By Lance Jennings
MAY 23, 2023… After Placerville rain and a break in the schedule, the USAC Western States Midgets are ready to clash at Ventura Raceway this Saturday, May 27th. Promoted by Jim Naylor, the third championship point race will also feature the VRA Sprint Cars, VRA Senior Sprint Cars, VRA Dwarf Cars, and VRA Hobby Stocks. Located at the Ventura County Fairgrounds at 10 West Harbor Blvd. in Ventura, California, the Pit Gates will open at Noon, the Front Gates open at 3:00pm, with Racing scheduled for 5:30pm at “The Best Little Dirt Track in America.” For more event information, visit the track’s website at venturaraceway.com or call 805.648.RACE.
For those that cannot travel to the races, floracing.com will broadcast a live stream of the night’s action.
NOTICE TO RACERS:
– MEMBERSHIPS / TEMPORARY PERMITS: All racers MUST PURCHASE their USAC license / membership or temporary permit (TP) online PRIOR TO THE EVENT at usaclicense.com. 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, RODELA FAB: 2557-01 *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 May 24, 1986, 155 USAC Western States Midget events have been held at the Ventura County Fairgrounds and Sleepy Tripp claimed the inaugural victory. Tripp leads all drivers with eighteen Ventura wins as Michael Faccinto, Chase Johnson, and Ben Worth claimed victory at the seaside oval last year. Johnny Cofer set the 1-lap qualifying record of 11.675 on November 18, 1995 and a complete series Ventura win list is at the bottom of this release.
Heading to Ventura, Brody Fuson (Bakersfield, California) leads the competition by a slim two point margin. Piloting Rusty Carlile’s #51 RacePa Motorsports / Van Meter Motorsports Spike, Fuson rebounded from a flat tire to score fifth at Kern County Raceway Park on April 29th. At press time, the young driver has one heat race victory and two top-10 finishes on the season. Brody has four career wins and will be looking to add a Ventura victory to his resume.
Cade Lewis (Bakersfield, California) ranks second in the chase for the championship. Driving Dean “Kiwi” Alexander’s #5K WFX / Walker Air Filtration Spike, Lewis was Kern County’s Ebbco Offroad Hard Charger with a third place run from twelfth. To date, the young driver has one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award and two top-10 finishes on the year. Cade has one career triumph and will have his sights on adding another winning trophy to his collection.
After finishing fourth at KCRP, Caden Sarale (Stockton, California) has climbed to third in the USAC Western States Midget standings. Racing the family owned #32 Tel-Tac / Sarale Farms CS9, Sarale has two top-10 finishes in the campaign. Caden will be looking for the first win of his career this Saturday night at Ventura Raceway.
Ben Worth (Coalinga, California) sits fourth in the championship standings. Piloting the Graunstadt Enterprises’ #14J T&T Trucking / Gary Silva Ranches Spike, Worth placed sixth last Saturday at Kern County. At press time, the 2019 Rookie of the Year has one feature win, two top-10 finishes, and 30 feature laps led to his credit. Ben has four career wins and will have his sights on adding another victory at the Ventura County Fairgrounds to his resume.
Steve Paden (Rossmoor, California) ranks fifth in the Western Midget point chase. Driving his #56 Signal Hill Construction / Maxim Crane Spike, Paden finished seventh last Saturday night at KCRP. To date, the 2003 Champion has one Ebbco Offroad Hard Charger Award and two top-10 finishes on the season. Steve will be looking for the ninth win of his career this Saturday night.
Samuel May (Oxnard, California) leads the chase for Rookie of the Year honors is seventh in the point standings. The driver of Steve Lambert’s #55 Employee Benefit Systems Incorporated / Josh Ford Motorsports Triple X is followed by Mitchel Moles (Raisin City, California) and Kevin Gray (Yuba City, California).
Among the other drivers expected to be in action are Ron Hazelton, Bryan Drollinger, “The Panda” Terry Nichols, Randi Pankratz, Steve Hix, Colton Raudman, Jake Morgan, Ben Wiesz, Beau Lemire, Chase Johnson, Ben Covich, Blake Bower, and more.
Ventura Raceway is located on the Ventura County Fairgrounds at 10 West Harbor Blvd. in Ventura, California. General Admission Adult tickets are $22, General Admission Senior (60 and older), Active Military (ID Required), and Student tickets (with ID) are $18. Kids tickets (12 and under) are FREE. For more event information, visit the track’s website at venturaraceway.com or call 805.648.RACE.
The USAC Western States Midget Series thanks BR Motorsports, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Ebbco Offroad, Esslinger Engineering, Extreme Mufflers, FloRacing, Graunstadt Enterprises, Hoosier Racing Tire, Hot Head Competition Engine Heaters, Jordan Hanni Well Drilling, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, 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.
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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, 2022-Michael Faccinto.
2023 USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET WINS: 1-Jake Andreotti, 1-Ben Worth.
VENTURA USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET TRACK RECORD: Johnny Cofer – 11.675 (11/18/95)
VENTURA USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET WINS: 18-Sleepy Tripp, 13-Billy Boat, 8-Page Jones, 7-Garrett Hansen, 6-Ronnie Gardner, 6-Jimmy Sills, 5-Johnny Cofer, 5-Robby Flock, 5-Cory Kruseman, 4-Robert Dolacki, 4- P.J. Jones, 4-Robby Josett, 3-Jay Drake, 3-Chris Rahe, 3-Tony Stewart, 2-Tommy Astone, 2-Christopher Bell, 2-Tyler Brown, 2-Josh Ford, 2-Dennis Hart, 2-Johnathon Henry, 2-Chase Johnson, 2-Brad Kuhn, 2-Kyle Larson, 2-Frank Pedregon, 2-Jerome Rodela, 2-Chuck West, 2-Ben Worth, 1-Jake Andreotti, 1-Mike Appio, 1-Wayne Bennet, 1-Chad Boat, 1-Bobby Boone, 1-Mario Bringetto Jr., 1-Hank Butcher, 1-Keith Chrisco, 1-Robert Dalby, 1-Kevin Doty, 1-Tony Elliott, 1-Nic Faas, 1-Michael Faccinto, 1-Stan Fox, 1-Russ Gamester, 1-Chuck Gurney, 1-Daryl Haugh, 1-Rick Hendrix, 1-A.J. Johnson, 1-Ryan Kaplan, 1-Josh Lakatos, 1-Brad Loyet, 1-Carson Macedo, 1-Lealand McSpadden, 1-Matt Mitchell, 1-Steve Paden, 1-Rusty Rasmussen, 1-Keith Rauch, 1-Troy Rutherford, 1-Shane Scully, 1-Ron Shuman, 1-Bryan Stanfill, 1-Jake Swanson, 1-Tommy White, 1-Hayden Williams.
2023 USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET POINT STANDINGS: 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, 11. Mitchel Moles ®-78, 12. T.J. Smith-59, 13. C.J. Sarna-45, 14. Terry Nichols-42, 15. Kevin Gray ®-39, 16. Randi Pankratz-10.
2023 WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY TOP QUALFIER 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
2023 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.
2023 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, 11. Mitchel Moles-67, 12. T.J. Smith-49, 13. C.J. Sarna-41, 14. Kevin Gray ®-39, –. Terry Nichols-39, 16. Randi Pankratz-10.