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Oildale, CA., Apr. 24 – Dakota Schweitzer, the 2009 NMRA-TQ Midget rookie of the year and a current Centennial High School student, won the first NMRA-TQ Midget feature of his brief TQ-Midget career Saturday night. He did so at his hometown track. The scene was the third-mile, clay Bakersfield Speedway which his family has operated for years. The teenager raced super street stock cars at the track last season. He became the fourth 2010 TQ winner after four events.
The third generation racer started second in a ten-car field and led all 25 laps. He drove the No. 59 Stewart/Honda-powered car owned by former driver and current NMRA official Steve Parke, of Phillips Ranch. The Parke car now ranks fifth in car owner points. Despite missing one of the four NMRA races this season, Schweitzer climbed to tenth place in driver points with a 51.00 points per race average.
Point leader Anthony Lopiccolo, the April 10 feature winner at Santa Maria Speedway, started seventh and finished second. He increased his point lead from 29 to 43. Hometown driver Jimmy Dodson, the last NMRA feature winner at Bakersfield on March 27, placed third after starting eighth. Scott Niven (from third grid position), and Chuck West (from sixth) completed the top five. Rounding out the top ten were: Scott Dobson (from tenth), Rob Ahrendt (fifth), Dave Lambert (from pole), Amanda Thomas (ninth) and West Evans (fourth). All drivers completed 25 laps.
Schweitzer won the five-car, eight-lap first heat race from second starting spot. Niven started and finished first in the five-car, six-lap second heat. Round five of the current 17 event NMRA racing schedule is set for Saturday, May 8 at the Orange Show Speedway paved quarter mile in San Bernardino. It is the first of three TQ events scheduled at the only paved track on the NMRA schedule. The other dates at OSS are October 2 and 16.
Summary:
Heat 1: Dakota Schweitzer, West Evans, Jimmy Dodson, Chuck West, Amanda Thomas.
Heat 2: Scott Niven, Dave Lambert, Ron Ahrendt, Anthony Lopiccolo, Scott Dobson.
Main: Schweitzer, Lopiccolo, Dodson, Niven, West, Dobson, Ahrendt, Lambert, Thomas, Evans.
POINT STANDINGS:
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