VENTURA HOSTS 150TH USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET RACE THIS SATURDAY
By Lance Jennings
JUNE 1, 2021... This Saturday, June 5th, the “mighty midgets” of the USAC Western States will battle at Ventura Raceway (Ventura, CA) for the 150th time in series history. Promoted by Jim Naylor, the fifth point race will also showcase the California Lightning Sprints, WMR Western Midgets, VRA Hobby Stocks, and NMRA TQ Midgets. The Pit Gates will open at Noon, the Front Gates will open at 3:00pm, and Racing at “The Best Little Dirt Track in America” is set for 5:30pm. Tickets for the event ARE ONLY AVAILABLE ONLINE at venturaraceway.com. WALK UP TICKETS WILL NOT BE SOLD. For more information, visit the track’s website at venturaraceway.com or call 805.648.RACE. Floracing.com will broadcast a live stream of the night’s action over the internet.
NOTICE TO RACERS:
- ALL RACERS MUST PURCHASE THEIR USAC LICENSE / MEMBERSHIPS ONLINE PRIOR TO THE EVENT AT USACRACING.COM OR USACLICENSE.COM.
- California state protocol calls for competitors, crews, officials, and anyone on the grounds to practice safe social distancing, proper sanitizing, and follow local regulations regarding the COVID-19 Coronavirus.
- 2021 APPROVED/LEGAL MUFFLERS: B&B: FRAC-0375-S w/side outlet, COAST FABRICATION: 300x625x17-2s, 350x625x17-2s, 400x625x17-2s, EXTREME: 3515-3030 (15” Long 5” round shell with 3”inlet & 3” outlet), 3615-3030 (15” Long 6” round shell with 3” inlet & 3” outlet), 3515-3030-8 (15” Long 5” round shell with 3”inlet & 3” outlet with turnout), 3615-3030-8 (15” Long 6” round shell with 3” inlet & 3” outlet with turnout), FLOWMASTER: (BCRA Approved) 13009130, 13509130, 13509135, SCHOENFELD: 14272535, 14272730-78 *Failure to comply with the muffler rule will risk disqualification from the event.
- FULL CONTAINMENT SEATS ARE MANDATORY.
- ONE WAY DRIVER RADIOS ARE MANDATORY.
- TRANSPONDERS ARE MANDATORY.
- The USAC Western States Midget Rule Book can be found online at usacracing.com.
Since May 24, 1986, 149 USAC Western States Midget events have been held at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. Sleepy Tripp claimed the inaugural victory and leads all drivers with eighteen Ventura wins. When the series last visited the popular oval on November 28, 2019, NASCAR’s Kyle Larson won the 98-lap Turkey Night Grand Prix. At press time, Johnny Cofer holds the 1-lap qualifying record of 11.675, set on November 18, 1995 and a complete series Ventura win list is at the bottom of this release.
After finishing second to Maria Cofer at Petaluma on May 15th, Austin Liggett (Linden, CA) holds a 56-point lead over the competition. Racing the family owned #83 Excel Environmental Services / Liggett Trucking Spike, the 2018 USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Champion has one heat race victory, four top-10 finishes and 27 feature laps led in the campaign. This Saturday night, Liggett will be looking for his fourth career USAC Western States Midget victory.
Shannon McQueen (Bakersfield, CA) is second in the championship point standings. Driving the McQueen Racing #7 Simpson Race Products / Lucas Oil Bullet, the 2012 Champion scored tenth at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds after an early exit. With three top-10 finishes on the season, McQueen will have her sights on her first win at Ventura Raceway.
Blake Bower (Brentwood, CA) has climbed to third in the USAC Western States Midget point chase. Piloting Tony Boscacci’s #9 Orland Public Auto Auction / Solid Buy Guys Stealth, the leading rookie contender scored third at Petaluma Speedway. With three heat race victories and three top-10 finishes on the year, Bower will be looking for his first win at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.
After running sixth at Petaluma, David Prickett (Fresno, CA) ranks fourth in the chase for the championship. Racing the Neverlift Motorsports’ #22Q Monster Seal / Western Performance Spike, the 2012 Dirt Series has three top-10 finishes in the campaign. The veteran driver will have his sights on adding a Ventura feature win to his resume.
Brody Fuson (Bakersfield, CA) sits fifth in the point standings. Driving Rusty Carlile’s #51 RacePa Motorsports / W.E. Spike, the rookie contender placed fourth at Petaluma Speedway. At press time, Fuson has posted two heat race wins and two top-10 finishes on the season. Brody will be looking to earn his first series win this Saturday night.
While Bower leads the chase for rookie honors, Fuson (Bakersfield, CA), Colby Johnson (Penngrove, CA), Jake Andreotti (Castro Valley, CA), Jarrett Soares (Gilroy, CA), Troy Morris III (Bakersfield, CA), and Colton Raudman (Redding, CA) are also in contention.
Among the other drivers expected to be in action are C.J. Sarna, Ben Worth, “The Panda” Terry Nichols, “Fireball” Maria Cofer, Kyle Beilman, Dylan Ito, Ron Hazelton, Alex Schutte, and more.
Ventura Raceway is located on the Ventura County Fairgrounds at 10 West Harbor Blvd. in Ventura, California. Tickets for the event ARE ONLY AVAILABLE ONLINE at venturaraceway.com. WALK UP TICKETS WILL NOT BE SOLD. General Admission Adult tickets are $22, General Admission Senior (60 and older), Active Military (ID Required), and Student tickets (with ID) are $18. Kids tickets (12 and under) are FREE. For more event information, visit the track’s website at venturaraceway.com or call 805.648.RACE.
The USAC Western States Midget Series thanks AMSOIL, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Extreme Mufflers, FloRacing, Hoosier Racing Tire, Loudpedal Productions, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Ultra Shield Race Products, Wilwood Disc Brakes, and Woodland Auto Display for their support. If you or your company would like to become part of the series, email PR Director Lance Jennings at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
For more information on the USAC Western States Midget Series, visit the United States Auto Club (USAC) website at 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 CHAMPIONS: *1982-Jeff Heywood, 1983-Sleepy Tripp, 1984-Tommy White, 1985-Sleepy Tripp, 1986-Robby Flock, 1987-Sleepy Tripp, 1988-Sleepy Tripp, 1989-Robby Flock, 1990-Sleepy Tripp, 1991-Sleepy Tripp, 1992-Sleepy Tripp, 1993-Robby Flock, 1994-Johnny Cofer, 1995-Billy Boat, 1996-Jay Drake, 1997-Ricky Shelton, 1998-Rick Hendrix, 1999-Marc DeBeaumont, 2000-Wally Pankratz, 2001-Danny Ebberts, 2002-Robby Flock, 2003-Steve Paden, 2004-Johnny Rodriguez, 2005-Jerome Rodela, 2006-Jerome Rodela, 2007-Johnny Rodriguez, 2008-Nic Faas, 2009-Garrett Hansen, 2010-Alex Schutte, 2011-Cory Kruseman, 2012-Shannon McQueen, 2013-Ronnie Gardner, 2014- Ronnie Gardner, 2015-Ronnie Gardner, 2016-Ronnie Gardner, 2017-Ronnie Gardner, 2018-Michael Faccinto, 2019-Robert Dalby, 2020-NO AWARD.
VENTURA USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET TRACK RECORD: Johnny Cofer – 11.675 (11/18/95)
VENTURA USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET WINS: 18-Sleepy Tripp, 13-Billy Boat, 8-Page Jones, 7-Garrett Hansen, 6-Ronnie Gardner, 6-Jimmy Sills, 5-Johnny Cofer, 5-Robby Flock, 5-Cory Kruseman, 4-Robert Dolacki, 4- P.J. Jones, 4-Robby Josett, 3-Jay Drake, 3-Chris Rahe, 3-Tony Stewart, 2-Tommy Astone, 2-Christopher Bell, 2-Tyler Brown, 2-Josh Ford, 2-Dennis Hart, 2-Johnathon Henry, 2-Brad Kuhn, 2-Kyle Larson, 2-Frank Pedregon, 2-Jerome Rodela, 2-Chuck West, 1-Mike Appio, 1-Wayne Bennet, 1-Chad Boat, 1-Bobby Boone, 1-Mario Bringetto Jr., 1-Hank Butcher, 1-Keith Chrisco, 1-Robert Dalby, 1-Kevin Doty, 1-Tony Elliott, 1-Nic Faas, 1-Stan Fox, 1-Russ Gamester, 1-Chuck Gurney, 1-Daryl Haugh, 1-Rick Hendrix, 1-A.J. Johnson, 1-Chase Johnson, 1-Ryan Kaplan, 1-Josh Lakatos, 1-Brad Loyet, 1-Carson Macedo, 1-Lealand McSpadden, 1-Matt Mitchell, 1-Steve Paden, 1-Rusty Rasmussen, 1-Keith Rauch, 1-Troy Rutherford, 1-Shane Scully, 1-Ron Shuman, 1-Bryan Stanfill, 1-Jake Swanson, 1-Tommy White.
2021 USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET WINS: 1-Maria Cofer, 1-Chase Johnson, 1-Austin Liggett, 1-Mitchel Moles.
2021 USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET POINT STANDINGS: 1. Austin Liggett-305, 2. Shannon McQueen-249, 3. Blake Bower ®-243, 4. David Prickett-220, 5. Brody Fuson ®-214, 6. C.J. Sarna-184, 7. Ben Worth-176, 8. Terry Nichols-173, 9. Maria Cofer-159, 10. Mitchel Moles-148, 11. Kyle Beilman-133, 12. Dylan Ito-130, 13. Ron Hazelton-117, 14. Alex Schutte-113, 15. Colby Johnson ®-90, 16. Chase Johnson-83, 17. Jake Andreotti ®-77, 18. Ryan Bernal-75, --. Tony Gualda ®-75, 20. Davey Ray-72, 21. Jarrett Soares ®-71, 22. Max Adams ®-65, 23. Troy Rutherford-60, 24. Troy Morris III-50, --. Sparky Howard-50, 26. Beau Lemire-47, 27. Colton Raudman ®-41, 28. Jake Vermeer-27, 29. Robert Carson-11.
2021 USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET SERIES SCHEDULE
DATE – TRACK – LOCATION
March 27: #Bakersfield Speedway – Bakersfield, CA (Winner: Chase Johnson)
April 10: #Keller Auto Speedway – Hanford, CA (Winner: Mitchel Moles)
April 17: Thunderbowl Raceway – Tulare, CA (Winner: Austin Liggett)
May 15: Petaluma Speedway – Petaluma, CA (Winner: Maria Cofer)
June 5: Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA
July 9: Merced Speedway – Merced, CA
July 10: Placerville Speedway – Placerville, CA (Gold Dust Fever)
July 31: Petaluma Speedway – Petaluma, CA
August 7: #Merced Speedway – Merced, CA
August 28: Santa Maria Raceway – Santa Maria, CA (Ron Otto Memorial)
September 11: Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA
October 9: #Placerville Speedway – Placerville, CA (Prospector Pandemonium)
October 10: #Petaluma Speedway – Petaluma, CA
October 16: Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA
October 29: Keller Auto Speedway – Hanford, CA (Tom Tarlton Classic)
-----------------------------------------------
# = Co-Sanctioned Event with Bay Cities Racing Association (BCRA)
This schedule is subject to change.