By Lance Jennings
VENTURA, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 10, 2023… For the second race in a row, Brody Fuson of Bakersfield, California claimed Saturday’s 30-lap USAC Western States Midget feature at Ventura Raceway. The point leader powered by Ryan Bernal on the fourth circuit and escaped from a surging Robby Josett to earn his second “Sammy Bahr Feature” win of the campaign. Fast qualifier Josett, Bernal, hard charger Cade Lewis, and David Gasper rounded out the top-five.
Racing Rusty Carlile’s #51 RPM Motorsports / Van Meter Motorsports Spike, Fuson qualified third overall, placed third in his heat race, and won the Brown & Miller Racing Solutions / Rod End Supply Pill Draw Award. Brody leads the competition by 31 markers heading to Merced on June 24th.
Rookie contender Ben Covich of Auckland, New Zealand opened the night by winning the “Lucky Pill Draw” to earn 10 gallons of fuel from High Tech Performance. The owner / driver of the #65 Spike backed by “Kiwi” Alexander and Matt Streeter Racing was fifteenth quick in time trials, placed eighth in his heat race, and raced to twelfth in the main event from fifteenth. Covich has climbed to 22nd in the point standings.
Santa Clarita, California’s Robby Josett earned the Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award with a time of 12.038 seconds over the 17-car roster. In doing so, he pocketed $100 for his efforts, ran fourth in his heat race, and was catching Fuson in the main event before the checkered flag waved. In limited starts, the pilot of the Six8 Motorsports’ #68 Competition Suspension Inc. / Extreme Mufflers Stewart left the Ventura County Fairgrounds ranked ninth in the point chase.
Mike Leach Jr. of Orange, California raced to victory in the 10-lap Jordan Hanni Well Drilling First Heat Race. Driving the family owned #33P Pancho’s Mexican Restaurant / Edmunds Auto Research Spike, Leach qualified eleventh and scored fourteenth in the main event after an early flip ended his night. In limited action, Mike sits twentieth in points.
Hollister, California’s Ryan Bernal returned to USAC Western States Midget action and topped the 10-lap Hot Head Competition Engine Heaters Second Heat Race. Racing Keith Ford’s #73 Naturipe / King Racing Products Triple X, Bernal was sixth fast in time trials and scored third in the feature. The versatile driver is twenty-first in the chase for the championship.
Cade Lewis of Bakersfield. California, overcame an early electrical problem to earn the “Ebbco Offroad / Tear-Off Heaven Fotos “Hard Charger Award” with a fourth place run from seventeenth. Piloting Dean “Kiwi” Alexander’s #5K Wireless 101 / Mobil 1 Spike, Lewis qualified seventeenth overall and placed ninth in his heat race. Cade ranks second in the championship standings.
Chatsworth, California’s Ron Hazelton won the Rod End Supply / Brown & Miller Racing Solutions Pill Draw Award. Racing his #15 TRC Transmission / West Evans Motorsports Beast, Hazelton was sixteenth fast in time trials, placed seventh in his heat race, and raced to eleventh in the main event after starting sixteenth. The veteran driver is currently sixth in the USAC Western States points.
By virtue of his thirteenth place finish, rookie contender Samuel May of Oxnard, California earned Ventura’s Wilwood Disc Brakes “Lucky 13 Award.” Driving Steve Lambert’s #55 Employee Benefit Systems Inc. / Surecan LLC Spike, May qualified twelfth overall, ran second to Bernal in his heat race, and ranks fifth in points.
The USAC Western States Midgets will return to Merced Speedway and the Merced County Fairgrounds on Saturday, June 24th. For more event information, visit mercedspeedway.net.
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: June 10, 2023 – Ventura Raceway – Ventura, California
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFICATONS: 1. Robby Josett, 68, Six8-12.038; 2. David Gasper, 18, Gasper/Kittle-12.310; 3. Brody Fuson, 51, Carlile-12.312; 4. Randi Pankratz, 8, Pankratz-12.428; 5. Brandon Wiley, 14JR, Streeter-12.533; 6. Ryan Bernal, 73, Ford-12.546; 7. Blake Bower, 00, Davis-12.577; 8. Steve Paden, 56, Paden-12.631; 9. Garrett Twitty, 4, Twitty-12.697; 10. Ben Worth, 14J, Graunstadt-12.709; 11. Mike Leach Jr., 3 3P, Leach-12.768; 12. Samuel May, 55, Lambert-12.846; 13. Bryan Drollinger, 71D, Drollinger-13.026; 14. C.J. Sarna, 20, Sarna-13.227; 15. Ben Covich, 65, Covich-13.593; 16. Ron Hazelton, 15, Hazleton-13.612; 17. Cade Lewis, 5K, Alexander-NT.
JORDAN HANNI WELL DRILLING FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Leach, 2. Bower, 3. Fuson, 4. Josett, 5. Wiley, 6. Twitty, 7. Drollinger, 8. Covich, 9. Lewis. NT.
HOT HEAD COMPETITION ENGINE HEATERS SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Bernal, 2. May, 3. Pankratz, 4. Worth, 5. Paden, 6. Sarna, 7. Hazelton, 8. Gasper. NT.
SAMMY BAHR FEATURE: (30 laps, With Starting Positions) 1. Brody Fuson (5), 2. Robby Josett (6), 3. Ryan Bernal (3), 4. Cade Lewis (17), 5. David Gasper (8), 6. Blake Bower (2), 7. Randi Pankratz (4), 8. Steve Paden (10), 9. Garrett Twitty (11), 10. C.J. Sarna (14), 11. Ron Hazelton (16), 12. Ben Covich (15), 13. Samuel May (12), 14. Mike Leach Jr. (7), 15. Brandon Wiley (9), 16. Ben Worth (1), 17. Bryan Drollinger (13). NT.
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**Gasper flipped on lap 2 of the second heat race. Drollinger flipped on lap 1 of the feature. Wiley and Leach flipped on lap 6 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-3 Bernal, Laps 4-30 Fuson
HIGH TECH PERFORMANCE LUCKY PILL DRAW: Ben Covich
BROWN & MILLER RACING SOLUTIONS / ROD END SUPPLY PILL DRAW: Brody Fuson
ROD END SUPPLY / BROWN & MILLER RACING SOLUTIONS PILL DRAW: Ron Hazelton
EBBCO OFFROAD / TEAR-OFF HEAVEN FOTOS HARD CHARGER: Cade Lewis (17th to 4th)
WILWOOD DISC BRAKES LUCKY 13 AWARD: Samuel May
NEW USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET POINTS: 1-Brody Fuson-312, 2-Cade Lewis-281, 3-Ben Worth-244, 4-Steve Paden-220, 5-Samuel May-193, 6-Ron Hazelton-186, 7-Bryan Drollinger-168, 9-Robby Josett-143, 10-Caden Sarale
NEW WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY TOP QUALIFIER POINTS: 1-Brody Fuson-20, 2-Cade Lewis-9, 3-Caden Sarale-8, 4-Jake Andreotti-6, 5-C.J. Sarna-5, 6-Ben Worth-4, –Blake Bower-4, 7-A.J. Bender-3, –Mitchel Moles-3, –Chase Johnson-3.
NEW SAMMY BAHR FEATURE POINTS: 1-Brody Fuson-265, 2-Cade Lewis-250, –Ben Worth-220, 4-Steve Paden-199, 5-Ron Hazelton-172, 6-Samuel May-167, 7-Bryan Drollinger-157, 8- C.J. Sarna-130, 9-Robby Josett-125, 10-CadenSarale-122.
NEW PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Cade Lewis-25, 2-Ron Hazelton-13, 3-Brody Fuson-12, 4-Steve Paden-7, –David Gasper-7, –Robby Josett-7, 7. Jake Andreotti-4, –Bryan Drollinger-4, –Garrett Twitty-4, –C.J. Sarna-4.
NEXT USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET RACE: June 24 – Merced Speedway – Merced, California