From Lance Jennings
BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 9, 2023… Starting fourth, Jake Andreotti of Castro Valley, California led all 30-laps to claim Saturday’s $3,000 “George Snider Classic” victory at The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park. Returning from the Midwest to pilot Pete Davis’ #00 Hot Head Competition Engine Heaters / Buchannan Automotive entry, Andreotti earned the fourth USAC Western States Midget triumph of his career. Newly crowned champion Brody Fuson, fast qualifier and new track record holder Cade Lewis, Chase Johnson, and Braden Chiaramonte followed Andreotti to the checkered flags.
Andreotti opened his night by qualifying second overall and was one of six drivers to qualify under his track record that was set at the last KCRP visit in April. Jake would go on to win his 10-lap heat race sponsored by Hot Head Competition Engine Heaters and finished fourteenth in points while running a limited schedule.
Bakersfield, California’s Cade Lewis established the new track record with a time of 14.199 seconds at the 1/3-mile clay oval. Driving Dean “Kiwi” Alexander’s #5K Wireless 101 / Mobil 1 Spike, Lewis’s time earned his second Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award of the season. Cade would later place third in his heat race, score third in the main event, and finish second in the point standings.
Brody Fuson of Bakersfield, California was the first driver to break Andreotti’s track record from April before settling into third on the Woodland time charts. Racing Rusty Carlile’s #51 Race Pa Motorsports / Van Meter Motorsports Spike, Fuson won the 10-lap Jordan Hanni Well Drilling Heat Race and ran second to Andreotti in the main event. Once the Jason Vance checkered flags flew, Fuson has clinched the USAC Western States Midget Series Championship for 2023.
Starting fourteenth, newcomer Brandt Twitty of Bakersfield, California earned the night’s Ebbco Offroad Hard Charger Award after finishing eighth in the 30-lap “Sammy Bahr Feature.” Piloting the family owned #56 entry, Twitty did break Andreotti’s old track record but was found to be too light at the scales. Brandt placed seventh in his heat race and placed thirty-third in the point chase after his first night of racing with the series.
Madera, California’s Marvin Mitchell claimed the night’s Wilwood Disc Brakes “Lucky 13 Award” after placing thirteenth in the main event. Driving his #78 TRC Transmission Elite, the longtime veteran qualified fourteenth overall and placed seventh in his heat race. Marvin closed out his season ranked thirteenth in points after a limited schedule.
With his eleventh place finish in the main event, Ben Covich of Auckland, New Zealand earned Rookie of the Year honors with the USAC Western States Midget Series. The owner/driver of the #65 Dean “Kiwi” Alexander / Matt Streeter Racing backed Spike was thirteenth fast in time trials and ran eighth in his heat race.
The USAC Western States Midget Series thanks Allstate Boring, BR Motorsports, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Ebbco Offroad, Esslinger Engineering, Extreme Mufflers, Finishline Promotions, FloRacing, Graunstadt Enterprises, High Tech Performance, Hoosier Racing Tires, Hot Head Competition Engine Heaters, Jordan Hanni Well Drilling, JT Engineering, M&M Racing Photos, Mitchell Vranjes Engineering, P1 Racing Images, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, SCRAFAN.COM, Sidewaze Designs, Steve Lafond, Tear-Off Heaven Fotos, Tel Tac Digital Tachometers, T-Zone Promotions, 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: October 7, 2023 – The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park – Bakersfield, California – “George Snider Classic” & “Championship Night”
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY FAST QUALIFIER: 1. Cade Lewis, 5K, Alexander-14.199 (New Track Record); 2. Jake Andreotti, 00, Davis-14.304; 3. Brody Fuson, 51, Carlile-14.385; 4. Braden Chiaramonte, 14J, Graunstadt-14.564; 5. C.J. Sarna, 20, Sarna-14.628; 6. Ben Worth, 5V, Alexander-14.639; 7. T.J. Smith, 32, Sarale-14.639; 8. Chase Johnson, 73, Ford-14.735; 9. Keoni Texeira, 50, Texeira-14.916; 10. Samuel May, 55, Lambert-15.000; 11. Terry Nichols, 1P, Nichols/Peckfelder-15.386; 12. Ron Hazelton, 15, Hazelton-16.065; 13. Ben Covich, 65, Covich-16.261: 14. Marvin Mitchell, 78, Mitchell-16.702; 15. Brandt Twitty, 56, Twitty-NT.
JORDAN HANNI WELL DRILLING FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Fuson, 2. Smith, 3. Lewis, 4. Sarna, 5. Texeira, 6. Nichols, 7. Twitty, 8. Covich. NT.
HOT HEAD COMPETITION ENGINE HEATERS SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Andreotti, 2. Chiaramonte, 3. Worth, 4. Johnson, 5. May, 6. Hazelton, 7. Mitchell. NT
SAMMY BAHR FEATURE: (30 laps, With Starting Positions) 1. Jake Andreotti (4), 2. Brody Fuson (3), 3. Cade Lewis (5), 4. Chase Johnson (7), 5. Braden Chiaramonte (2), 6. T.J. Smith (6), 7. C.J. Sarna (1), 8. Brandt Twitty (14), 9. Ben Worth (15), 10. Terry Nichols (10), 11. Ben Covich (12), 12. Ron Hazleton (11), 13. Marvin Mitchell (13), 14. Keoni Texeira (8), 15. Samuel May (9). NT.
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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-30 Andreotti.
EBBCO OFFROAD HARD CHARGER: Brant Twitty (14th to 8th)
WILWOOD DISC BRAKES LUCKY 13: Marvin Mitchell
FINAL USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET POINTS: 1-Brody Fuson-831, 2-Cade Lewis-790, 3-C.J. Sarna-558, 4-Ben Worth-532, 5-Ron Hazelton-528, 6-Ben Covich-410, 7-Caden Sarale-404, 8-Randi Pankratz-403, 9-Samuel May-384, 10-T.J. Smith-341.
FINAL WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY TOP QUALIFIER POINTS: 1-Brody Fuson-58, 2-Cade Lewis-38, 3-Caden Sarale-17, 4-Jake Andreotti-14, 5-Ben Worth-13, –C.J. Sarna-13, 7-David Gasper-11, –T.J. Smith-11, 9-Robby Josett-8, –Brandon Wiley-8.
FINAL SAMMY BAHR FEATURE POINTS: 1-Brody Fuson-700, 2-Cade Lewis-680, 3-C.J. Sarna-502, 4-Ron Hazelton-490, 5-Ben Worth-465, 6-Ben Covich-390, 7-Randi Pankratz-362, 8-Caden Sarale-351, 10-T.J. Smith-296.
FINAL PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Cade Lewis-35, 2-Brody Fuson-32, 3-Ron Hazelton-25, 4-Ben Covich-20, 5-C.J. Sarna-12, 6-Marvin Mitchell-11, 7-David Gasper-10, 8-Samuel May-9, –Jake Andreotti-9, –Ben Worth-9.