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Oildale, CA., May 28 - Jody Bandfield, a
veteran NMRA-TQ Midget Series
owner/driver, won the first TQ Midget main event of his career
Saturday night in a 20-lapper at the third-mile, clay Bakersfield
Speedway. His victory followed his third place in the April 30 main
event at the banked Kern County track.
Bandfield drove the No. 15 Robert & Cynthia
Welcomer Johnson/Honda usually driven by chassis builder Walt
Johnson. He took command on lap eight and led the final 13 laps.
Bandfield jumped from third in NMRA driver points to become a
first-time point leader by 15 points over 2002 NMRA champion Chuck
West. Prior point leader Johnson, a two-time winner this season, was
absent and dropped to fifth place. The Welcomer husband/wife team
increased their car owner point lead from 21 to 43 points.
West Evans, who was instrumental in the rebirth
of the historic NMRA sanctioning body four years ago, led the first
seven laps and finished second. Steve Lambert, the 2003-04 NMRA
champion, earned third position. Bruce Hiroshima and Michael Bliffen
were fourth and fifth respectively. Rob Hansen, Ron Ahrendt, West,
Steve Parke and Linda Taylor completed the top ten in the ten-car
field.
Lambert and Evans won the two eight-lap heat
races. Round five of the 14 race season will take place on Saturday,
June 11 at the third-mile clay Santa Maria Speedway. The race has
been named the "Ron Otto Memorial" in honor of the
long-time NMRA officer and official who resided in Nipomo, CA just
north of the Santa Maria track. Otto succumbed to a heart attack at
age 74 on November 30.
Summary: (pickup agate)
Heat 1: Steve Lambert, Ron Ahrendt, Chuck
West, Bruce Hiroshima, Linda Taylor.
Heat 2: West Evans, Jody Bandfield, Steve Parke,
Michael Bliffen, Rob Hansen.
Main: Bandfield, Evans, Lambert, Hiroshima,
Bliffen, Hansen, Ahrendt, West, Parke, Taylor.
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NMRA-TQ MIDGETS - POINT STANDINGS (as of May 29, 2005)
Drivers
Car Owners
1 Jody Bandfield 224
1 Robert & Cynthia Welcomer # 15 267
2 Chuck West
209 2 West Evans #
38
224
3 Bruce Hiroshima 207
3 Bruce Hiroshima # 70
222
4 Steve Lambert 192
4 Dave Lambert # 55
207
5 Walt Johnson 187
5 Michael Bliffen # 3
202
5 Michael Bliffen 187
6 West Evans # 36
191
7 West Evans
176 7 Judi Ahrendt #
87
187
8 Ron Ahrendt
172 8 Steve parke #
59
185
9 Steve Parke
170 9 Jody Bandfield
# 4
166
10 Kenny Wiley
112 10 Guy
Barber # 18
149
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