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MOORPARK, CA., Jan. 15 - Driver Steve
Lambert, 30, and car owner Greg
Edenholm, 56, enjoyed winning their initial championships so much in
2003 they repeated their respective NMRA-TQ Midget championships in
2004. They were honored here Saturday night during an awards banquet
at The Grinder Restaurant.
It was the third year of operation for the racing
organization that sanctioned TQ- Midget competition from 1957-86.
NMRA was revived in 2002 to fill the void left when USAC withdrew as
the West Coast TQ Midget sanctioning body to launch the Ford Focus
Midget Series. During 2004 NMRA conducted 13 races at three dirt
tracks-Bakersfield, Santa Maria and Ventura. There were ten
different winners of 12 main events. Rain canceled the final feature
at Santa Maria after two heat races had been run.
Lambert won one main event at Bakersfield
Speedway in the Hart/Honda owned by his father Dave. He won the
driving title by 27 points (691-664) over Chuck West, the 2002 NMRA
champion. Lambert spoke to the audience of 60 and thanked generous
Edenholm for loaning him the Honda engine that he used in several
races.
Edenholm's championship car-the No. 2
"Silver Bullet" Dennis Hart chassis powered by a 836 cc
Honda-won five of the 12 main events. Three drivers, Scott Hansen,
Dennis and Marc Hart, steered Edenhom's No. 2 car to feature
triumphs. The car won the 2004 title by seven points (709-702) over
West Evans' No. 38 car. Edenholm's second car, the "Orange
Crush" No. 1 Hart chassis with a 760 cc Suzuki, won the 2003
owner's championship and finished sixth in 2004. Edenholm collected
his huge championship trophy accompanied by his 11-year old twin son
and daughter.
Emcee Ron Ahrendt called drivers and car owners
outside the top ten forward to receive participation certificates.
He presented engraved glass paperweights to all NMRA officials.
Special thank you plaques were presented to Tim Kennedy (public
relations), Paula Evans and Judi Ahrendt (banquet committee), Dave
Wolf (banquet photos) and all NMRA sponsors-American Race Tires,
Racing Optics, Schroeder Race Products, A & E Trophies, and
Ringers Gloves.
SPECIAL AWARDS
Hard charger honors, sponsored by Mulligan Family
Fun Center/Storm Karting, went to owner/driver Steve Parke. He
competed seven times despite a terminal illness loss in his family
and had three top fives and five top tens. The first Ron Otto family
perpetual Sportsmanship Trophy, presented by widow Gay and son Tony
Otto, went to surprised Ron Ahrendt, driver of the No. 87
Ellis/Honda and banquet emcee for the second consecutive year. Bruce
Hiroshima won the Rookie of the Year Trophy presented in memory of
Curly and Cookie Merrill and sponsored by Racing Optics. He finished
sixth in the driver category in which 32 drivers scored NMRA points.
Hiroshima also ranked ninth among 21 car owners with NMRA points.
Drivers and owners ranked tenth through fourth
received plaques. The top three drivers and owners received large
NMRA trophies. West Evans, third place, his cousin Chuck West,
second place, and champion Lambert addressed the audience, as did
the top three car owners-Evans for third place with his No. 36 car
and second place with his No. 38 TQ, and Edenholm. Each recipient
thanked crews and families and said they will return this year for
more TQ Midget racing.
Announced NMRA rookie contenders for 2005 include
Jenna Bliffen, 22-year old daughter of TQ owner/driver Michael
Bliffen, in a second Bliffen TQ. Eric Montgomery, of Santa Maria,
bought the No. 42 Ken Bonnema (ex-No. 11 Randi Pankratz TQ) and will
race it himself. The No. 70 John Gardner TQ also is available to a
buyer for $7,000 to clean out his racing garage.
FINAL 2004 POINTS
Drivers: 1. Steve Lambert 691; 2. Chuck West 664; 3. West Evans 592;
4. Kenny Wiley 589; 5. Ron Ahrendt 384; 6. Bruce Hiroshima 380; 7.
Michael Bliffen 338; 8. Scott Hansen 313; 9. Steve Parke 302; 10.
Walt Johnson 300.
Car Owners: 1. Greg Edenholm # 2 - 709; 2. West Evans # 38 - 702; 3.
West Evans # 36 - 628; 4. Paul Lopiccolo # 21 - 623; 5. Dave Lambert
# 55 - 592; 6. Greg
Edenholm # 1 - 551; 7. Guy Barber # 18 - 493; 8. Judi Ahrendt # 87 -
464; 9. Bruce
Hiroshima # 5 - 416; 10. Michael Bliffen # 3 - 402.
The NMRA tentative 2005 schedule, available on
line at www.wstqmidgets.com,
shows 12 race dates at four tracks, three dirt and one paved, and
six dates to be announced. The season opener will be Saturday, March
19 at Orange Show Speedway, the re-paved quarter mile in San
Bernardino. Current schedule: 3/19-San Bernardino, 4/2-Ventura,
4/23-Santa Maria, 4/30-Bakersfield, 5/14-TBA, 5/28-Bakersfield,
6/11-Santa Maria "Ron Otto Memorial", 7/2-San Bernardino,
7/23-TBA, 8/6-Bakersfield, 8/20-Santa Maria. 9/3-TBA, 9/17-San
Bernardino, 10/1-Santa Maria, 10/15-Ventura, 10/29-TBA, 11/12-TBA,
11/26-TBA.
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