From Lance Jennings
BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 29, 2023… Powering past Mitchel Moles on lap 22, Jake Andreotti (Castro Valley, CA) won the $2,000 USAC Western States Midget feature at The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park. Racing the Pete Davis owned #00 Hot Head Competition Engine Heaters entry, Andreotti claimed the third victory of his career over Moles, Cade Lewis, Caden Sarale, and point leader Brody Fuson.
Starting second, Mitchel Moles grabbed the early lead and faced several challenges from Fuson with Andreotti closing within striking distance. When a flat rear tire knocked Fuson from contention, Andreotti made the most of the opportunity and grabbed the victory.
For Andreotti, the night was a “clean sweep” at the fast 1/3-mile oval. The young driver earned the Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award with a time of 14.729 seconds over the 12-car roster. In doing so, he earned $100 for his efforts plus an extra $250 from a fan of midget racing. The time broke his track record from October and Jake is now ranked fourth in Woodland Top Qualifier points heading to Saturday’s race at Placerville. From there, the 10-time micro sprint champion won the 10-lap Jordan Hanni Well Drilling Heat Race and topped the 30-lap main event.
With rainouts in the Midwest, Moles (Raisin City, CA) returned to the west coast and raced the #73 Josh Ford Motorsports machine to victory in the Hot Head Competition Engine Heaters Second Heat Race.
With an extra $500 up for grabs, Cade Lewis (Bakersfield, CA) accepted the Last Row Challenge and earned the night’s Ebbco Offroad “Hard Charger Award” with a third place run from twelfth. Driving Dean Alexander’s #5K WFX Spike Lewis sits atop the Sammy Bahr Feature points and Passing Master standings.
The USAC Western States Midgets will return to action this Saturday, May 6th, at Placerville Speedway for “First Responders Night.” For more event information, visit placervillespeedway.com.
The USAC Western States Midget Series thanks BR Motorsports, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Ebbco Offroad, Extreme Mufflers, FloRacing, Hoosier Racing Tires, Hot Head Competition Engine Heaters, Jordan Hanni Well Drilling, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Steve Lafond / Tear-Off Heaven Fotos, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Wireless 101, and Woodland Auto Display for their support.
For more information on the USAC Western States Midget 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.
USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET SERIES RACE RESULTS: April 29, 2023 – The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park – Bakersfield, California
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFICATONS: 1. Jake Andreotti, 00, Davis-14.729 (New Track Record); 2. Brody Fuson, 51, Carlile-14.910; 3. Caden Sarale, 32, Sarale-15.305; 4. Mitchel Moles, 73, Ford-15.321; 5. Ben Worth, 14J, Graunstadt-15.470; 6. Cade Lewis, 5K, Alexander-15.485; 7. Steve Paden, 56, Paden-15.566; 8. A.J. Bender, 14JR, Streeter-15.642; 9. Samuel May, 55, Lambert-15.790; 10. Terry Nichols, 1P, Nichols/Peckfelder-15.911; 11. Bryan Drollinger, 71D, Drollinger-15.941; 12. Ron Hazelton, 15, Hazelton-16,855.
JORDAN HANNI WELL DRILLING FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Andreotti, 2. Sarale, 3. Worth, 4. May, 5. Drollinger. 6. Paden. NT.
HOT HEAD COMPETITION ENGINE HEATERS SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Moles, 2. Fuson, 3. Lewis, 4. Bender. .5. Hazleton, 6. Nichols. NT.
FEATURE: (30 laps, With Starting Positions) 1. Jake Andreotti (5), 2. Mitchel Moles (2), 3. Cade Lewis (12), 4. Caden Sarale (3), 5. Brody Fuson (4), 6. Ben Worth (1), 7. Steve Paden (6), 8. Ron Hazelton (11), 9. Bryan Drollinger (10), 10. Samuel May (8), 11. A.J. Bender (7), 12. Terry Nichols (9). NT.
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**May flipped during first lap of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-21 Moles, Laps 22-30 Andreotti
EBBCO OFFROAD HARD CHARGER: Cade Lewis (12th to 3rd)
NEW USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET POINTS: 1-Brody Fuson-150, 2-Cade Lewis-148, 3-Caden Sarale-142, 4-Ben Worth-138, 5-Steve Paden-116, 6-A.J. Bender-113, 7-Samuel May-107, 8-Ron Hazelton-101, 9-Bryan Drollinger-98, 10-Jake Andreotti-84.
NEW WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY TOP QUALIFIER POINTS: 1-Brody Fuson-10, 2-Caden Sarale-8, 3-Cade Lewis-7, 4-Jake Andreotti-6, 5-Ben Worth-3, –A.J. Bender-3, –Mitchel Moles-3, 8-T.J. Smith-2.
NEW SAMMY BAHR FEATURE POINTS: 1-Cade Lewis-128, 2-Ben Worth-125, –Brody Fuson-125, 4-Caden Sarale-122, 5-Steve Paden-107, 6-A.J. Bender-99, 7-Samuel May-95, 8-Ron Hazelton-92, 9-Bryan Drollinger-91, 10-Jake Andreotti-70.
NEW PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Cade Lewis-12, 2-Steve Paden-5, 3-Jake Andreotti-4, 4-Brody Fuson-3, –Ron Hazelton-3, 6-Bryan Drollinger-1.
NEXT USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET RACE: May 6 – Placerville Speedway – Placerville, California – “First Responders Night”