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San Bernardino, CA., Oct. 17 – West Evans, a NMRA-TQ Midget Series leader since the association reformed in 2002, won his first NMRA feature this year in the final race of the year for the traveling three-quarter midget circuit. It came at the quarter-mile paved Orange Show Speedway and was NMRA's first pavement race after 16 races at four California dirt tracks this year. The Moorpark-resident drove his own No. 36 Stealth/Suzuki to victory in a ten-car, 25-lap race. He started fifth and became the third race leader on lap 16 and led the final ten laps. Evans became the ninth different winner in the 17 TQ 2009 main events. Evans' victory moved him from third to second place in final NMRA 2009 driver point standings. It was his third feature triumph in NMRA ranks. His earned his first NMRA feature trophy in Santa Maria during 2004 and his second came in Bakersfield two years later. He also won two USAC TQ features in 2001, the final year USAC sanctioned TQ Midget racing before switching to Ford Focus Midget racing in California.
Scott Dobson started sixth in Guy Barber's No. 18 Stewart/Honda and led laps 12-15 before being passed by Evans and settling for second position. However, the Dobson/Barber team left the track with the big prizes—the 2009 driver and car owner championships. Dobson, the 2006 NMRA rookie of the year, won his first TQ driving championship in his fourth season. He has driven for Barber all four years. In 17 races this year, Dobson had 16 top tens, 14 top fives, including two feature victories, and six heat race wins. His 964 points topped Evans' 888 by 76 points. Dobson's season championship finishes have improved each year since he was eighth as a 2006 rookie. He was fourth in 2007 and finished second in 2008.
Barber won his second NMRA car owner title by 76 points (1015-939) over Evans' No. 36 entry. Barber won his initial NMRA entrant championship in 2002. He also won the final USAC TQ entrant championship in 2001 when Walt Johnson, of Sun Valley, won the final USAC TQ Midget driving championship in Barber's No. 1. Barber also won the 2000 USAC TQ entrant championship when J. J. Ercse, of Lakewood, won the driving title in Barber's then No. 18—the same Stewart/Honda he currently fields.
The Orange Show Speedway finish behind the top two found two-time 2009 winner Chuck West in Evans' No. 38 Stealth/Kawasaki. He started and finished third. Ron Ahrendt started second, led the first 11 laps and finished fourth in his own No. 87 Ellis/Honda. Rookie Dakota Schweitzer, from Bakersfield, charged from tenth grid position to earn fifth spot in Steve Parke's No. 59. Scott Niven, rookie owner/driver Dave Lambert, rookie Amanda Thomas, Bruce Hiroshima and Anthony Lopiccolo rounded out the top ten. Eight drivers finished and they all ran 25 laps. West, from second, and Evans, from third, won the pair of eight-lap heat races.
NMRA ran 17 races in 2009, up from 11 last year, 13 in 2007 and nine in 2006. Four dirt tracks hosted 16 races—six at the third-mile Bakersfield Speedway, five at third-mile Santa Maria Speedway, three at fifth-mile Ventura Raceway, and two at the Perris Auto Speedway inner, quarter-mile track. Total car count was 194 for 17 races, or 11.4 cars per race. Eighteen drivers and 15 car owners earned 2009 NMRA championship points. The 2009 NMRA championship awards banquet will be held from 4:00 to 8:00 pm Sunday, November 8 at The Grinder Restaurant in Moorpark.
SUMMARY:
Heat 1: Chuck West, Scott Dobson, Scott Niven, Dave Lambert, Anthony Lopiccolo.
Heat 2: West Evans, Bruce Hiroshima, Ron Ahrendt, Amanda Thomas, Dakota Schweitzer.
Main: Evans, Dobson, West, Ahrendt, Schweitzer, Niven, Lambert, Thomas, Hiroshima, Lopiccolo.
FINAL 2009 NMRA-TQ POINT STANDINGS:
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