MICHAEL FACCINTO TOPS ELK GROVE FORD USAC/BCRA MIDGET MINI SERIES

By Lance Jennings

JULY 15, 2022... When the checkered flags waved at Merced on June 18th, Michael Faccinto (Hanford, California) emerged as the champion of the four-race Elk Grove Ford Mini Series. By all accounts, the USAC Western States and Bay Cities Racing Association (BCRA) Midget events were a success and officials thank Matt Wood Racing, Elk Grove Ford, Placerville Speedway, and Merced Speedway for making the shows possible.

Thanks to Elk Grove Ford, a bonus of $200 per car was raised for the point fund with a percentage going to the top three drivers. Showcasing two shows each at the Placerville and Merced Speedways, the Elk Grove Ford Mini Series dates were the most lucrative on the schedule. With four different winners, the average car count was twenty-two, and thirty-six drivers took the green flag. The feature results and point standings are at the bottom of this press release.

Driving the Graunstadt Enterprises #14J T&T Trucking / Gary Silva Ranches Spike, Michael Faccinto finished second to Jake Andreotti at Placerville on March 26th, ran second to Shane Golobic at Merced on April 23rd, won at Placerville on May 7th, and was second to Ryan Bernal at Merced on June 18th. For his efforts, the 2018 USAC Western States Midget Champion earned $8,600 from Elk Grove Ford. 

Austin Liggett (Linden, California) placed second in the four-race mini-series. Racing the family owned #83 Excel Environmental Services / Liggett Trucking Spike, Liggett scored sixth at Placerville on March 6th, ran thirteenth at Merced on April 23rd, claimed fourth at Placerville on May 7th, and finished third at Merced on June 18th. The 2018 USAC West Coast Sprint Car Champion earned $5,160 from the Elk Grove Ford point fund for his performance.

Jake Andreotti (Castro Valley, California) finished third in the Elk Grove Ford Mini Series. Piloting the Pete Davis owned #00 Hot Head Competition Engine Heaters / Buchanan Automotive Stealth, Andreotti won at Placerville on March 26th, placed twelfth at Merced on April 23rd, scored fifteenth at Placerville on May 7th, and claimed fifth at Merced on June 18th. For his efforts, the young driver earned $3,440 from Elk Grove Ford.

Conveniently located near Sacramento, Elk Grove Ford is at 9645 Auto Center Drive in Elk Grove, California. They have supported racing for years and have played a major role with Placerville Speedway, Matt Wood Racing, and the Hangtown 100. If you are looking for a new or used vehicle, consider buying from Elk Grove Ford and check out their website at elkgroveford.com for more information.

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. 

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MARCH 26 PLACERVILLE FEATURE: (20 laps, With Starting Positions) 

1. Jake Andreotti (2), 2. Michael Faccinto (3), 3. A.J. Bender (7), 4. Shane Golobic (6), 5. Shannon McQueen (4), 6. Austin Liggett (1), 7. Dylan Bloomfield (10), 8. Blake Bower (8), 9. Travis Buckley (11), 10. Ben Wiesz (14), 11. Randi Pankratz (16), 12. Ben Worth (5), 13. Kyle Beilman (13), 14. C.J. Sarna (15), 15. Michael Snider (17), 16. Danika Jo Parker (21), 17. Floyd Alvis (19), 18. Caden Sarale (12), 19. Anthony Esberg (18), 20. Thomas Esberg (20), 21. Dakota Albright (22), 22. Beau Lemire (23). NT. 

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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-20 Andreotti.

APRIL 23 MERCED FEATURE: (30 laps, With Starting Positions) 

1. Shane Golobic (6), 2. Michael Faccinto (5), 3. Ben Worth (1), 4. A.J. Bender (10), 5. Dawson Faria (9), 6. Caden Sarale (14), 7. Jake Hodges (8), 8. Travis Buckley (11), 9. Brody Fuson (15), 10. Danika Jo Parker (16), 11. Thomas Esberg (17), 12. Jake Andreotti (13), 13. Austin Liggett (3), 14. Terry Nichols (12), 15. Blake Bower (4), 16. Michael Snider (7), 17. Ryan Bernal (2). 

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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-6 Bernal, Laps 7-30 Golobic.

MAY 7 PLACERVILLE FEATURE: (30 laps, With Starting Positions) 

1. Michael Faccinto (6), 2. Dylan Bloomfield (3), 3. Chase Johnson (12), 4. Austin Liggett (1), 5. Brody Fuson (8), 6. Blake Bower (10), 7. Jake Morgan (7), 8. Ben Wiesz (16), 9. Cade Lewis (9), 10. Travis Buckley (22), 11. Randi Pankratz (17), 12. Colton Raudman (2), 13. Dave Stoltz (19), 14. Beau Lemire (21), 15. Jake Andreotti (4), 16. Michael Snider (11), 17. Danika Jo Parker (14), 18. Ben Worth (5), 19. Caden Sarale (13), 20. Anthony Esberg (18), 21. Zach Telford (15), 22. A.J. Bender (23). NT.

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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-11 Liggett, Laps 12-13 Andreotti, Laps 14-22 Liggett, Laps 23-30 Faccinto.

JUNE 18 MERCED FEATURE: (30 laps, With Starting Positions) 

1. Ryan Bernal (2), 2. Michael Faccinto (6), 3. Austin Liggett (7), 4. Ben Worth (5), 5. Jake Andreotti (11), 6. Caden Sarale (10), 7. Brody Fuson (9), 8. Jake Hodges (1), 9. Blake Bower (4), 10. Braden Chiaramonte (16), 11. Travis Buckley (12), 12. Randi Pankratz (13), 13. Anthony Esberg (18), 14. Colton Raudman (3), 15. Sage Bordenave (15), 16. C.J. Sarna (8), 17. Thomas Esberg (19), 18. A.J. Bender (17), 19. Danika Jo Parker (14), 20. Michael Snider (21), 21. Kevin Gray (20). NT.

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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Lap 1 Hodges, Lap 2 Raudman, Laps 3-20 Faccinto, Lap 21 Bernal, Lap 22 Faccinto, Laps 23-30 Bernal.

FINAL 2022 ELK GROVE FORD MINI SERIES POINT STANDINGS: 1. Michael Faccinto-322, 2. Austin Liggett-251, 3. Jake Andreotti-233, 4. Ben Worth-231, 5. Blake Bower-206, 6. Travis Buckley-196, 7. A.J. Bender-191, 8. Caden Sarale-183, 9. Brody Fuson-174, 10. Shane Golobic-159, 11. Danika Jo Parker-143, --. Randi Pankratz-143, 13. Michael Snider-138, 14. Dylan Bloomfield-133, 15. Ryan Bernal-116, 16. Thomas Esberg-114, 17. Anthony Esberg-109, 18. Jake Hodges-107, 19. Ben Wiesz-101, --. Colton Raudman-101, 21. C.J. Sarna-81, 22. Shannon McQueen-68, 23. Chase Johnson-66, 24. Dawson Faria-65, 25. Beau Lemire-62, 26. Jake Morgan-60, 27. Cade Lewis-53, 28. Braden Chiaramonte-50, 29. Kyle Beilman-40, 30. Terry Nichols-38, --. Dave Stoltz-38, 32. Sage Bordenave-36, 33. Floyd Alvis-31, 34. Zach Telford-26, 35. Kevin Gray-25, 36. Dakota Albright-24.

2022 ELK GROVE FORD MINI SERIES SCHEDULE

March 26: *Placerville Speedway – Placerville, CA (Winner: Jake Andreotti)

April 23: *Merced Speedway – Merced, CA (Winner: Shane Golobic)

May 7: *Placerville Speedway – Placerville, CA (Winner: Michael Faccinto)

June 18: *Merced Speedway – Merced, CA (Winner: Ryan Bernal)

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* = Co-Sanctioned Event with BCRA Midgets.

# = Elk Grove Ford Mini-Series.