HAYDEN WILLIAMS GOES WIRE-TO-WIRE AT VENTURA

VENTURA, CA – SEPTEMBER 11, 2021… Making his first start with the USAC Western States Midget Series, Hayden Williams (Auckland, NZ) led all 30-laps to win at Ventura Raceway. Driving Bill Buckley’s #1NZ Esslinger Engineering / Lucas Oil Bullet, Williams started on the outside of the front row and sailed to the $1,200 victory. Travis Buckley, point leader Blake Bower, Matt Mitchell, and Caden Sarale followed Williams to the checkered flags.

Before scoring his first main event victory, Williams was fifth quick out the nineteen car roster and won the night’s 10-lap Competition Suspension Incorporated / Rod End Supply Second Heat Race. The New Zealand based driver left the Ventura County Fairgrounds ranked twenty-fifth in the point chase.

In Woodland Auto Display Qualifying, Chase Johnson (Penngrove, CA) earned his second fast time of the campaign. Racing the Beilman Motorsports’ #31B Dave.com / Walt Johnson Motorsports Spike, Johnson ran second to C.J. Sarna in his heat race and placed sixth in the main event. In limited starts, Chase has climbed to ninth in the point standings.

C.J. Sarna (Brea, CA) raced to victory in the 10-lap Extreme Mufflers First Heat Race. Piloting his #20 ZMax / Final Final Spike, Sarna qualified sixteenth overall and finished fifteenth in the feature. The former co-rookie of the year heads to Placerville ranked fourth in the chase for the championship. 

Robby Josett (Santa Clarita, CA) returned to action and won the 10-lap Ultra Shield Race Products / Rod End Supply Third Heat Race. Driving Keith Ford’s #73B Edgewater Construction / Sun Valley AG Transport Triple X, Josett was twelfth quick in time trials and scored seventh in the main event .In limited starts, Robby is tied for twentieth in championship points.

Colby Johnson (Penngrove, CA) earned the night’s Rod End Supply Hard Charger Award with an eighth place run from nineteenth. Racing Dean Alexander’s #5K Walker Air Filtration / WFX Spike, Johnson qualified nineteenth and placed fifth in his heat race. At press time, Colby has moved to thirteenth in points. 

By virtue of his thirteenth place finish, Ron Hazelton (Chatsworth, CA) claimed the night’s Wilwood Disc Brakes Lucky 13 Award. Piloting his #15 TRC Transmission / West Evans Motorsports Beast, Hazleton was seventeenth fast in time trials and ran sixth in his heat race. The veteran driver has moved to eleventh in points.

On Saturday, October 9th, the USAC Western States and Bay Cities Racing Association (BCRA) Midgets will clash at Placerville Speedway (Placerville, CA) for the “Prospector Pandemonium.” The USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Cars will join the action packed card.

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: September 11, 2021 – Ventura Raceway – Ventura California

WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Chase Johnson, 31B, Beilman-12.072; 2. Blake Bower, 9, Boscacci-12.427; 3. Troy Rutherford, 8W, Woodland-12.475; 4. Brody Fuson, 51, Carlile-12.529; 5. Hayden Williams, 1NZ, Buckley-12.566; 6. Travis Buckley, 7NZ, Buckley-12.603; 7. Dylan Ito, 73, Ford-12.650; 8. Caden Sarale, 32, Sarale-12.654; 9. Matt Mitchell, 68, Six8-12.776; 10. Gage Rucker, 11K, Kruseman-12.818; 11. Jarrett Soares, 12, Soares-12.857; 12. Robby Josett, 73B, Ford-13.093; 13. Mike Leach Jr., 33P, Leach-13.094; 14. Randi Pankratz, 8, Pankratz-13.331; 15. Joey Bishop, 45, Bishop-13.481; 16. C.J. Sarna, 20, Sarna-13.517; 17. Ron Hazelton, 15, Hazelton-13.715; 18. Tony Gomes, 1X, LKK-NT; 19. Colby Johnson, 5K, Alexander-NT.

EXTREME MUFFLERS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Sarna, 2. Ch.Johnson, 3. Fuson, 4. Ito, 5. Co.Johnson, 6. Rucker, 7. Leach. NT.

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

ULTRA SHIELD RACE PRODUCTS / ROD END SUPPLY THIRD HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Josett, 2. Buckley, 3. Rutherford, 4. Bishop, 5. Mitchell, 6. Gomes. NT.

FEATURE: (30 laps, With Starting Positions) 1. Hayden Williams (2), 2. Travis Buckley (1), 3. Blake Bower (5), 4. Matt Mitchell (11), 5. Caden Sarale (10), 6. Chase Johnson (6), 7. Robby Josett (7), 8. Colby Johnson (19), 9. Gage Rucker (12), 10. Randi Pankratz (15), 11. Jarrett Soares (13), 12.  Joey Bishop (16), 13. Ron Hazelton (17), 14. Troy Rutherford (4), 15. C.J. Sarna (8), 16. Dylan Ito (9), 17. Mike Leach Jr. (14), 18. Brody Fuson (3), 19. Tony Gomes (18). NT

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*Mitchell flipped on lap 1 of the third heat.

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-30 Williams

ROD END SUPPLY HARD CHARGER: Colby Johnson (19th to 8th)

WILWOOD DISC BRAKES LUCKY 13 AWARD: Ron Hazelton

NEW USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET POINTS: 1-Blake Bower-663, 2-Brody Fuson-618, 3-Austin Liggett-549, 4-C.J. Sarna-542, 5-Ben Worth-351, 6-David Prickett-334, 7-Jarrett Soares-323, 8-Shannon McQueen-320, 9-Chase Johnson-304, 10-Maria Cofer-282.

NEXT USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET RACE: October 9 – Placerville Speedway – Placerville, California – “Prospector Pandemonium”