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| RANDY MOODY WINS VENTURA COUNTY FAIR TQ
MIDGET FEATURE By Tim Kennedy |
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VENTURA, CA., Jul. 30 Hometown favorite Randy Moody started
seventh, became the third race leader on lap 15 and won the NMRA-TQ
Midget Series 21-lap main event Wednesday night at the banked,
fifth-mile clay Ventura Raceway. Racing was an advertised attraction
on the opening night of the annual Ventura County Fair and fairgoers
were admitted free to the grandstands for racing. Moody, who won a
pair of USAC TQ Midget features in the 1990s, drove Dave Lambert's
No. 55 Dennis Hart-built chassis with Honda power to his first
victory this year in round seven of the season. It was his second
start this year and he became the fourth different 2008 NMRA feature
winner.
A packed grandstand of more than 4,000 persons watched a multi-division racing program during the opening night of the 12-day Ventura County Fair adjacent to the Pacific Ocean. Moody earned enough points to climb up to 12th place in current NMRA point standings. He won his first ever NMRA-TQ main event early last year at Santa Maria Speedway. Then he backed up that triumph with four more TQ feature victories at the end of the season to finish eighth in final 2007 driver point standings. Two-time 2008 TQ winner Kenny Wiley came from fifth starting slot to finish second aboard Paul Lopiccolo's Rick Stewart chassis with Honda power under the hood. Point leader/three-time 2008 main event winner Chuck West, from Clovis, placed third in West Evans' Stealth/Kawasaki. He extended his 2008 point lead from 43 to 65 points. Richard Ortega, Jr, the Ventura Fair feature winner last year, finished fourth after starting third. Rookie Anthony Lopiccolo started second and finished fifth. Ron Ahrendt (from 10th), West Evans (from 9th), Scott Niven (from 1st), Jimmy Dodson (from 11th), Scott Dobson (from 6th), Mike Elliott (from 12th) and Bruce Hiroshima (from 4th) rounded out the full-field rundown. All 11 finishers completed all 21 laps. Ortega led the first seven laps and Wiley was the leader from lap 8-14. West won the first eight lap heat race from sixth (last) starting position. Niven took the second eight lap heat after starting second. The next NMRA race will be Saturday, August 16 at Santa Maria Speedway. Three additional races are booked for Bakersfield Speedway on August 30, Santa Maria on September 20 and at the quarter-mile Orange Show Speedway on October 11 for NMRA teams first paved surface race of the year. NMRA Summary: HEAT 1: West, Dobson, Hiroshima, Lopiccolo, Ahrendt, Dodson. HEAT 2: Niven, Moody, Ortega, Wiley, Elliott, Evans. MAIN: Moody, Wiley, West, Ortega, Lopiccolo, Ahrendt, Evans, Niven, Dodson, Dobson, Elliott, Hiroshima. NMRA POINT STANDINGS: Drivers West, 454; Dobson, 389; Hiroshima 361; Wiley 351; Evans 327; Ortega 308; Ahrendt 297; Lopiccolo 292; Niven 291, Dodson 261. Car Owners: Evans # 36 475; Lopiccolo # 21 428; Barber # 18 410; Hiroshima # 5 382; Evans # 38 348; Ortega # 8 326; Ahrendt # 87 318; Niven # 66 315; Hiroshima # 20 255; Dodson # 6 243. Six other Ventura Fair races Wednesday night contributed to a jammed pit area with 116 total cars at the seaside track across the street from the Pacific Ocean and Ventura beach. They were: Ventura Racing Association (VRA) JUNIOR MIDGETS - Fifth ranked series driver Jessica Clark, of Westlake Village, won the 15 lap main. Cameron Dougan and Brennan Rogers followed in a 13-car field. Nine drivers ran all 15 laps and four drivers completed 14 laps. Series point leader Luke Boles placed 12th Wednesday and now leads Rogers by 20 points (2330-2310). VRA PRO DWARF CARS ran a 20-lap main with 20 starters. Ray Estrada, ranked third in points, defeated point leader Brian Saxton and Kyle Cline as 13 drivers ran all 20 laps. Saxton increased his point lead to 365 points (1915-1550) over Brent Stevens. VRA SENIOR DWARF CARS ran a 20-lap main, won by TQ Midget and 360 cu. in. sprint car veteran Chris Wakim. Ed Niedzwiecki and Tom Bellinger followed as 12 drivers in the 21 car field ran all 20 laps. VRA SPORT COMPACTS Randal Dougan won the 20-lap feature for the four-cylinder sedans. Darren Gunnell finished second and point leader Joel Chavez was third in a 17-car field. The top ten drivers ran all 20 laps. The top three finishers also lead in series 2008 points. Chavez has 2070, Dougan 2060 and Gunnell 2010. VRA MINI DWARFS PISTONS ran a 12-lap race with 13 competitors. Point leader Cameron McCauley won over Joe Snyder and and Oliver Blades and increased his point lead to 275 points. VRA MINI DWARFS SUPERCHARGERS contested a 12-lap event that point leader Devin McCree won over Cody Major and Ricky Lewis. McCree now leads Lewis in points2480 to 2455. |
