|
HIROSHIMA WINS SANTA MARIA TQ MIDGET FEATURE – By Tim Kennedy
Santa Maria, CA., Jun. 6 – NMRA-TQ midget point leader Bruce Hiroshima, 51, won his second NMRA 20-lap feature of the season Saturday during a multi-division program at the third-mile clay Santa Maria Speedway. The 2004 NMRA-TQ rookie of the year drove his own No. 5 Rick Stewart chassis with a Clerc-built 838cc Honda engine in round seven of the scheduled 15-race season.
The Camarillo-based winner also won round two of 2015 at Bakersfield Speedway on March 28. He entered the Santa Maria race one point in back of point leader West Evans, the 2010 and 2013 driving champion, in both driver and car owner points. Hiroshima now leads both driver and car owner points by eight digits. He is seeking his first TQ championships after finishing second in points twice, including last year.
The race was the annual Ron Otto Memorial race in honor of the long-time NMRA-TQ Midget president, board member and racing official. Ron and wife Gay retired in Southern California and moved to Nipomo, just north of the Santa Maria race track. Ron died on November 30, 2004 from a massive heart attack. NMRA officials and SMS track management collaborated each year since 2005 to run the TQ memorial race tribute to the respected late TQ series leader. One Otto Memorial event was rained out.
Four-time NMRA driving champion Chuck West, Scott Dobson, W. Evans and Dave Lambert finished second through fifth in the 11-car field. TQ rookies Paul Sanders, Ace Kale, Kevin Kale and ex-CRA No. 75 sprint car driver Ted Dann followed. The first seven finishers completed all 20 laps. K. Kale and Dann logged 19 laps. Scott Niven and Doyle Mosley, brother of late Indianapolis 500 driver Mike Mosley, ran 17 and 6-laps respectively.
Dobson won the six-driver, first 8-lap heat race. West took the five-driver second heat race. All drivers in each heat completed eight laps. The next NMRA race will be Saturday, June 20 at the TQ series home track—Bakersfield Speedway.
SUMMARY:
Heat 1 – 8 laps: Scott Dobson, West Evans, Scott Niven, Paul Sanders, Dave Lambert, Kevin Kale.
Heat 2 – 8 laps: Chuck West, Bruce Hiroshima, Doyle Mosley, Ace Kale, Ted Dann.
Main, 20 laps: Hiroshima, West, Dobson, Evans, Lambert, Sanders, A. Kale, K. Kale,Dann, Niven, Mosley.
POINT STANDINGS:
Drivers Car Owners
1 Bruce HiroshimA 428 1 No. 5 Bruce Hiroshima 449
2 West Evans 420 2 No. 36 West Evans 441
3 Scott Dobson 416 3 No. 18 Scott Dobson 437
4 Chuck West 414 4 No. 77 Ace Kale 346
5 Ace Kale ® 325 5 No. 07 Ace Kale 303
6 Kevin Kale ® 282 6 No. 55 Dave Lambert 249
7 Ted Dann ® 264 7 No. 38 West Evans 241
8 Dave Lambert 234 8 No. 7 Ace Kale 194
9 Chris Thomas 156 9 No. 20 Bruce Hiroshima189
10 Doyle Mosley 138 10 No. 40 Chris Thomas 168
#################################
|
