USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGETS CLASH AT PETALUMA SATURDAY
By Lance Jennings
JULY 19, 2023... This Saturday, July 22nd, the chase for the USAC Western States Midget championship heads to Petaluma Speedway. Promoted by Rick Faeth, the $1,500-to-win seventh point race is the only appearance of the “mighty midgets” at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds. The event will also showcase the Top Dog Modified Nationals, Hobby Stocks, and Mini Stocks. The Pit Gates will open at noon, Front Gates open at 4:00pm, Practice starts at 5:00pm, and Racing at “The Fastest 3/8 Mile Dirt Oval in Northern California” will begin at 6:00pm. For event information, visit the track’s website at petaluma-speedway.com or call 707.763.7223 (RACE).
NOTICE TO RACERS:
- PETALUMA TARP RULE: Tarps are mandatory under all racecars in the pit area and must stick out at least one foot at each side.
- MEMBERSHIPS / TEMPORARY PERMITS: All racers MUST PURCHASE their USAC license / membership or temporary permit (TP) online PRIOR TO THE EVENT at usaclicense.com. Season memberships come with extra insurance.
- ENTRY FEE: There is an entry fee due at registration / pill pick.
- TRANSPONDERS: Transponders ARE MANDATORY and will be available to rent.
- APPROVED/LEGAL MUFFLERS: B&B: FRAC-0375-S w/side outlet, COAST FABRICATION: 300x625x17-2s, 350x625x17-2s, 400x625x17-2s, EXTREME: 3515-3030 (15” Long 5” round shell with 3”inlet & 3” outlet), 3615-3030 (15” Long 6” round shell with 3” inlet & 3” outlet), 3515-3030-8 (15” Long 5” round shell with 3”inlet & 3” outlet with turnout), 3615-3030-8 (15” Long 6” round shell with 3” inlet & 3” outlet with turnout), FLOWMASTER: (BCRA Approved) 13009130, 13509130, 13509135, SCHOENFELD: 14272535, 14272730-78, RODELA FAB: 2557-01 *Failure to comply with the muffler rule will risk disqualification from the event.
- ONE WAY RADIOS / RACECEIVERS: One way radios ARE MANDATORY.
- FULL CONTAINMENT SEATS: Full containment seats ARE MANDATORY.
- RULE BOOK: The USAC Western States Midget Rule Book can be found online at usacracing.com.
- California state protocol calls for competitors, crews, officials, and anyone on the grounds to practice safe social distancing, proper sanitizing, and follow local regulations regarding the COVID-19 Coronavirus.
In addition to championship points, every event will award points for the season-long Woodland Auto Display Top Qualifier Standings and the unsponsored Passing Master Standings. Drivers that finish in the top-3 in Woodland points will take home $500-for-1st, $300-for-2nd, and $200-for-3rd. Last season, Michael Faccinto earned Top Qualifier honors and veteran driver Randi Pankratz passed the most cars in the main events.
Since October 6, 2012, fifteen USAC Western States Midget events have been held at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds. “Sugar” Shane Golobic claimed the inaugural victory as “Fireball” Maria Cofer, Ronnie Gardner, and Alex Schutte lead all drivers with three Petaluma wins. When the series last visited the 3/8-mile oval on July 23, 2022, Brody Fuson took the checkered flags. Gardner set the 1-lap track record of 14.200 on October 5, 2013 and a complete series win list at Petaluma is at the bottom of this release.
Heading to Petaluma, Brody Fuson (Bakersfield, California) has a 58-point advantage over the competition. Driving Rusty Carlile’s #51 RacePa Motorsports / Van Meter Motorsports Spike, Fuson earned his third victory of the season at Placerville on July 8th. To date, the point leader has also posted three Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, three heat race victories, two Ebbco Offroad / Wireless 101 Hard Charger Awards, six top-10 finishes, and 53 feature laps led on the season. Brody has seven career wins and will be looking for another triumph at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds.
Cade Lewis (Bakersfield, California) ranks second in the chase for the championship. Racing Dean “Kiwi” Alexander’s #5K Wireless 101 / Mobil 1 Spike, Lewis finished tenth at Placerville Speedway. At press time, the young driver has one feature win, one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, two heat race victories, three Ebbco Offroad / Wireless 101 Hard Charger Awards, six top-10 finishes, and 16 feature laps led on the year. Cade has two career wins and will have his sights on winning at Petaluma.
Ben Worth (Coalinga, California) sits third in the USAC Western States Midget point standings. Piloting the Graunstadt Enterprises’ #14J T&T Trucking / Gary Silva Ranches Spike, Worth placed sixth at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds. To date, the 2019 Rookie of the Year has one feature win, five top-10 finishes, and 31 feature laps led in the campaign. Ben has four career wins and will be a favorite to watch.
Veteran driver Ron Hazelton (Chatsworth, California) is fourth in the championship standings. The owner/driver of the #15 TRC Transmission / West Evans Motorsports Beast charged from ninth to fifth at Placerville Speedway. At press time, Hazelton has four top-10 finishes in the campaign and will be looking for his first career win at Petaluma.
After scoring twelfth on July 8th, C.J. Sarna (Brea, California) has climbed to fifth in the Western States point chase. To date, the owner/driver of the #20 ZMax / Final Final Lifestyle Spike has three top-10 finishes to his credit. The 2007 Co-Rookie of the Year has one career victory and will have his sights on rebounding from mechanical issues at Placerville.
Leading rookie contender, Samuel May (Oxnard, California) ranks eighth in the point standings. Racing Steve Lambert’s #55 Employee Benefit Systems Incorporated / Josh Ford Motorsports Triple X, May has one Wilwood Disc Brakes Lucky 13 Award and two top-10 finishes on the year. The young driver will be looking the upset the field and claim the Saturday night win.
While Samuel May leads the chase for Rookie of the Year honors, he is followed by Ben Covich (Auckland, New Zealand), Garrett Twitty (Bakersfield, California), David Gasper (Goleta, California), Brandon Wiley (Santa Maria, California), Mitchel Moles (Raisin City, California), Kevin Gray (Yuba City, California), and Steve Hix (Ventura, California).
Among the other drivers expected to be in action are Caden Sarale, Danika Jo Faccinto, Marvin Mitchell, and more.
Petaluma Speedway is located on the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds in Petaluma, California at 100 Fairgrounds Drive. Adult Grandstand Tickets are $18 and Senior Tickets (65 & Over) are $15. Military Tickets are $15, Junior Tickets (12-15) are $10, Children Tickets (6-11) are $10, and Kids (5 & Under) are FREE. For more information, visit the track's website at petaluma-speedway.com or call 707.763.7223 (RACE).
The USAC Western States Midget Series thanks BR Motorsports, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Ebbco Offroad, Esslinger Engineering, Extreme Mufflers, FloRacing, Graunstadt Enterprises, Hoosier Racing Tire, Hot Head Competition Engine Heaters, Jordan Hanni Well Drilling, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Steve Lafond / Tear-Off Heaven Fotos, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Wireless 101, and Woodland Auto Display for their support. If you or your company would like to become part of the series, email PR Director Lance Jennings at lwjennings@earthlink.net.
For more information on the USAC Western States Midget Series, visit the United States Auto Club (USAC) website at usacracing.com and the social media for USAC Racing. You can also find exclusive content on the USAC Western States Midget Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.
-----------------------------------------------
USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET CHAMPIONS: 1982-Jeff Heywood, 1983-Sleepy Tripp, 1984-Tommy White, 1985-Sleepy Tripp, 1986-Robby Flock, 1987-Sleepy Tripp, 1988-Sleepy Tripp, 1989-Robby Flock, 1990-Sleepy Tripp, 1991-Sleepy Tripp, 1992-Sleepy Tripp, 1993-Robby Flock, 1994-Johnny Cofer, 1995-Billy Boat, 1996-Jay Drake, 1997-Ricky Shelton, 1998-Rick Hendrix, 1999-Marc DeBeaumont, 2000-Wally Pankratz, 2001-Danny Ebberts, 2002-Robby Flock, 2003-Steve Paden, 2004-Johnny Rodriguez, 2005-Jerome Rodela, 2006-Jerome Rodela, 2007-Johnny Rodriguez, 2008-Nic Faas, 2009-Garrett Hansen, 2010-Alex Schutte, 2011-Cory Kruseman, 2012-Shannon McQueen, 2013-Ronnie Gardner, 2014- Ronnie Gardner, 2015-Ronnie Gardner, 2016-Ronnie Gardner, 2017-Ronnie Gardner, 2018-Michael Faccinto, 2019-Robert Dalby, 2020-NO AWARD, 2021-Blake Bower, 2022-Michael Faccinto.
2023 USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET WINS: 3-Brody Fuson, 1-Jake Andreotti, 1-Cade Lewis, 1-Ben Worth.
PETALUMA USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET TRACK RECORD: Ronnie Gardner – 14.200 (10/05/13)
PETALUMA USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET WINS: 3-Maria Cofer, 3-Ronnie Gardner, 3-Alex Schutte, 2-Michael Faccinto, 2-Brody Fuson, 1-Shane Golobic, 1-Frankie Guerrini.
2023 USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET POINT STANDINGS: 1. Brody Fuson-474, 2. Cade Lewis-416, 3. Ben Worth-363, 4. Ron Hazelton-301, 5. C.J. Sarna-257, 6. Blake Bower-255, 7. Randi Pankratz-245, 8. Steve Paden-220, 9. Samuel May®-193, 10. Ben Covich®-179, 11. Bryan Drollinger-168, 12. Robby Josett-143, 13. Caden Sarale-142, --. Garrett Twitty®-142, 15. Danika Faccinto-133, 16. David Gasper®-120, 17. A.J. Bender-113, 18. Brandon Wiley®-96, 19. Jake Andreotti-84, --. Kevin Gray®-84, 21. Michael Faccinto-80, 22. Marvin Mitchell-79, 23. Mitchel Moles®-78, --. Chase Johnson-78, 25. Mike Leach Jr.-76, 26. Ryan Bernal-73, 27. T.J. Smith-59, 28. Terry Nichols-42, 29. Steve Hix®-37.
2023 WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY TOP QUALFIER POINTS: 1. Brody Fuson-32, 2. Cade Lewis-17, 3. Caden Sarale-8, -. Ben Worth-8, -. C.J. Sarna-8, 6. Blake Bower-7, 7. Jake Andreotti-6, -. Robby Josett-6, 9. David Gasper®-5, --. Randi Pankratz-5, --. Michael Faccinto-5, 12. Danika Faccinto-4, 13. A.J. Bender-3, 14. Mitchel Moles-3, 15. Chase Johnson-3, 16. T.J. Smith-2, 17. Brandon Wiley®-2, 18. Ryan Bernal-1, 19. Garrett Twitty®-1.
2023 SAMMY BAHR FEATURE POINTS: 1. Brody Fuson-399, 2. Cade Lewis-363, 3. Ben Worth-321, 4. Ron Hazelton-279, 5. C.J. Sarna-227, 6. Blake Bower-223, 7. Randi Pankratz-218, 8. Steve Paden-199, 9. Ben Covich®-170, 10. Samuel May®-167, 11. Bryan Drollinger-157, 12. Garrett Twitty®-130, 13. Robby Josett-125, 14. Caden Sarale-122, 15. Danika Faccinto-116, 16. David Gasper®-107, 17. A.J. Bender-99, 18. Brandon Wiley®-85, 19. Kevin Gray®-80, 20. Marvin Mitchell-74, 21. Jake Andreotti-70, 22. Mitchel Moles-67, 23. Chase Johnson-67, 24. Michael Faccinto-67, 25. Mike Leach Jr.-64, 26. Ryan Bernal-64, 27. T.J. Smith-49, 28. Terry Nichols-39, 29. Steve Hix®-33.
2023 PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1. Cade Lewis-29, 2. Brody Fuson-20, 3. Ron Hazelton-18, 4. Ben Covich®-10, 5. Steve Paden-7, -. David Gasper®-7, -. Robby Josett-7, 8. Jake Andreotti-4, -. Bryan Drollinger-4, --. Garrett Twitty®-4, --. C.J. Sarna-4, --. Marvin Mitchell-4, 13. Brandon Wiley®-3, --. Michael Faccinto-3, 15. Danika Faccinto-2, --. Ben Worth-2, 17. Chase Johnson-1, --. Blake Bower-1
2023 USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET SERIES SCHEDULE
March 18: Bakersfield Speedway – Bakersfield, CA (RAINED OUT)
March 25: Antioch Speedway – Antioch, CA (RAINED OUT)
April 15: Merced Speedway – Merced, CA (Winner: Ben Worth)
April 29: The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park – Bakersfield, CA (Winner: Jake Andreotti)
May 6: Placerville Speedway – Placerville, CA (RAINED OUT)
May 27: Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA (Winner: Brody Fuson)
June 10: Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA (Winner: Brody Fuson)
June 24: Merced Speedway – Merced, CA Winner: Cade Lewis)
July 8: Placerville Speedway – Placerville, CA Winner: (Brody Fuson)
July 22: Petaluma Speedway – Petaluma, CA ($1,500-to-Win)
August 5: Antioch Speedway – Antioch, CA ($1,750-to-Win)
August 26: Santa Maria Raceway – Santa Maria, CA (With USAC West Coast Sprint Cars)
September 9: Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA
September 30: Antioch Speedway – Antioch, CA ($1,750-to-Win)
October 7: The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park – Bakersfield, CA (With USAC West Coast Sprint Cars / Championship Night / George Snider Classic / Awards Banquet)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TBA = To Be Announced.
SE = Special Event / Non-Points.
This schedule is subject to change.
