Wiley Wins NMRA-TQ Midget Feature
By noderel:
Bakersfield, CA., Aug. 24 – Kenny Wiley won his second NMRA-TQ Midget Series 20-lap main event Saturday at the third-mile, semi-banked clay Bakersfield Speedway. He drove his own No. 96 Wiley chassis with a 750cc Honda engine. Wiley now ranks third in both driver and car owner point standings after ten of the scheduled 15 TQ series races.
Wiley started fourth and led the final ten laps at the TQ series home track in Kern County. Don Kiefer started third and led the first lap in his own car. West Evans came from inside row three in the eight car field and led laps 2-10. He chased Wiley to the checkered flag and earned runner-up status. Evans continues to lead in driver points and in car owner points with his No. 36 Spike/Suzuki.
Two-time feature winner Anthony Lopiccolo came from sixth grid position to place third in the No. 21 Stewart/Honda owned by his father Paul. Kiefer settled for fourth with Dave Lambert fifth and the last driver who completed all 20 laps. Chuck West and Scott Dobson were non-finishers and rookie Britt Grissom did not start.
Teammates West (from fourth starting position) and Evans (from third) won the pair of four-car, eight lap heat races. The next NMRA race will be September 7 as part of a multi-division racing card at Santa Maria Speedway.
Summary:
Heat 1 – Chuck West, Don Kiefer, Kenny Wiley, Scott Dobson.
Heat 2 – West Evans, Anthony Lopiccolo, Dave Lambert, Britt Grissom.
Main – Wiley, Evans, Lopiccolo, Kiefer, Lambert, West, Dobson, Grissom.
POINT STANDINGS (as of Sept. 1):
Drivers Car Owners
1 West Evans 589 1 West Evans 36 619
2 Chuck West 531 2 West Evans 38 558
3 Kenny Wiley 528 3 Kenny Wiley 555
4 Don Kiefer 509 4 Don Kiefer 539
5 Britt Grissom ® 445 5 Britt Grissom 472
6 Don Lambert 379 6 Dave Lambert 403
7 Anthony Lopiccolo 359 7 Paul Lopiccolo 377
8 Mike Black 298 8 Mike Black 268
9 Scott Niven 251 9 Scott Niven 266
10 Chris Thomas ® 233 10 Ed Thomas 248