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See You At The Races!!! |
| RACING
SCENE by Tim Kennedy |
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NMRA-TQ Midgets |
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Santa Maria, CA, Aug. 9 - Jimmy May won his third consecutive
NMRA-TQ Midget 25-lap main event Saturday at the banked, third-mile
clay Santa Maria Speedway. It was his fifth victory in the eight
NMRA features conducted so far this season. It also was his second
triumph at Santa Maria to go along with his two triumphs at Ventura
and one at Perris. May, a versatile Midget and sprint car driver from Ventura, again drove one of two Greg Edenholm-owned Hart chassis/Hart Honda-powered TQs. It was his fourth victory in Edenholm's No. 2 car. May has one victory in Edenholm's No. 2x mount. May has competed in only five of the eight events this season, yet he now ranks seventh in current point standings, only 58 digits behind series leader Steve Lambert, who has started all eight races. May entered the race in seventh position, but 91 points in back of series leader Chuck West. In the two years of NMRA racing (current evolution) May is one of nine different main event winners of the 16 races during 2002-03. May now has won six of the 16 races (37.5%)-all in Edenholm-owned TQs. With a growing chance at his first TQ driving championship, May is expected to make the remaining three races on the NMRA schedule. TQ veteran and 1987-88 USAC-TQ driving champion Dennis Hart finished second in his own Hart/Honda TQ. Scott Hansen, the 1995 USAC-TQ champion, USAC Midget veteran and current USAC 360 sprint car contender, finished third in Edenholm's No. 2x car. Hansen won his first NMRA feature in the 2x TQ June 21 at Perris Auto Speedway. Rob Hansen, a USAC-TQ and CDCRA dwarf car veteran, made his NMRA driving debut and finished fourth. He drove his own car that Jake May raced earlier this season. West Evans placed fifth for his first top five finish this year in his Stealth/Vesco-Suzuki-powered TQ. Evans was a key mover behind the rebirth of NMRA last season after USAC dropped TQ racing in favor of the Ford Focus Midget Series. Rounding out the top ten in a 15-car field were Ron Wade, driving the Judi Ahrendt car usually raced by Ron Ahrendt, new point leader Steve Lambert, 2002 NMRA rookie of the year Kenny Wiley, Chris Hedge and Michael Bliffen. Walt Johnson, the 2001 USAC-TQ champion, led the first four laps in the 2002 NMRA and 2001 USAC championship Stewart/Clerc Honda TQ owned by Guy Barber. Wiley paced laps five-13, before he yielded the point to May-the laps 14-25 pacesetter. Barber currently ranks second and trails car owner point leader Edenholm's No. 2 car by 33 points-463 to 430. Lambert entered the evening in second place in 2003 point standings, ten points in back of 2002 NMRA driving champion Chuck West, of Fresno. West finished 12th in a second Evans-owned Stealth/Vesco-Suzuki. He now trails Lambert by four points-390 to 386. May and Johnson won a pair of eight-lap heat races. S. Hansen set the fastest qualifying time of 15.150 in a 15-car field. Hansen's time was a new track record for NMRA that beat the 15.899 set on July 20, 2002 by J. J. Ercse in Barber's No. 1 TQ. Rounds nine and ten of the NMRA season will take place at Bakersfield Speedway on August 16 and September 6. The Summary: (pickup agate) Fast Time: Scott Hansen, 15.150 - NTR (old TR-15.899 by J. J. Ercse on 7/20/02). Heat 1: Jimmy May, Rob Hansen, Chuck West, Kenny Wiley, Scott Hansen, West Evans, Linda Taylor, Jody Bandfield. Heat 2: Walt Johnson, Dennis Hart, Ron Wade, Chris Hedge, Michael Bliffen, Steve Lambert, Steve Parke. Main: May, Hart, S. Hansen, R. Hansen, West Evans, Wade, Steve Lambert, Wiley, Hedge, Bliffen, Steve Parke, West, Johnson, Jody Bandfield, Linda Taylor. POINT STANDINGS: (AS OF 8/10/03) Drivers Car Owners 1 Steve Lambert 390 1 Greg Edenholm 2 463 2 Chuck West 386 2 Guy Barber 1 430 3 Walt Johnson 369 3 Greg Edenholm 2x 418 4 Jody Bandfield 354 4 Dave Lambert 55 411 5 Chris Hedge 340 5 Jody Bandfield 4 378 6 Kenny Wiley 337 6 Hedge & Hendrix 98 360 7 Jimmy May 332 7 Paul Lopiccolo 21 359 8 Scott Hansen 317 8 Judi Ahrendt 87 347 9 West Evans 296 9 West Evans 36 324 10 Steve Parke 269 10 Steve Parke 59 290 |
