By Steven Blakesley
VENTURA, CALIFORNIA (October 22, 2023) – Bryant Bell of Oakley won the 2023 Western Midget Racing championship with a walk off victory in Saturday’s 20-lap feature at Ventura Raceway, breaking his tie with Santa Cruz’ Logan Mitchell for the crown and holding off Surprise, Ariz.’s Drake Edwards for his fifth win of the season.
Bell and Mitchell traveled to Ventura with the same objective and approach as the tied championship was a heads-up affair. Whoever finished higher in Saturday’s feature would be crowned the champion.
Mitchell set the wheels in motion for how close the battle would be by winning his heat race. Third in points Darin Horton of Lindley, New York won the second heat race.
Cortez, Colorado’s Joey Klemish and Edwards shared the front row in the main event with Horton and Mitchell on row two and Bell starting fifth.
Edwards grabbed the lead with a rapidly approaching Bell on the move. Bell drove into the top position on lap four and never relinquished it with Edwards in pursuit from second position. Mitchell finished a strong third followed by Lodi’s Nate Wait and Horton.
The win and championship for Bell concludes the 2023 Western Midget Racing season for the stock-production powered Midget series. The tour visited Antioch Speedway, Bakersfield Speedway, Marysville Raceway, Mohave Valley Raceway, Ocean Speedway, Petaluma Speedway, and Ventura Raceway across 15 points paying events. Planning for an exciting 2024 season is already underway.
For more information visit www.WesternMidgetRacing.com
RESULTS: Ventura Raceway October 21, 2023
A Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 09-Bryant Bell[5]; 2. 4R-Drake Edwards[2]; 3. 96X-Logan Mitchell[4]; 4. 35W-Nate Wait[9]; 5. 66-Darrin Horton[3]; 6. 3-Terry Nichols[13]; 7. 31-Todd Hawse[7]; 8. 54-Anthony Bruno[11]; 9. 20-Kyle Hawse[12]; 10. 7A-Joey Klemish[1]; 11. 57-Blaine Craft[8]; 12. 15-Adam Weisberg[10]; 13. 11-Greg Dennett[6]; 14. 68-Marvin Mitchell[14]
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 96x-Logan Mitchell Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 66-Darin Horton