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USAC 2005 CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS BANQUET
by Tim Kennedy

Buena Park, CA., Jan. 7 - The 23rd annual USAC Western States Championship Awards Banquet attracted 300 persons Saturday at the Founders Ballroom of the Knott's Berry Farm Resort Hotel. They honored champion drivers and car owners of six USAC racing series and special award winners. Top three drivers and car owners received individual recognition and trophies. Fourth through tenth place winners in each series were honored as a group and they were given the opportunity to speak as well.

    Champion drivers honored were:

        .  FORD FOCUS MIDGETS - Dirt Track Series: (18 races at seven speedways plus three rain-outs, with eight different winners, including four first-time winners) - Chase Barber, 17, of Morgan Hill, CA, won three features and took his first USAC crown by 20 points.

        . FORD FOCUS MIDGETS - Paved Track Series: (14 races at four speedways plus one rain-out, with six different winners, including three first-time winners) - Alex Harris, 27, of Simi Valley, CA, won four mains and his second FF championship by 15 points in a tight, three-way championship contest.

        . WESTERN MIDGETS: (18 races at ten speedways-five paved and five dirt-plus two rain-outs, with 15 different winners, including five first time winners) - Jerome Rodela, 24, won one feature in his fourth full-season and earned his first USAC championship at the final race on Thanksgiving evening at Irwindale after an engine problem forced him to go to a back-up car.  He had finished third, third and second in final points from 2002-04.

        . VALVOLINE USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS (410 cu. in.): (39 dirt track races,
plus one rain-out,  at eight speedways, with 11 different winners, including five first time USAC/CRA winners) - Damion Gardner, of Concord, CA, won 15 main events (including two National /CRA combined races) at four tracks. He won nine mains at Perris, three at Manzanita, two at Skagit and one at Ventura. He defeated nine-time 2005 feature winner Cory Kruseman by 161 points.

        . VALVOLINE WESTERN SPRINT CARS (360 cu. in.): (12 paved track races,
plus one rain-out, at seven speedways, with nine different winners and five initial winners in the series) - rookie Kody Swanson, 17, of Kingsburg, CA, took one feature and scored ten top ten finishes in 12 races. He won his first USAC championship by 46 points.

        . USAC/SLVRA Young Automotive Group ROCKY MOUNTAIN SPRINT CAR SERIES: (11 paved track races, nine at Rocky Mountain Raceway in Salt Lake City, with
seven winners, including four first-time series winners). - Jimmy Wysong, from Utah, won five races and defeated 2004 champion Jim Waters by 73 points.

     Car owner champions honored were: Bret Barber (FF Dirt), Alex Harris (FF Paved), Mike Sala, Flock's car owner (Midgets), Ron Chaffin (USAC/CRA Sprints), TK Motorsports-Mike Swanson (Western Sprints) and Jeff Spiers (USAC/SLVRA Sprints). Racing announcers/writers Bobby Gerould and Scott Daloisio interviewed winners during the evening at the rostrum. They elicited reasons for past success and plans for future racing.

    Tommy Hunt, USAC Vice President, Western Operations, opened ceremonies at 8:10 following the 6:00 cocktail hour and chicken dinner at 7:00. He welcomed guests and said the complimentary Domain Alfred Chardonnay wine at every table was courtesy of the Galedrige family. Hunt introduced USAC President Rollie Helmling, from Indianapolis. Helmling said USAC sanctioned 257 races during 2005 and 79 (almost one-third) were in the Western States Region. He said USAC would distribute $149,750 in point fund and contingency awards. He also recognized driver Wally Pankratz, 60, upon his retirement as a USAC driver.

    Emcee Dick Jordan, USAC Vice-President for Communications, introduced guests and thanked banquet coordinators Janice Caves and Jeanie Hunt. Jordan said, "California is one of only four states that have hosted USAC racing every year since the club started 50 years ago in 1956. Indiana, Ohio and Illinois are the others," he added. Then all USAC Western officials were recognized as a group and given certificates.

    ROOKIES of theYEAR: (presented by Hoosier Tires) - FF MIDGETS - Robbie
Whitchurch. He won four features at four tracks in the 32 FF races in both dirt and paved series. He finished fourth in dirt and fifth in paved track final points. MIDGETS - Bradley Galedrige. He had seven top tens in main events with a sixth a Perris and finished eighth in points. USAC/CRA SPRINTS - R. J. Johnson, of Phoenix, AZ. The 18-year old son of veteran driver Ricky Johnson finished 12th in USAC/CRA points. He won the 2002-03 AMRA Midget Series championships. WESTERN SPRINTS - Kody Swanson, the series champion.

    C. L. Bryant, Inc. presented Hard Charger Awards as follows: FF Midgets - Audra Sasselli;  Midgets - Robby Flock (four-time USAC Western Midget champion, runner-up in final points and point leader to the final night); USAC/CRA Sprints - Danny Sheridan (ninth in final points and a five-time 2005 winner of main event hard charger awards), and Western Sprints - Shauna Hogg (eighth in final points).

    MOST IMPROVED DRIVERS: Award winners were: FF Midgets - Sasselli (second
in FF paved and third in the FF dirt series); Midgets - Scott Pierovich, of Alamo, won one feature at San Bernardino and finished fifth in final points after finishing 14th in 2004; USAC/CRA Sprints - Seth Wilson, of San Clemente, finished tenth in points after ranking 34th in 2004, and Western Sprints - Mike Murgoitio won one feature and finished second in points after placing sixth in 2004 points.

    Earls Performance Co. Fast Qualifier cash awards for season-long qualifying point winners (using the international racing point formula) went to FF Midgets - Harris ($1,000); Midgets - Rodela, USAC/CRA Sprints - Gardner, who logged a USAC record 22 fast times  ($5,000), and Western Sprints - Swanson ($5,000).

    SPECIAL AWARDS:

    . Walt Johnson Memorial Achievement Award, presented by his widow Pat, a USAC official - went to Howard Veach, owner of FF Midgets raced by his sons Chris and Cameron.

    . Joe Lynch Memorial Mechanical Achievement Award donated by Jeff Wahl and presented by Wally Pankratz - went to Midget racer Garrett Hansen, a one-time feature winner in 2005 who does his own mechanical work.

. Curly Merrill Let's Go Racing Award for dedication and spirit - went to a surprised Pankratz. A special comical "gift" of a yellow walker with his car number 8 on it accompanied the trophy.

    . Lincoln Welder Mechanical Achievement Award - went to Bruce Bromme, Jr, crew chief on Gardner's USAC/CRA winning Chaffin No. 50.

    . USAC Western Promoter of the Year - went to Don Kazarian of Perris Auto
Speedway. The PAS presented 21 of the 39 USAC/CRA races during 2005 and had
one rain-out. Wearing an unfamiliar beard, Kazarian accepted the award and said the new CRA season will begin Saturday afternoon February 4.

    Floyd Alvis, 71-year old seven-time BCRA Midget Series driving champion and occasional USAC driver, was honored in his home state for his induction into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame, an award he first received during July 2005 at Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. He attended the USAC Western banquet from his home in Northern California and was recognized with fellow BCRA driving champion Tim Joyce. Additionally, the Agajanian family was recognized and praised for 50 years of USAC race organizing and support of the sport. J. C. Agajanian, Jr stood and acknowledged the applause.
   
    Before concluding ceremonies at 10:40 p.m, Hunt recognized long-time USAC safety committee member Bob Falcon, a Los Angeles County resident, for his contributions to auto racing, including his shoehorn-style driver rescue innovation. In 2005 Falcon received the AARWBA Pioneer in Racing Award and a Delphi/Indy Racing League award for his contributions to racing safety.  A raffle concluded the evening shortly before 11 p.m. Many banquet attendees were scheduled to race in the Chili Bowl Midget Classic in Tulsa, OK from January 11-14 and some competitors were absent because they already were towing their midgets to Tulsa. The six USAC Western series champions will be honored again at the USAC National Awards Banquet along with all other USAC 2005 champions on
Saturday, January 28. That event will take place at the Westin Hotel in Indianapolis.

    FINAL 2005 USAC WESTERN POINT STANDINGS: (per banquet program)

USAC FORD FOCUS MIDGET SERIES (Drivers)

       Dirt Series                          Paved Series
 1 Chase Barber     929         1 Alex Harris           746
 2 Alex Harris          909         2 Audra Sasselli        731
 3 Audra Sasselli       868         3 Chase Barber          720
 4 Robbie Whitchurch    835         4 Benny Moon            692
 5 Chris Veach          834         5 Robbie Whitchurch 655
 6 Keith Janca          781          6 Jace Meier           650
 7 Jet Davison          689         7 Chris Veach           591
 8 Cal Smith            689          8 Jeff Sakowicz            560
 9 Brett Engstrom       665         9 Lindsay Kernohan      482
10 Cameron Veach        651         10 Cameron Veach        419

USAC WESTERN MIDGETS:

Drivers                                 Entrants
 1 Jerome Rodela        808          1 Mike Sala # 79       1,030
 2 Robby Flock          790          2 Troy Brown # 34         843
 3 Tyler Brown          663          3 Jerome Rodela # 25      785
 4 Ryan Kaplan          569          4 Mike Graves # 86          709
 5 Scott Pierovich      496          5 Al Galedrige # 29          657
 6 Garrett Hansen       472          6 Ken Kaplan # 21            644
 7 Stephen Graves       469          7 Dallen Mckenney # 88   622
 8 Bradley Galedrige    432          8 Lance Pierovich # 35      616
 9 Dallen McKenney      428          9 Garret Hansen # 70        577
10 Shannon McQueen  387            10 Shannon McQueen # 7   567

VALVOLINE USAC/CRA SPRINTS:

         Drivers                                         Entrants
 1 Damion Gardner           2,169               1 Ron Chaffin # 50            2,169
 2 Cory Kruseman            2,008           2 Glen Crossno # 38       1,959
 3 Rip Williams                 1,935            3 Sharon Jory # 3           1,935
 4 Mike Kirby                   1,643           4 Mark Alexander # 4     1,641
 5 Mike Spencer                 1,488           5 Hal Engstrom # 44    1,488
 6 Charles Davis, Jr.           1,447           6 Tony Smiley # 2A         1,456
 7 Rickie Gaunt                 1,395           7 Tony Smiley # 8A         1,447
 8 Josh Ford                       1,161          8 Keith Ford # 73        1,161
 9 Danny Sheridan               1,153           9 Gary Kittle # 18        1,082
10 Seth Wilson                   1,030          10 Seth Wilson # 17         1,030

VALVOLINE USAC WESTERN SPRINTS:

        Drivers                         Entrants
 1 Kody Swanson     664      1 TK Motorsports # 75      844
 2 Mike Murgoitio           618      2 Gary Murgoitio # 80          801
 3 Tim Barber                 617      3 Ken Pierson # 14               782
 4 Tony Hunt                  546      4 Alan Kaiser # 94               747
 5 Cody Veenstra        513       5 John Veenstra # 07           678
 6 Brian McClish            499       6 CTR # 15                          638
 7 Michael Trimble          488       7 Nor-Cal Testing # 3         632
 8 Shauna Hogg      380       8 Brian McClish # 04          604
 9 Brad Bumgarner         343         9 Richard Hogg # 5            545
10 Chris Petersen         304     10 Karl Petersen # 18             469

USAC/SLVRA ROCKY MOUNTAIN SPRINTS:

        Drivers                             Entrants
 1 Jimmy Wysong 726                1 Jeff Spiers # 29             726
 2 Jim Waters       653            2 Tom Ault # 24               610
 3 Rick Pardee      576                3 Rick Pardee # 10          576
 4 Dave Fitzgerald  487                4 Kerry Hamblin # 32       487
 5 Mel Andrus       465                5 Mel Andrus # 22           465

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