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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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