USAC WESTERN STATES & BCRA MIDGETS BATTLE AT MERCED’S $2,000-TO-WIN “KEVIN TRIPLETT MEMORIAL”

By Lance Jennings

AUGUST 3, 2021... The USAC Western States and Bay Cities Racing Association (BCRA) Midgets will battle for supremacy this Saturday, August 7th, at Merced Speedway (Merced, CA). Promoted by Chris Shannon and Paul Stone, the “Kevin Triplett Memorial” will pay $2,000-to-win and is the second appearance of the year for the “mighty midgets” at the Merced County Fairgrounds. The action packed card will also feature the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Cars, Hobby Stocks, Mini Late Models, and BCRA Midget Lites. The Pit Gates will open at 2:00PM, the Front Gates open at 5:00PM, with Racing scheduled at 7:00PM. For more information, visit the track’s website at mercedspeedway.net or call 209.600.8382. For those that cannot travel to the races, floracing.com will broadcast a live stream of both night’s action over the internet.

NOTICE TO RACERS: 

- NO ENTRY FEE IN 2021. ALL RACERS MUST PURCHASE THEIR USAC LICENSE / MEMBERSHIPS OR TEMPORARY PERMITS (TPs) ONLINE PRIOR TO THE EVENT AT USACRACING.COM OR USACLICENSE.COM. TPs are $25 and Memberships are $150. 

-  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 April 20, 2019, five USAC Western States Midget events have been held at the Merced County Fairgrounds. Austin Liggett scored the inaugural victory and is tied with Robert Dalby, Thomas Meseraull, Tanner Thorson, and Chase Johnson with one Merced triumph. When the series last visited the 1/4-mile oval on July 9th, Johnson won the 30-lap main event. Kyle Larson set the 1-lap qualifying record of 11.838 on November 21, 2020 and a complete series win list at Merced is at the bottom of this release.

Austin Liggett (Linden, CA) holds a 34-point lead over the competition. Driving the family owned #83 Excel Environmental Services / Liggett Trucking Spike, Liggett finished sixth last Saturday night at Petaluma. At press time, the 2018 USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Champion has two feature wins, two Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, one heat race victory, seven top-10 finishes and 57 feature laps led on the season. Austin has four career wins and is a threat to add another Merced trophy to his collection.

Rookie contender Blake Bower (Brentwood, CA) is second in the USAC Western States Midget point standings. Racing Tony Boscacci’s #9 Orland Public Auto Auction / Mountain Cascade Inc. Spike, Bower earned his first career Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award and placed fifth at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds. Heading to Merced, Blake has four heat race victories and seven top-10 finishes on the year. Bower will have his sights on winning the “Kevin Triplett Memorial.”

Brody Fuson (Bakersfield, CA) ranks third in the chase for the championship. Piloting Rusty Carlile’s #51 RacePa Motorsports / W.E. Spike, Fuson earned his first main event win last Saturday at Petaluma. To date, the rookie contender has posted one Woodland Auto Display Top Qualifier Award, two heat race wins, and six top-10 finishes on the year. Brody will be looking to add Merced to his win list.

C.J. Sarna (Brea, CA) sits fourth in the championship point standings. Racing his #20 ZMAX / Final Final Lifestyle Spike, Sarna finished third at Petaluma and was the night’s hard charger. At press time, the 2007 Co-Rookie of the Year has two heat race victories, three Rod End Supply Hard Charger Awards, and six top-10 finishes to his credit. At Merced, Sarna will have his sights on the second USAC victory of his career.

Ben Worth (Coalinga, CA) is fifth in the USAC Western States point chase. The driver of Dean Alexander’s #5K Walker Air Filtration / WFX Spike was not in action at Petaluma, but has one feature win, one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, one heat race victory, four top-10 finishes, and 29 feature laps led on the season. With two career wins, the 2019 Rookie of the Year will be looking to add Merced to his resume. 

While Bower leads the chase for rookie honors, Fuson (Bakersfield, CA), Jarrett Soares (Gilroy, CA), Tony Gualda (Modesto, CA), Colton Raudman (Redding, CA), Colby Johnson (Penngrove, CA), and Jake Andreotti (Castro Valley, CA) are also in contention.

Among the other drivers expected to be in action are Shannon McQueen, “Fireball” Maria Cofer, David Prickett, Dylan Ito, “The Panda” Terry Nichols, Kyle Mentch, Ron Hazelton, Alex Schutte, Randi Pankratz, Beau Lemire, and more.

As on May 22nd, David Prickett (Fresno, CA) leads the BCRA point standings.  Brody Fuson, Colby Johnson, Shannon McQueen, Dylan Ito, “Fireball” Maria Cofer, Chase Johnson, “The Panda” Terry Nichols, Ryan Bernal, and Austin Liggett round out the top-10 drivers. 

Merced Speedway is located on the Merced County Fairgrounds at 900 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Merced, California. Adult tickets are $20, Senior tickets are $18, Kids tickets (6-10) are $5, and Children (5 & Under) are FREE. For more event information, visit the track’s website at mercedspeedway.net or call 209.600.8382.

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.

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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.

MERCED USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET TRACK RECORD: Kyle Larson – 11.838 (11/21/20)

MERCED USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET WINS: 1-Robert Dalby, 1-Chase Johnson, 1-Austin Liggett, 1-Thomas Meseraull, 1-Tanner Thorson.

2021 USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET WINS: 2-Chase Johnson, 2-Austin Liggett, 1-Maria Cofer, 1-Brody Fuson, 1-Mitchel Moles, 1-Ben Worth.

2021 USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET POINT STANDINGS: 1. Austin Liggett-549, 2. Blake Bower ®-515, 3. Brody Fuson ®-503, 4. C.J. Sarna-428, 5. Ben Worth-351, 6. Shannon McQueen-320, 7. Maria Cofer-282, 8. David Prickett-279, 9. Chase Johnson-236, 10. Jarrett Soares ®-212, 11. Mitchel Moles-205, 12. Dylan Ito-190, 13. Terry Nichols-173, ---. Kyle Mentch-173, 15. Ron Hazelton-157, 16. Tony Gualda ®-141, 17. Kyle Beilman-133, 18. Colton Raudman ®-116, 19. Alex Schutte-113, 20. Colby Johnson ®-90, ---. Randi Pankratz-90, 22. Jake Andreotti ®-77, ---. Shane Golobic-77, 24. Ryan Bernal-75, 25. Robby Josett-73, 26. Davey Ray-72, 27. Michael Faccinto-68, 28. Max Adams ®-65, 29. Troy Rutherford-60, 30. Beau Lemire-58, 31. Ashlyn Rodriguez-55, 32. Troy Morris III-50, ---. Sparky Howard-50, ---. Ronnie Gardner-50, 35. Ben Wiesz-49, 36. Mike Leach Jr.-41, ---. Dylan Bloomfield-41, 38. Matt Mitchell-39, 39. Kaleb Montgomery-36, 40. Jake Vermeer-27, 41. Robert Carson-11.

2021 BCRA MIDGET POINT STANDINGS: 1. David Prickett-274, 2. Brody Fuson-244, 3. Colby Johnson-218, 4. Shannon McQueen-209, 5. Dylan Ito-161, 6. Maria Cofer-158, 7. Chase Johnson-152, 8. Terry Nichols-150, 9. Ryan Bernal-146, 10. Austin Liggett-143, 11. Jake Andreotti-142, 12. Kyle Beilman-136, 13. Kyle Mentch-135, 14. Cameron Beard-132, 15. Blake Bower-125, 16. Tony Gualda-123, 17. C.J. Sarna-123, 18. Ben Worth-108, 19. Ron Hazelton-87, 20. Mitchel Moles-82.

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 (Winner: Ben Worth)

July 9: Merced Speedway – Merced, CA (Winner: Chase Johnson)

July 10: Placerville Speedway – Placerville, CA (Winner: Austin Liggett)

July 31: Petaluma Speedway – Petaluma, CA (Winner: Brody Fuson)

August 7: #Merced Speedway – Merced, CA (Kevin Triplett Memorial)

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)

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# = Co-Sanctioned Event with Bay Cities Racing Association (BCRA)

This schedule is subject to change.