“WESTERN WORLD” MIDGET FINALES AT CANYON THIS WEEK

Honda USAC National Midget point leader Rico Abreu and Western Midget point leader Ronnie Gardner will try to lock up 2014 USAC championships this week as the 47th Annual Sands Chevrolet “Western World Championships” unfold at Canyon Raceway Park in Peoria, Ariz.

Abreu, of Rutherford, Calif., is eyeing his initial USAC driving title while Gardner hopes to repeat his 2013 success. Abreu’s National point lead over Christopher Bell and Tracy Hines stands at 79 and 81 points respectively. A Hines championship would make him USAC’s sixth “Triple Crown Champion,” having already won titles in the Silver Crown and AMSOIL National Sprint series.

Gardner, of Norco, Calif., actually is seeking a pair of USAC crowns this week. He currently leads the Western and Western Dirt points with a 36-point margin over Trey Marcham in both.

Abreu started the National campaign with nine consecutive podium finishes and has four feature wins this year, including the prestigious “Belleville Midget Nationals” and the “Indiana Midget Week” crown. Gardner has two wins, four seconds and a third in 10 Western starts. Gardner was eighth in this year’s Western opener at Peoria.