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VENTURA, CA., Apr. 2 - Walt Johnson
opened the fourth season in the modern-era of the decades-old
NMRA-TQ Midget sanctioning body with a 25-lap triumph Saturday night
at the fifth-mile clay Ventura Raceway. The race began a 14 race
2005 campaign at five tracks for the club. Johnson drove the Robert
and Cynthia Welcomer Priestley-Honda, housed in a chassis built
several years ago by the winning driver. He became the fourth race
leader on lap 19 and paced the final seven laps. It was the second
main event victory as owners for the Welcomers.
Johnson, the 2001 USAC TQ Midget champion, took
his third NMRA career feature victory and his third in as many
years. He also drove the Welcomer No. 15 to victory last July 3 at
Bakersfield Speedway. Johnson, the son of the late USAC Western
States pit steward Walt Johnson, Sr and his wife Pat, a current USAC
W/S registrar, timer-scorer, is a member of the NMRA board of
directors. His 65-points gave him the point lead by four
points.
Kenny Wiley finished second. Chuck West, NMRA's
2002 driving champion, was third. Ron Ahrendt took fourth and Bruce
Hiroshima, the 2004 NMRA rookie of the year, was fifth. Rounding out
the top ten were Michael Bliffen, 16-year old Cody Williams, Robert
Ortega, Jr, Steve Lambert, the 2003-04 NMRA champion, and West
Evans. Ortega and Williams made their initial TQ Midget starts.
Williams, the oldest of three sons of 2004 USAC-CRA sprint car
champion Rip Williams and his wife Becky, made his professional
racing debut. He drove the orange No. 1 Greg Edenholm-owned, Dennis
Hart chassis with a 760 cc Suzuki engine. He started 14th and passed
his way to seventh place.
Hiroshima led the first four laps. Jody Bandfield
paced laps five through nine. Wiley, the 2002 NMRA rookie of the
year, had the point from laps 10-18 until Johnson took charge.
Lambert and Bandfield won the pair of eight-lap heat races. NMRA
will return to action Saturday, April 23 at Santa Maria Speedway.
The Summary: (pick up agate)
Heat 1: Steve Lambert, West Evans, Bruce
Hiroshima, Scott Hansen, Ron Ahrendt, Cody Williams, Steve Parke.
Heat 2: Jody Bandfield, Walt Johnson, Kenny
Wiley, Chuck West, Michael Bliffen, Robert Ortega, Jr, Linda Taylor.
Main: Johnson, Wiley, West, Ahrendt, Hiroshima,
Bliffen, Cody Williams, Robert Ortega, Jr, Lambert, Evans, Bandfield,
Steve Parke, Hansen, Linda Taylor.
NMRA-TQ MIDGET POINT STANDINGS:
April 7, 2005
Drivers
Owners
1 Walt Johnson 65
1 R & C Welcomer 68
2 Kenny Wiley 61
2 Paul Lopiccolo 64
3 Chuck West 57
3 West Evans 60
4 Bruce Hiroshima 52
4 Bruce Hiroshima 55
5 Ron Ahrendt 51
5 Judy Ahrendt 54
6 Michael Bliffen 45
6 Michael Bliffen 48
7 Cody Williams 42
7 Greg Edenholm 45
8 Steve Lambert 42
8 Dave Lambert 45
9 Robert Ortega,Jr 39
9 Bruce Hiroshima 42
10 West Evans 38
10 West Evans
41
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