and for more details, visit kellerautospeedway.com.
Located at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds, Placerville Speedway has two shows on the calendar. Promoted by Scott Russell and Kami Arnold, the 1/4-mile oval will host the March 26 “Spring Fever Frenzy” and the May 7 “Mother’s Day Madness.” Last July, Austin Liggett added his name to the winner’s list which is led by “Sugar” Shane Golobic with two victories. The series’ 1-lap track record of 11.979 at Placerville was set by Dillon Welch on November 19, 2019. Placerville Speedway is located at 100 Placerville Drive in Placerville, California and for more information, visit placervillespeedway.com or call 530.344.7592.
Promoted by Scott Schweitzer, Bakersfield Speedway will host one dates on the schedule. “The West’s Fastest 1/3-Mile High Banked Clay Oval” will feature the “mighty midgets” on April 16. Last March, Chase Johnson raced to victory as former champions Robby Flock and Sleepy Tripp lead all drivers with eight Bakersfield victories. The series’ 1-lap track record of 12.339 was posted by Ricky Shelton on June 21, 1997. Bakersfield Speedway is located at 5001 North Chester Extension in Bakersfield, California and for more details, visit bakersfieldspeedway.com or call 661.393.3373.
Located at the Merced County Fairgrounds, Merced Speedway has two events on the calendar. Promoted by Chris Shannon and Paul Stone, the 1/4-mile oval will host the April 24 and June 18 shows. Last season, brothers Chase and Colby Johnson took their first checkered flags at Merced, joining Austin Liggett, Robert Dalby, Thomas Meseraull, and Tanner Thorson. NASCAR Champion Kyle Larson posted the USAC Western States 1-lap track record of 11.838 on November 21, 2020. Merced Speedway is located at 900 Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Merced, California and for more information, visit mercedspeedway.net or call 209.600.8382.
Promoted by Rick Faeth, Petaluma Speedway will feature one date on the 2022 schedule. The USAC Western States Midgets will tackle “The Fastest 3/8-mile Dirt Oval in Northern California” on July 23. Last season, “Fireball” Maria Cofer and Brody Fuson raced to victory at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds. Cofer tied former champions Ronnie Gardner and Alex Schutte with three Petaluma wins and Gardner’s 1-lap track record of 14.200 was set on October 5, 2013. Petaluma Speedway is located at 100 Fairgrounds Drive in Petaluma, California and for more information, visit petaluma-speedway.com or call 707.763.7223.
Located at the Ventura County Fairgrounds, Ventura Raceway has two events on the schedule. Promoted by Jim Naylor, “The Best Little Dirt Track in America” will host the August 27 and September 24 shows. Last year, Ben Worth, Hayden Williams, and Jake Andreotti won at the seaside 1/5-mile oval. Multi-time champion Sleepy Tripp leads all drivers with eighteen wins at Ventura and the 1-lap track record of 11.675 was posted by Johnny Cofer on November 18, 1995. Ventura Raceway is located at 10 West Harbor Boulevard in Ventura, California and for more details, visit venturaraceway.com or call 805.648.RACE.
The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park (KCRP) in Bakersfield, California will make their debut on the USAC Western States Midget schedule. The 2022 champion will be crowned at the fast 1/3-mile oval at the October 15 “Championship Night.” The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park is located at 13500 Raceway Blvd. at the intersection of Interstate 5 and Enos Lane. For more information, visit kernraceway.com or call 661.835.1264.
If you or your company would like to become part of the series, email Stephanie Odom at Odom.Stephanie@me.com or Lance Jennings at lwjennings@earthlink.net.
For more information on the USAC Western States Midget Series, visit the United States Auto Club (USAC) website at 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.
FloRacing.com has live, flag-to-flag coverage of the USAC Western States Midget Series. You can catch the action by subscribing to FloRacing on a monthly or yearly basis to view their huge catalog of live and on-demand auto racing and sporting events.
———————————————–
USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET CHAMPIONS: 1982-Jeff Heywood, 1983-Sleepy Tripp, 1984-Tommy White, 1985-Sleepy Tripp, 1986-Robby Flock, 1987-Sleepy Tripp, 1988-Sleepy Tripp, 1989-Robby Flock, 1990-Sleepy Tripp, 1991-Sleepy Tripp, 1992-Sleepy Tripp, 1993-Robby Flock, 1994-Johnny Cofer, 1995-Billy Boat, 1996-Jay Drake, 1997-Ricky Shelton, 1998-Rick Hendrix, 1999-Marc DeBeaumont, 2000-Wally Pankratz, 2001-Danny Ebberts, 2002-Robby Flock, 2003-Steve Paden, 2004-Johnny Rodriguez, 2005-Jerome Rodela, 2006-Jerome Rodela, 2007-Johnny Rodriguez, 2008-Nic Faas, 2009-Garrett Hansen, 2010-Alex Schutte, 2011-Cory Kruseman, 2012-Shannon McQueen, 2013-Ronnie Gardner, 2014- Ronnie Gardner, 2015-Ronnie Gardner, 2016-Ronnie Gardner, 2017-Ronnie Gardner, 2018-Michael Faccinto, 2019-Robert Dalby, 2020-NO AWARD, 2021-Blake Bower.
2022 USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET SCHEDULE
March 4: Thunderbowl Raceway – Tulare, CA
March 5: Keller Auto Speedway – Hanford, CA
March 26: Placerville Speedway – Placerville, CA (Spring Fever Frenzy)
April 2: Thunderbowl Raceway – Tulare, CA (Chris & Brian Faria Memorial)
April 16: Bakersfield Speedway – Bakersfield, CA
April 23: Merced Speedway – Merced, CA
May 7: Placerville Speedway – Placerville, CA (Mother’s Day Madness)
May 21: TBA
June 18: Merced Speedway – Merced, CA
July 23: Petaluma Speedway – Petaluma, CA
August 13: TBA
August 27: Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA
September 24: Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA
October 1: TBA
October 15: The Dirt Track at KCRP – Bakersfield, CA (Championship Night)
———————————————–
* = Co-Sanctioned Event with BCRA Midgets.
TBA = To Be Announced.
This schedule is subject to change.