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TWO MORE NMRA-TQ MIDGET MAINS = 4 RACES, 4 WINNERS – By Tim Kennedy
So Cal. Racing - The NMRA-TQ Midget Series completed Saturday night events at racy clay short tracks in Ventura and Bakersfield during April on its 2015 calendar of 15 races. Results gave the So Cal-based racing association two more different main event winners in two different TQ midgets. That made it four different feature winners in four different TQs owned by three different teams.
VENTURA: Chuck West, from Clovis,won the 14-car, 20-lap TQ feature at the fifth-mile clay Ventura Raceway on April 11. He drove the No. 20 Bruce Hiroshima-owned Bob Meli-built chassis with Honda power. It was his initial ride in the older chassis that serves as the owner's backup car. The winner's first cousin West Evans, from Moorpark, drove his own No. 36 Spike/Bob Wirth 750cc Suzuki to victory in a 20-lap race on April 18 at the banked, third-mile Bakersfield Speedway.
At Ventura, West's usual ride—the No. 38 Evans Motorsports Stealth/Clerc 838cc Kawasaki--was unavailable. The engine was being rebuilt after a burned piston during a March race sidelined the car. Owner/driver Hiroshima loaned him his No. 20 backup car that rookie Nick Lopiccolo raced in the season opener. Evans won the first 8-lap heat race and West took the second in his new ride.
West won the 20-lap feature at Jim Naylor's scenic raceway next to the Ventura beach. Hiroshima, in his primary No. 5 Rick Stewart-built chassis with a Clerc-built Honda, chased his backup car across the finish line. Third spot went to current USAC-CRA sprint car rookie Anthony Lopiccolo, the March 21 season opener winner at Ventura. Scott Dobson and Evans completed the top five. Kenny Wiley, Scott Niven, and Dave Lambert followed.
Rookie Ace Kale, from Westminster, and TQ rookie/former CRA sprint car driver Ted Dann completed the top ten. Eight of 12 finishers completed all 20 laps. Five TQ rookies competed. In order of main event finishing positions they were: Kevin Kale, 36-year old son of fellow TQ rookie Ace Kale, Nick Lopiccolo, older brother of 2014 NMRA-TQ champion Anthony Lopiccolo, and Paul Sanders.
BAKERSFIELD: Ten TQ midgets raced 20-laps at Bakersfield. Fourth starter Evans became the third and final race leader on lap 15. He retained his series point lead in both driver and car owner ranks. His Spike/Bob Suzuki 750cc Suzuki stayed out front during the final six laps. C. West started third and finished second aboard Dick Poe's No. 2p Dennis Hart chassis with a Honda 836cc for power. Hiroshima, who finished a close second to Lopiccolo for the 2014 TQ championship, came from sixth starting to earn third in his own No. 5.
Scott Dobson, from fifth, snagged fourth in his own No. 18 Stewart/Honda. Pole starter Chris Thomas earned his best finish of fifth. Rookie Ace Kale and his son started in P. 8-9 and also completed 20 laps for P. 6-7 paychecks. Thomas led the first two laps in his No. 40. Then West led laps 3-14 in Poe's No. 2p before Evans took command.
The next NMRA-TQ race will be Saturday, May 2 as part of a multi-division program at the third-mile clay Santa Maria. The track is just west of Highway 101 and a few miles north of Santa Maria.
SUMMARY:
Ventura (April 11) -
Heat 1 – Evans, Hiroshima, Lambert, A. Kale, Niven, Thomas, Sanders.
Heat 2 – West, Dobson, Wiley, A. Lopiccolo, N. Lopiccolo, Dann, K. Kale.
Main – West, Hiroshima, A. Lopiccolo, Dobson, Evans, Wiley, Niven, Lambert, A. Kale, Dann, K. Kale, N. Lopiccolo, Thomas, Sanders.
Bakersfield (April 18) -
Heat 1 – West, Thomas, Dobson, A. Kale, Dakota Schweitzer.
Heat 2 – Hiroshima, Evans, Lambert, Dunn, K. Kale.
Main – Evans, West, Hiroshima, Dobson, Thomas, A. Kale, K. Kale, Lambert, Schweitzer, Dunn.
POINT STANDINGS (after 4 of 15 scheduled races)
Drivers Car Owners
1 West Evans 242 1 No. 36 West Evans 254
2 Bruce Hiroshima 239 2 No. 5 Bruce Hiroshima 251
3 Scott Dobson 233 3 No. 18 Scott Dobson 245
4 Chuck West 214 4 No. 55 Dave Lambert 198
5 Dave Lambert 186 5 No. 77 Ace Kale 190
6 Ace Kale ® 178 6 No. 20 Bruce Hiroshima 189
7 Kevin Kale ® 146 7 No. 2p Rick Poe 162
8 Ted Dann ® 137 8 No. 07 Kevin Kale 158
9 Anthony Lopiccolo 123 9 No. 7 Ted Dann 149
10 Chris Thomas 113 10 No.38 West Evans 129
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