COLBY JOHNSON WINS $2,000 “KEVIN TRIPLETT MEMORIAL” AT MERCED

MERCED, CA – AUGUST 7, 2021… Starting sixth, Colby Johnson (Penngrove, CA) took command on the twenty-fifth lap and streaked to his first USAC Western States Midget victory at Merced Speedway. After tire issues knocked Blake Bower out of contention, Johnson piloted the Robyn Morris owned #17K Morris Insurance Agency / Cal-Crush Spike to the $2000 BCRA co-sanctioned “Kevin Triplett Memorial” win. Brody Fuson, C.J. Sarna, Bower, and Jarrett Soares rounded out the top-five drivers.

Johnson opened the Merced program by earning the Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award by posting a time of 12.808 over the 14-car roster on the quarter-mile oval. After placing third in his heat race, the young driver also scored the night’s Rod End Supply Hard Charger Award. In limited starts, Johnson ranks seventeenth in the point standings.

Brody Fuson (Bakersfield, CA) raced to victory in the night’s 10-lap Extreme Mufflers First Heat Race. Driving Rusty Carlile’s #51 RacePa Motorsports / W.E. Spike, last week’s Petaluma winner qualified third overall and finished second in the main event. The rookie contender has climbed to second in the point standings.

Blake Bower (Brentwood, CA) won the 10-lap Competition Suspension Incorporated / Rod End Supply Second Heat Race. Racing Tony Boscacci’s #9 Orland Public Auto Auction / Sold Buy Guys Spike, Bower was second quick in time trials and rebounded to score fourth in the main event. The rookie contender left the Merced County Fairgrounds as the new USAC Western States Midget point leader.

Randi Pankratz (Atascadero, CA) claimed the night’s Wilwood Disc Brakes Lucky 13 Award. The pilot of the #8 HASA Pool Products Edmunds honored Kevin Triplett with memorial laps after qualifying seventh overall. The veteran driver ran fourth in her heat race and is currently nineteenth in points with limited starts.

On Saturday, August 28th, the USAC Western States Midgets will travel to Santa Maria Raceway (Santa Maria, CA) for the “Ron Otto Memorial.” The USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Cars will also share the spotlight.

The USAC Western States Midget Series thanks AMSOIL, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Extreme Mufflers, FloRacing.com, Hoosier Racing Tire, Loudpedal Productions, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Ultra Shield Race Products, and Woodland Auto Display for their support.  

For more information on the series, visit 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.

FloRacing.com has live, flag-to-flag coverage of the USAC Western States Midget Series. You can catch the action by subscribing to FloRacing on a monthly or yearly basis to view their huge catalog of live and on-demand auto racing and sporting events.

USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET SERIES RACE RESULTS: August 7, 2021 – Merced Speedway – Merced, California – “Kevin Triplett Memorial” – Co-sanctioned with Bay Cities Racing Association (BCRA)

WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFICATONS: 1. Colby Johnson, 17K, Morris-12.808; 2. Blake Bower, 9, Boscacci-12.821; 3. Brody Fuson, 51, Carlile-12.969; 4. C.J. Sarna, 20, Sarna-13.041; 5. David Prickett, 22Q, Neverlift-13.155; 6. Jarrett Soares, 12, Soares-13.220; 7. Randi Pankratz, 8, Pankratz-13.478; 8. Ron Hazelton, 15, Hazelton-13.839; 9. Floyd Alvis, 18, Champion-13.975; 10. Kenny Welch, 22, Risner-15.073; 11. Thomas Esberg, 8X, Esberg-15.202; 12. Michael Snider, 6K, Snider-16.739; 13. Robert Carson, 99, Segur-27.157; 14. Tony Gualda, 1X, LKK-NT.

EXTREME MUFFLERS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Fuson, 2. Prickett, 3. Johnson, 4. Pankratz, 5. Alvis, 6. Snider, 7. Gualda. NT.

COMPETITION SUSPENSION INC. / ROD END SUPPLY SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Bower, 2. Soares, 3. Sarna, 4. Hazelton, 5. Esberg, 6. Welch. NT.

FEATURE: (30 laps, With Starting Positions) 1. Colby Johnson (6), 2. Brody Fuson (4), 3. C.J. Sarna (3), 4. Blake Bower (5), 5. Jarrett Soares (1), 6. Ron Hazelton (8), 7. Floyd Alvis (9), 8. Thomas Esberg (11), 9. David Prickett (2), 10. Kenny Welch (10), 11. Tony Gualda (14), 12. Robert Carson (13), 13. Randi Pankratz (7). NT.

---------------------------- 

*Welch flipped on lap 14 of the feature. Snider did not start the feature.

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-2 Prickett, Laps 3-24 Bower, Laps 25-30 Johnson.

ROD END SUPPLY HARD CHARGER: Colby Johnson (6th to 1st)

WILWOOD DISC BRAKES LUCKY 13 AWARD: Randi Pankratz

NEW USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET POINTS: 1-Blake Bower-589, 2-Brody Fuson-582, 3-Austin Liggett-549, 4-C.J. Sarna-501, 5-Ben Worth-351, 6-David Prickett-334, 7-Shannon McQueen-320, 8-Maria Cofer-282, 9-Jarrett Soares-278, 10-Chase Johnson-236.

NEXT USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET RACE: August 28 – Santa Maria Raceway – Santa Maria, California – “Ron Otto Memorial”