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Hanford, CA., Nov. 11 - Chuck West won
his second NMRA-TQ Midget Series 25-lap main event of 2006 here
Saturday night at the three-eighths mile, clay Kings Speedway. It
brought the 2002 NMRA-TQ champion from Clovis his second NMRA
driving championship by 71-points. He drove the West Evans 2006 John
Godfrey-built Spike chassis with a Suzuki power-plant. The No. 38
Evans car won the 2006 car owner championship by 67-points. West and
his car owner Evans are cousins.
West swept the program Saturday in a ten-car field. He set the
fastest qualifying time of 20.706 during time trials. He also won
his heat race and led the final 14 laps of the 25-lap feature. It
was his sixth main event triumph in the 58 NMRA main events run
since the long-time TQ Midget racing sanctioning body reformed in
2002. USAC sanctioned TQ Midget competition from 1987 through 2001
and stopped sanctioning TQ Midgets in favor of the new Ford Focus
Midget
Series from 2002 to the present time.
Chris Hedge, a three-time 2006 NMRA feature winner, led the first 11
laps at Hanford and finished second in his Meli/Honda. Bruce
Hiroshima, also a three-time feature winner this year, placed third
in his own Rick Stewart/Honda. Kenny Wiley and West Evans completed
the top five. Richard Ortega, Jr., leading rookie Scott Dobson,
Michael Bliffen, Ron Ahrendt and rookie Jenna Bliffen rounded out
the top ten. West and Ahrendt won the eight-lap heat races. Wiley's
20.735 was second fastest qualifying time.
Four drivers and three car owners won the nine NMRA features during
2006. Car counts averaged 12.5 and ranged from a low of 10 to high
of 15 cars. Racing took place at five tracks-four dirt (Bakersfield
Speedway, Santa Maria Speedway, Ventura Raceway and Kings Speedway)
plus one paved track (Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino).
Seventeen cars competed and 18 drivers earned 2006 NMRA points.
Race Summary:
Fast Time: Chuck West, 20.706.
Heat 1: Chuck West, West Evans, Kenny Wiley, Scott Dobson.
Heat 2: Ron Ahrendt, Bruce Hiroshima, Chris Hedge, Michael Bliffen,
Jenna Bliffen, Richard Ortega, Jr.
Main: West, Hedge, Hiroshima, Wiley, Evans, Ortega, Dobson, M.
Bliffen, Ahrendt, J. Bliffen.
FINAL 2006 NMRA TQ-MIDGET POINT STANDINGS
Drivers
Car Owners
1 Chuck West (2 wins) 566
1 # 38 West Evans
586
2 Bruce Hiroshima (3 wins) 495 2
# 5 Bruce Hiroshima
519
3 Kenny Wiley
481 3 # 21 Paul Lopiccolo
502
4 Chris Hedge (3 wins) 474
4 # 98 Chris Hedge
498
5 Ron Ahrendt
468 5 # 87 Judi Ahrendt
491
6 West Evans (1 win) 452
6 # 36 West Evans
476
7 Michael Bliffen
433 7 # 3 Michael Bliffen
457
8 Scott Dobson (Rkie) 385
8 # 18 Guy Barber
409
9 Steve Parke
357 9 # 8 Richard Ortega,
Jr 372
10 Richard Ortega, Jr. 348
10 # 03 Michael Bliffen
252
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