WESTERN MIDGETS AT BAKERSFIELD SPEEDWAY SATURDAY;

CALIFORNIA MIDGET WEEK CROWN GOES TO RYAN BERNAL;

STOCKON TOPS AT SANTA MARIA, BERNAL WINS AT CHICO

Bakersfield (Calif.) Speedway welcomes the Honda USAC Western Midgets Saturday night as defending two-time series champion Ronnie Gardner tries to stretch his point lead, which stands at 109 points over Cody Swanson entering Saturday’s race.

Gardner was the winner when the series visited the one-third-mile dirt oval in March.

Ryan Bernal of Hollister, Calif. emerged the champion of the four-race “California Midget Week” series which concluded last Saturday at Santa Maria, Calif.

Bernal won Thursday night’s 30-lap “Gold Cup” Race of Champions race at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, leading the final 17 laps in his Six8 Motorsports Baldozier Racing/Esslinger Engineering Stewart/Esslinger after passing Chase Stockon for the lead on lap 14. Fast qualifier Shane Golobic finished second ahead of Stockon, Frankie Guerrini and Trey Marcham.

Chase Stockon of Elizabethtown, Ind. won Saturday night’s 30-lap race at Santa Maria Raceway, passing Cody Swanson on lap 25. He led the final six laps in his Jerome Rodela Trench Shoring/Ed Pink Racing Engines Breka/Pink Toyota to beat Bernal, Gardner, Randi Pankratz and Cody Williams.