By Lance Jennings
MAY 3, 2022… This Saturday, May 7th, the USAC Western States and Bay Cities Racing Association (BCRA) Midgets will battle for bragging rights at Placerville Speedway (Placerville, California). Promoted by Scott Russell and Kami Arnold, the “Mother’s Day Madness” is the third round of the four race Elk Grove Ford Mini Series. The action packed card will also feature Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Mini Trucks, and BCRA Lightning Sprints. Located on the El Dorado County Fairgrounds, the Pit Gates will open at 12:00PM, the Front Gates open at 3:00PM, with Racing scheduled at 6:30PM. For more information, visit the track’s website at placervillespeedway.com or call 530.344.7592.
For those that cannot travel to the races, floracing.com will broadcast a live stream of the night’s action over the internet.
NOTICE TO RACERS:
– MEMBERSHIPS / TEMPORARY PERMITS: All racers MUST PURCHASE their USAC license / membership or temporary permit online PRIOR TO THE EVENT at usaclicense.com or usacracing.com. TPs are $25 and Memberships are $150. Season memberships come with extra insurance.
– ENTRY FEE: There is an entry fee due at registration / pill pick.
– TRANSPONDERS: Transponders ARE MANDATORY and will be available to rent.
– APPROVED/LEGAL MUFFLERS: B&B: FRAC-0375-S w/side outlet, COAST FABRICATION: 300x625x17-2s, 350x625x17-2s, 400x625x17-2s, EXTREME: 3515-3030 (15″ Long 5″ round shell with 3″inlet & 3″ outlet), 3615-3030 (15″ Long 6″ round shell with 3″ inlet & 3″ outlet), 3515-3030-8 (15″ Long 5″ round shell with 3″inlet & 3″ outlet with turnout), 3615-3030-8 (15″ Long 6″ round shell with 3″ inlet & 3″ outlet with turnout), FLOWMASTER: (BCRA Approved) 13009130, 13509130, 13509135, SCHOENFELD: 14272535, 14272730-78 *Failure to comply with the muffler rule will risk disqualification from the event.
– ONE WAY RADIOS / RACECEIVERS: One way radios ARE MANDATORY.
– FULL CONTAINMENT SEATS: Full containment seats ARE MANDATORY.
– RULE BOOK: The USAC Western States Midget Rule Book can be found online at usacracing.com.
– California state protocol calls for competitors, crews, officials, and anyone on the grounds to practice safe social distancing, proper sanitizing, and follow local regulations regarding the COVID-19 Coronavirus.
Since October 11, 1996, nine USAC Western States Midget events have been held at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds. “The Professor” Jimmy Sills claimed the inaugural victory and “Sugar” Shane Golobic leads all drivers with two Placerville wins. When the series last visited the 1/4-mile oval on March 26th, Jake Andreotti took the checkered flags over Michael Faccinto, A.J. Bender, Golobic, and Shannon McQueen. On that night, Shane Golobic established a new track record of 11.663, breaking the November 2019 standard set by Dillon Welch. A complete series win list at Placerville is at the bottom of this release.
Entering the fifth point race, A.J. Bender (San Diego, California) has a 32-point lead over the competition. Piloting the LKK Racing #1X Josh Ford Motorsports / Rod End Supply Triple X, Bender charged to fourth after starting tenth at Merced on April 23rd. Also ranked third in the Elk Grove Ford Mini-Series, the leading rookie contender has posted one heat race victory, one heat race victory, one Rod End Supply Hard Charger Award, and four top-10 finishes on the season. This Saturday night, A.J. will be looking for the first USAC Western Midget win of his career.
Ben Worth (Coalinga, California) is second in the chase for the championship. Racing Dean Alexander’s #5K Walker Air Filtration / WFX Spike, Worth scored third at the Merced County Fairgrounds. At press time, the 2019 Rookie of the Year is fifth in the Elk Grove Ford standings with one heat race victory and two top-10 finishes in the campaign. With two career wins, Ben will have his sights on gaining valuable points with a win at Placerville Speedway.
After running second to Shane Golobic at Merced, Michael Faccinto (Hanford, California) has climbed to second in the point standings. Driving the Graunstadt Enterprises #14J T&T Trucking / Gary Silva Ranches Spike, Faccinto is currently second in the Elk Grove Ford mini-series with one heat race victory and three top-10 finishes in the campaign. The 2018 Champion has nine career triumphs and will be a favorite to watch this Saturday night.
Travis Buckley (Auckland, New Zealand) sits fourth in the championship chase. Piloting the family owned #7NZ Buckley Systems / Esslinger Engineering Spike, Buckley raced from eleventh to eighth at Merced Speedway. Currently ranked second in rookie points and seventh in Elk Grove Ford standings, Travis has four top-10 finishes and 18 feature laps led in the campaign. Buckley will have his sights on claiming his first win at the “Mother’s Day Madness.”
Jake Andreotti (Castro Valley, California) is currently fifth in the point standings. Racing Pete Davis’ #00 Hot Head Competition Heaters / Buchannan Automotive Stealth, Andreotti placed twelfth in the April 23rd main event. At press time, Jake ranks fourth in Elk Grove Ford points with one feature win, two heat race victories, one top-10 finish, and 24 feature laps led on the year. Andreotti will be looking for his third career win this Saturday at “Knoxville on the Hill.”
While A.J. Bender leads the chase for rookie of the year, Travis Buckley (Auckland, New Zealand), Thomas Esberg (Kelseyville, California), Anthony Esberg (Kelseyville, California), Caden Sarale (Stockton, California), Dawson Faria (Tipton, California), Dylan Bloomfield (Oakley, California), Ben Wiesz (Colfax, California), Beau Lemire (Placerville, California), and Colton Raudman (Redding, California) are also in contention.
Among the other drivers expected to be in action are Brody Fuson, Blake Bower, Michael Snider, “Sugar” Shane Golobic, C.J. Sarna, Danika Jo Parker, Austin Liggett, Randi Pankratz, Zach Telford, Floyd Alvis, and more.
Placerville Speedway is located on the El Dorado County Fairgrounds in Placerville, California at 100 Placerville Drive. Adult tickets are $20, Military/Senior tickets are $18, Junior Tickets (12-17) are $18, Kids tickets (6-11) are $8, and Children (5 & Under) are FREE. Advance tickets can be purchased online and for more event information, visit the track’s website at placervillespeedway.com or call 530.344.7592.
The USAC Western States Midget Series thanks Ammonia Refrigeration Service Inc., AMSOIL, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Elk Grove Ford, Extreme Mufflers, FloRacing, Hoosier Racing Tire, Jordan Hanni Well Drilling, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Vahlco Wheels, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Wireless 101, and Woodland Auto Display for their support. If you or your company would like to become part of the series, email PR Director 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.
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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.
PLACERVILLE USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET TRACK RECORD: Shane Golobic – 11.663 (03/26/22)
PLACERVILLE USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET WINS: 2-Shane Golobic, 1-Jake Andreotti, 1-Scotty Farmer, 1-Ronnie Gardner, 1-Kyle Larson, 1-Austin Liggett, 1-Gio Scelzi, 1-Jimmy Sills.
2022 USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET POINT STANDINGS: 1. A.J. Bender ®-275, 2. Ben Worth-243, 3. Michael Faccinto-227, 4. Travis Buckley ®-221, 5. Jake Andreotti-211, 6. Brody Fuson-190, 7. Blake Bower-188, 8. Michael Snider-175, 9. Thomas Esberg ®-160, 10. Shane Golobic-159, 11. C.J. Sarna-155, 12. Anthony Esberg ®-121, 13. Danika Jo Parker-111, 14. Austin Liggett-110, 15. Caden Sarale ®-94, 16. Terry Nichols-92, 17. Randi Pankratz-86, 18. Mitchel Moles-84, 19. Matt Mitchell-74, 20. Shannon McQueen-68, 21. Robby Josett-66, 22. Dawson Faria ®-65, 23. Dylan Bloomfield ®-57, 24. Chase Johnson-55, –. Dylan Ito-55, 26. Jake Hodges-52, 27. Braden Chiaramonte ®-50, 28. Ben Wiesz ®-49, 29. Nick Velasquez ®-42, 30. Kyle Beilman-40, –. Racin Silva ®-40, 32. Ryan Bernal-37, 33. Zach Telford ®-35, 34. Floyd Alvis-31, 35. Dakota Albright-24, 36. Beau Lemire ®-23, 37. Colton Raudman ®-10.
2022 BCRA MIDGET POINT STANDINGS: 1. Michael Snider-182, 2. Thomas Esberg ®-178, 3. Danika Jo Parker ®-125, 4. Anthony Esberg ®-116, 5. Floyd Alvis-34, 6. Dakota Albright-24.
2022 ELK GROVE FORD MINI-SERIES POINT STANDINGS: 1. Shane Golobic-159, 2. Michael Faccinto-157, 3. A.J. Bender ®-137, 4. Jake Andreotti-126, 5. Ben Worth-120, 6. Austin Liggett-110, 7. Travis Buckley ®-104, 8. Caden Sarale ®-94, 9. Blake Bower-91, 10. Danika Jo Parker-82, 11. Michael Snider-77, 12. Thomas Esberg ®-71, 13. Shannon McQueen-68, 14. Dawson Faria ®-65, 15. Dylan Bloomfield ®-57, 16. Randi Pankratz-55, 17. Jake Hodges-52, 18. Brody Fuson-51, 19. Ben Wiesz ®-49, 20. C.J. Sarna-42, 21. Anthony Esberg ®-41, 22. Kyle Beilman-40, 23. Terry Nichols-38, 24. Ryan Bernal-37, 25. Floyd Alvis-31, 26. Dakota Albright-24, 27. Beau Lemire ®-23, 28. Colton Raudman ®-10.