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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Honda USAC Western Midget Series
RONNIE GARDNER TRIUMPHS AT BAKERSFIELD
By Lance Jennings
BAKERSFIELD, CA – MARCH 24, 2015... Powering past Trey Marcham on lap sixteen, Norco’s Ronnie Gardner won the shortened 20-lap season opening feature at Bakersfield Speedway. With the victory, Gardner earned his twelfth career Honda USAC Western Midget Series victory, tying Tommy White and Jay Drake for twelfth overall on the series win list. Marcham, Scott Pierovich, David Prickett, and Randi Pankratz followed Gardner to the checkered flags.
Piloting the Six8 Motorsports’ #68 Baldozier Racing / Esslinger Engineering Stewart, Ronnie Gardner qualified second out of the seventeen racers in the pit area. The two-time defending series champion won the 10-lap DJ Safety Heat Race #2 and left Bakersfield with a nine-point advantage.
After leading the first fifteen laps, Trey Marcham of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma had to settle for second in the main event. Racing Keith Ford’s #73 Berry Pack / King Racing Products TCR, Marcham was eighth fast in time trials and ran second to Gardner in his heat race. On May 2nd, the former Rookie of the Year will head to Tulare ranked second in the point chase.
Racing from twelfth, Alamo’s Scott Pierovich earned the night’s DMI / Ultra Shield Race Products “Hard Charger / Best Passing Job” honors with a third place finish. Driving the family owned #35 Mid-Coast Trans / Good Guys Spike, Pierovich qualified twelfth overall and scored eighth in his heat race. The veteran driver is currently ranked fifth in championship points.
David Prickett of Fresno scored fourth in the Bakersfield 20-lap main event. Piloting Gary Conterno’s #55X Terno Products & Manufacturing / Western Performance Spike, Prickett was sixth fast in time trials and placed fourth in his heat race. Heading to Tulare, the 2012 Dirt Champion sits fourth in the point standings.
Atascadero’s Randi Pankratz claimed fifth in the season opening feature at Bakersfield. Racing the family owned #8 HASA Pool Products / Trench Shoring Edmunds, Pankratz qualified fifth overall and ran second to Sean Dodenhoff in her heat race. After the checkered flags, Randi left Bakersfield Speedway sitting third in the point chase.
Sean Dodenhoff of Bakersfield earned the first Woodland Auto Display of the season. Driving his #9D Lightning Medical Pro / Torco Oil Spike, Dodenhoff also won the 10-lap Extreme Mufflers Heat Race #1 and finished eleventh in the main event. Sean heads to Thunderbowl Raceway placed ninth in points.
On Saturday, May 2nd, the Honda USAC Western Midgets will travel to the Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, California. Located on the Tulare County Fairgrounds, the showcase will also feature the Western RaceSaver Sprint Cars and Vintage Cars. For more information, visit www.tularethunderbowl.com or call 559.688.0909.
The Honda USAC Western Midget Series thanks Hoosier Tire, Competition Suspension Inc., DJ Safety, Extreme Mufflers, Keizer Wheels, Pyrotect Racing Cells, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Ultra Shield Race Products, 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 [email protected].
For more information on the Honda USAC Western Midget Series, visit www.usacracing.com or follow the series on Facebook (www.facebook.com/usacwsmidgets), or Twitter (www.twitter.com/USAC_WSMIDGET).
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HONDA USAC WESTERN MIDGET RACE RESULTS:
March 21, 2015 - Bakersfield, California - Bakersfield Speedway
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY TIME TRIALS:
1. Sean Dodenhoff, 9D, Dodenhoff-13.532; 2. Ronnie Gardner, 68, Six8-13.547; 3. Shannon McQueen, 7, McQueen-13.603; 4. Cody Swanson, 71s, Swanson-13.634; 5. Randi Pankratz, 8, Pankratz-13.653; 6. David Prickett, 55x, Conterno-13.680; 7. Ricky Shelton, 71, Full Circle-13.893; 8. Trey Marcham, 73, Ford-13.924; 9. Terry Nichols, 1P, Nichols-13.924; 10. Steve Davis, 2D, Davis-14.039; 11. Nick Chivello, 27, Chivello-14.094; 12. Scott Pierovich, 35, Pierovich-14.410; 13. Jimmy Voitel, 21, Voitel-14.453; 14. Jeff Harrington, 9E, Dodenhoff-14.656; 15. Brian Gard, 88, Arata-15.055; 16. Jack Hawley, 56, Hawley-15.160; 17. Tyler Dolacki, 99, KT-NT
EXTREME MUFFLERS HEAT RACE #1: (10 laps)
1. Dodenhoff, 2. Pankratz, 3. Voitel, 4. Nichols, 5. McQueen, 6. Chivello, 7. Gard, 8. Dolacki. NT
DJ SAFETY HEAT RACE #2: (10 laps)
1. Gardner, 2. Marcham, 3. Swanson, 4. Prickett, 5. Davis, 6. Harrington, 7. Hawley, 8. Pierovich. NT
FEATURE: (20 laps – With Starting Positions)
1. Ronnie Gardner (5th), 2. Trey Marcham (1st), 3. Scott Pierovich (12th), 4. David Prickett (2nd), 5. Randi Pankratz (3rd), 6. Terry Nichols (9th), 7. Steve Davis (10th), 8. Shannon McQueen (4th), 9. Jimmy Voitel (13th), 10. Jeff Harrington (14th), 11. Sean Dodenhoff (6th), 12. Cody Swanson (8th), 13. Ricky Shelton (7th), 14. Brian Gard (15th), 15. Tyler Dolacki (16th). NT
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**Swanson and Dodenhoff flipped during the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-15 Marcham, Laps 16-20 Gardner.
DMI / ULTRA SHIELD RACE PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER: Scott Pierovich (12th to 3rd)
USAC WESTERN MIDGET POINT STANDINGS:
1. Ronnie Gardner-73, 2. Trey Marcham-64, 3. David Prickett-57, --. Randi Pankratz-57, 5. Scott Pierovich-55, 6. Terry Nichols-50, 7. Shannon McQueen-47, 8. Steve Davis-46, 9. Sean Dodenhoff-45, 10. Jimmy Voitel-42, 11. Cody Swanson-38, ---. Jeff Harrington-38, 13. Brian Gard-27, ---. Ricky Shelton-27, 15. Tyler Dolacki-24, 16. Nick Chivello-3, 17. Jack Hawley-2
2015 HONDA USAC WESTERN DIRT MIDGET SERIES SCHEDULE
DATE - TRACK - LOCATION
May 2: Thunderbowl Raceway - Tulare, CA
May 30: Thunderbowl Raceway - Tulare, CA
July 3: Santa Maria Raceway - Santa Maria, CA
July 18: *Petaluma Speedway - Petaluma, CA (John Soares Classic)
September 5: Calistoga Speedway - Calistoga, CA (Louie Vermeil Classic / California Midget Week)
September 6: Calistoga Speedway - Calistoga, CA (Louie Vermeil Classic / California Midget Week)
September 10: *Silver Dollar Speedway - Chico, CA (Gold Cup Race Of Champions / California Midget Week)
September 12: Santa Maria Raceway - Santa Maria, CA (California Midget Week)
September 19: Bakersfield Speedway - Bakersfield, CA
October 3: Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds - Hanford, CA
November 27: # Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Turkey Night Grand Prix)
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* = Co-Sanctioned Event with BCRA Midgets.
# = Co-Sanctioned Event with USAC National Midgets.
This schedule is subject to change.
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