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VENTURA, CA, May 15 - Scott Hansen
became the fifth different main event winner this season after five
NMRA-TQ Midget events on three tracks. He won a 25-lap feature
Saturday on the TQ association's first visit this year to the
fifth-mile, banked clay Ventura Raceway at Seaside Park, across the
street from the Pacific Ocean. The winner is the son-in-law of
retired CRA and USAC sprint car driver Lee Robison.
Hansen joined his brother Rob Hansen on the front row of the 15-car
feature, which tied the 2004 season-high car count. Older brother
Rob, a dwarf car and TQ Midget racing veteran, led the first five
laps before his sibling passed him and led the final 20 laps. Rob,
in Guy Barber's No. 18, finished second in the 2002 NMRA
championship car.
Hansen became the third different driver to win a TQ main event this
season in Greg Edenholm's Hart/Honda No. 2 TQ Midget. Builder Dennis
Hart and Marc Hart captured the first two races this year in the
same car at Bakersfield and Santa Maria Speedways. Former TQ driver
Edenholm's other car (No. 1) was the NMRA-TQ championship car last
year. Randy Moody drove that car at Ventura.
USAC Midget and Sprint car driving veteran Hansen, from Simi Valley,
scored his third feature triumph in the NMRA-TQ series. He also won
last year at Perris Auto Speedway and Bakersfield Speedway. Hansen
won the 1995 USAC TQ Midget driving championship. He has 26 USAC TQ
main event victories, tying him with 1997-98 USAC TQ champion Alex
Harris for most USAC TQ Midget feature triumphs.
Walt Johnson, the final USAC TQ Series champion in 2001, finished
behind the Hansen brothers in third position. Steve Lambert, the
2003 NMRA-TQ driving champion, was fourth and 2002 NMRA champion
Chuck West came home fifth. Lambert and West won the last two NMRA
main events at Bakersfield and Santa Maria respectively.
Todd Hunsaker, the first USAC Ford Focus Midget Series champion,
finished sixth. West Evans, Kenny Wiley, Ron Ahrendt and Michael
Bliffen completed the top ten finishers at Ventura. Rob Hansen and
Johnson won the pair of eight-lap heat races from front row starting
positions. Round six of the current 13 race NMRA schedule will be
held Saturday night, May 22 at the third-mile banked Santa Maria
Speedway. The final race of 2004 will be held at the same track on
October 16.
The Summary: (pickup agate)
Heat 1 - Rob Hansen, Scott Hansen, Todd Hunsaker,
West Evans, Steve
Lambert, Michael Bliffen, Dave Phillips, Dave Martella.
Heat 2 - Walt Johnson, Chuck West, Randy Moody,
Kenny Wiley, Bruce
Hiroshima, Chris Hedge, Ron Ahrendt.
Main - S. Hansen, R. Hansen, Johnson, Lambert,
West, Hunsaker, Evans,
Wiley, Ron Ahrendt, Michael Bliffen, Hiroshima, Moody, Chris Hedge,
Dave
Phillips, Dave Martella.
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